Caprese Salad Recipe

INSALATA
CAPRESE

Salad of Mozzarella
Tomatoes & Basil

As the name might imply, this salad
(antipasto) comes from the beautiful Island of Capri in the Bay of Naples. Well
yes, this salad made of fresh Mozzarella, Tomatoes, and Basil (Baz-ZEE-na-gOl)
is eaten all over this lovely island by both natives and the many tourist who
go to Capri to delight in its natural beauty, make a pilgrimage to the famed
Grotta Azzura, swim its pristine deep blue waters, and of course eat some tasty
local food of which the Insalata Caprese is the most famous of all.

This salad is the easiest thing in the
world to make, with the hardest part being to find perfect rip tomatoes to
complement the fresh mozzarella and basil. Once you find good fresh rip
tomatoes, and you’ve got your mozzarella and basil, all you have to do is slice
the tomatoes and mozzarella and dress all with a little salt & pepper, the
basil, and good quality Italian Olive Oil and you’re all set. Put on some nice
Italian Music, get a nice bottle of white or red wine that comes from the
region and you’re all set. Pretend you’re on Capri and you’re in Heaven.

INGREDIENTS :

1 pound Fresh Mozzarella

3-4 ripe Salad Tomatoes (washed)

8 fresh Basil Leaves (washed & dried)

3 tablespoons Italian Olive Oil

Sea Salt & Black Pepper

1.
Slice the Mozzarella into 8 equal slices.

2. Place the Basil leaves
one-on-top-of-the other. Roll them up. Slice the roll of basil leaves to get
thin slices of Basil.

3. Put half the olive oil onto a plate.
Slice the tomatoes into 12 equal slices. Place the tomato slices down on the
plate of olive to coat each tomato slice with olive oil. Turn each slice over.
Sprinkle a little salt and black pepper over each slice of tomato. Evenly
distribute the Basil over all 12 slices of tomato.

4. Get 4 clean plates that you will be
serving the Caprese Salad on.

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5. Place one slice of tomato down on the
plate. Then lay one slice of mozzarella halfway over the tomato slice. Add
another slice of tomato to go halfway over the 1^st slice of
mozzarella, then place another slice of mozzarella halfway over the 2^nd
slice of tomato. Place a 3^rd and final slice of tomato over the 2^nd
slice of mozzarella. Repeat this process until you have four plates of Caprese
Salad of equal portions. Serve to your guests and enjoy.

INSALATA CAPRESE

A UNIQUE WAY TO SERVE

CAPRESE SALAD

FRESH MOZZARELLA TOMATO & BASIL

Humprhrey Bogart in Capri During Filming

of BEAT The DEVIL

Clock Tower

Piazza Umberto

Capri Town

CAPRI, ITALY

Rice Balls on Capri

ARANCINI in CAPRI

A Plate of Fresh Made Arancini

Rice Balls

ARANCINI

Excerted from Daniel Bellino-Zwicke’s forthcoming book;

GREATEST HITS ITALIAN COOKBOOK

100 Recipes of Italian-America’s Favorite Dishes

Rice Balls are
a great favorite of the South of Italy where they can be found all over the
place, in restaurants and trattorias, grocery stores, Salumerias, at Wine Bars,
and caffes. Arancini are beloved by Italian-Americans as well, but nowhere near
the extent that they are eaten in the mother country of Italy. I love them, as
they remind me of the many places I have eaten them on wonderful ttrips to
Italy. I especially remember having real tasty ones on the beautiful Isle of
Capri and one wonderful Salumeria, Capri Sulumeria Rosticceria near the Piazza
Umberto. I had come up from Marina Grande after a boat trip around the island
and a visit to the Blue Grotto, followed by a wonderful swim at the beach. I
took the little yellow bus up to Capri Town. After getting off the bus I
spotted this lovely little Salumeria and popped in. I saw the Arancini on the
counter and just had to have one. I got a bottle of water and walked over to
the terrace of the piazza to admire the gorgeous view of Capri at this
particular location, which is absolutely spectacular. I took a seat on the
bench, cracked open my water and dug into the Rice Ball (Arancino). Wow! It was
delicious, and one of the best I’d ever had. After that, I went back to the
Salumeria every day for an Aracini or two, including the day I was going to
swim at the famed Faroglioni Rocks. I first stopped by the Salumeria and got
one of their tasty Arancino along with some Eggplant Parmigiano made by Mamma.
I got some water and a small bottle of local Aglianico Wine from Benevento. I
took the scenic walk down to the Faraglioni where I swam all day and had one of
the most memorable lunch’s of my life. The setting was one of the World’s most
beautiful, at the Faraglioni on the beautiful Isle of Capri with my wine, the
eggpalant, and my tasty Arancino from the Salumeria Capri. It just doesn’t ever
get any better than that. Basta.

