Caprese Salad with a Twist

End of summer signals tomato time in many parts of the country with a bountiful variety of vine-ripened beauties just waiting for their salad close-up. Enter the Caprese Salad, originally from the isle of Capri in Italy. The true classic, according to the San Francisco Chronicle is brilliant in its simplicity, a combination of tomato, mozzarella and fresh basil, with a drizzle of olive oil and salt. The folks at the Chronicle have also provided an updated Caprese salad with a twist. This salad substitutes a pesto for basil leaves and is presented in an impressive tower. Just like the Classic Caprese, the key to the Caprese Tower with Pesto is the quality and freshness of the ingredients. There is no vinegar in this recipe, balsamic or otherwise, which makes your wine selection that much easier, as it is vinegar that can add a challenge to pairing wine with salads. By using a fruity extra virgin olive oil in your pesto, not only do you elevate the quality of the salad, but you also make it more wine friendly. White wine lovers will enjoy a crisp Pinot Grigio or a zingy Sauvignon Blanc, both of which add a welcome boost of acid, especially since vinegar is not utilized. In the mood for red? Do as the Italians do, and crack open a Chianti or try a Sangiovese from California instead. Like the white wines mentioned, these reds also offer a turbo charge of acid that adds that little boost. For the recipe, visit http://www.sfgate.com.

--Felicia M. Sherbert