Caprese Salad with Pasta
Ingredients:
Salad
1 lb box of pasta (we usually use either penne or rotini but elbow would work just fine)
1 lb fresh mozzarella cut into bite size pieces (I use the pasta and cut them about the same size)
1 lb fresh tomatoes, cut into bite size pieces (This is about four plum tomatoes.)
fresh basil, shredded (one of the small bunches from the store, probably 15 or 20 full size leaves)
Dressing
several cloves of garlic, chopped fine (I usually use five or six...but to each their own)
1 tablespoon of capers
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I use the traditional Italian 7% acid vinegar)
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
A whisk is handy for this, to get the dressing really thick.
Cook the pasta. Stir into a bowl with the shredded basil, chopped tomatoes and mozzarella. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over salad, gently toss to mix it through.
And that's it. I usually start the water for the pasta and then start chopping away. I finish whisking the dressing about the time the pasta finishes cooking, so this is start to table in about 20 minutes.