Arancini

Conical Shaped Rice Balls

RECIPE:

The FILLING

½ pound Ground
Beef

3 tablespoons
Olive Oil

1 small Onion,
peeled and minced fine

½ cup Tomato
Sauce (optional)

Salt &
Black Pepper to taste

3/4 cup Frozen
Peas

RICE :

1 pound Arborio
Rice

4 cups Chicken
Broth or water

1 small pinch
Saffron

2 tablespoons
Butter

½ cup grated
Parmigiano Reggiano

1 extra Large
Egg

Salt &
White Pepper to taste

½ pound of
Provolone or Cacciocavalo Chesse,

cut into small
chunks

BREADING

½ cup Flour

2 beaten Eggs

2 ½ cups Plain
Breadcrumbs

4 cups Canola
Oil for frying

Place the
ground beef and onions in a pan with the Olive Oil and cook on a low flame
until beef is cooked through, about 12 minutes. Season with salt and black
pepper, about 1/ teaspoon each, or to your taste. Add peas and cook for 2
minutes. Turn heat off, and set aside to cool.

Add Chicken
Broth (or Water if using) to a 6 quart pot with the rice, butter and ½ teaspoon
salt. Bring liquid to the boil and stir as you do this. Once the liquid comes
to the boil, turn heat to lowest flame possible and let cook without stirring
for 16 minutes. Turn heat off and let rice set in the pot for 12 minutes.

Place the rice
in a large glass bowl and let cool for 15 minutes.

Once the rice
is completely cool, add ½ teaspoon white pepper and a ½ teaspoon of salt and
the grated Parmigiano and mix. Add 1 beaten Egg and mix.

Take a handful
of rice and place between both your hands and roll into balls that are just
slightly smaller than a baseball, or you can make smaller if you like. Once you
have shaped the rice into a ball, hold the rice ball with your left hand and
push the thumb of your right hand into the ball to make a hole that goes to the
center of the ball, making a hole that you will put the beef filling into.

Take about a
tablespoon of the beef filling and put it into the hole. Place 1 or 2 pieces of
the Provolone into the hole. Press rice around the hole to cover it up, and
then round the rice between your two hands again to make the Rice Ball into a
perfect ball shape.

Continue this
process until all the rice is gone and made into Rice Balls.

Get 3 small
shallow bowls and put the flour in 1 bowl, the breadcrumbs in another bowl, and
the beaten eggs into the 3^rd bowl. Take a rice ball and put it into
the bowl with the flour and gently roll it around until it is completely
covered with a light coating of flour. Gently shake off any excess flour.

Now place the
ball into the eggs and completely cover with the egg. Gently shake off any
excess egg.

Now roll the
rice ball with the egg on it into the breadcrumbs until ball is completely
covered with breadcrumbs. Shake off excess. Repeat these last 3 steps with each
rice ball until they are all coated with breadcrumbs.

Place the
canola oil (or any vegetable oil) in a medium sized frying pan and heat to
high. Fry a few rice balls at a time until golden brown. Fry all the rice balls
and place on paper towels and let cool a few minutes before serving, at which
point they will still be hot, but not too hot. Or you can let them cool further
and serve at room temperature with or without Marinara Sauce on the side.

NOTE: To make the Rice Ball that I describe in my little story above, substitute pieces of
fresh mozzarella cheese for the beef mixture and you will have a rice ball like
the one I had on my lovely little Isle of Capri. Either way, both ways are
equally tasty.

