The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

Instant Insalata Caprese in minutes

Buon giorno! Coming all the way from a kitchen in Campania, Italy right to your countertop in your dorm room in Queens, is a delightfully fresh, filling and fantastic recipe that will have you making this for every person that wanders into your suite!

When the pizza and fries from Montgoris just aren’t cutting it anymore, Campania’s traditional dish of insalata caprese (caprese salad) is the perfect fix for an international midday snack, an appetizer to a great Italian dinner, or even a suitable substitute for a small meal.

If you’re living in the dorms and don’t have access to an oven, insalata caprese is a perfect replacement to the mundane and repetitious meals offered on and off campus.

This no-cook healthy recipe, which can be made in less than 10 minutes, from start to finish, will leave you searching for more easy Italian recipes to try on your own.

Insalata caprese comes from the southern region in Italy called Campania. It is a simple salad, but not in the traditional American sense. This salad does not contain any lettuce, but is comprised of vine-ripened tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala cheese, extra virgin olive oil, and basil. Salt and pepper is also used to add extra flavors.

This recipe will be enough as an appetizer for the whole suite, but make sure enough is made for all who will want some. This is a guaranteed crowd pleaser for all!

What You’ll Need:

– A cutting board
– A knife
– A serving plate
– 3 vine-ripened tomatoes
– 1 pound fresh (preferably mozzarella di bufala) mozzarella cheese
– 1 bunch of fresh basil leaves
– Extra-virgin olive oil
– Salt
– Pepper (preferably fresh ground black pepper, if available)

What To Do:

– First, make sure you clean the tomatoes and basil leaves thoroughly by running them under cold water, using a colander if you have one.
– Take the tomatoes, and cut off the vines and stems. Then cut the tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices, keeping the whole round circular shape intact.
– Unwrap the mozzarella, and cut it into a similar fashion like the tomatoes, keeping round, thin slices.
– Place the tomatoes on the serving plate in any fashion that you’d like. Drizzle some of the extra-virgin olive oil over the tomatoes, and sprinkle the salt and pepper on top to taste.
– Place one slice of mozzarella directly on top of one tomato slice, and repeat with the rest of the plate. Repeat the olive oil, salt and pepper instructions as you did with the tomatoes.
– Take the basil leaves and break them up in your hands. They don’t have to be tiny pieces, but smaller pieces of basil will make it easier to eat the basil with every bite of your scrumptious caprese.

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