Caprese Tomato Salad

This classic rustic salad from the Isle of Capri off the west coast of Italy (Caprese means "of Capri"). It is pure August on a plate. It is strictly seasonal and can only be made with fresh ripe juicy summer tomatoes. No pink rocks. And you must use juicy tomato varieties like beefsteaks, so no Romas. Likewise, no dried herbs. They just don't work in this dish.

Basil abounds in summer, so use only fresh leaves. I especially like this dish with Thai basil, which is a bit stronger than regular basil. And in case you're wondering, that purple thing in the picture is a Thai basil flower.

Use real Parmigiano-Reggiano, not the stuff in the green toilet paper tube. And don't grate it. Chip it off the block so there are chunks and bursts of flavor.

This dish is also wonderful with fresh mozzarella if you want to substitute it for the Parm. If you use mozz, use only fresh, milky cheese packed in its watery whey, slice it thin (not an easy task), and be prepared to add more oil and vinegar because the cheese soaks it up.

Although not traditional, thinly sliced, cucumbers are a nice addition. Whatever you do, do not mix the oil and vinegar. Drizzle them on separately so the colors show. If time permits, let the salad sit for about 5 minutes so the salt can draw out some of the juices and they can mingle with the oil and vinegar. Use a large grain salt like sea salt so there are pops of flavor.

Recipe

Serves. 2
Preparation time. 10 minutes
Serve with. A crusty bread to mop up the juices and a crisp white wine.

Ingredients
3 large fresh vine ripe globe tomatoes
2 pinches of sea salt
4 tablespoons of chips of aged Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
15 small leaves fresh basil, or 5 large leaves
1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Optional. 2 tablespoons minced red onion, shallots, or sweet onion, or use thin rings. Rings are a nice idea so people who don't like raw onion can remove them easily.

About the balsamic vinegar. OK, the really good stuff, the Balsamic Tradizionale or Condimento is very expensive, so here's a trick. Get a nice balsamic and pour the whole bottle into a saucepan. Boil it until it reduces by half. Then let it cool. But be careful, cheap balsamics have sugar added, and if you reduce it too much the bubbles will get thick and the vinegar will get gooey, like taffy. When you're done reducing it, you'll have a thicker, almost syrupy vinegar, perfect for drizzling on salads.

Do this
1) The sequence of ingredients is important. First, slice the tomatoes thick, at least 1/4 inch, and lay them down. If you use mozzarella, alternate the disks of cheese with the tomato slices.

2) Now sprinkle on the salt so it can start pulling out tomato juice. Not too much because the Parm is salty. The parm goes on next. Then the oregano and small basil leaves. If you are using large leaves, stack them, roll them into a green cigarette, and chop them crosswise into a chiffonade of thin ribbons before sprinkling them on.

3) Drizzle on the oil and then the balsamico. Let it sit for a few minutes so the salt can coax the tomato juices out.

This page was revised 8/25/2009

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