Sunday, July 24, 2011

Caprese Salad

I know, I know.
Where have I been?
I guess I took an unintentional summer hiatus from my food blog.
(to read my regular ol' blog, go here)
But summer's not over yet! I mean, really. Have you been outside??
We've got a long way to go before Fall hits... at least where we live, anyway.

However, my basil? Totally a fan of this heat.
It's just gone crazy. So in an attempt to use it up, I've been scouring the internet looking for basil recipes.
One of my favorite no-fail ways to use basil, though, is a light caprese salad.
Absolutely delish.

So here ya go.

Caprese Salad


Ingredients

  • 2 cups Balsamic Vinegar
  • 3 whole Ripe Tomatoes, Sliced Thick
  • 12 ounces, weight Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced Thick
  • Fresh Basil Leaves
  • Olive Oil, For Drizzling
  • Kosher Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions

In a small saucepan, bring balsamic vinegar to a boil over medium-low heat. Cook for 10 to 20 minutes, or until balsamic has reduced to a thicker glaze. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl or cruet. Allow to cool.
When you're ready to serve, arrange tomato and mozzarella slices on a platter. Arrange basil leaves between the slices. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the salad, getting a little bit on each slice. Do the same with the balsamic reduction, making designs if you want. Store extra balsamic reduction in fridge for a later use.
End with a sprinkling of kosher salt and black pepper.

Serve as a lunch, with crusty bread. Or serve alongside a beef main course for dinner.

Yields: 8 servings (or one really big salad for yourself...)


1 comment:

  1. This is my most favorite summer salad ever. You are so lucky you have all that basil. It's expensive when you buy it in the store. I need to look at the farmer's market this wednesday. I bet it's cheaper there? :+)

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