As a kid, I often spent time at Grandma’s house and this Italian Tomato Salad was by far, my favorite lunch. In the summer, she often made it with tomatoes right from her garden. We’d eat it with a slice of crusty semolina bread, a wedge of provolone and maybe a few slices of pepperoni on the side. Three things always found in Grandma’s kitchen – fresh loaves of semolina bread, a block of provolone and a whole pepperoni sausage. She seemed to have an endless supply!
Italian Tomato Salad
- 6 Roma Tomatoes, chopped in bite sized pieces
- 2 Stalks Celery, chopped. Be sure to include some of the leafy part inside
- 1-2 Green Onions (can use 1/4 small red onion instead), chopped
- 1 Handful of Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, coarsely chopped.
- Drizzle of Olive Oil
- Splash of Red Wine Vinegar
- Salt & Pepper. To Taste
- Top With Light Sprinkle of Shredded or Shaved Parmesan
For the oil and vinegar, add the amount that you like. My Grandma never used vinegar. I found out years later that she actually used olive oil and a splash of water. I’m not sure why, but it still tasted great. Her “dressing” would mix with the juice from the tomatoes and had a nice mild flavor. We would sop up the remaining liquid in our bowls with the bread. Every now and then, we also cut thick wedges of bread and sliced them down the middle. Then we would stuff it with the tomato salad and eat it as a sandwich. You could also chop the tomato into very small pieces and make bruschetta with it. I bet it would even be good tossed over hot pasta.
As an adult, it has become one of our favorite light suppers with some grilled chicken or fish and a glass of wine. So simple, yet so tasty!
I just found out that celery is good “brain food”. Who knew. I’ll be adding celery to lots of recipes not. This looks like a great place to start! 🙂
I love family recipes like this! Your Italian Tomato Salad looks gorgeous and sounds so good!
Living in Florida, we eat salads all year long and yours looks to healthy and colorful. A must-try for me very soon!