When tomatoes are in season, I always try to get my fill of these little, beautiful, sweet delights. I love the farmers market, and tomatoes are in full bloom in August and September in Michigan. When they’re in season they are filled with juice and are sweet as can be! My family loves to enjoy and eat homegrown tomatoes as a snack — they even eat them like apples. It is very common in Greek homes to slice tomatoes, cucumbers and feta cheese at every meal.
This is a simple salad that can make your entertaining life easy, but still feel colorful and special. All it takes is a little garlic, a little sweet onion or shallots, along with the best Greek olive oil, white crisp vinegar, salt and pepper, and of course, farm fresh basil. If you have your own basil growing in your garden, it is very likely that around this time of the year, it’s growing like crazy! This is the perfect salad to incorporate your extra basil in.
If you want to change this simple dish up, and give it something a little extra, I would add cheese! You can simply add feta or mozzarella, but I have also made the salad and poured it over burrata, which is delicious for a appetizer. It’s also the perfect topping to add to a toasted baguette. I also recommend drizzling the tomatoes with balsamic, adding sliced peaches, figs for a savory and sweet treat. It’s a great, refreshing salad for the last days of summer! Enjoy!
Cherry Tomato Salad
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 Tablespoon of finely chopped garlic
- 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots or farm fresh sweet onion
- 2 Tablespoon of white vinegar
- 4 Tablespoons of Greek extra virgin olive oil
- 4 Pints of Cherry tomatoes
- 1/3 Cup of fresh basil leaves
- Kosher salt to taste and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Clean and remove the stem of the tomatoes
Slice them in halve
Chop garlic
Chop shallots or onions
Place tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a bowl
Whisk olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper
Add to the tomatoes
Toss
Set aside at room temperature
Let the tomatoes marinate for a least 30 mins
Just before serving add basil and toss add more salt and pepper to taste
Notes
Cherry tomatoes are sensitive be careful with them Use a serrated knife with slicing them in halve to prevent them from falling apart Use balsamic vinegar maybe add a splash at the end to give it a sweet flavor Add seasonal fruits to this salad, figs or peaches are amazing this time of year