Savor The Taste Of Italy With Our Caprese Salad

Source: bonappetit.com

You may or may not know that Caprese salad is an Italian dish. But we bet you never heard about the story behind the discovery of this dish. 

Well, the story takes us back to the Post-World War 1 period. One patriotic mason decided to pay tribute to Italy. And the recipe emerged. It portrays the three colors of the flag of Italy. 

Thus it gained popularity at that time. The recipe has remained popular for centuries.

The popularity doesn’t only come from its history. Because many modern people don’t even know the story. It’s because the salad is super easy to make. It even has nutrition values that will amaze you.

• Level: Easy
• Serving Size: 2 persons
• Salad Dressing Making Time: 5 minutes
• Preparation Time: 20 minutes
• Salad Making Time: 10 minutes
• Salad Resting Time: 35 minutes
• Serving Time: 2 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 12 minutes

Nutrition Facts

Ingredients 

For Salad Dressing

• Extra virgin olive oil 6 tablespoons
• Coarse sea salt as per taste
• Salt as per taste
• Ground black pepper 1.5 teaspoons

For The Salad

• Beefsteak tomatoes 2 pieces
• Grape tomatoes ½ cup
• Cherry tomatoes ½ cup
• Heirloom tomato 1 piece
• Basil leaves 10-12 pieces
• Mozzarella cheese 10 pounds
• Salt if needed
• Black pepper powder 1 pinch
• Salad dressing

Salad Preparation & Making- 4 Easy to Follow Steps!

Now get all these ingredients ready. If they are available in your kitchen already then you’re lucky. If not, you can always check your garden or store for these ingredients.

Dressing Making Guideline

To make it, first, pour 6 tablespoons of olive oil into the bowl. Then add coarse sea salt and salt to it.

Mix them well using the spatula. Now add the ground black pepper. And mix again. 

After that, cover the mixture with plastic wrap. And jump into the salad ingredients.

Once you collect these ingredients, move to the salad-making process. We’ve presented the making process step by step manner. Hope it helps you to understand better.

Step 1 of 4: Cut The Tomatoes

First, take the heirloom and beefsteak tomatoes. Now slice them. Do not make the slices too thick or thin. Try to maintain medium size while slicing the tomatoes. To help you understand the shape, here’s a picture.

Source: justataste.com

The slices should be exactly like these. Now put these tomato slices aside. And get ready to cut grape and cherry tomatoes.

You’ll just need to half those tomatoes. And the work is done here.

Source: line.17qq.com

The halved tomatoes should look like the picture. Now move to the next step.

Step 2 of 4: Toss The Halved Tomatoes with Oil

Now place the half tomatoes in a bowl. Sprinkle some salt into it. Then add 1 tablespoon olive oil. And toss the tomatoes.

Source: seasonedsprinkles.com

So let’s get to the next part.

Step 3 of 4: Cut The Mozzarella

Well, it’s time to cut and season the mozzarella. Take the mozzarella and cut it into 2 cm pieces. Then season it with salt. And you’re good.

Step 4 of 4: Organize The Salad

Now place the sliced tomatoes on the plate, slightly overlapping. Then add seasoned mozzarella cubes.

Finally, add the halved tomatoes over them. Now spread the dressing generously over the salad. 

Source: suebeehomemaker.com

Now mix everything slightly and wait for 35 minutes. This time is needed so that all the ingredients get time to collaborate.

Finally, place the basil leaves on top and serve the salad at room temperature. Then enjoy it!

Quick Tips

Now to make the salad-making process even easier, we’ve got tips. These will turn salad making more efficient. So let’s see.

How Can I Cut Tomatoes More Efficiently?

Let’s tell you a useful trick. Just place all the cherry tomatoes on a plain plate. Now press them with a container lid. And cut all of them together with the knife.

This way, all tomatoes will be cut in under a minute.

How Can You Reduce Calorie Count for Caprese Salad?

You can cut off some calories by using fat-free mozzarella. But in that case, the taste might change slightly.

How Can I Make The Salad Look Better?

We’ve already mentioned the significance of the color of this salad. So restaurants mainly try to maintain that color variation. 

You can also do this. For that, use tomatoes of different colors, preferably, red, light green, and yellow. 

This will make the salad look more appealing. And you’ll have the best Caprese salad ever.

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Leah Greenstein

Leah Greenstein is a passionate food blogger who has dedicated her life to sharing her love for cooking with the world. Growing up in a family of foodies, Leah was introduced to the joys of cooking at a very young age. Her mother, a professional chef, instilled in her a deep appreciation for the art of cooking and the importance of using high-quality ingredients.

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