Caprese salad by Mr. T in DC.

Dish of the Week: Caprese Salad

Summer is rapidly slipping from our fingertips, one sticky day after another. And while mid-August means a lot of things in D.C. (unbearable humidity, Congressional recess, and a slow news cycle), it also means a bumper crop of late season tomatoes. Our fabulous farmers markets are overflowing with heirloom tomatoes in a rainbow of hues and assortment of shapes and sizes. And the Washington Post food section had a special issue on tomatoes in this week’s issue.

We can think of few better ways to take advantage of summer’s tomato bounty than by making a simple caprese salad — take sliced tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella and top with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. A splash of Balsamic vinegar is also nice, but the tomatoes are the real star here. We’ll be dreaming of this salad in the dark days of December when we’re relegated to eating bland hydroponics.