Chris loves mozzarella, basil and Italian food. However, traditional Caprese salad never did anything for him since he doesn't really like fresh tomatoes. When we were served Ina Garten's Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad at our friends' house over Labor Day Weekend, Chris finally experienced his perfect version of the Italian dish. With its concentration of "vinegary" tomato flavor, this appetizer or side dish is so simple to make we've now made it ourselves 5 or 6 times!
The stacked combination of caramelized tomatoes, crisped minced garlic, fresh cheese and basil and burst of balsamic vinegar is unbelievably good. You won’t be able to stop eating them. We can’t…
Things to Note:
-We’ve tried to make it more quickly than called for in the recipe by cranking up the heat of the oven. While it works to some extent, taking the time to follow the recipe exactly is better.
-Same goes with seeding the tomatoes. When I made it the first time, I didn’t pay close enough attention to the ingredients list and didn’t know to seed the tomatoes before roasting. They still tasted good, but they were notably watery and messy, bursting when you bit into them. Seeding them works out much better. That Ina Garten knows what she’d doing :)
ROASTED TOMATO CAPRESE SALAD
recipe from Ina Garten, www.foodnetwork.com
serves 6
Ingredients:
- 12 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeds (not cores) removed
- 1/4 cup good olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 16 ounces fresh salted mozzarella
- 12 fresh basil leaves, julienned
Method:
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
Arrange the tomatoes on a sheet pan, cut sides up, in a single layer. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with the garlic, sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 2 hours until the tomatoes are concentrated and begin to caramelize. Allow the tomatoes to cool to room temperature.
Cut the mozzarella into slices slightly less than 1/2-inch thick. If the slices of mozzarella are larger than the tomatoes, cut the mozzarella slices in half. Layer the tomatoes alternately with the mozzarella on a platter and scatter the basil on top. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Serve at room temperature.
