Classic caprese salad is often served using sliced tomatoes and mozzarella  but I prefer it chopped so I can get all of the good stuff in just one bite.  This dish requires just four simple ingredients: tomato, mozzarella, basil, and olive oil, so the trick to making a great caprese salad is to choose the highest quality ingredients you can find to capture the freshest flavor.  Choose fresh mozzarella, sold in the shape of a ball and sometimes packaged in water. It’s softer and creamier than the type that comes shaped like a brick. In fact fresh mozzarella is the only kind I buy now, sometimes just for snacking. Dried basil will do in a pinch, but fresh just tastes better.  If I had a sunny window I’d grow my own, but since I don’t I made a special trip to the store just to get fresh.

INGREDIENTS
10 ounces grape tomatoes
8 ounces fresh mozzarella
4 fresh basil leaves
kosher salt
extra virgin olive oil

TOOLS
cutting board
chef’s knife
small (1 1/2-quart) mixing bowl

METHOD
1. Slice each tomato in half, then place in bowl.
2. Cut mozzarella into cubes, roughly the same size as the sliced tomatoes. Add to bowl.
3. Slice basil into thin strips and toss with tomatoes and mozzarella.
4. Sprinkle with salt to taste, then drizzle with olive oil.

READY IN
10 minutes

YIELD
4 servings