Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella salad - Cooking made easy

(Insalata Caprese)

Here is a very simple, five minute recipe for a great tasting salad. No cooking, no mess and very nutritional. It looks good too. The combination of colors complement the combination of flavors. This is a great appetizer before almost any Italian meal, with the possible exception of Pizza with Mozzarella on it. You don’t really want to eat two Mozzarella dishes one after the other. I just realized as I was making this one that the combination of colors is the same as the Italian flag: red, green and white. I’ve been making this for years and never noticed. In Italian, this salad is called “Insalata Caprese” which means salad from Capri.

There are numerous stories about how this salad was “created” in Capri, but the simple fact is, people have been making Mozzarella in Capri for centuries, and if there is a better place on earth to grow tomatoes and basil, I have never heard of it. Personally, I think the Italian flag was created to match the salad and this simple combination of foods say’s volumes about Italian cuisine. Fresh, natural ingredients, combined with olive oil, served cold. If I was only ever able to eat one Italian dish for the rest of my life, I would be hard pressed to find one I preferred. This is for two servings.

You will need:

Equipment:

A cutting board

A sharp knife

Ingredients:

Two large tomatoes

A handful of fresh basil

A pat of Mozzarella

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

A large bottle of wine

First, open the wine, pour a glass and sip. Now you are ready. Second, slice the tomatoes into medium sized slices as in the photo. Next, slice the Mozzarella an the same way. I am lucky enough to be able to buy Buffalo Mozzarella fairly inexpensively, and I much prefer it to normal Mozzarella.

But if you can’t find it, or it’s insanely expensive where you are, normal Mozzarella will do just fine. I also like to use only virgin, cold pressed olive oil, but the same applies. There are some what I consider to be apocryphal stories about this being one of the best arthritis recipes, but I would take that with a pinch pf sale.Any olive oil will do, but because the flavors are so mild, delicate and balanced, a poor olive oil will affect the taste of the salad. Buy the best olive oil you can find is my advice. I also grow my own basil. I live in an apartment, so it’s not hard to grow your own basil, and it tastes 100% better than the force-grown stuff in most stores.

Next, chop the basil coarsely. Then place the cheese and tomato slices on a plate alternately and sprinkle with the basil. Next, drizzle olive oil over and add salt and pepper to taste. I like a fair amount of pepper with this salad, but not too much salt. Serve cold. I like to serve this as an appetizer before pizza, and there are some fantastic Pizza recipes that go very well with this Italian starter.

Buon Apetito !