Insalata Caprese (or salad in the style of Capri) originates from the Italian region of Campania & is also known as a Tricolore salad due to its three colours of red, white & green, which mimic the Italian flag.
In its pure form it is made only of sliced fresh buffalo mozzarella, plum tomatoes & basil, lightly seasoned with sea salt, black pepper & dressed in the best extra virgin olive oil.
There are of course variations to the traditional recipe, such as adding garlic, parsley or different vinegars, but I prefer my salad unadulterated. If the tomatoes are ripe & juicy there is, in my opinion, no need for any vinegar. The juice from the tomatoes will be sufficient to form the dressing.
I was lucky enougth this summer to have some heirloom Black Russian tomatoes, some Grosse Lisse (both home grown) & also some Romas & fresh basil grown by my good friends Patti & Denis Hicks.
As you will see from the pictures I do not go for the tradional presentation of alternating slices of tomato & mozzarella artfully arranged on a platter. I like a little more rustic approach by tearing the mozzarella & scattering it over the top of the tomato slices.
The following recipe does not give quantities, just use enough of the ingredients for the number of people dining.
Ingredients
Tomatoes sliced in rounds
Buffalo Milk Mozzarella sliced in rounds or torn
Basil torn
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Method
On a serving platter arrange tomatoes, scatter with torn mozzarella & basil leaves. Season with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, to taste & dress with extra virgin olive oil.
PS: I have entered this blog in the Grow Your Own competition. Just follow the link for details http://chezannies.blogspot.com/2010/02/grow-your-own-roundup-38.html
Yes! No vinegar needed! Perfect Summer dish.
ReplyDeleteSince you are using homegrown ingredients, would you like to enter this post in our Grow Your Own roundup this month? Full Details at
http://chezannies.blogspot.com/2010/01/rambutans-plus-grow-your-own.html