I absolutely adore a good caprese salad. Anytime, anywhere, in a boat or on a coat, I will eat caprese. But in the summer, when the basil is fresh and the tomatoes are in season, it becomes really magnificent. It can make an elegant appetizer or salad course all stacked up in a pretty tower with drizzles of oil and balsamic reduction running down the sides.
INSALATA CAPRESE WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR REDUCTION
This recipe calls for fresh mozzarella, but if you can get your hands on mozzarella di bufala, um….GET THAT.
Once upon a time I was in Italy and I found a little butcher shop in St. Margherita that sold these little balls of fresh mozzarella di bufula. They had just been made that day. I bought a bag of them and my life changed forever. Seriously. Cheese has been ruined for me ever since that day. I have never had something so incredible since.
So, yes. Do use mozzarella di bufala, if you have the chance. It may not be quite as amazing as the version fresh made straight out of an Italian butcher shop, but it’s still a force to be reckoned with.
I love this salad because it’s so very simple to throw together. Just slice, stack and drizzle. Voila. A pretty, easy salad is ready to serve.
Do use heirloom tomatoes also, if you can. They have a meatier texture and are sweeter than the common, greenhouse variety. They are so pretty too!
You’ll need to plan a little bit ahead to make the balsamic reduction. You want it too be cold, or at room temperature when you drizzle it on the salad. Personally, I always keep a bottle of it in my fridge because it makes a great accent for so many dishes. It keeps for a long time, as well. There is a link in the recipe to my balsamic reduction recipe, or you can find it HERE.
- 1 8 oz. ball Fresh Mozzarella
- 2 medium Heirloom Tomatoes
- Balsamic Reduction
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
- Coarse Salt
- Basil Leaves, to garnish
- Slice the fresh mozzarella into 8-10 slices.
- Slice the ends off of both tomatoes and slice each tomato into 5-6 slices.
- Stack the slices of fresh mozzarella and tomato on 2-4 plates(depending on how large of stacks per serving you want), alternating the mozzarella and tomato and sprinkling a little bit of salt between each layer.
- Drizzle the top of each stack with desired amount of olive oil.
- Drizzle the top of each stack with desired amount of balsamic reduction.
- Top each stack with a small sprig of basil leaves.
