Ciao
a tutti!! When I’m in Italy, something that I really look forward to eating is
a beautiful, fresh Insalata Caprese. It’s just a perfect meal. Milky and creamy
mozzarella, plump, juicy tomatoes and sweet fragrant basil with a drizzle of beautiful olive oil and
sprinkle of salt.
I certainly eat Insalata Caprese in America, but……they’re just not the same. The big thing for me…the tomatoes. Tomatoes in Italy are just amazing. The oil, air, water and sun in Italy all contribute to the extraordinary quality and taste of the tomatoes. When I was first in Ischia the summer of 2011, we brought some tomatoes at the local market, took them home and cut them in half and ate them with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Bliss. We had never had such good tomatoes. Honestly, they just taste different then what we have back home.
So..one
day while wandering around Rome, literally, just wandering and seeing what we
found, we weren’t looking for anything specific, just taking in all of the
beauty, we came across a little trattoria and decided to give it a try. I
ordered the Insalata Caprese and did not regret it. Another key to making a
fantastic insalata is getting REAL mozzarella. Not the kind packaged in the supermarket.
You need to find a place that sells fresh, milky mozzarella.
I
know this may sound like the most, simple, easiest recipe ever and it is…but
that’s one of the reasons I love it so much. You’ll be amazed at how something
so simple, can taste so incredible. Buon Appetito!!
Insalata
Caprese
3 vine ripe
tomatoes (cut into ¼ inch thick slices)
1 pound fresh
mozzarella (cut into ¼ inch thick slices)
1 bunch fresh
basil
Extra virgin
olive oil (to drizzle)
Salt and Pepper
Layer
alternating slices of tomatoes and mozzarella, adding some basil between.
Drizzle the top of the salad with the olive oil and sprinkle with some salt and
pepper (quanto basta!). Enjoy!!
