by Lydia Marshall
What else besides a Caprese Salad would I have for dinner tonight after seeing these GORGEOUS tomatoes and FRESH Mozzarella? This is one of my favorite summer salads. It can be served as a small side salad, appetizer plate, or as I like it best, a dinner salad had with crusty whole grain bread and a good red wine...PERFECT! This package of Campari Sweet Tomatoes is a steal at $1.50. The Fresh Mozzarella is another steal at $2.49, and the Da Luca Sangiovese that I mention below is an even more incredible deal at $3.99 compared to $11.99 and above elsewhere.
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Okay...so my photography skills have much to be desired still. This salad was beautiful in real life, tasted incredible, and all made with fresh ingredients. I don't particularly like a dry Caprese salad...I like olive oil and lots of reduced Balsamic vinegar, and I really don't like to eat a huge piece of basil either, like many recipes call for. I prefer my basil cut in to a chiffonade so that it incorporates better with all of the other ingredients, instead of simply overpowering the flavor.
2 small tomatoes per person
2 slices mozzarella per person (1 package yields about 6 slices)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil per plate
2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar per plate
1 tablespoon pine nuts
2 larger basil leaves per plate
1 small garlic clove per plate
Salt and pepper to taste
Toast pine nuts on medium heat until golden brown, and set aside on a plate to cool. Next, add Balsamic vinegar to the pan put on low heat. Allow vinegar to reduce for 10 minutes or so. Keep an eye on it and swirl the pan now and again. It will be ready when it is reduced down to a quarter of normal volume and becomes thick like a syrup. The flavor will mellow out, become sweeter and lose much of its acidity. While the vinegar is reducing, add olive oil, garlic, basil, salt and pepper to the bottom of a salad plate. Place tomato slices on top of olive oil, and next, the mozzarella. Top with a sprinkling of the pine nuts, and finally drizzle the entire top with the reduced vinegar. Serve immediately and ENJOY!!!
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This Da Luca Sangiovese is such an incredible deal at the store. You know, when wines that sell for twelve bucks and more can be found for $3.99, and taste as good as they do...well, I'm not going to be so picky and look to tear the wine apart. This wine has gotten good, and not so good reviews. One blogger said that it needs to aerate for two hours before it's drinkable...REALLY?? Dude, you just spent $3.99 on a bottle that can easily go for three times as much and you're going to pick it apart to such extent? HMMM....not me. I was thoroughly pleased with my under $5, easy to drink Sangiovese. It's slightly fruity, softer on the tannins (which I like) than most wines in this price range, and it paired beautifully with my salad. I'll ask Jeanette, our wine steward, what she thinks of it and I'll let you know in a future post more about this wine.
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