On Purim we send freshly baked homemade rolls along with a container of tomato onion salad.  The feedback I’ve gotten so far is that people really appreciated receiving real food and the things we sent got eaten early in the day.

I’ve received a couple of recipe requests for the salad I sent, so I’m sharing it here with you.  It’s quick and flexible, and stays nicely in the fridge for a few days since it’s marinated.  It can be made up in advance or just a few hours before serving.  (It’s also one of the salads we served for the bar mitzva.)

Tomato Onion Salad

• 3 – 4 large ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced (if using large tomatoes, cut the slices in half so they aren’t too unwieldy to eat)
• 1 onion (about a 1/2 cup),  sliced thinly (I used purple onion but any onion works fine)
• 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 c. vinegar
• 1/8 t. pepper
• 1 T. dried oregano or basil (if fresh herbs are in season, use 3 T. of chopped herbs instead)
• 1/2 c. sliced black olives

The key to this salad tasting good is to be sure the onions are well marinated, unless you like some sharpness (which I don’t).  Put the sliced onions in the food container, then mix the marinade and olives, pour over the onions, and mix it thoroughly.  I find it’s best to do this about twelve  hours before you want to serve it, but there’s really no hard and fast rule.

Then add the sliced tomatoes on top of the marinating onions.  Mix it all together before serving.  If it’s easier, you can mix everything when you make it and it will still turn out great.  Just don’t add the onions last on top of everything, because they won’t absorb the marinade!

Avivah