Lou's Most Excellent™: Lou's Most Excellent Insalata Caprese

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Lou's Most Excellent Insalata Caprese

There's really nothing to make here: you either have good tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and olive oil or you don't. Any one of these four legs of the stool go missing and it all falls down.

For this I used three different types of heirloom tomatoes (even the Roma's were an heirloom variety). Any good farmers market will have them this time of year; I got mine at Whole Foods since the damned Dupont Farmers Market is open on Sunday and not Saturday, which is when I went shopping. At least I tried to go local.

Buffalo mozzarella works best for this dish but if you can't find it choose your best cow's milk variety. Cut the cheese fairly thick and let sit on a cutting board for about 5 minutes to let residual liquid drain off. Cut the tomatoes to the same thickness as the cheese and stack them how you please. Sprinkle JUST A LITTLE flake-style sea salt over the tomatoes, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and garnish with whole basil leaves.

These flavors carry their own. This is one dish were less is, in fact, more.

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General Disclaimers - READ PLEASE

Most of these recipes are originals or based on another that I’ve found. If so I give credit to its source.

Measurements are approximate! When cooking I just eyeball what I’m doing so there’s no need to be fixated about what’s happening here. You can be off by 25% and still be OK unless stated otherwise.

All temperatures are in Farehnheit. Farenheight? Whatever. Degrees what us US folks use.

Typically these recipes will serve four persons and can be done in an hour or less.

I tend to make things hot and spicy so assume that if I’ve got it in there, it’s going to be felt/tasted. If you’re sensitive to this cut back on the heat. Same goes for garlic.

ALWAYS use fresh ground pepper. If not, go out and buy a pepper mill and then you can call yourself a cook.

ALWAYS use fresh parsley and basil. Grow it in the summer - it's easier than growing weeds. Don’t even bother with dried. If you've got dried in your house don't even feed it to the dog. This should be criminal.

I tend to UNDER salt dishes so adjust as desired after cooking. I also use kosher salt; if using table salt cut amounts I call for by ~25%. [Size matters. Ha ha? Get it? Kosher salt is bigger?]

Speaking of salt, use unsalted butter...always.

Have a glass of your favorite [alcoholic] beverage while cooking. It makes it much more fun and relaxing. You'd be amazed at your creativity, or creative destruction, in a mildly buzzed state.