Insalata Caprese (Caprese Salad)

This is such an easy, no-frill, no-brainer, and most of all no-work salad. All it takes is to cut the mozzarella cheese and tomatoes. after that all that's left to do is to assemble and season. I think the key to this salad is to get the freshest ingredients that you could find and getting a really good quality extra virgin oilve oil. All that quality and freshness really comes through when you take a bite of the salad and makes all the difference. This is coming from someone who, just a few short years ago (okay, two years ago), could not even tolerate eating raw tomatoes. This salad converted me from a non-raw tomato eater to someone who really likes them.

Insalata caprese originated from the Italian region of Campania. It is a simple salad composed of tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala, basil and seasoned with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and olive oil. It iss served as an antipasto or starter. I deviated a little from the traditional caprese salad because I added a little bit of capers.


Ingredients:

1 large ripe tomatoes
1/4 pound fresh mozzarella cheese
a handful of fresh basil leaves, washed and well-dried
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Tbsp capers

1. Wash tomatoes and let it air dry. Slice into 1/4 inch thick.
2. Remove mozzarella from container then drain liquid and discard. Slice into 1/4 inch thick.
3. To assemble: take a piece each of tomato and mozzarella cheese them sandwich a basil leaf in between them place in a serving platter. Repeat until everything is assembled.
4. Top with capers, season with salt and pepper according to taste, and drizzle olive oil on top.