I love a good caprese salad and this is a good one. The simple recipe has been in my family for generations.
Caprese salad made in this way brings back great memories of growing up in California. Many years ago, my family immigrated from Italy to New York and then made their way to the west coast where I was born five generations later.
I can still remember my great auntie Alice Gibini and her sister Hester who were always a big part of our family gatherings in my younger years.
This was their caprese salad recipe which always seemed to be that little bit better than any other caprese salads we had when eating out.
Of course it was the 70s and standards have improved but I have yet to find a better version. Equal, perhaps, but not better!
What's so special about this caprese salad recipe?
To be honest, you can't go wrong by simply pouring some nice balsamic vinegar and olive oil over a selection of freshly sliced tomatoes, basil and Italian mozzarella.
This recipe takes it up a notch.
I remember standing by my auntie's wood burning stove. My grandfather was born in the same house. She never bothered to update to more modern methods such as the electric stoves that had been introduced decades earlier.
We used to reduce balsamic vinegar for our caprese salad until it became a syrup. It was a lot of fun for a cooking obsessed kid but nowadays you can of course buy it.
The slowly cooked roast tomatoes also takes it up a notch. Fresh and roasted tomatoes together is a delicious combo. Oh and that roasted garlic is to die for.
I think you're going to love this caprese salad recipe!
Enjoy!
If you like this recipe, you might like to try some of these too...
Chicken and chorizo risotto
Salmon and broccoli pasta bake
How to make a Big Mac
How to make a Whopper with Cheese
Italian style green beans
Lancashire hot pot
Pork with paprika and white wine sauce
Pan seared sea bass with chorizo
Recipe
Salad Capresi
Ingredients
- 200ml (¾ cup) olive oil
- 4 medium sized vine ripened tomatos - thinly sliced
- 20 vine ripened cherry tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
- 2 bunches fresh basil (You decide how much is a bunch. You can't go wrong.) Keep the larger leaves for presentation.)
- 4 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 400g fresh mozzarella - sliced thinly
- Balsamic reduction ( to taste)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice the mozzarella in thin pieces and leave for about an hour to dry.
- In the meantime, blend your basil, garlic, parsley and olive oil. Let stand until ready.
- Slice the large tomatoes thinly like the mozzarella..
- Cut your cherry tomatoes in half and remove the seeds.
- Place them on a baking tray and top with a little olive oil and a few garlic slivers and thyme leaves.
- Cook for about an hour in a low oven until the tomatoes are quite dry.
- Now layer your salad as pictured. Drizzle with the balsamic reduction and blended basil oil.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.