Pastor Phil’s Pseudo Caprese Salad
Insalata Caprese or salad in the style of Capri is made with slices of wonderfully ripe summer tomatoes topped with fresh Basil leaves and mozzarella di bufala or mozzarella cheese made from the milk of the domestic water buffalo, dressed with an expensive extra virgin olive oil and fresh cracked pepper. The café version is nothing like that though it does feature tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. That’s why we call this a Pseudo (pretend) Caprese where the tomatoes and the mozzarella are whatever they have at Sam’s® Club and the basil and olive oil are emulsified (mixed) and served as the dressing. We serve it on Romaine lettuce and baby spinach because we only charge $3.00 a plate for a main course, side dish, ice tea or pink lemonade (though some café patrons bring their own wine – yes the food is that good!) and a salad to boot and the greens mean we can afford to serve a Caprese where the tomatoes are really just a garnish. Buon appetito!
- 1 head Romaine Lettuce – rinsed, dried and chopped
- 1 small package Baby Spinach – rinsed and dried
- 1 package Cherry Tomatoes – cut in half
- 1 ball of Mozzarella – diced
- Basil Vinaigrette – recipe below
- Seasoned Croutons
Toss everything in the Basil Vinaigrette and top with croutons. Serve.
Basil Vinaigrette
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup honey
- Leaves from one bunch of Basil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced in garlic press
- Salt & pepper to taste
Put vinegar, honey, basil, and garlic in a food processor. With processor on add olive oil in steady stream until emulsified. (Fancy culinary term for mixed well) season with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
