Italian for 'salad.' ;)

What do you serve, when dinner is ready, and you find, at the last minute, that you do not have the romaine you thought you had? When the salad was a large percentage of the meal you thought you were about to serve, and the crisper is bare? You scrounge, and you slice, and you chiffonade some basil-- and voila. My husband said of this salad: "It eats like a man." And so it did.



Insalata Caprese, Impromptu

• Two fresh tomatoes, sliced thinly.
  (The ones pictured were local peak-season heirlooms, and they were luscious!)
• 4 oz. mozzarella cheese, sliced thinly.
• 8 large basil leaves, rolled and sliced into narrow ribbons.
• Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling.
• Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling.
• Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Arrange tomatoes on serving plate. Slip sliced mozzarella between tomato slices. Drizzle generously with oil and vinegar; garnish with basil; season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4 as a side dish.