This salad combines two very important ingredients in Lebanese cuisine, basal (onion) and banadoura (tomato) in one of our favorite forms: a salad! Basal wa Banadoura Salata is one of my go-to salads for harvest time, as summer transitions to fall, and the gold and bright red cherry tomatoes mirror the changing colors of the trees. This salad is a celebration of color, taste, and texture, with sweet tomatoes and tangy red onions coated in a bright garlic-lemon vinaigrette spiked with sumac spice that you make right in the salad bowl. I like to serve this salad at room temperature, as the tomatoes taste more vibrant to me when they aren’t chilled. Feel free to let this salad sit for a while, as the flavors will develop and become even stronger and more delicious. 
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
3 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, cored and sliced into thick wedges
1 pint yellow cherry tomatoes (1½ to 2 cups), stemmed and left whole
1 pint (1½ to 2 cups) heirloom cherry tomatoes, stemmed and left whole
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, mashed into a smooth paste (using a garlic press or mortar and pestle)
2½ to 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon sumac spice (see here)
Place the tomato wedges on the bottom of a large, shallow salad bowl. Layer the cherry tomatoes on top of the tomato wedges, and toss the red onion slices all over the tomatoes, separating the slices with your fingertips.
Add the garlic paste on top of the tomatoes and onions and pour the lemon juice and then the olive oil over all the ingredients, starting in the center of the bowl. Season with the salt and sumac, and lightly toss the salad together. Serve at room temperature.