Caprese Salad with Purple Basil
August 4, 2011 at 5:51 pm 1 comment
Avila Beach CA has a trendy little Farmer’s Market on Friday afternoons with a handful of produce booths selling only top quality. A real find for me was purple basil which is incredibly rare.
I wish I had adequate words to describe the rich, heady aroma with almost a hint of licorice or anise.
Sensing the potency of the taste would match the scent, I chopped it fine on a caprese salad instead of using whole leaves as I would with standard “green” basil.
Result? WONDERFUL.
Cari and Craig Clark at Chaparral Gardens in Atascadero CA grow the basil to use in their artisan vinegars. Check out their website at CGVinegar.com
The tomatoes came from a local farmer and the mozzarella cheese from DePalo and Sons Deli in Shell Beach CA. The cheese is hand-crafted daily from grandfather Dr. Tedone’s recipe. The good doctor, retired now, starting making the cheese to work out his grief after his wife passed. DePalo’s is a family affair with an excellent Italian-California style deli, tremendous wine collection and shelves stuffed with every imaginable delicacy.
Entry filed under: Recipes and Food. Tags: Atascadero, Avila Beach, caprese salad, Chaparral Gardens, DePalo and Sons, mozarella, purple basil, Shell Beach.
S. L. Gore 
1.
Ann Calhoun | August 5, 2011 at 12:41 pm
Woooo, Wooooo. I’m drooling already. That’s not only beautiful to look at, but must be an amazing flavor mix. Mmmmmmm.