Caprese My Way

This warm summery day started with a walk to the local farmers market on the newly re-vamped downtown square in my hometown.  The Mennonite stand had some heirloom tomatoes. *POP* My craving for the classic caprese salad of mozzarella, basil and of course, tomatoes started.

When I got home I took stock of the fridge and had everything but the mozzarella.  Go to the store and come back with Red Bell Peppers too, since they were on sale. I started making it and got a little carried away...  A classic Summer Lunch. For all you bacon or chicken lovers, you can easily add that to make it even better. The recipe is below photo.

Caprese My Way

1-2 T of Olive Oil

1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar  (or less if high quality)

2 Large garlic cloves, minced or crushed

Salt and Pepper to Taste

3 tomatoes chopped into 1 inch chunks and seaded
1 cup of Red Bell, 1/2 inch chop
1 handfull of fresh basil, ripped
1/4 of an onion, sliced thin
1 cup spinach, ripped
1/2 Fresh Mozzarella Ball, cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
1 stale ciabatta role (hamburger bun size), ripped or cubed into 1/2 inch pieces

Combine Olive Oil, Garlic, Balsamic, Salt and Peper in a large bowl. Add everything but the bread. Let sit for 1/2 hour. Add Bread. Let sit 15 minutes. Enjoy!