Basya Tsybukmakher
The most delicious tomato salad in the world looks like this!
But to achieve it, you have to go on a full-fledged quest to find those very tomatoes. Sniff your way through half of Domodedovo Market. Become an expert in tomato anatomy, shapes, types, and varieties (did you know that the tastiest natural, juicy tomatoes have green veins inside? I certainly didn't until yesterday). Learn the geography of tomatoes—where, when, and exactly which tomatoes are the tastiest right now.
In other words, tomatoes are more than just a berry in the nightshade family—they are a whole science!
But once you've brought your perfect tomatoes home, sliced them with a very sharp knife without spilling a single drop of tomato blood onto the cutting board, put them in a bowl, lightly sprinkled them with lemon juice (very lightly, to complement and enhance the flavor rather than overpower it), finely chopped a clove of garlic (no garlic presses!), drizzled on just a little fragrant unrefined oil with the scent of sunflower seeds and summer, and sprinkled on salt and freshly ground pepper... That is when gastronomic ecstasy sets in!