need another way to enjoy all of those wonderfully juicy, ripe august tomatoes? look no further than a classic caprese salad. it's a great way to use up your abundance of basil too. bonus!
nothing tastes quite as fresh and natural as a mouthful of creamy mozzerella, juicy tomato, fresh basil, and acidic balsamic vinegar. i have memories of enjoying the "real thing" in italy. one bite of this simple salad, and i'm right back to an outdoor cafe on the beach in cinque terre with N. just thinking about it makes me want to dig out my travel journal from our adventures in france and italy that summer 8(?!) years ago. . .
the other bonus of this salad is it's ridiculously easy. for real. it's almost silly to post this as a recipe. a splash of balsamic and olive oil, a sprinkling of salt and pepper, a chiffonade of basil, and some chopped tomatoes and mozzerella. that's it!
Caprese Salad
serves 4-6
3-4 ripe tomatoes (i used orange and red for color - halved cherry tomatoes work wonderfully too)
bunch of fresh basil (about 10-12 leaves)
8oz mozzarella cheese(i have used both buffalo and part skim with success)
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
in a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. chop tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. cut mozzarella up into same size pieces. stack basil leaves on top of each other and roll tightly into a cigarette shape. slice into thin strips - chiffonade. add everything to balsamic vinegar mix and stir well. let sit for 10 minutes to let flavors meld. stir well before serving.
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