Buongiorno friends! I am Fabrizio, your guide for Abruzzo and culinary Italy!
Today, I want to share a dish that is the absolute king of the Italian summer.
Looking at these fresh photos straight from my kitchen, we are making an authentic classic: the vibrant Insalata Caprese.
While this dish is loved all over Italy, it truly shines during the warm Mediterranean summers of the Center and South, when the sun works its magic on our produce.
Today, I am using spectacular local tomatoes, including the famous Pera d’Abruzzo (Abruzzese Pear) and Cuore di bue (Oxheart), heavy, ribbed heirloom varieties that I gathered this morning with my cousin Angelo.
I love them when they are “rosso-verdi” (red-green), meaning not completely ripe, which gives them a beautiful, firm texture and a refreshing, slightly tart bite.
For the mozzarella, I stopped by a local caseificio (cheese dairy) here in Vasto. In the photos, you can see two versions: my absolute favorite, Mozzarella di Bufala, known for its strong, bold flavors, and a special local cow mozzarella called Stracciata.
If you have never heard of Stracciata, it is a traditional mozzarella di mucca (cow mozzarella) typical of the border between Abruzzo and Molise. It gets its name because the curd is gently “stracciata”, meaning torn or shredded into flat ribbon-like strips, before being folded over. It is incredibly milky, sweet, and literally melts in your mouth!
Every single element in this dish tells a story of our land.
It is one of my favorite dishes not just for the palate, but also for the eyes and the heart, because it beautifully paints the Italian flag right on your plate with its vibrant green, white, and red! The only ingredient that didn’t come from right here in our soil is the salt!
Dish Placement: the ultimate summer refreshment
In the heart of summer, this is one of my absolute favorite choices. It is incredibly versatile: it serves beautifully as an Antipasto to kick off a summer lunch, a light Contorno (side dish), or even as a refreshing Piatto Unico (single course) for a light dinner when it’s just too hot to turn on the stove.
- Portions: 4 People
- Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus 30 minutes resting time for the mozzarella)
- Difficulty: super easy
- Calories: Approx. 280 kcal per serving
Ingredients
- Tomatoes: 4 large local tomatoes (such as Pera d’Abruzzo or Cuore di bue), preferred slightly green-red for a firmer texture.
- Mozzarella: 400g (14 oz) of fresh mozzarella, whether you choose the classic cow mozzarella (fiordilatte), the exquisite Stracciata di mucca, or the rich Mozzarella di Bufala.
- Basil: A generous handful of fresh basil leaves, picked straight from my garden.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A generous drizzle of my family’s olive oil, produced every year from our 25 trees in a completely organic way.
- Salt: A pinch of high-quality fine sea salt.
Instructions step by step
1. The Temperature Trick: About 30 minutes before serving, take your mozzarella out of the refrigerator. A small but essential secret: keep it submerged in its own liquid (acqua di governo) while it comes up to room temperature. This allows the mozzarella to soften completely and release its true, authentic milky flavors. Remember, cold mozzarella from the fridge loses all its magic!
2. Prepare the Tomatoes: Wash your Pera d’Abruzzo or Cuore di bue tomatoes thoroughly. Remove the green stem area, and then cut them into thick, generous slices or rustic wedges, just like you see in my prep photos.
3. Slice the Mozzarella: Slice your mozzarella into thick rounds, or if you are using the gorgeous Stracciata di mucca, gently tear it apart by hand to expose those creamy, fibrous ribbons.
4. Build the Flag on the Plate: On a large serving platter, alternate the slices of tomato and mozzarella, creating that beautiful visual harmony that instantly warms the heart.
5. The Perfect Seasoning order: First, sprinkle a pinch of salt directly over the tomatoes to help them release their sweet, natural juices.
6. The Final Basil Touch: Only now, take your fresh garden basil leaves. Instead of cutting them with a knife (which bruises the leaves and turns them black), gently tear them with your hands right over the plate to unlock their aromatic essential oils. Finish everything with a beautiful, generous pour of our organic extra virgin olive oil.
Fabrizio’s Tips & The Sacred Scarpetta
Personally, on hot summer evenings, I love to enjoy this exactly as it is a light, clean, and refreshing dinner without any bread. However, if you want to touch the sky with your finger, you must prepare yourself for the final scarpetta.
As the Caprese sits for a few minutes, the salt draws out the sweet tomato water, which mingles perfectly with the milky whey of the mozzarella (whether it’s the classic cow mozzarella or the Stracciata) and our family olive oil. This creates a magical, golden-pink nectar at the bottom of the plate.
Take a thick slice of crusty local bread, scoop up that pool of summer flavors, and you will understand why Italian cuisine is celebrated worldwide for its pure simplicity.
Do you ever find yourself daydreaming about the sun-drenched alleys of an Italian village, the aroma of fresh basil wafting from balconies, and the taste of a fresh mozzarella made that very morning in a tiny artisanal dairy?
If you want to transform this dream into your reality, come discover the most authentic side of Abruzzo with us.
Let yourself be carried away on a journey filled with true flavors, family stories and unforgettable moments under the Mediterranean sun.
Explore our itineraries and let your imagination wander: Italia Sweet Italia Cookery Holidays Calendar.
Do you prefer your Caprese with the classic cow mozzarella, with the unique texture of the Stracciata, or do you stay strictly loyal to Mozzarella di Bufala?
Buon Appetito!
Ciao for now, Fabrizio
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