Pastas Frescas Caprese del Verano - Summer Fresh Pasta Caprese

This dish is full of fresh summer flavors combining ripe heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil plucked from my garden. The dish is not hot when served, but warm. I do not know if they serve something like this in Italy, but it is a refreshing and enjoyable summer pasta dish we enjoy here in California.

Ingredients Needed To Make This Recipe:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 small shallot, minced fine (about 2 tablespoons)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
12 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pound gemelli or any other curly or tubular pasta
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Juice of 1 lemon, if needed
2 teaspoons sugar, if needed

Whisk oil, garlic, shallot, salt and pepper together in bowl. If tomatoes are not ripe add the juice of 1 lemon and 2 teaspoons sugar. Add tomatoes, gently toss and set aside. Do not marinate for for longer than 45 minutes or the tomatoes will turn to mush.


Meanwhile place cubed mozzarella on a plate and freeze until slightly firm, about 10 minutes or so.

Bring 4 quarts water to rolling boil in a large pot. Add 1 table spoon kosher salt and pasta. Cook until al dente. Drain well.

Add pasta and mozzarella to tomato mixture and gently toss to combine. Let stand 5 minutes. stir in basil; adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. This is a pasta dish that is good on a summer evening, a summer luncheon and served cold it makes a delightful pasta salad.

Insalata Caprese - Salad of Capri

Two plentiful crops in our summer garden is basil and tomatoes that go together in this traditional Italian salad. Some sources say this salad originated on the isle of Capri and others say that may not be so. One thing is for certain, this salad is served in almost every restaurant in Italy. The layers of tomato, mozzarella and basil signify the red, white and green of the Italian flag.



Insalata Caprese is simple to make and you can assemble it in a variety of ways. Start with slicing fresh ripe tomatoes preferably from your garden or Farmers market. Using a variety of different color heirloom tomatoes we can find so readily here in California makes a stunning presentation on a platter. Slice soft fresh mozzarella; try to keep the slices consistent with the size of the sliced tomatoes. You can place the tomato slices on a serving platter slightly overlapping or just lay flat on the platter. Place a slice of fresh mozzarella on top of each tomato slice. You can be creative and stand the tomato slices on end and wedge a slice of mozzarella between each one. Take fresh basil leaves that have been washed and use as you prefer to serve the insalata. You can place a whole basil leaf on top of each stack, or on every other one, or in-between the standing ones. Personally I like to chiffonade the basil by rolling a stack of leaves together and slicing thinly, then sprinkle the cut basil over all. Drizzle a little good-quality olive oil to your taste. Season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. I do like to add balsamic vinegar as well when using burrata - a very soft, creamy fresh mozzarella. The balsamic goes so well with it.

Another way I like to make insalata Capese is to use grape tomatoes as seen in the picture above. Using different colors makes a nice presentation. Cube the fresh mozzarella to about the same size as the halved grape tomatoes. Add basil chiffonade and drizzle with good quality olive olive. Season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. You can also drizzle on some balsamic if you desire. This presentation works very well when entertaining and serving buffet style. You can easily scoop it from the bowl, and eat it from your plate if you are not sitting at a table. This is definaitely a summer Italian delight.