Insalata Caprese - Simple Composed Salad that Satisfies

Insalata Caprese

Originating on the isle of Capri, this simple composed salad - when done right – is one of summer's pure pleasures. Do not skimp on ingredients, with so few in this recipe, the quality of each ingredient must be tops. No store-bought tomatoes and hermetically sealed mozzarella that tastes like its wrapper.

In the waning days of summer we are fortunate to have an abundance of heirloom tomatoes around, this is a perfect way to showcase them. I love Purple Cherokee tomatoes in this but Green Zebras are a close second. Purple Cherokees are a deep red-purple tomato with sweet flavor while Green Zebras are bright green and striped. They have a higher acid content.

For a taste of an intro to heirlooms read here. Links to more info below. 

Ingredients:

• Heirloom tomatoes or tomatoes from a good friend's garden
• Mozzarella di Bufala or fresh mozzarella
• Best quality olive oil – first cold pressed extra virgin
• Fresh basil leaves
  
• Fresh ground black pepper, sea salt or kosher salt
• Top quality balsamic vinegar

To assemble:

1. Slice tomatoes with a serrated knife.
2. Slice mozzarella.
3. Alternate slices of tomato and mozzarella in a row or semi-circle around a salad plate
4. Sprinkle with salt, grind pepper

Make chiffonade of basil:

1. Wash and spin dry leaves of basil.
2. Stack a few leaves on top of each other, then roll as you would a cigar.
3. Cut crosswise with a sharp knife (not serrated) and you'll have a bunch of little strips of basil.
4. Spread chiffonade across the basil/tomato salads. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and a bit of balsamic.

Enjoy!

About real tomatoes:

Grocery store tomatoes, even the hot house varieties and those that claim to be “vine ripened”, are usually hybrids that were developed to withstand machine harvest and cross-country trucking. Often they are picked underripe and then gassed to hasten the coloring that imitates ripening. They were not truly vine-ripened or they would be mush by the time they traveled all the way from farm to table. They will never approach the flavor of a true heirloom tomato which tastes like a tomato is supposed to taste.

• Read about http://gourmetfood.suite101.com/article.cfm/heirloom_tomatoes___apples_of_love" mce_href=" http://gourmetfood.suite101.com/article.cfm/heirloom_tomatoes___apples_of_love">Apples of Love here. 
• For more info from a true expert, Gary Ibsen, see “The Great Tomato Book”. If you're in Carmel California this September, check out Tomato Fest. There's also an expert of Gary's book on Google, check it out.

About Balsamic:

True balsamic vinegar is not just dark vinegar, though many brands in grocery stores claim to be. If you can splurge, get to a good Italian grocer and ask for assistance finding the best in your price range. If you have a Whole Foods, Bristol Farms, or Williams-Sonoma you should be able to find a good quality balsamic.

• For more information about traveling through Italy and eating and drinking all it has to offer, see Delicious Italy.
  

About Olive Oil:

Olive oil is extracted from olives through a pretty involved process. If you're looking at large commercial brands it is essential that you get "first cold pressed, extra virgin" or you may find yourself with oil that has been chemically extracted from olives with little left to give. I prefer to use brands such as Colavita for everyday cooking (say sauteeing olive oil and garlic for spaghetti) while keeping bottles of artisanal olive oils on hand for fresh preparations like salads.

•   Two terrific olive oils I've found are Pasolivo and Olivas de Oro.