This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Italian Trade Commission / The Extraordinary Italian Taste. All opinions are 100% mine.
A delicious take on the famous Italian Caprese Salad with a simple basil dressing
I’ve shared a little bit about our trip to Italy this Spring and how inspired I’ve been by Italian ingredients and cuisine. We were able to take a few cooking classes in the cities we stayed in and our favorite was a class in Siena. The class was in the upstairs kitchen of a farmhouse owned by a very lively Italian grandma.
She taught us how to make several authentic Italian dishes (from appetizers to dessert) and shared tips and tricks that have come from a lifetime of learning (and owning a restaurant). Her very first “lesson” to us was all about ingredients. She very emphatically told us the importance of good authentic Italian ingredients. For homemade pasta, it is a “must” to have 00 “Tipo” Flour. While she said getting the best ingredients can often be more costly, the ingredients are what makes the food amazing. And with high quality ingredients, you can use fewer overall ingredients and still create amazing masterpieces. Each dish we made focused on high quality Italian-made ingredients.
We bought as much extra virgin olive oils and balsamic vinegars as our suitcases would hold and have since ordered Italian ingredients online. A week or so after getting home and independent of each other, my husband and I both ordered huge cases of 00 flour and didn’t realize the other one had until we got 2 big cases in the mail! 😂The more I’ve practiced homemade pizza, pasta, gelato, and other recipes we learned in Italy, the more I recognize what a difference the high quality Italian ingredients make!
Authentic Italian products have made such a difference in my cooking. Especially for salad dressings, as salads have been my go-to lunch lately!
So how do you know if a product is an authentic Italian product? Simple! The label on the product will say “Made in Italy.” A lot of products are “Italian-sounding,” or “Italian-looking” but aren’t really made in Italy. By giving labels a quick check you can be sure you’re getting the best authentic Italian ingredients! If the products are genuine and authentically Italian you know you’re getting a high quality product! You can learn more about Italian products on ItalianMade.com
For this salad I’m using Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO and Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (PDO/IGP) for the dressing. It makes a world of difference in a salad with so few ingredients 🙂 Other than that I’ve got some garden fresh basil (and if you know about my BLACK thumb, then you know I couldn’t have possibly grown it haha! I have my husband to thank for that) and garden fresh tomatoes. Add in an avocado and you’ve got a delicious variation on the classic Caprese salad. Enjoy!
More Delicious Salads:
Cucumber, Corn, and Avocado Salad
For more delicious recipes, follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube 🙂
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon shallot, minced
- 1 cup packed basil leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Traditional, 12 year old DOP
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil, look for PDO/IGP certifications
- Sea Salt and Freshly Cracked Pepper
- 6 cocktail-style tomatoes, sliced
- 6 ounces Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO
- 1/3 cup fresh basil
- 1 large avocado, skin and pit removed
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In a food processor, pulse the garlic and shallot a few times.
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Add the basil and pulse until finely chopped.
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Add the balsamic vinegar, fresh lemon juice, and salt + pepper to taste (I use about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper).
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Pulse a few times and while running, drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil and pulse until smooth. (Avoid pulsing the mixture too much with the olive oil as sometimes oil with metal can have a metallic reaction and alter the taste of the dressing.)
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Slice the tomatoes and add to a large bowl.
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Cut the mozzarella into small pieces and add to the bowl.
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Tear the basil and add on top.
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Remove the skin and pit of an avocado and then chop.
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Add to the bowl (I like to add a squeeze of lemon to the avocado to keep it from browning).
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Dress the salad with the basil dressing to taste. Add additional salt and pepper if needed. Enjoy the same day this salad is made. (Leftovers do not keep well).
That looks AMAZING! We have so much basil in our garden right now, I can’t wait to make this!
wow, what wonderful food art, have always loved the flavors in a good caprese too, but really good information on the authentic ingredients versus the other, I know that well with having had the Bufala mozzarella in Italy, good to see what other prime ingredients can be fit into this salad, thank you
I had the opportunity to go to Italy this past July! Wish we could have spent more time there…so fun you were there this year too! 🙂