Caprese Ladybugs
Word of the Week Insalata (in-suh-lot-uh): The Italian word for salad.
Ciao!
Today we celebrate the beautiful Insalata Caprese! This easy to make, delicious, and patriotic salad marries simple ingredients with stunning results.
So, just where did this beautifully simple salad come from? One story takes us back to early post World War I Italy. A very patriotic mason created the red, white, and green dish in honor of his country's flag.
The salad gained popularity in the 1950s after King Farouk began to marvel over a delicious caprese sandwich. Tourists flocking to the Capri region began asking for it in both sandwich and salad form. It soon became a staple of Capri food and culture.
With Labor Day quickly approaching, we decided to add a fun twist to this classic. The ingredients remain the same. It's the presentation that changes. . .presenting Caprese Ladybugs!
Ingredients -Fresh slices of mozzarella cheese
-Large fresh basil leaves -Cherry tomatoes -Small black olives
Directions
Place your mozzarella slices on a serving platter.
Place one basil leaf on top of each cheese slice.
Cut cherry tomatoes in half, making a small slit for the wings, and set on top of basil.
Cut black olive in half and place next to the tomato to make the head.
Use colored gel, peppercorns, or thick balsamic vinegar (my favorite choice) to create spots.
That's all there is to it! Happy creating!
Stay kind. . .
Gram