Caprese salad

Name: Caprese salad
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italiana
Ingredients: 4 u Tomato; Black pepper; 4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 250 g Mozzarella; 1 pinch Oregano; 1 handful Basil; Cast salt

Ensalada caprese

Easy

Incomplete allergen information: some ingredients have not been reviewed yet. Always check the labels before cooking.

Author: Equipo Cocinoa
Preparation time: 40 min
Servings: 4

Summary

Ripe tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and basil with good extra virgin olive oil and salt: the salad from Capri that puts the colours of the Italian flag on the plate. Five minutes of work, and everything depends on the quality of each ingredient.

Ingredients

4 servings

Add to Bring!

4 u Tomato (large, fleshy and very ripe)
Black pepper (freshly ground) (optional)
4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
250 g Mozzarella (buffalo mozzarella (2 balls))
1 pinch Oregano (dried) (optional)
1 handful Basil (fresh leaves)
Cast salt (or coarse salt, to taste)

Instructions

Take the mozzarella out of the fridge half an hour beforehand, still in its whey, so it loses its chill and regains its flavour.
30 min
Wash and dry the tomatoes, cut out the hard core at the stem and slice them about 1 cm thick.
5 min
Drain the mozzarella and slice it or tear it by hand into rough pieces. Arrange the tomato and mozzarella on a platter, alternating them or letting them overlap slightly.
3 min
Salt the tomatoes, sprinkle over the oregano if using and scatter over the basil leaves, torn by hand at the last moment so they do not darken.
2 min
Drizzle with the oil just before taking it to the table, add a little pepper if you like and serve straight away, with bread for mopping up.

Notes

Caprese is a summer dish: with tasteless greenhouse tomatoes it is not worth making. Look for fleshy, very ripe tomatoes and never put them in the fridge, as they lose aroma and texture. Mozzarella di bufala campana has a milky, slightly tangy flavour that makes it unmistakable; cow's milk mozzarella (fior di latte) is milder but works too, and burrata is a very popular variation. The classic version has no vinegar: balsamic is a common addition outside Italy, often as a reduction, and if you like it, use it sparingly so it does not mask the milky taste of the mozzarella. Salt the tomatoes rather than the cheese, and dress the salad at the last minute: if you make it ahead, the tomatoes weep and the basil turns dark. Leftovers do not keep well, so only make what you will eat. Have bread on hand to mop up the juices left on the plate.