Simple but superb
Caprese salad or ‘Insalata Caprese’ is a traditional Italian salad. It originates from the region of Campania and is usually served as a starter or antipasto. Despite being very simple to make, a good caprese salad can have quite a wow factor. Colourful, attractive and bursting with flavour, it is a great dish for any summer party. It comprises of three main ingredients – tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. With, of course, a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Because of its simplicity, however, there is one very important rule with this salad. All the ingredients must be absolutely top quality. This salad should only be made in the summer, when tomatoes are in season and at their best. Ideally you should use good quality buffalo mozzarella (though if you can’t get hold of any, don’t stress). Make sure you use a good quality balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.
Caprese salad with an exotic twist
Typically a Caprese salad is made with the large red tomatoes. I love using a mix of smaller multi-coloured heirloom or exotic tomatoes. They often have very interesting flavours and colours, and the smaller tomatoes have such an intense flavour. I like to slice them quite chunky, which gives the salad a nice rustic feeling. If you can only get hold of big tomatoes, then proceed with the recipe as normal, just simply slice the tomatoes neatly and arrange on a platter. I tear the mozzarella into chunks, which not only adds to the rustic look, but also creates jagged edges to absorb all that delicious olive oil and balsamic dressing.
Although it’s not totally traditional, I also like to smash some basil in the pestle and mortar with olive oil, and dollop it around the salad. It increases the basil flavour and mingles with the vinegar and olive oil to create a delicious aromatic dressing. To ensure it doesn’t go brown though, make the smashed basil just before you are ready to assemble the salad. For the leftover basil, tear the leaves rather than slicing them. Slicing causes the cut edge to oxidise, turning your basil blackish brown. Not the most attractive garnish!
Caprese Salad
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Ingredients
- 800g mixed exotic or heirloom tomatoes, at room temperature*
- 2 balls of buffalo mozzarella cheese
- A large handful of fresh basil
- Balsamic vinegar, as needed
- Extra Virgin olive oil, as needed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Wash the tomatoes well, and remove any stalks.
- Slice the slightly larger tomatoes into rustic slices, in the opposite direction to if you were going to slice them through the root. This gives more attractive slices that also hold their shapes better.
- Cut the smaller tomatoes into halves or quarters. Having a variety of cuts adds to the rustic look of the salad.
- Place all the tomato slices in a bowl. Drizzle generously with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste and adjust as needed, then set to one side.
- Tear the mozzarella into rustic chunks and place in a bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Take about half of the basil, and roughly tear it with your hands. Place it in a pestle and mortar and drizzle with some olive oil. Add a pinch of salt, and bash it until you have a rough, chunky sauce. Careful not too add too much salt!
- Arrange half the dressed tomatoes on an attractive platter. Arrange a few chunks of mozzarella on top and dollop some smashed basil around. Tear a few of the leftover basil into rough pieces, and sprinkle on top.
- Arrange the rest of the tomatoes and mozzarella on top, then dollop the rest of the smashed basil around. Tear up the remaining basil leaves, and place them rustically on the salad.
Notes
*Tomatoes should always be stored at room temperature, away from direct sunlight. Never store tomatoes in the fridge, as this causes them to become floury and lose some of their flavour.
