Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

I’m bringing back a very simple tomato and mozzarella salad recipe that I published right at the start of my blog.

I see them all the time on the terrasses (those lovely outdoor café seats) or inside restaurants, in summer and winter for that matter. I don’t quite understand what motivates people to order a salad they could easily make at home, especially when the quality of the ingredients isn’t there, which is often the case.

For a recipe this minimalist, you really need the best: garden tomatoes or heirloom varieties bought from a local producer, excellent buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil, quality olive oil, and a good balsamic vinegar. By using only the best products, you won’t spend more than 5€ per person for a full meal—which is less than any plat du jour (the daily special) you’d find eating out!

You can choose different varieties of tomatoes: Cornue des Andes, Cœur de Bœuf, Noire de Crimée, or Pineapple tomatoes… Be careful, don’t buy the supermarket substitutes; they look like heirloom tomatoes, but they don’t taste like them. A real tomato is fragile, unlike supermarket ones that need to be sturdy to survive all the handling. If you have a garden, you could plant a few. It’s economical and it’s just lovely to grow your own vegetables. They say it’s good for the soul.