Caprese salad is summer personified, although I eat these all year round to remind me of summer…the flavours and the white, greens and reds of the salad are not only the national Italian flag colours, they are also the Mediterranean on a plate. You get the crunchiness of the bread with caprese salad in a simple olive oil and balsamic dressing with lots of basil.
I love these tartines because they are not only delicious but I can imagine myself by the sea in Italy on a hot summer day with a glass of wine having a two hour lunch in a pair of espadrilles and a floaty caftan and dipping a toe in the pool. These are perfect for brunch, lunch or for a light supper.

Recipe

For two or four as a starter but you can multiply it by how many to feed.

Ingredients:
1 large mozzarella ball
A chargrilled pepper, I buy these in a bottle form Sainsbury’s, they are called chargrilled peppers antipasto, but you can roast one in the oven too (optional)
A few tomatoes, I used red green and yellow for colour
A small bunch of basil
Balsamic vinegar for drizzling, I love Belazu balsamic of Modena
Four slices of roasted sourdough 
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

How:
Slice the mozzarella and place into a plate.
Next, slice the tomatoes and the pepper and add to the plate too.
Tear the basil up and add with a drizzle of the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper and pour over the tomatoes, mozzarella and peppers,
Place the roasted bread slices on two plates and arrange the salad on top, wow ever you like.
Add more basil leaves and a drizzle of the balsamic vinegar and serve straight away.

Lastly…I sometimes serve this with burrata instead of mozzarella, because it is slightly more delicate in flavour and texture.

I shop at:
Waitrose
Sainsbury’s
Tesco
Lidl