So Raphael wanted a snack but I had renovated my kitchen with the help of Just DIY Decor to the extent of what he calls “Loco Cleaning”. So I really didn’t want to turn on the stove or the oven; nor did I want to make too many dishes dirty. You know when you have just started the dishwasher and the last thing you want to do is make a dish dirty? Anyways, so I saw that I had the ingredients for caprese. The best caprese we’ve had was in Italy this past May. Super simple, fresh, local, cheap and delicious – a great appetizer too! Anyways this is what you need:

Serves one

• 1 large tomato
 or 6 cherry tomatoes
• 6 large basil leaves
• 6 slices of bocconcini or buffalo mozzarella
• 1 tablespoon of good extra virgin olive oil
• Course sea salt
• Pepper

Notes and Tips: You can also spice up his recipe by adding any or all of the following:

• 1 tablespoon good balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon capers
• Marinated bocconcini
• 6 olives
• 6 slices of grilled egg plant

Notes and Tips: When buying good balsamic vinegar look to make sure it doesn’t have any caramel in it. I learned this from an old Italian lady in Florence.

Notes and Tips: You can take these exact ingredients, put them on top of pita bread or pizza dough and stick it in the oven for a yummy quick pizza.