One of my favourite salads is a simple dressed tomato and mozzarella salad with basil.
Though you could use cheaper tomatoes and mozzarella, sometimes it’s nice to up the ante and do something a little more special.
I have had Isle of Wight heritage tomatoes before, I got them from the M&S at Cribbs Causeway (my local M&S Food Hall didn’t stock them). It was a nice surprise to see my local Waitrose selling a box of Isle of Wight Heirloom Tomatoes. I was also impressed that the box was only £5, which I thought was good value.
In comparison, the M&S Isle of Wight heritage tomatoes are £2.75 per pack, and the Waitrose box contains about the equivalent of four or five M&S packs.
I’ve bought the box twice now and each time I have had a different range of tomatoes in each box. There are large tomatoes, red, yellow, and orange varieties as well.
For my simple dressed tomato and mozzarella salad with basil, I take a selection of tomatoes from the box and slice thinly and put in a bowl. I then add some torn up basil leaves. I always tear up my basil leaves ever since seeing Jamie Oliver on a TV advertisement saying they should be torn and not cut. Still don’t know if that’s right, or that was just a Jamie Oliver thing… I am sure I have seen Gordon Ramsey chop up basil with a knife.
I then dress the tomatoes and basil with olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Having seen Marcus Wareing use white balsamic vinegar when he made a dressed tomato salad, I might get some of that and try it the next time I make this dish.
To finish off the salad I put a whole burrata mozzarella ball in the middle, which I added some olive oil and black pepper onto.
Burrata is an exquisite Italian fresh cheese with a unique texture. It starts with a pouch of fresh mozzarella, which is then filled with a rich, creamy mixture of stracciatella—shredded mozzarella curds and cream. The name “burrata” comes from the Italian word for “buttered,” which perfectly describes its luxurious consistency. When sliced open, the firm outer shell gives way to a soft, spilling interior. This creates a delightful contrast between the solid exterior and the milky, buttery filling.
Delicious.
