[ratings]

This Neapolitan summer dish is perfect on a warm day and has to be one of the easiest dishes you’ll ever make. It’s at its best when made with flavorful vine-ripened tomatoes, young basil (small leaves!) and fresh mozzarella. You’ll be amazed at how deliciously simple and tasty this dish is. On hot summer days you’ll find us eating insalata Caprese in a shady spot in the yard with some fresh crunchy bread and a cool drink. Thank you Capri for this wonderful dish!

Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh mozzarella (sliced into ¼-inch discs)
• 4 small vine-ripened tomatoes (sliced)
• 1-2 stems fresh basil
• salt
• pepper
• olive oil

Directions

1. On a serving plate, alternate slices of mozzarella, tomato and basil leaves. You can either make rows of this pattern or make a circle on a round plate until you run out of tomato and mozzarella. If you make a circle, save some basil and put it in the middle as decoration for an added effect.
2. Garnish with a bit of salt and pepper.
3. Sprinkle a bit of olive oil over the dish just before serving, and you’re done!
4. If you plan on making this dish your dinner, I recommend serving with some fresh crunchy bread (goes really well with the olive oil).

Cook’s Notes

• If you like balsamic vinegar, you can use a bit of this sweet vinegar to complement this dish. Though, traditionally it is not served with vinegar.
• Should you find mozzarella di bufala at a reasonable price, you can replace the cow’s milk mozzarella with this specialty cheese for a more authentic flavor.
• The alternating colors (green, white, red) presented in this dish represent the Italian flag.
• This dish is commonly known as Caprese Salad or Tomato and Mozzarella Salad in the US.

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