Caponata salad recipe
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 (eggplants).
Tip: To further enrich this salad add canned tuna, anchovies and boiled eggs.
Ingredients
- 4 friselles or 12 Krisprolls
- 125 g ball buffalo mozzarella or fior di latte
- 4 small tomatoes or 8 cherry tomatoes, quartered or halved
- 1 handful basil leaves (15-20, to taste)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 pinch salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp red or white wine vinegar
Details
- Cuisine: Italian
- Recipe Type: Salad
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 10 mins
- Cooking Time: 0 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- 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.
This recipe is extracted from The Amalfi Coast by Katie & Giancarlo Caldesi (Hardie Grant, £16.99). Photography: Helen Cathcart
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