Caponata

Tomato, bread, mozzarella & basil salad

By: Katie & Giancarlo Caldesi
From: The Amalfi Coast
Serves: 4
Photographer: Helen Cathcart

This salad uses a local crisp brown bread known as friselle or pane biscottato, made from wholemeal flour and dried so that it lasts a long time. It is said that fishermen and sailors would take it with them, reviving it for lunch by dipping it into the sea. It is a great store cupboard ingredient even today, making a filling addition to a healthy salad. If you can’t get hold of it, look for Swedish Krisprolls or similar instead. This recipe comes from Nicola Giannullo from Ristorante Rabbit, in Agerola. This caponata is not to be confused with Sicilian caponata, which is cooked and made with aubergines.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
4	friselle
or 12	krisprolls
125g	ball buffalo mozzarella or fior di latte
4	small tomatoes
or 8	cherry tomatoes, quartered or halved
15-20	basil leaves
1 teaspoon	dried oregano
	salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons	extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon	white or red wine vinegar

Method

Soak the bread in a bowl of cold water for 10 seconds to soften it. Break into pieces onto a serving dish. Tear the mozzarella into bite-size pieces and scatter over the bread with the tomatoes, basil, oregano and seasoning to taste. Add the oil and vinegar and gently toss the salad with your hands.