Traditional Caprese Salad

Total Time: 5 mins Preparation Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 2 tomatoes, vine ripened, and grown in earth, not hydroponically, tomatoes from your garden are best. if you can
• 1/2 lb mozzarella cheese, wet. get the traditionally made water buffalo milk version, it can be found easily at any respectabl or 1/2 lb greek market. it is often sold skinless in water or 1/2 lb skinned also in water. it should jiggle when you handle it. the mozzarella should be slightly larger tomato
• 2 ounces basil leaves, fresh. the basil should be either homegrown or 2 ounces organic. no hydroponically grown basil. for the best flavor the basil needs to be soil-grown. if you basil
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Recipe

• 1 slice tomatoes and mozzarella cheese to 1/4" thick slices.
• 2 place tomatoes and mozzarella alternately in a pattern around the perimeter of a small serving dish. alternatively, for single serving dishes, place the mozzarella slices on top of the tomato slices, arranging for 8 servings (arrange for four servings, if using it as a main dish).
• 3 sprinkle the the salad sparsely with the olive oil.
• 4 sprinkle the salad lightly (or to taste) with the salt and ground black pepper.
• 5 place whole (or torn) basil leaves on top of the tomatoes and mozzarella, using pieces that roughly match the size of the tomato and mozzarella slices.
• 6 serve immediately.
• 7 note: do not allow the tomatoes and mozzarella sit in the oil for more than a short few minutes. the oil will just soak into the tomato and mozzarella and ruin the flavor. the oil is intended to be a garnish, and not a primary flavor in the dish.