CAPRESE SALAD

Simplicity itself. That’s Ricky’s lead in, to this recipe. I suspect he would just as soon leave it at that. But he knows I won’t. A couple of weeks ago, as tomato season was in full swing, we made a Caprese salad with the idea of posting this recipe. (It is a bit of a stretch to call it a recipe.) We know that a good portion of our readers will know what Caprese salad is, and how to make it. But we thought we would get the best feature picture we could, to remind you how delicious and easy it is. Not only did it photograph well, it was so good, I have made it and eaten it for dinner three times since then. As the days have ticked away, and summer is waning, so is the supply of vine ripened locally grown tomatoes. Where has time gone! We have been busy getting new recipe posts ready for you, that have been in the making for a while, and you will be seeing them soon. But we are going to miss the season if we delay any further! We are going to send this post to the front of the line. This has got to be posted!

USE FRESH. BUY QUALITY.

That counts more in this recipe than any other I can think of. Use the freshest tomato and basil that you can get. Buy the best mozzarella and olive oil that you can afford. It makes a world of difference. You will be glad you did. It is a real treat.

Here’s what YOU WILL NEED:

This is WHAT TO DO:

Slice the tomatoes, any thickness you want, in whole or half slices. This is all about what you want. Lightly salt the tomato slices. Slice the ball of mozzarella cheese. Make alternate layers of tomato slices and mozzarella. You can place full leaves of basil between the layers, or tear basil leaves up and spread over the top, as in our feature picture. Basil is at it’s absolute best in this salad. Every bite testifies to what a perfect pair tomato and basil make. Drizzle olive oil over the top, before or after serving.

TASTES EVEN BETTER THAN IT LOOKS.