Caprese Salad: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!

1.) Traditional: Insalata Caprese (salad in the style of Capri) is a simple salad from the Italian region of Campania.
The dish reproduces the colours of the flag of Italy.
Alternately layer slices of garden fresh tomatoes and fresh mozzarella (my favorite mozz?: Narragansett Creamery's of course!) with basil leaves, sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with your favorite extra virgin olive oil. Serve with a crusty baguette on the side.

2.) Twist: Quarter a pint's worth of cherry tomatoes ( I recently used a colorful assorted pint from Zephyr Farm),
Slice and quarter a ball of fresh mozzarella. Place all into a big bowl, add some shredded basil leaves, salt to taste add some olive oil and stir carefully. Serve at room temperature alongside some grilled chicken or hamburgers.

3.) Tasty: Save some of the previous salad. Pick up pizza dough at your local pizza bakery or grocery store (I get my dough fresh from Sal's in Providence). Preheat your oven to 425. Spray your pizza pan, roll out your dough to fit the pan and place on top. Spread dough with some Pesto (we happened to have some of Jim's homemade Pesto in the fridge) and top the Pesto with the salad. Add some chopped scallions. Bake in the oven for 15-20min. until crust is golden and the cheese is slightly bubbly.

4.) Terrific: My friend Kara LOVES fresh mozzarella so much she would happily eat it every day, in every way. That is until the weather cools enough for her to enjoy her beloved brie! While our kids were having their picnic lunch on the lawn today, we enjoyed a Kara special: Caprese Sandwiches!
Cut 4 slices of foccacia bread and place them in toaster oven just until crunchy.
Slice some fresh mozz, place on top of a slice of foccacia, top with cherry tomatoes, basil and a
little drizzle of olive oil and place the other slice on top.

Four very simple ways to enjoy the bounty of the summer. ENJOY!!!

Saturday Market Report: Hope St.

Stopped by the Saturday market today at Hope High. It is always "old home days" when I go. Bound to run into at least one person I know! After saying hi to my friend Perry (who was selling his steamers, oysters and littlenecks), I ran into David Gracer, "The Bug Guy" he filled me on all of the exciting happenings in his Bug world.
I then proceeded to scope out the scene. I like to look at everything first, at all of the stands and then figure out, what I would like, what I need, and which stand I will get it from. Everything looked so good! Woodstock Farms had sour cherries, peaches, summer squash and more. I opted for peaches, tomatoes, green peppers and some squash.
I saw my friend Alden, and we talked about our favorite summer veggies and salads. She purchased some beets today. She told me, she likes to cook them (boil) and then cut them up and leave them in the fridge to use in salads or just to simply munch on. She also told me about this chicken salad she makes mixing yogurt, mayo and curry powder together. She then adds the cooked, chopped chicken, diced mango and some sliced or slivered almonds for extra crunch. Served on some Ciabatta bread (Whole Foods had loaves for $.99!) or a bed of nice greens you have a refreshing easy summertime meal!
Narragansett Creamery was there, selling a wide array of their locally made cheeses. I was dying to try their newest addition: fresh mozzarella. Alas, the line was too long and I needed to get going. Maybe next time! I did stop at the Arcadian Fields stand and purchased some beautiful basil and a Diva cucumber (slightly sweet with no bitterness!). Jim is now busy now making some pesto and I am using the cucumber in some tasty tabbouleh.

Hope you had a chance to visit your local farmers market this weekend and are at home, or at the beach, enjoying the local bounty.
Have a great one!