The perfect Caprese salad recipe.

It's effortless, quick, inexpensive and very versatile.  And on paper, its ingredients are very simple. 

Basic ingredients for a traditional Caprese salad.

The traditional ingredients really are very simple.  But you can make your Caprese extra-special by caring about the origin of the ingredients you use.

Before you start to put it together, follow this link to learn about the 3 secret ways of making your Caprese the talk of the town!

Buffalo mozarella cheese

Plum tomatoes

Basil leaves

Salt

Black pepper

Olive oil

Although this is the original Italian salad recipe, some add other ingredients according to family tastes.  They include :

✮  Black olives

✮  Sliced potatoes

✮  Grated carrot

✮  Chopped garlic

✮  Balsamic vinegar

Popular Italian food is all about pleasing the family so - feel free to add or not to add these.

To prepare :

✮  Slice the mozarella as thinly as you can

✮  Slice the tomatoes

✮  Line a serving plate with alternate rows of cheese, tomatoes and basil

✮  Or, place the mozarella on top of the tomatoes and sprinkle with basil

✮  Add in the other ingredients if you wish

✮  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle with some good olive oil.

This time make your Caprese salad using small balls of mozarella and cherry tomatoes which add a lovely sweetness. If you like olives some pitted black olives add to the colour, and if you're feeling really creative a basil leaf gives a bit of extra flavour.

Now just make up some small skewers, put them in an airtight container - and you're ready to picnic!

This salad goes particularly well at picnics when combined with another one of our popular everyday Italian recipes - rice and spinach cake.

If you want to add something extra look at this page about how to make Italian dressing.

Want to know the secret to making the perfect Caprese salad?

It may sound simple - and it is - but making the perfect Caprese salad is something of an art form in Italy.

And there are three important secrets to making it the very best-tasting salad possible, rather than the sometimes bland, watery concoctions you'll find in other countries.

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