Caprese Salad

This is a very simple Italian salad – fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh tomato and fresh basil leaves, often seasoned with only salt and pepper. This is the classic that you often see fanned out on a plate, repeating slices of white mozzarella, red tomato, green leaf of basil. The Italian flag’s colors are Red, White and Green. Don’t lose sight of its simplicity – the creaminess of the mozzarella, the slight acid of the tomato and the spiciness of the basil is a classic that has stood the test of time – try it in all of its glory. Don’t be afraid to serve it in all of it’s simplicity.
Now if you know me I’m not one to leave things alone, so here are some variations I like to add. My favorite way of serving it is, as a slice of tomato as the base – I often try to get a large heirloom tomato. I believe heirloom tomatoes have such a variety of colors, sizes and flavors that commercially grown tomatoes can’t offer. I often like to add a thin slice of cucumber – either a standard green cucumber or my all time favorite is a lemon cucumber. Mozzarella cheese is simplicity, but I am finding variations – especially marinated in olive oil or flavored olive oil. Mozzarella can also be found in small cherry tomato sized balls. Topped off with, or hidden in between a layer – a fresh basil leaf. Sprinkled with fresh ground black pepper, I like to use coarse Kosher salt or even a Pink Salt or Gray Salt – which typically has less of a ‘salty’ taste and adds more a ‘mineral’ taste. Drizzle some Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the top. Drizzle some Balsamic Vinegar over the top. Experiment with different balsamic vinegars, one of my favorites is Fig Balsamic Vinegar.
By making individual stacks, and serving them as stacks, your guests will find it easier to select a stack, cut and eat your gorgeous salad.

For Taste Sake – a slice of tomato, a leaf of basil, a small ball of mozzarella cut in half and two marinated mussels (recipe from an earlier post). Slice it in half, between the mozzarella and mussels and put the whole slice in your mouth – the flavors and textures, go on for some time!
Another variation would be to serve it as an appetizer. Take a bamboo skewer and cut it down to size, slide on cherry tomato, a small ball or cube of mozzarella, a leaf of basil, and maybe a marinated mussel. Serve them soaking in the herb dressing posted earlier, in a shallow dish.