Tomato, Mozzarella and Red Onion Salad

Last week I made one of my all time favorite salads. It isn't really a salad in the American sense. It is more like an appetizer. It is so good that it almost always overshadows the main course.

Tomato, Mozzarella and Red Onion Salad

4 ripe plum tomatoes cut into wedges
1/2 cup olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
1/2 of a red onion, cut up
3 clives garlic, minced
4 or 5 leaves of fresh basil, torn
salt to taste
1/2 t dried oregano
1 small ball of fresh mozzarella, cut into slices
fresh ground black pepper

Lay down a layer of mozzarella and top with tomatoes and red onion. Combine other ingredients and pour over the dish.


I also had spaghetti and meatballs with it.

Meatballs

1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup parmesan
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 cup ground oyster crackers (or other crackers of choice)
1 T italian herbs
1 t crushed red pepper
1 t fennel seed

Mix all that stuff up and shape into balls. Place balls into a baking dish that has been oiled down with olive oil. Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes, until all of the pinkness is gone from the center of one of the bigger meatballs.