Caprese & Checca
L’Insalata Caprese
The Caprese Salad
I am sure most of you are well aware of the Caprese Salad…pronounced (KA-pray-SAY), NOT (Ca-PRE-ZEE). But maybe you think that Caprese is only for outside patios at quaint Italian bistros, famous for serving Aperol Sprintz. Or perhaps you just tried it on that one trip dreamy trip to Capri (the birthplace of the Caprese), where you serendipitously lunched in a striped bathing suit under a matching striped umbrella on a warm stone beach.
However, I am here to remind you of the delicious simplicity of this salad and you can easily make it at home… just in a case you forgot. In fact, this salad is so wonderfully simple and addicting, not to mention healthy and energizing; you should put it on menu at least once a week all summer long!
The Caprese can be arranged various ways, alternating each ingredient in a row or stacked on top of each other. I will save the beautifully arranged appetizer plate, whenever I decide to throw that Italian themed dinner party I’ve been teasing all my friends about. Until then I love making it for lunch, and it’s easier to just chop it up and throw it all in a bowl.
Fun fact: The Caprese is an ode to the red, white, and green Italian flag.
Ingredients:
Pomodorini- cherry or baby tomatoes
.Fresh Basil
Mozzarella- extra deliciousness use Buffalo Mozzarella or Burrata to be extra fancy.
Extra Virgen Olive Oil- the higher quality, the better
Balsamic Vinegar
Here’s how…
Slice the Pomodorini in half or quarters. Roughly Chop the Fresh Basil. Cube or roughly chop the Mozzarella. Season with Salt & Pepper.
Gently mix together. Add a drizzle of Olive Oil and a smaller drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar
Buon Appetito!
Wait there’s more…
If you are interested in a heartier meal instead of an appetizer, add chicken.
Boil Frozen Chicken Tenderloins, or use fresh chicken breasts. Seasoned the chicken with Pepper, a generous amount of Garlic Salt. Lightly sauté in a pan with Olive Oil, and added a few shakes of Balsamic Vinegar. Needs lightly frying no longer than 3-5 minutes. Add to salad.
Wait there’s even more…
Pasta alla Checca
Traditional Roman Pasta Dish with Fresh Uncooked Ingredients
With the same Caprese ingredients, you can create the perfect bowl of summertime pasta. Pasta alla Checca pronounced (KAY-CA) is a traditional Roman dish with a fresh uncooked sauce of fresh basil, mozzarella, and tomatoes.
It is typically made with long pasta, but you can also use a short pasta such as penne. I used spaghetti.
It’s so easy…
Boil the Spaghetti. Always use lots of salt for the pasta water.
Have the Caprese ingredients - chopped and ready.
When the spaghetti is ‘Al Dente’, drain and place in a bowl. Immediately add Olive Oil to prevent pasta sticking together, and will help create a light sauce with the caprese mixture.
And please add all the Garlic your heart desires. You can always sauté it before adding, to cut the strength of the garlic… like if you are cooking on a first date. ;)
Add fresh Caprese ingredients! Gently mix in and the mozzarella will melt with warmth of the pasta.
Buon Appetito!
….If you’re feeling extra bougie, create this dish with Burrata Cheese- the dreamiest, most creamiest mozzarella in all the-Southern-Italian-land. The outside of the cheese is classic mozzarella, while the inside contains cream and Stacciatella cheese. I honestly do not even know where to find this cheese here in the States. I would suggest going on Ancestry.com, finding some Italian lineage, getting in touch with your Grandfathers first-cousin-removed, who owns a butcher shop. He knows an artisan cheesemaker in the shop across the cobblestone street, somewhere in the Italian region of Puglia. You can find the cheese there! ;)
Update: I conveniently found Burrata cheese at Trader Joe’s, right under my nose!