By Kishi Arora
Caprese is one of the simplest and most delectable of salads. It necessitates only the right ingredients; tomatoes that are red, juicy and flavorful but not overly soft and preferably unrefrigerated. The next ingredient should be truly fragrant, flavorful young basil- I had some green basil grown in the pot at home, not the hydroponically grown giant leaf variety which has little flavor.Another essential ingredient is good quality fresh, moist mozzarella. And finally, some genuine extra-virgin olive oil- the best you can afford.
To add a twist to this, I added fresh avocado and some tomatoes, roasted with garlic. And here’s my version of Caprese salad with avocado.
INGREDIENTS
5-6 Small tomatoes
1 Avocado, sliced
2-3 Garlic
1 box {200 grams} Fresh mozzarella
A handful of Basil leaves
2-3 tbsps Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD
- Start by simply pulling chunks of mozzarella by hand. Next, toss the mozzarella, sliced avocado and basil together.
- The secret to this recipe is the slow roasted tomatoes with garlic. Put the tomatoes and garlic in a 400F {200C} oven and wander off for a bit. You can follow the smell to check; a gorgeous toasty aroma will fill the air as the tomatoes cook.
- When the tomatoes look like they’ve started to brown or dry out on the top and the liquid in the pan begins to thicken slightly, turn the oven off and leave the tomatoes to slowly soak in the flavors.
- Add the roasted tomatoes to your mix of avocado, basil and mozzarella and drizzle olive oil over this.
- If you like a tangy flavor in your salad, squeeze some fresh lemon juice to this! You can also add caper berries as garnish.
