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Insalata Caprese with Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

June 16, 2014 by Kayley 14 Comments

Insalata Caprese | thekitchenmccabe.com

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

Insalata Caprese | thekitchenmccabe.com

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.

Insalata Caprese | thekitchenmccabe.com

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.

Insalata Caprese | thekitchenmccabe.com

Insalata Caprese with Balsamic Vinegar Reduction
 
Print
Serves: Makes 2 large salads or 4 smaller salads.
Ingredients
  • 1 8 oz. ball Fresh Mozzarella
  • 2 medium Heirloom Tomatoes
  • Balsamic Reduction
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
  • Coarse Salt
  • Basil Leaves, to garnish
Instructions
  1. Slice the fresh mozzarella into 8-10 slices.
  2. Slice the ends off of both tomatoes and slice each tomato into 5-6 slices.
  3. 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.
  4. Drizzle the top of each stack with desired amount of olive oil.
  5. Drizzle the top of each stack with desired amount of balsamic reduction.
  6. Top each stack with a small sprig of basil leaves.
3.2.2925

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Filed Under: Appetizers, Salads, Vegetarian Tagged With: cheese, salad, tomato

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Comments

  1. Jessica @ Jessiker Bakes says

    June 16, 2014 at 5:01 PM

    This salad looks beautiful and I’m sure if you looked up summer in the dictionary this picture would be beside it! Okay, that was a bit cheesy but it’s pretty much perfect. I do need to try that mozzarella cheese!

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      June 17, 2014 at 2:48 PM

      Thanks Jessica! I like cheesy, thank you for the compliment! =) I hope you get to try the mozzarella sometime, it’s life changing!

      Reply
  2. Jessica @ A Happy Food Dance says

    June 16, 2014 at 11:36 PM

    Beautiful styling! I could eat caprese salads every day, but the California girl in me always adds avocado.

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      June 17, 2014 at 2:49 PM

      Thank you Jessica! I love the sound of avocado in this, I’ll have to try that next time!

      Reply
  3. Serene @ House of Yumm says

    June 17, 2014 at 4:18 AM

    Kayley, this is absolutely stunning!! I would say too pretty to eat, but I’m pretty sure I would have to eat this! It looks delicious! My mouth is watering! You are amazing 🙂

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      June 17, 2014 at 2:50 PM

      You always say the nicest things, Serene, Thank you!

      Reply
  4. Crystal | Apples & Sparkle says

    June 17, 2014 at 5:19 AM

    Gorgeous recipe. I could eat this everyday in the summertime.

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      June 17, 2014 at 2:50 PM

      Thank you Crystal! Me too!

      Reply
  5. Karen @ The Food Charlatan says

    June 17, 2014 at 5:26 AM

    Oh yum. This is just fabulous Kayley! You are making me mourn even more the death of my tomato plant just outside. Curse you black thumb! To the farmer’s market it is!

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      June 17, 2014 at 2:51 PM

      Thanks Karen! I share your black thumb issues. Can’t even keep my little basil plant alive. Thank heavens for farmers markets!

      Reply
  6. Bill says

    June 17, 2014 at 3:18 PM

    This is the perfect time of year for caprese salads. I’m getting local organic tomatoes at our neighborhood farmer’s market and this is the perfect use for them. Great post, Kayley!

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      June 17, 2014 at 5:48 PM

      Thank you Bill! Lucky! We don’t have any tomatoes at our farmers market here yet 🙁

      Reply
  7. Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says

    June 17, 2014 at 5:25 PM

    Gorgeous! Perfect summer salad!

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      June 17, 2014 at 5:48 PM

      Thank you Anna!

      Reply

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