Heirloom Tomatoes – Caprese Salad Recipe

Dear Lord, it’s tomato season – which means that people are hitting the internet in droves trying to find heirloom tomato recipes.

The farmers market is filled with colorful heirloom tomatoes, and I can’t resist eating my fill of these lumpy, bumpy little guys. My personal favorites are the beefy Brandywines, but I’ll eat just about any that makes it way onto my plate.

What’s the best way to enjoy this craziness of color and flavor? Nine times out of ten I’m going to find a way to enjoy heirloom tomatoes completely raw. I’m talking salads, salads, salads – and I’ve got one that’s my all-time favorite tomato recipes: Caprese salad.

This colorful side is great for hot days where you don’t want to cook but still want something healthy and satisfying to serve. The most fantastic of Italian recipes, Caprese (or insalata Caprese in Italian) originated on Capri, an island in the southern part of the Gulf of Naples. Italian food has never been so fast or fresh as this lovely little dish.

You can have this dish done in less than ten minutes if you’ve got your ducks in a row, so get crackin’ and dig in!

Caprese Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

• 6 ripe plum tomatoes, sliced into 1/2″ slices
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1/4″ slices
• A handful of fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Arrange alternating slices of tomatoes and f mozzarella on a platter, tucking a fresh basil leaf between them. Drizzle with olive oil, and then seasoning with salt and pepper.

That’s it! Try using a nice decorative platter to show off your lovely salad, or setting your salad up in a number of different ways:

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