Insalata Caprese
Insalata Caprese
Caprese Salad
Caprese salad, featuring tricolored layers of fior di latte (a kind of cow’s-milk mozzarella), sliced in-season tomatoes, and basil leaves, is hands down the most famous dish from Capri. Plop yourself down in any café anywhere on Capri or its island neighbors Ischia and Ponza, and you’re going to find it on the menu. Observe how capresi season their signature salad: a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, perhaps a little sea salt. Basta. No one would dare pour balsamic vinegar, or any other dressing, for that matter, on their insalata caprese and live to tell about it. I would seriously not be surprised if one day I saw a server slap a bottle of vinegar out of a patron’s hands to prevent them from violating the purity of the island’s sacred salad. After extensive taste-testing of mozzarella brands in the US, I found that not many were even remotely passable, and most of what arrives from Italy is subpar quality, not to mention way past its prime by the time it arrives. So why not make your own? This recipe gives instructions on how to pull your own mozz from mail-order curds; I suggest you order them from Caputo Brothers Creamery, which get shipped frozen from York County, Pennsylvania, right to your door.
Ingredients (6)
Ingredients (6)
Instructions
Place the mozzarella curds in their sealed pouch in a large bowl and add cold water to cover.
Set aside to thaw for 60 minutes.
Transfer the curds to a large bowl. Break up the curds using your hands, then sprinkle over the salt and mix gently.
Pour over hot water to cover, then stir with a wooden spoon for 20 seconds to begin to melt them.
Drain off two-thirds of the water.
Add more hot water to cover and stir continuously until the curds begin to melt and become smooth.
Using your spoon, lift the curds out of the water and allow gravity to stretch them back down toward the bowl. Repeat until the mass of cheese is smooth and most of the lumps have been eliminated.
Fill a separate bowl with cold water.
Using your hands, lift the mass of cheese from the bowl by one end and use both hands to roll it into a ball approximately 4 inches in diameter. Squeeze and twist the ball to detach it from the rest of the mass, then transfer the ball to the bowl of cold water. Repeat with the remaining cheese.
Drain the mozzarella balls and cut them into ¼-inch-thick slices.
Shingle the mozzarella slices over a plate, alternating with the tomato slices.
Garnish with the basil, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.
(The mozzarella will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The first day, it is suitable for this and other salads and eating raw; the second day, it’s best for pizza or grilling.)
This recipe is part of the Food of the Italian Islands digital cookbook, and is only available once you've purchased the cookbook.
Purchase ($25.00)
