Strong tomato season makes for delicious 'carpaccio'
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons small salt-packed capers, rinsed and drained
One 6-ounce chuck of Parmigiano-Reggiano, for shaving
2 ounces baby arugula, trimmed
Freshly cracked black pepper
Slice all the tomatoes as thinly as possible and arrange them in concentric circles on a large platter.
Peel the daikon, and using a mandoline, very thinly slice it. Arrange the slices in a nice pattern atop the tomatoes.
In a medium bowl, combine the lemon zest and juice with the mustard and beat lightly with a fork. Stirring rapidly, drizzle in the olive oil to emulsify. Stir in the capers, and set aside.
When ready to serve, drizzle the lemon-mustard dressing all over the platter. Using a vegetable peeler, shave Parmigiano over the top. Strew the arugula leaves over the platter in a haphazard way. Sprinkle black pepper over the whole shebang and serve at room temperature (never chilled).
(Mario Batali is the award-winning chef behind twenty-five restaurants including Eataly, Del Posto, and his flagship Greenwich Village enoteca, Babbo.)
