Roman Layered Caprese Salad

If there could be a simply perfect Caprese Salad, this would be it. Fresh and delicate mozzarella sits inside slices of red, ripe tomato that tastes as if kissed by the Tuscan sun. Basil leaves pinched from a garden plant tucked randomly between the layers help catch the drizzling olive oil. Finally, sea salt and freshly ground pepper are waiting to coat each bite. The only thing missing is a crusty piece of focaccia to soak up every last bit of this concerto. Make sure to have some on hand. Wabi-sabi, I can hear a friend of mine saying looking at the natural simplicity.

On my last trip to Rome, a version of this salad was brought to our restaurant table and I knew I needed to make it. I had already gotten the fresh mozzarella at the market in Rome, but regrettably those wonderful Italian tomatoes would be snatched when I returned home by US Agriculture as soon as the beagle took one whiff. I found some tomatoes locally that had been vine ripened, and were actually on sale. My own basil plant supplied the leaves, and the assembly took only minutes. Use any size tomato you like for a serving, just adjust the cheese slices to fit. For the olive oil I used Basil Olive Oil, although unflavored extra virgin olive oil is fine. Finish with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and.....Buon appetito!

Layered Caprese Salad

3 medium tomatoes, nice and ripe
4 1/2 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, packed in water
about 18 basil leaves
basil olive oil or extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Slice the tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices, keeping each sliced tomato together to reassemble. Do not use the rounded bottom slices. A flat bottom keeps it stable as you assemble the layers.

Slice the mozzarella into 1/4 inch slices to fit the size of the tomato.

Tuck the basil leaves randomly between the layers.

Place the layered tomatoes on a serving plate. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and serve. 

Makes 3 layered tomatoes.

Rome and a Room with a View

My flight to Rome arrived late and I was tired. The ride to and from the hotel can be filled with one great view after another. Often, I nod off and wake to find another piece of history outside the van window. There are columns and ruins and statues, one right after another along the ride that can be an hour long.  
 

It was 1:30 in the afternoon by the time we arrived at our hotel in the center of the city.  I was already dreaming of the crisply made bed in my charming, but small room.

A delicate chandelier hung over the bed and the tall shuttered window was ajar. Checking the window, I heard voices singing and an organ playing from the courtyard below. This was Rome and it is not unusual to hear a choir practicing through open church doors, but I'd never heard it drifting into my hotel room. Opening the shutters I couldn't see anyone in this tiny enclosed area that could have been in any Italian city. No, it wasn't a view of the Vatican or one of the many ruins or statues. It was an enclosed respite from the crowded narrow city streets; a place where lives come together. 
The view was an unexpected and beautiful mosaic of colors, life and music...a magic place, to me, where real lives echoed in every crooked corner. I left my window open and sleep came easy as the singing lulled me on this early afternoon. After the short peaceful nap, the rest of the afternoon was filled wandering the busy cobblestone streets of Rome with friends from my crew.

Loved this mime...

Through all of the wandering there is always the required stop at the grocery store to take back a wedge of Parmesan cheese, fresh mozzarella, spicy peppers and other sweet and savory treasures.  The setting sun came too soon, but that meant it was time for dinner and that is a good thing! We decided to go to Ristorante La Tavernetta. I hadn't had much to eat since the flight over and was really looking forward to a big bowl of pasta. One of my favorites is spaghetti with mushrooms and clams, and that is what I got.

It was perfect with a side of sauteed chicory and garlic. I was eying the stacked Caprese Salad that 2 of my friends shared. It was stacked up straight and tall, unlike a well known Italian tower. The tomatoes were red and ripe and the mozzarella was fresh and delicate. Snipped basil was scattered on the plate amid a good splash of olive oil.  
 
I knew I had to make it once I got home and the good news was that I had just bought the mozzarella a few hours ago! We finished our meal and wandered back to our hotel, stopping along the way for the prerequisite gelato. I had my favorite.

Back at my room, I slept with the windows open once again. There was no choir to nudge me into sleep, but soon I was dreaming of that Caprese Salad, and knew I'd make it when I returned home.