Ah, Italy! The country is no less mysterious than the romantic France or the stiff England. And Italy is the sun, the sea, pizza, pasta ... And they are such mysterious words for the Russian ear as "lasagna", "bolognese", "mozzarella". By the way, do you know that mozzarella is a cheese that is prepared from the milk of black buffalo? And this cheese is unusual not only as a starting product: mozzarella is made and sold in the form of beads. The biggest balls of mozzarella are called "bokkonchini", which are smaller - "cillegini", and quite tiny - "perlini". True, it is found on the shelves of shops and mozzarella in the form of a pigtail. The taste and texture of this cheese is also different from the hard cheese we know and even from the cheese. And in Italian cuisine mozzarella is an indispensable component of many dishes. Pizza, lasagna, and traditional calzone pie are cooked with it. And, of course, without mozzarella, it is simply unthinkable the national Italian salad "Caprese", which is prepared with fresh tomatoes and basil. But this is by no means the only salad with mozzarella and tomatoes. We offer you several salad recipes with this amazing Italian cheese. 
Salad «Caprese»
Ingredients:
- Mozzarella - 1 ball of "bokkonchini";
- Fresh red tomatoes - 2 pcs .;
- Basil - 1 bunch.
For sauce:
- Balsamic vinegar (or wine) - 2 teaspoons;
- Olive oil (or any vegetable) - 2 teaspoons;
- Black pepper - half a teaspoon;
- Salt - to taste.
Preparation: This salad is very easy to cook. To begin with, we'll wash and finish the tomatoes, and then cut them into thin (about half a centimeter) circles. The mozzarella ball is also easily cut with round slices - that's how we cut the cheese. Basil we will wash, we will dry and we will remove leaves from twigs. And then on a flat dish in a circle we will lay out a salad: a white circle, a red circle, white, red. And another circle of smaller diameter. And so fill the whole dish. By the way, the cut circles can be stacked in a lap. After that, let's prepare the sauce for the salad. We mix balsamic vinegar with olive oil, add salt and pepper to them and shake well. Sprinkle with the vinegar salad on a plate and decorate it with leaves of basil. Note: Very small mozzarella balls can not be cut, but used entirely. And instead of mozzarella, it is acceptable to put Feta cheese or Ricotta cheese in a salad. But the real Caprese is made with mozzarella. 
Salad with mozzarella and cherry tomatoes
Ingredients:
- Mozzarella - 200 g;
- Tomatoes - 200 g;
- Shrimp - 200 g;
- Avocados - 2 pieces;
- Green leaf lettuce;
- Basil.
For refueling:
- Vegetable oil - 4 tablespoons;
- Lemon juice from one lemon;
- Pepper and salt - to taste.
Preparation: Cut the cheese into small pieces. Cherry my cherries, dry and cut into halves. Boil and clean the shrimp. Avocado fruits are peeled, remove a bone and cut the flesh into pieces. We put all the products in a bowl, mix and season with sauce. For sauce mix with lemon juice vegetable oil, add salt and pepper to them and shake. Then my salad leaves, let them dry and spread on a dish or in a flat salad bowl. On the leaves, put a salad on the hill and decorate it with leaves of basil. 
Salad with mozzarella, tomatoes and olives
Ingredients:
- Fresh tomatoes - 4 pcs .;
- Mozzarella - 300 g;
- Olives black and green - 10-12 pieces;
- Leaf salad - 1 bunch;
- Basil - 1 bunch;
- Mixture of peppers - to taste;
- Olive oil for refueling.
Preparation: Washed and dried tomatoes are cut into pieces of medium thickness, and we cut the mozzarella ball. Remove the basil leaves from the stems, mine, dry and finely chop. Mine and dry the salad leaves, and then lay them on a flat dish. Tomatoes are mixed with cheese and olives (seedless), season with olive oil and put on top of lettuce leaves. Top with pepper and crushed basil. Try and you will prepare a traditional Italian salad "Caprese" or on its motives - other salads with mozzarella and tomatoes. Perhaps, you will get something completely new, quite original and unusual. Try it. And cook with pleasure! We advise you to read:
