Easy Peasy Caprese
We went down to Kalamazoo last night to visit with some friends and to make a trip to the famed Michigan micro-brewery, Bell’s. While we were there, we checked out some yummy beers on tap and tasted some seasonal favorites. I drank a few of their popular wheat ale, Oberon which tastes like a juicy orange. Zach took a liking to the Kalamazoo IPA which tasted hoppy and floral. I tried a few sips and it was a little too strong for me. But the beauty of Bell’s is that no matter what you drink, they have something for you. It’s really a great place to visit if you like experience new beers and enjoy the beautiful beer garden.
When we drove down yesterday, we picked up a friend along the way. Steve is one of the owners and operators of a greenhouse in Caledonia, Michigan called Vertical Paradise Farms. They grow living lettuces, herbs, and season vegetables and they deliver it locally to restaurants in Grand Rapids, and they will also ship anywhere in the United States. They also sell their goods at Forest Hills Foods. You can check out their website at www.vpfarms.com. I highly recommend their products. They are gorgeous and have unbelievable amounts of flavor.
Getting to see a greenhouse in action was pretty awesome. There were rows upon rows of fresh and aromatic basil. The smell was flowing around the warm room and when I shut my eyes, I swore I was going to open them to tubs upon tubs of pesto. It smelled that great. They also had a large showing of tomato plants and beautiful hanging baskets. It was neat to see the different stages of the very same lettuce that we order in restaurants or shop for in the produce section a the grocery store. Seeing the greenhouse made me realize how much I take for granted being able to go to the market and pick up fresh ingredients. We all forget how much love and sweat go into growing our favorite herbs and vegetables. It was inspiring really.
When it was time to leave, we were fortunate enough to be given gifts of some wonderful lettuces and some fresh-cut basil right out of greenhouse. We brought a cooler down with us so that the lettuce and basil wouldn’t wilt before we made the hour drive back to Big Rapids. As soon as we got home, we just stuck it in the fridge. Tomorrow, we plan on making up the biggest batch of pesto possible. Pictures to follow.
Not wanting to make too heavy of a dinner, we decided to use the basil, some leftover heirloom and cherub tomatoes, and some fresh mozzarella to make up a colorful and juicy caprese salad.
I started out by cutting the tomatoes. The mixture of the orange, yellow, and greenish-blue baby Heirloom tomatoes and the bright red Cherub tomatoes was absolutely stunning.
Baby Heirloom and Cherub tomatoes
Next, I cut the basil up into tiny ribbons (chiffonade) and scattered them on top of the tomatoes.
Basil picked fresh from the greenhouse this morning!
Next, I cut a fresh ball of mozzarella in half and chopped that into small pieces. Using fresh mozzarella is important for the texture of the salad. It’s also crucial to the authenticity of the caprese salad. Once I chopped the cheese, I added it to the tomatoes and basil.
Add the fresh mozzarella
After the three main ingredients get added, it’s time to season the dish. All you need for this particular salad is sea salt and fresh ground pepper. You can obviously use regular old salt and pepper, but after watching someone pick your dinner out of their garden in the morning, you want every single ingredient perfect. Since there are so few ingredients in this salad, you’ll want to use the very best things you can possibly find. Besides, it’s extremely satisfying to grind up pepper over an entirely fresh salad. There’s something about the smell of all the ingredients together that can take you over the edge before you even take a bite of this dish.
Right before you mix everything together you’ll want to toss in about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. The oil adds a nice dressing to the salad and brings out the flavors off all the other ingredients. It also adds a nice sheen and makes the gorgeous colors of the salad pop out at you.
Add salt, pepper, and olive oil
Stir it up!
You can make one at home very easily and cheaply with very little time and effort. I recommend eating it as soon as possible after preparing it. The fresher, the better.
Currently inspiring us:
Monsters of Folk
Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Impressed Emily. Salad looks really nice. Going to try it.