Here’s an Insalata Caprese recipe for a tasty summer snack that you can make in five minutes with ingredients from your garden or the grocery store. In Italy, it’s called “Insalata Caprese”, meaning Caprese salad, but you can call it mozzarella tomatoes.
Here are the ingredients:
- Ripe tomatoes: about the size of a baseball is perfect.
- Fresh Mozzarella cheese: usually comes in either a tennis ball size or a small sub roll size
- Basil: fresh chopped is the best but paste or dried is OK in a pinch
- Olive Oil: use extra virgin for the lightest taste
- Lemon Juice: fresh is best but bottled is fine
- Black Pepper: fresh ground gives a sharper taste than store-ground
- Salt: start with just a little, you can always add more
Slice the tomatoes about ¼ inch thick. It’s best to put the tomatoes on a flat plate so all the liquid won’t fall off. Slice the cheese just a little thinner and put a slice on top of each of the tomato slices. Next drizzle some lemon juice and some olive oil, about a half teaspoon each, on each tomato. Add a dab of basil. You could also try cilantro, dill, oregano or your favorite herb. King Hop’s favorite is the basil we planted in pots in the sunroom. Then sprinkle to taste with pepper and salt. I like lots of fresh ground pepper!
Cover the whole thing with either some plastic wrap or another plate and store it in the fridge so it can chill. It’s nice to come inside when you’re hot from walking home from school and munch on a cool tomato cheese slider!
Try these delicious treats out and let me know if you come up with some variations!
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