Tomato Salad

Slice tomatoes in half, slice each half into quarters and place in a glass bowl. Season tomatoes with salt and pepper.

Peel, smash, and chop garlic cloves, the more the better! Add garlic to glass bowl. 

Remove stem from long hot pepper and slice into bite sized strips. Remove or keep any seeds depending on how hot you like your salad. Adjust pepper amount to your heat level preference. 

Wash fresh basil and parsley well, cut the bottom stems off (about 1 inch) and discard. Chop parsley and basil (I prefer to tear apart by hand). Add to the glass bowl.

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil around everything, about 1/3-1/2 cup. Mix everything together.

Place about 8-10 ice cubes all around the salad on top, pushing some in between and down into the tomatoes. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to sit out on the counter for 20-30 minutes. Ice cubes will melt and mix in with the oil. Mix well before serving, adding more salt or oil if needed. Serve with a crusty loaf of Italian bread, torn apart into pieces for dipping!