Insalata Caprese

One of my favorite dish in the world is Insalata Caprese, otherwise known as Tomato Caprese Salad. It is one of the easiest dish in to prepare, the ingredients that I always use is:

tomato, fresh
mozzarella cheese, fresh
Italian sweet basil, fresh
sea salt
black pepper
extra virgin olive oil

How to make:
1. slice the tomato (some people get rid of the core, I do, too when I remember)
2. slice the mozzarella cheese
3. chop the Italian sweet basil
4. organize number 1 and 2 on the platter
5. add salt and black pepper to the virgin olive oil, and then sprinkle it on top of the platter, put a little bit aside
6. sprinkle the chopped sweet basil on top of the mix, and sprinkle it with the remaining olive oil mix
7. refrigerate prior to eating

I know some people often smear the mozzarella cheese with balsamic vinegar, but I honestly don't think it's necessary.
And some people also like to salt the tomato to bring out the taste. If you have a good fresh tomato, it's really not necessary either, if anything, it will make the tomato really watery.

Ultimately, the key to make this super good lies on the kind of olive oil you use. I've traveled the world and back (not literally, but olive oil wise, I have tried every country's olive oil), all those Mediterranean countries claim that they all make the best olive oil, but it's not necessarily true. The best one I've ever tasted is Greek's Lesvos olive oil. I have just one bottle left from a purchase in Athens - and I can't remember what the brand is - it's written in Greek. All I know is that it's organic and from the province of Lesvos.
Next in line will be Italian olive oil. Olitalia will definitely do the job, and it's available everywhere.

My lunch today