When it gets really hot outside, I start losing my motivation to cook. Luckily, there are a bunch of dishes that are doable without much cooking, including this caprese salad.

The only labor-intensive part of making this salad is cutting the tomatoes and mozzarella into thin pieces. Once you’ve accomplished that, you layer the pieces of tomato and mozzarella with some basil leaves and then sprinkle the finished product with salt and pepper, and drizzle on some olive oil. The whole dish comes together in less than 10 minutes.

When I was younger, I used to live down the street from a farm. I would always bike over to buy fresh vegetables. One day, the farmer sold me some zucchini and told me to bake it with olive oil, salt and pepper. “That’s all it needs,” he said.

That lesson has stayed with me. If you use fresh vegetables or fruit, they speak for themselves. You don’t need to complicate the dish with a bunch of spices or sauces.

When I bought the basil for this salad today at the farmers’ market, the farmer and I were talking about how good fresh basil smells. “It’s summer’s perfume,” she said. I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Here’s a song to motivate you to cook (or, not cook) during the summer heat.

Caprese Salad (from me, to you)

Ingredients

1 Mozzarella cheese ball
2 large heirloom tomatoes
1 bunch of fresh basil
olive oil, sea salt and pepper for serving

Directions

Cut the tomatoes and mozzarella ball into thin slices with a sharp knife. Layer the pieces of mozzarella with a basil leave and a tomato, alternating so you get a circle. Top with another piece of tomato and a basil leaf. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Enjoy!