Tomato and Mozzarella Cheese Salad (insalata caprese) - Campania, Antipasto

Author Notes

This is a very popular summertime salad named for the Island of Capri which has been enjoyed all over the world since the 1970’s.
It is said to have been invented either in the 1950's at a dinner for Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, a famous futurist poet with a disdain for pasta, or in the 1970's in Capri for King Farouk of Egypt.
The key to this dish is buying the best quality ingredients. The tomatoes should be firm but not hard, should smell strongly of tomato, and should be juicy and not mealy. They should taste like a tomato. The mozzarella should be the best quality you can find, preferably buffalo mozzarella, but as long as it is in a container or bag floating in liquid then this should be fine. The mozzarella should be soft but not rubbery. Do not substitute block mozzarella wrapped in plastic for this salad, it is not the same. The basil must be fresh and not dried. It is easier to find fresh basil sometimes as a plant rather than the cut herb. The olive oil should be flavourful. My favourite is unfiltered extra virgin olive oil from Toscana or Liguria.
To see step-by-step illustrated instructions, please go to this page:
http://www.livingalifeincolour.com/recipes/insalata-caprese-tomato-and-mozzarella-cheese-salad-campania/ —woo wei-duan