Tomato, Tomahto (Parte Seconda)

    Today, in my second attempt to rid myself of my giant surplus of tomatoes, I decided to make a simple Caprese Salad.
    Caprese Salad aka. Insalata Caprese consists of nothing more than three main ingredients. Mozzarella di Buffala (Mozzarella made from the milk of Water Buffalo), Tomatoes, and Basil, it is then seasoned with salt and pepper and drizzled with a really good olive oil. Words can't even describe how much I enjoy eating this. But because of the difficulty I have trying to find the Mozzarella di Buffala, I rarely get to make it. It can be made with any old regular fresh mozzarella or even bocconcini, but because of certain dietary restrictions, I don't have the luxury of making this substitute.
    This simple salad is fresh, low in calories and packed full of flavor. And if your taste buds want a little more zip, just drizzle it with a really good quality Balsamic Vinegar.

Caprese Salad:

Caprese Salad Stacks. Drizzle with a little
Olive Oil and some Balsamic Vinegar
for an amazing appetizer.

Ingredients:

1 ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced
3-4 small to medium tomatoes (an heirloom variety will work best)
6-7 fresh basil leaves
pinch of salt (a coarse or flake salt similar to fleur de sel)
coarsely ground fresh black pepper
olive oil and balsamic vinegar for drizzling

Directions:

(1) Stack one slice of the mozzarella, one slice of the tomato and then top with a fresh basil leaf.
(2) Continue until all of the food has been stacked in little bundles.
(3) Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Do both these steps immediately before serving. The salt will release the juices from the tomatoes, and you don't want your tidy little bundles floating in a tomato soup.