Caprese Salad Recipe
A classic Italian favorite. Loved the world over. Known for its many variations and simplicity. This is a dish that is hard not to love, especially when it is warm out. Great as an appetizer or as a meal. You can change the texture and consistency of the dish simply by changing the cuts to the tomatoes and mozzarella. For a fun finger food appetizer, slice and stack like an open-faced sandwich. For a fun family style appetizer, chop the tomatoes and mozzarella into cubes. Toss in the marinade and serve with crusty bread. Tasting Guidelines: Taste is savory, sweet, and fresh. Weight is light but can be balanced with basil and vinegar. Texture is soft. Good for people not in treatment. Best categorized as Italian.
Servings: 4 People
Cost: $10
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Chef's knife
- Serving Tray
Ingredients
Food Ingredients:
- 1 lb. fresh mozzarella sliced
- 5 medium-sized Roma tomatoes sliced
Flavor Balancers:
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- red wine vinaigrette
Aromatics:
- fresh whole basil leaves
Instructions
- Since this is a fresh recipe, wash tomatoes and basil thoroughly. Slice tomatoes into sandwich slices about a 1/4 inch thickness. Lightly sprinkle salt over the tomatoes slices on both front and back.
- Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Then marinate tomatoes in large mixing bowl in a generous coating of Wishbone red wine vinaigrette for at least 30 minutes. While tomatoes are marinating, slice fresh mozzarella into similarly sized servings. Set aside.
- Remove basil leaves from stem. Then on a large serving platter, assemble in this method: Tomatoes down first. Cheese down second. A sprinkle of fresh black pepper over the cheese. And basil leaf to finish. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Notes
Caprese Salad may be refrigerated for several days for quick easy snacks throughout the week. I highly recommend if you are going to do this to put the basil on fresh every time you serve. This recipe is more like a finger food and can be made more like a salad by chopping everything into thumbnail-sized chunks. You can also substitute the Roma tomatoes for Cherry or Grape tomatoes for an even more forkable option!