A Tomato Dish

Here's an easy tomato dish - a salad, a side dish or an appetizer. Your choice.

Caprese Tomato Salad
by Zola
www.dinnerwithzola.com/recipes

Serves 4

4 ripe medium-sized tomatoes (You choose your favorite type. For presentation, you probably want round ones as opposed to Roma or pear shaped.)
4 balls of fresh buffalo mozzarella
Italian dressing (You choose your favorite. Homemade or commercial.)
Basil for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

The amounts of ingredients for this recipe are approximate. Amounts depend on how large the tomatoes, how big the mozzarella, and how much dressing you want.

All you have to do is slice the tomatoes into one-third-inch slices. Same with the mozzarella balls. (You can save the ends of both for something else.) Place the slices on the plate by alternating the tomatoes with the mozzarella: red, white, red, white.

Now drizzle on dressing. A couple of tablespoons per person usually does it, but it's up to you. You can leave this to marinate for up to an hour or you can proceed to the chiffonade (below) right away.

When you're ready to serve, take the basil leaves and remove them from the stem. Stack the leaves on top of each other. You're going to make what's called a chiffonade. Stacking the basil leaves just makes it easier. Slice the basil on a diagonal, very thinly. You'll have basil "ribbons" or a chiffonade. Sprinkle them on your tomatoes and mozzarella. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste and you're ready to go.

This makes a quick light appetizer that's pretty in the summer. Or it can be a side salad or even an Italian side dish to go great with grilled summer foods.