This Recipe is a Gift form Author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke to Celebrate the release (July 2015) of his latest book ; Grandma Bellino’s Italian Cookbook … Recipes from My Sicilian Grandmother ….. Broadway Fifth Pres, NY NY

CAPRI SALUMERIA ROSTICCERIA

Near The Piazza Umberto, CAPRI

Just Past The Bus Stop

A Smiling SALVATORE

SALUMERIA CAPRI

2019

ARANCINI, PANNINI, PIZZA

and Other GOODIES at CAPRI SALUMERIA

PHOTO TAKEN by Author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

From Summit of Mt Solaro

Anacapri, Capri ITALY

My Favorite Lemonade Granita Stand in Capri

Near The Caeser Augustus Gardens, Capri

Behind The Qusisanna Hotel

SUNDAY SAUCE

When Italian-Americans Cook

by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

BAR DUE GULFI

On the way to MARINA PICOLO

CAPRI

d7eaf-screen2bshot2b2015-06-222bat2b1-31-372bpm

GRANDMA BELLINO’S ITALIAN COOKBOOK

Recipes From my Sicilian Grandmother

by Daniel Bellino Z

CAPRI NAPOLI & THE AMALFI COAST

CAPRI

View From The TOp of Monte Solaro, Capri, Italy

with Faroglionni Rocks below …

SORRENTO

A Classic View

VIEW of MARINA GRANDE CAPRI

From ANACAPRI

MARINA PICOLO CAPRI

with FARAGLIONI ROCKS in Distance

PIAZZA UMBERTO

ITALIAN BREAKFAST

A Typical Italian Breakfast

CAPPUCCINO e un CORNETTO

LIMONCELLO LADIES

ANACAPRI

CAPRI

GELATO

NAPOLI

My Favorite Lemonade Stand in Italy

Behind the famed Quississana Hotel

Across From CAESAR AUSUSTUS GARDENS, CAPRI

Also right by a Wonderful Little Hotel I Used to Stay At,

La TOSCA, a lovely little Hotel with the most Spectacular Views

of Capri and The Faralognni Rocks (most Iconic Symbol of Capri)

The Hotel is lovely and very affordle. I stayed ther in 1988, but stayed

in Anacapri this time at The Hotel Carmencita

Me at My Favorite Restorante in Positano

Da VINCENZO

With My ANtipasto of Polpo al Griglia e Carciofi Fritte

and a Nice Glass of Greco di Tufo local wine …

SPAGHETTI VONGOLE

al Solotaria Restorante, Anacapri

RAVELLO

Villa Ruffoli

MINORI

The AMALFI COAST

View From The Terrazza at VILLA MARIA in Minori

LEMON GROVES at Villa Maria, Minor, Italy

WORLD’S BEST BREAKFAST

World’s BestBreakfast? I Kid You Not!

This was my typical Breakfast (Colazione)

at Villa Maria each of My Three Wonderful Days There

Vincenzo the owner Makes all types of different Jams

from the fruit he grows on his farmer way up in the hill of

the beautiful little town on The Amalfi Coast .. Villa Maria is

a wonderful little farm/ agroturismo Inn in the town of Minori,

a cute little town if you want to be on the Amalfi Coast but away from

the madening crowds that overrun the gorgeous little town of Positano.

Vincenzo’s main crop of his farm are Lemons with Olive Tree Groves,

Grapevines, and all sorts of fruits and vegetables, along with Chickens (for

meat & Eggs) and Pigs to make his awesome Homemade Salami. Vincenzo

makes his own wine, Prosciutto, Pancetta, Coppa, and his tasty

homemade Fruit Jams which you spread on toast & Cornetto ‘s in the

morning for breakfast.

When dinner time comes, Maria (Vincenzo’s wife) makes an awesome

Four-Course Dinner with; Antipast to start, followed by some awesome pasta or another,

a main-course of fish, meat, or chicken, and ending with either Fruit or a Dessert that Maria makes (I love the Lemon Cake), and some of Vincenzo’s Homemade Lemoncello.

And of course during the meal you’ll get a bottle of either Vincenzo’s own Vino Bianco or

Vino Rosso or both.

Villa Maria is one of the most special places you could ever want to stay at in your life.

It’s a once in a lifetime experience that not many people get a chnace to do, and I reccommend going there most highly, “You will have the time of your life.”