Caprese Salad
Suggested Wine: Pair this classic Italian salad with the classic Italian Chianti—try the Nozzole Chianti Classico.
This ideal summer salad, which mimics the colors of the Italian flag, is an essentially simple but incredibly delicious dish when prepared with season’s freshest produce. It should be made only with local vine-ripened tomatoes that are red, juicy and flavorful, and preferably unrefrigerated (take advantage of the Farmer’s Market or your neighbor’s garden). The basil should be truly fragrant, flavorful and grown in the earth, not hydroponically. Good quality fresh, moist mozzarella is also essential. Ideally, you would use fresh mozzarella from Italy, but it’s rather expensive and hard to find. Good fresh cow's milk mozzarella does just as well, and can be found packed in water at many delis and specialty stores. Finally, you’ll need high quality extra-virgin olive oil (the best you can afford).
2 lbs. fresh vine-ripened tomatoes
1 lb fresh Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt & fresh ground pepper
Slice the fresh mozzarella into discs of moderate thickness and alternate them on a platter (or on individual plates if you are doing individual portions) with sliced discs of the ripe tomatoes, overlapping for effect. Sprinkle with basil leaves and add salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.
