Blooming In Nashville HSMT Magazine - Magazine - Page 45
Simple And
Delicious
great Caprese salad
starts with great
ingredients. We
found a summertime recipe,
when tomatoes are juiciest,
sweetest, and most 昀氀avorful.
But a Caprese salad is
delicious no matter what time
of year. If your tomatoes are
not from your garden, support
local growers and stop by
the farmers’ market to collect
as many colorful heirloom
tomatoes as you can. They
are beautiful, and each type
tastes a little di昀昀erent. It’s
fun to showcase them in this
simple salad. Look for greens,
yellows, and reds, and try
to 昀椀nd a variety of shapes.
Cherry tomatoes are fair game
here, too!
A
In addition to peak-season
tomatoes, you need these 5
simple ingredients:
•
•
Fresh mozzarella
cheese. Look for soft,
spongy mozzarella balls
packed in water. Use a
sharp knife to gently cut
them into thick slices.
You don’t want squished
mozzarella!
Basil. Only fresh leaves
here! Dot them over the
tomatoes and mozzarella
Submitted by Patsy Petway
Photo: Bryony Elena/Unsplash
•
•
•
whole, or gently tear larger
leaves before adding them
to the salad.
Extra-virgin olive oil. It’s
worth 昀椀nding good-quality,
100% extra-virgin olive oil
for this recipe because you
can really taste it. It has a
strong, fruity 昀氀avor that’s a
great 昀椀nishing touch for the
juicy slices of tomatoes,
mozzarella, and basil. I
don’t recommend using
another oil in its place.
Freshly ground black
pepper. If you don’t
already have a pepper
grinder, now’s the time to
get one. Grind it straight
over the salad for the best
昀氀avor!
Sea salt. I like to sprinkle
the salad with generous
pinches of 昀氀aky sea salt,
such as Maldon. Regular
sea salt works too, but skip
the iodized kind. It has a
slightly bitter taste that can
stand out in such a simple
dish.
Slice your tomatoes and
mozzarella and layer them
onto a platter with the fresh
basil leaves. Drizzle with
olive oil, sprinkle with salt and
pepper, and serve!
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