Il Riccio is a spectacular Michelin star ristorante on the isle of Capri and it comes into its own as soon as you're served the starter of Caprese salad: a massive ball of buffalo mozzarella paired with a just-as-big tomato, drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinegarette and plenty of basil leaves to accompany each bite.
What we're aiming for:
Caprese salad for two as a large starter or main dish.
Served with fresh baguette for mopping up juices.
Caprese salad for two as a large starter or main dish.
Served with fresh baguette for mopping up juices.
The Components:
- 2 large salad tomatoes - fresh, crisp, tasty
- 2 large balls of buffalo mozzarella
- Handful of fresh basil
- Good quality extra virgin olive oil
- Balsamic vinaigrette
- Sea salt and cracked black peppercorns
The Algorithm:
- Slice the mozzarellas into about 8-10 slices each
- Prep the tomatoes by carefully slicing into each tomato vertically but not all the way through - aim for 8-10 slices.
- Set the tomato on each serving plate and insert the slices of mozzarella snugly into each space of the sliced tomato.
- Place a leaf of basil in the space alongside the mozzarella and sprinkle any spare basil leaves on the plate. Extra basil is always appreciated!
Now drizzle a generous amount of the olive oil over the whole thing, a small pour (or spritz) of balsamic vinaigrette and crush some sea salt and black pepper on top.
Some serving tips:
Our favourite way to serve this dish is as a starter to our version of a classic Italian meal:
Prepare a hearty meat ragu over a period of 5-8 hours and serve a starter of caprese salad, followed by a small serving of fresh pappardelle pasta in the tomato ragu sauce. Complete the meal by serving the succulent meat from the ragu with a chosen green vegetable such as seared asparagus or courgettes.
- Slice the mozzarellas into about 8-10 slices each
- Prep the tomatoes by carefully slicing into each tomato vertically but not all the way through - aim for 8-10 slices.
- Set the tomato on each serving plate and insert the slices of mozzarella snugly into each space of the sliced tomato.
- Place a leaf of basil in the space alongside the mozzarella and sprinkle any spare basil leaves on the plate. Extra basil is always appreciated!
Now drizzle a generous amount of the olive oil over the whole thing, a small pour (or spritz) of balsamic vinaigrette and crush some sea salt and black pepper on top.
Some serving tips:
Our favourite way to serve this dish is as a starter to our version of a classic Italian meal:
Prepare a hearty meat ragu over a period of 5-8 hours and serve a starter of caprese salad, followed by a small serving of fresh pappardelle pasta in the tomato ragu sauce. Complete the meal by serving the succulent meat from the ragu with a chosen green vegetable such as seared asparagus or courgettes.