Caprese Salad, a recipe
>> Saturday, April 10, 2010
Ingredients:
1 (12) oz bag vine ripened cherry tomatoes
1 lb ciliegine (cherry size) fresh mozzarella balls
6-7 fresh basil leaves
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Coarse Sea Salt
First, slice your tomatoes in half. A cool trick I learned is to use 2 plastic lids to cut the tomatoes in bunches- (like from packaged items at the deli. In this instance, I bought two containers of mozzarella and used the lids from those.)
Place your tomatoes in between the lids like a sandwich. Press down on the top lid and slice across the mid section. You can halve several tomatoes in one shot instead of cutting them one by one!
Next, drain your mozzarella if it is packed in brine. Add it to the tomatoes.
Stack your basil leaves in a pile, roll them lengthwise like a cigar and then slice it into thin ribbons. This is called chiffonade.
(I forgot to take a photo of this, this image is from www.brooklynfarmhouse.com)
Sprinkle the basil over the top of the salad and dress with good olive oil and balsamic vinegar to taste, stir to combine. 
Just prior to serving, sprinkle with a pinch of coarse sea salt. Salting the tomatoes causes them to release their juices which, if done too early, won't make the salad any less yummy, it will just make for a lot of liquid in the bottom of the bowl.
Enjoy!
