Caprese

[rootofnewt]

I'm told that Insalata Caprese should never involve vinegar.

Oh, well. I happen to like a good balsamic vinegar. I even like it used in excess, but for this salad, I go light.

And I live in Virginia, not Italy. I'll use what I wish. ;)

Here's what I do... walk out to the garden and gather tomatoes. Right now, I'm harvesting Sweet Olive tomatoes, which are a cherry tomato variety. They look like miniature Romas. On my way back to the house, i grab a few fingerfuls of globe basil. It's hardier in our heat than the regular large-leaf basil, and the flavor is better. I take these inside and wash them and let them dry in their sieves.

I take some fresh mozzarella out of the fridge. While I can get mozzarella di bufala around here, I usually opt for cow's milk mozzarella--it's cheaper and just as tasty. I take it out of its water and cut it into bite sized pieces. If the balls are small and bite-size, I halve them. I put them on a plate. I halve and quarter the tomatoes. I tear and scatter the basil leaves. Then I drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil over the plate. I carefully select the 10-year aged balsamic vinegar from my shelf of many sour things. I uncork the small bottle and waft a bit of the lovely aroma toward my nose. I sparingly drizzle a bit over the plate.

Add salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Enjoy.

As peppers come into season, I'll probably add more heresy to the sacrilege by roasting them and tossing them in the mix.

Comments

[lachupacabra.livejournal.com]

i think it sounds wonderful like that.
i wish i had some right now.
:)

[alierakieron.livejournal.com]

I know it's almost a running joke by this point, BUT, if you add capers? WHOA. If you like that sort of thing... I learned this from the wonderful Moroccan folx at "Casablanca" in bloomington. They also add pickled onion, which I must, MUST, learn how to make.

[krasota.livejournal.com]

I don't care for capers and I think they'd be too bold for the mix of flavors in this. You, of course, are free to add them. ;)

[chorus-of-chaos.livejournal.com]

oh god that sounds heavenly.....absolutely heavenly. I wish my husband liked to eat something other than ugh...what does he insist on eating, it all tastes the same....blay.

[snack.livejournal.com]

actually, that sounds like something sweetie would eat. and she's italian.

[pinkrose70.livejournal.com]

Mmmmmm that sounds delicious!

I particularly envy your home grown tomatoes...I am from Maryland, though I have lived out here in Southern California
for 19 years.

I MISS the tomatoes back there. They're OK out here, but I think it must be the soil. I've grown cherry tomatoes here that are pretty good...but nothing beats the taste of a mid-Atltantic grown tomato.

I also miss steamed blue crabs, but that's another post.

I'm enjoying your menu and preparation posts. Thanks!

[krasota.livejournal.com]

Oddly enough, I find tomatoes in the midAtlantic pale in comparison to the hefty wonders grown in northern Mississippi and in northern Indiana. ;)

Are there any local cultivars where you live? A good heirloom nursery might be able to be of service in selecting better varieties for you. You could container plant, too.

[alierakieron.livejournal.com]

I've noticed this up here in Wisconsin too - they're GOOD, but just... lacking something. I wonder if it's the intense heat of the summer, or the angle of the sun or somesuch?