For those of you who have been with me awhile, you know how much I L-O-V-E fresh summer tomatoes. They need very little to be wonderful – usually all I need is a juicy tomato sandwich: a little salt and pepper, a touch of good quality mayo, slight toast on the bread… there is little in this world that can top it.

This post, however, is about my OTHER favorite way to fix up a tomato (considering that I have pretty much given you the complete recipe for the tomato sandwich already). I have recently become obsessed with Caprese Salad.

OK, I know what you’re thinking: how is that any more difficult than a tomato sandwich? At least the sandwich involved a little “cooking,” what with toasting the bread and all. I will grant you that the salad, traditionally, is very simple. Slice some tomatoes, some fresh Mozzarella, a few leaves of basil, dash of S & P, drizzle of olive oil (and a touch of Balsamic if you’re feeling feisty). I like to mix things up a bit, though, by creating a pesto instead of simply munching on whole basil leaves.

I’ll be honest, I really don’t like the “whole leaves” style. I don’t find them particularly flavorful, as compared to a pesto which literally bursts with the aroma and flavor of fresh basil. To be fair, I don’t even like traditional salads very much: put a bunch of roughage in a bowl with some dressing, and you spend the next 10 minutes cutting your lettuce, and fishing for the stuff you like.

I’m more like Meg Ryan in “When Harry Met Sally.” That whole “perfect bite” thing? Yeah, that’s me. I prefer my foods to mingle, get to know each other.  A chopped salad is great that way, since everything is smaller, allowing you to get a bunch of ingredients in each bite. If you’re going to take the time to choose ingredients that will taste good together, then you should eat them together.

So for my Caprese Salad, I prefer to make a pesto. Put the olive oil and Balsamic together with the basil, add a little magic, and it’s unbelievable how much fresher and more robust this classic salad becomes. And since I have no food processor, my pesto is much more rustic, adding texture as well as flavor! The pesto is so easy to throw together and adjust to your taste that these measurements are really more guidelines than anything else.

Caprese Salad with Rustic Pesto

Here’s what you need:

Pesto

• pine nuts, about 1/8 cup

• 1 large clove garlic

• basil, about 1/4 cup (I used a combination of standard basil and lemon-basil)

• olive oil, 2-3 TB

• Balsamic vinegar. about 1/2 TB (alternatively you could uses Balsamico Creme – it’s very sweet, so only a dash is needed)

• Good quality Parmesano-Reggiano, about 2 TB or so

• pinch of lemon zest (optional)

• salt and pepper to taste

Salad

• 2 juicy ripe tomatoes (if you can, grab one yellow and one red for color and acidity contrast), in 1/8″ slices

• 1 ball of Mozzarella, 1/8″ slices

Here’s what you do:

Pesto

• Toast your pine nuts in a medium-low skillet until lightly golden. Set half aside.

• Finely chop the other half of your pine nuts, as well as finely mincing your garlic.

• Chiffonade your basil: stack your basil leaves biggest to smallest, then roll from the long side, forming a tube of basil, like a cigar. Carefully (and with a very sharp knife) cut thin slices from the end of the basil “cigar.” This will create nice thin ribbons of basil. Set half aside, and continue to finely mince the rest of your basil. Add the minced basil to your pine nut and garlic mixture.

• Add to the pine nut mixture your oil, vinegar, Parmesan, and zest (if using).  Mix and taste to determine if salt or pepper is needed. Allow to sit and marinate for 1 hour is possible (but feel free to eat it right away if you want – I won’t tell!)

Composing your salad

• Arrange alternating slices of tomato and Mozzarella on your serving dish. You can do individual servings, or arrange it on a large plate for self-service (it looks really nice done in a circle, but a straight line works just as well).

• Drizzle your pesto over your salad, and garnish with the reserved pine nuts and basil. This isn’t just for presentation; it also lends another layer of texture.

• Serve with pasta, and whatever lucky person you decide to share it with!

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