Friday, August 19, 2011

Salad Caprese

It's the perfect tomato salad, as far as I'm concerned.  But you need perfect tomatoes -- tomatoes with superlative taste.  I used heirloom tomatoes from our garden but more and more farmers' markets and grocery stores are carrying these luscious varieties -- almost always locally grown because these big tender tomatoes don't ship well.

Tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil. olive oil (extra-virgin), and salt (sea) are the basic ingredients in this delightful salad from Capri. Purists insist on buffalo mozzarella but I say it's pretty amazingly good with plain old fresh cow mozzarella. ( And quite expensive enough. And while we're on the subject of expense, what's the difference between virgin and extra-virgin?)
But I digress.

I'm still dealing with tomatoes -- something over 60 quarts are canned and in the cellar; quite a few baggies of roasted maters are in the freezer;  and I think I'll make gazpacho tomorrow.


Such wealth!



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18 comments:

Ms. A said...

That's a heap of tomatoes! The heat and drought have really taken a toll on my daughter's. They haven't produced very many. Yours don't look to have done much suffering.

Martin said...

Looks delicious!

Stella Jones said...

Your tomatoe salad looks wonderfully delicious and just right for these summer days. How did you get the post to pop up on your Facebook page? that's clever!

Thérèse said...

A dream!

Alan Burnett said...

You do seem to have an almost over-abundance of tomatoes.

Pat in east TN said...

The tomato salad looks yummy and is a 'must try' with all the tomatoes I still have coming on in the garden.

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Such a wealth is right. You can never have too many tomatoes. Wow.

Your caprese salad is beautiful Vicki. People ask me why summer is my favorite season and the answer is obvious - juicy garden tomatoes.
Sam

Brian Miller said...

wow you had a bumper crop eh? been gettin many from a local farmer friend...the salad looks gorgeous...and yummy...

KarenB said...

Extra virgin is the very first pressing of oil from the olive, mechanically extracted without chemicals and an acidity level under 1%. My husband works for a company that imports the stuff so he knows.

I make a tomato salad for dinner during tomato days - cubes of sourdough bread, tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, salt, a light amount of balsamic vinaigrette, and possibly arugula if it hasn't all bolted. I could eat it every night! I also have a terrific gazpacho recipe that uses roasted peppers and sherry vinegar, but since I'm in your neck of the woods and away from my recipes I'll have to try to email it to you when we get back home.

Suz said...

that is my all time favorite salad

Kath said...

We've botched tomato growing this year. So it is pure pleasure to see your photos and read about the Caprese. Tomorrow is farmer's market in downtown Lexington. Have to go!

Darla said...

A truly divine salad! Yum...

Kathryn Stripling Byer said...

Gorgeous tomatoes, Vicki! Ours are probably rotting on the vine while we are with Jim's dad in his hospital room in Knoxville. He took a bad fall 2 weeks ago and it's been downhill ever since. His 96 years have been good ones, though, most of the time.

NCmountainwoman said...

This has become our mainstay summer salad. Who needs more veggies in your salad when you can have Salad Caprese? We do buy the buffalo mozzarella since it is a seasonal splurge and we are cooking for only two.

Someone mentioned the difference in extra virgin olive oil, and I'm sure you know that buffalo mozzarella is from water buffalo, not bison.

jennyfreckles said...

I could quite happily have that for lunch and dinner this weekend. Your version is so colourful too. I didn't know it had a name - Caprese.

Folkways Note Book said...

Vicki 60 quarts! And you write too. Fantastic -- barbara

Merisi said...

Your Salad Caprese looks oh so good!
Believe ir or not, I had my first insalata Caprese on the island of Capri (in the Gulf of Naples).

Btw, in Italy, only cheese made with buffalo milk is called mozzarella. Cow's milk cheese that looks like mozzarella is called "fior di latte".

I only ever buy Extra-Vergin olive oil. It has only 0.8% (up to or less) acidity whereas vergin olive oil can have up to 2.0%. Both are cold pressed. Prices are accordingly (considering the amount of labor that goes into growing and harvesting, it is understandable).

Victoria said...

That looks delicious! I used to make something similar but I haven't made it since my sister quit growing tomatoes. Tomatoes won't grow up here and store bought are just not worth eating.