Recipe: Fiori Caprese con Pomodori Antichi

Last night we just wanted a simple meal... all-American hot dogs on the grill. But I wanted something better than just fries to go with them. We've been getting our crop of heirloom tomatoes in, so I thought, why not? Pig out on the hot dogs, but relax and enjoy summer Italian style with a caprese salad!

Sure, I could have just sliced up some mozzarella and tomatoes and tossed some basil on top, but I wanted to give Lucas and Lisa a treat... especially Lisa. She's been working so hard lately battling her corporate dragons. She deserved something special. She deserved a smile.

What can make a woman smile more than flowers?

Fiori Caprese con Pomodori Antichi

This is really simple but requires a steady hand and a bit of finesse positioning everything. Nothing fancy, really... anyone can do it. I placed 4 slices of mozzarella on the plate laid out in a cross pattern. Then I went to the garden and pulled some large basil leaves--4 for each plate. Positioned them on top of the cheese, then arranged various types of heirloom cherry tomatoes (in Italian, Antichi Pomodori ) that I had picked earlier in the day... The yellow are Olivette (a mild, egg shaped yellow) and the red are Mahogany Roma (a sweet "black" pear shape). A sprinkling of a balsamic that we brought back from Pienza in Tuscany and some oregano and they were good to go. 

In the end, the hot dogs were good, my Fiori Caprese con Pomodori Antichi was better, but Lisa's smile was the best...


--Jerry Finzi

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