The sweetness of the tomatoes should really be the star of this dish, so make sure you are using vine ripened tomatoes. Quite often served on toasted Italian bread, the Sardinians serve it on these really thin, cracker like, flat bread called pane carasau.
And I'm just kidding about Carmela's backhand, she's as sweet as they come. She's actually my sister's mother-in-law who is currently visiting from Latina, Italy. I plan on learning as many recipes as I can while she's here!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1 lb ripe tomatoes
1 large clove garlic
5 leaves of fresh basil
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Pince or two of salt to taste
Evenly dice the tomatoes into small squares about 1/4 inch in size. Mince the garlic as small as you can get it. Once you think you have it as small as you can put a pinch of salt on top of the minced garlic and mash it with the flat side of your chefs knife pulling it towards you. The salt acts as an abrasive to the softer garlic. Chop up the basil or tear it by hand into small little pieces. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and toss them all together. It's as simple as that. Scoop a bit on some toasted bread and enjoy.
Cheers,
--Joe Kwon