Tomatoes

Good tomatoes are not always easy to find, but when you do, it's party time!

Tomato salad. These words alone make my mouth water. It could be because of the memory of its sweet tartness. Or just because tomato salad is so darn tasty. As a kid I used to love my father's summer salad: segments of ripe, soft tomatoes, paper thin slices of onions, flavorful dark sunflower oil and lots of cayenne pepper. Collecting the salty juices with a chunk of bread was the best treat.

Now I have access to more sophisticated ingredients, which allow me to build on my memory and make something that works for my family and my grown up taste. With tuna for protein and croutons for carbs this salad makes a well-rounded meal.

Tomato Salad

Serves 2 for lunch

3 large, very ripe tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 5-oz can water-packed tuna, drained
1/2 small onion, cut paper thin
12 Kalamata olives, pitted, cut into quarters lengthwise
1 tablespoon capers, minced
croutons made from 2 large slices of bread
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
freshly ground black pepper

To make croutons, preheat oven to 300F. Cut bread into 1/2 inch cubes, spread over a cookie sheet and bake until crisp, about 15 minutes.

Cut tomatoes into segments, add salt and drain them over a bowl for about 5 minutes to catch the juices. Toss tomatoes with tuna, onions, olives, capers and croutons. With a fork, whisk tomato juice, lemon juice, sunflower oil and black pepper. Drizzle over the salad.