Insalata caprese

I think of this as a more substantial version of a classic Italian insalata caprese, the dish made of just tomatoes, sliced mozzarella and basil leaves, simply dressed with olive oil. Whereas insalata caprese is usually a starter, this has been zhuzzed up with added extras to be a main course for when you're truly ravenous!

It’s a free and easy dish that doesn’t need precise amounts, so feel free to adjust it to your own taste. Be sure to eat it with a nice hunk of crusty bread to mop up the basil oil though...

For the salad:

Lambs lettuce
Mozzarella, torn into rough bite sized pieces
Ripe baby plum tomatoes, halved
Avocado, sliced
Pitted black olives
Artichoke hearts in oil

For the dressing:

40ml extra virgin olive oil
30g basil leaves
1tsp lemon juice

1) Blend the basil with the olive oil in a jug blender until completely smooth, then add a pinch of salt and the lemon juice

2) Then simply scatter the salad ingredients over a plate and dress.