When to Serve It

This salad is very multi-purpose. I often make it at home with a chunk of crusty bread for a simple, fresh lunch. You can serve it as an appetizer or alongside sandwiches or sliced meats. Note: this is not something you want to make in advance, as the cheese will absorb the liquids and become too saturated. Plus, the basil will begin to brown. Best to assemble and serve immediately.

About the Cheese

What is mozzarella?

Mozzarella, made from the milk of cows, is what is called a "pasta filata" cheese, which means its curd is pulled and stretched to make a spongy, soft ball. Fresh mozzarella is quite mild and works incredibly well as an ingredient cheese as it absorbs and melds with other flavors well. Use fresh mozzarella melted on pizza, bruschetta, or pasta. It’s also great sliced on a roasted vegetable sandwich.

Mozzarella is a "fresh cheese", being that it is not aged before consumption. When purchasing mozzarella, make sure it is packed in brine (salty water) which will help the cheese retain its trademark moisture. Don’t even think of using the firm, brick-like chunks of "mozzarella" you find in the grocery. Finally, string cheese, while fun to dissect, is not a substitute for fresh mozzarella.

Come to think of it, what is buffalo mozzarella (Italian: Mozzarella di Bufala)?

This is simply mozzarella made from the milk of water buffalo (yes – those huge beasts with massive horns). Their milk is completely different from a cow’s, and the result is a more rich, succulent, tender cheese. In this recipe, you can certainly use this more expensive variety, but I find that cows’ milk mozzarella works better because its firmer texture can hold up to the liquid ingredients.

Ingredients

Fresh Cows’ Milk Mozzarella Cheese
This comes in a variety of sizes – 1-lb. balls, racquetball-sized, cherry-sized, and others. You can use any here, slicing as necessary to make it bite-size. While some prefer large slices of mozzarella and tomato, in my world, this should be low-effort consumption – no knife required.

Ripe Tomatoes
Any size is great – cherry or grape tomatoes can be added whole. Larger tomatoes should be sliced to into bite-size pieces.

Fresh Basil
You can get fresh basil in practically any market these days.

VERY GOOD Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Something from Tuscany or Sicily works great here, as those oils have a more peppery, spicy side. But you can use any olive oil you love, as long as it’s flavorful.

Balsamic Vinegar
You don’t want something too aged, as it will be highly concentrated, thick, and sweet (which works quite well drizzled over strawberries, but not as well here). The key in this recipe is "fresh" and "light". You want a balsamic that has the consistency of red wine.

Directions
1. Assemble the tomato and mozzarella on a dish so the two ingredients are well interspersed.

2. Pluck the basil leaves from their stems and stack them. Roll them up and slice them into slivers (I like using scissors for this). Sprinkle the slivers on top of the tomato and
mozzarella.

3. Drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar (don’t overdo it with the vinegar, as its flavor will overpower the rest. Don’t worry – you’ll quickly get used to how much of the oil and vinegar you need.)

Remember – so much of this recipe is to taste. Some people like to add black pepper, but honestly, I usually leave that off. Some like more basil, some more vinegar (and some like this with no vinegar at all). It’s up to you! But rest assured this is pretty much fool-proof.