Caprese Salad with an Avocado Dressing. Juicy, sweet and tangy heritage tomatoes paired with milky and soft mini buffalo mozzarella and basil. Serve with a creamy and lemony avocado dressing for extra flavour and richness. The result is a scrumptious Italian inspired salad, ready in under 15 minutes.
Usually served as a starter or main course especially in the summer, when the tomatoes are sweet, juicy and plentiful. Nowadays however, good quality tomatoes can be found all year round, so why not enjoy this dish every time we crave for it?
WHAT IS CAPRESE SALAD?
The Caprese Salad is made with tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt. In some regions of Italy some variations of this dish include the addition of anchovy fillets and oregano.
WHERE DOES THE RECIPE ORIGINATE FROM?
It is an integral part of the Neapolitan Cuisine and the name comes from the Isle of Capri or “Isola di Capri” as Italians call it. It is presented as a starter however, especially during the hot season this is transformed into a main course.
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST FINGER-LICKING CAPRESE SALAD?
It’s all about the quality ingredients! There are no fancy techniques, no bold flavours, no special equipment required.
Tomatoes: Use more than one variety of ripe tomato, such as San Marzano, Cherry, Santos, Heritage or any other plum tomatoes.
Mozzarella:
Buffalo Mozzarella is perfect for Caprese Salad! The original Buffalo Mozzarella is made in Campania mainly in the region of Napoli, Caserta and Salerno. You might not be located in Italy, however, you can usually get a pretty good quality buffalo mozzarella in any decent sized supermarket. If you live in the UK like me, try Waitrose or Marks & Spencer.
Tip: Drain the cheese well before serving otherwise all the water will go into your salad and transform it into a wet mess!
Basil:
This is an integral part of the dish therefore fresh basil is a MUST. It lifts everything up and adds a sweet and fresh taste to the dish.
Extra virgin olive oil:
Use extra virgin olive oil, the best you can find and you can afford. This is a staple ingredient across all Mediterranean dishes. “Extra virgin” means that the oil has been obtained by using a cold press to crush the olives as opposed to having been extracted chemically or by heating.
Tip: Unlike wine, olive oil doesn’t get better with age, therefore don’t buy too much of it at one time. Olive oil is sensitive to heat and light, so use a cool, dark and dry place to store it. You will not regret investing a bit more in a fine, good quality extra virgin olive oil as it will repay itself by transforming good meals into great ones.
Caprese Salad with Avocado Dressing
This Italian salad is always a favourite, especially during summer when ripe, sweet and juicy tomatoes can be found in abundance. Serve with a creamy and lemony avocado dressing for extra flavour and richness.
Ingredients
- 3 - 4 heritage tomatoes
- 8 mini buffalo mozzarella balls
- 4 basil leaves
- salt
- pepper
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- For the dressing:
- 1 large ripe avocado
- 1 small garlic clove
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp basil
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Wash and slice the heritage tomatoes, then place on a serving plate.
- Drain well the mini buffalo mozarella using a strainer then cut in half and add them to the plate.
- Tear the basil leaves with your hand rather than chopping them to avoid brusing. Sprinkle over the mozarella and tomatoes.
- Gently season according to your taste with salt and pepper and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
For the dressing:
- Slice the avocado in half and remove the skin.
- Peel the garlic clove and roughly chop.
- Tear the basil.
- Blend the garlic, avocado, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice until you obtain a creamy texture. Add the basil, salt and pepper and blend again until well combined.
- Place into a small bowl and serve on the side.
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