In praise of caprese

Summer means salads and the one that I am currently obsessed with is caprese. That perfect combination of fresh tomatoes, spunky basil and mellow mozzarella. One of the best meals I had in Albuquerque was actually a vegan caprese salad at the Mint Tulip. Kind of a weird choice in a city known for it's amazing Mexican food, but it was a refreshing break from chile rellenos. And the "mozzarella" was a revelation in fake cheese. I'm told it's called "Teese".



So, last night I tried to recreate this tasty salad, but with, you know, the addition of tasty, artery-clogging animal products. Grilled steak and buffalo mozzarella, to be exact. Just a bed of spinach, diced tomatoes and cheese, a sprinkling of chopped basil and a few slices of rare rib eye all drizzled with the simplest balsamic vinaigrette. I can not wait to try again in a few weeks with actual home grown tomatoes (Uh, Dad? Hi! Tomatoes, please!). Summer on a plate.