L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES FRANCESCA BEZZONE S econd probably o n l y t o p i z z a when it comes to its "iconic" sta- t u s , c a p r e s e salad, or insalata capre- se if we want to say it in Ita- lian, is one of the country's favorite dishes. A staple in the summer, when the jui- ciest, sweetest tomatoes are abundant, it's appreciated a l l y e a r r o u n d t h a n k s t o how simple and quick it is to prepare — if you're ok with less delicious, non-sea- sonal tomatoes, that is. If you ask me, caprese is pure culinary perfection, because it is easy to make, tasty and incredibly sati- s f y i n g , t h a n k s t o t h e lusciousness of mozzarel- la, and the incredible fra- grance of basil. Everything is balanced by the delicate freshness of tomatoes and, of course, complemented a n d e l e v a t e d t o t h e Parnassus of food by a tad of extra virgin olive oil. Now, really… if that's not poetry, I don't know what is. Caprese is also the most p a t r i o t i c o f I t a l i a n dishes: in the end, it has the colors of our beloved flag. And indeed, there is not a doubt about its fully Italian origins: it was born in the province of Naples, on the beautiful island of Capri, as its name attests. However, the way caprese came into being is somehow shrouded in mystery or, to say it better, in a sort of lite- rary mist. Its history takes us back to the first half of the 20th century, likely to the end of the 1940s when a builder from Capri decided to stuff h i s d a i l y l u n c h s a n d w i c h w i t h t o m a t o , m o z z a r e l l a and basil: a very patriotic trio indeed, especially in t h o s e y e a r s o f p o s t - w a r rehabilitation. According to others, however, insalata caprese had a much more sophisticated origin. The story goes that, very much in the same period, King F a r o u k o f E g y p t w a s vacationing in Capri when he was offered an afternoon snack made of sliced mozza- rella and tomatoes with a h i n t o f b a s i l o n t o p : a n d voilà, caprese was born. My favorite tale, however, is the one that wants caprese as a dish served, in the 1920s, to f u t u r i s t p o e t F i l i p p o T o m m a s o M a r i n e t t i , w h o l o v e d i t s o m u c h i t ended up becoming famous across the island, and then, across the whole country. Let's go back to its ingre- dients, as a good caprese happens when good ingre- dients are chosen. Here, a chef's talent has really no importance, because we are all able to chop ingredients and dress them in olive oil. Let's start with the toma- toes: for a perfect salad, we should avoid tomatoes that are too ripe, too green or too small. Pomodori da conserva (or da sugo), those u s u a l l y b o u g h t t o m a k e s a u c e , a r e a l s o a n o - n o . Personally, I love cuore di b u e t o m a t o e s , b u t y o u ' r e g o l d e n w i t h a n y v a r i e t y , p r o v i d e d t h e y a r e f l e s h y and, possibly, organic. Mozzarella: now, qui casca l'asino, this is where t h e d i f f i c u l t y l i e s . A s t h e r e c i p e c o m e s f r o m Campania, purists expect mozzarella di bufala to be used and this is certainly a d e l i c i o u s c h o i c e . M o z z a r e l l a d i b u f a l a i s a DOP product of Campania a n d s o m e p a r t s o f L a z i o w i t h a d i s t i n c t i v e t a s t e , A caprese tower, a different take on a classic (Photo: Anton Ignatenco/Dreamstime) Insalata caprese, the tastiest tricolore Continued to page 28

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