Mozzarella, Tomato and Strawberry Salad

We have enjoyed many wonderful Italian food traditions over the years, as Nana married into an Italian family.  I am blessed with the joy of having both Italian and French lineage, which makes for some lovely meals. 

A standard that we typically serve as an appetizer or first course would be a Caprese salad (Insalata Caprese).  I can not count the times that Nana or I have made this, but I can tell you with complete certainty that it has never before included a strawberry.  Until this French Friday........

Per Tricia ~

This week was even easier than ever, with the toughest

part of the "recipe" involving driving to the store to get

the ingredients.  And luckily, my husband handled that :) 

 I was surprisingly curious to taste this "old favorite"

 with a new twist and it did not disappoint.

In addition to the sliced fresh strawberries, mozzarella,

 fresh basil and cherry tomatoes, I added some olive oil,

Maldon sea salt and cracked peppercorns. 

 I did not have the pink ones Dorie suggested using

and opted not to ask hubby to look for them at the store.

  Why ruin a good thing. He might have then asked how

much the Maldon sea salt cost ......

In addition to the strawberries being new on the

"Caprese" plate, I typically do not add a vinegar to this

combo..... but did this time per Dorie.  I used a Raspberry

Champagne vinegar and it was a lovely compliment

to the flavors.  My husband, older son and I shared a plate

and we all agreed that we really liked the combination. 

 We also thought the "kick" of the fresh basil, as well as the

vinegar, was what really brought together the individual

 items on the plate. They made the dish. 

 I will gladly use this as a new way to enjoy these ingredients

 during the summer months - a keeper for sure.

Per Nana ~

Normally, I use fresh mozzarella from the

Italian  Market, but since I had some Polly-O

This is not my idea of a caprese salad

because of the strawberries. 

 I didn't particularly care for the combination.   

 left  from making a Manicotti dish, I wanted to use it up.  

However, let it be known there is no way this

 can compare with a fresh mozzarella.

The dish is quite impressive looking, but it just didn't work for us.