One of my favorite herbs is easy-to-grow basil. Every spring, I’ll pick up two plants at my local Trader Joe’s and have enough fresh basil till the first frost. This year has been no exception. I’m practically begging people to take some. Also reaching their peak productivity are the many varieties of tomatoes here in the Midwest. I have one heirloom plant in the backyard, but my neighbors easily have 15 more, and everyone’s encouraged to share in the bounty. We almost have too much of a good thing. Almost.
I decided to write about the classic combination of tomato, mozzarella, and basil when the first photo below popped up on my feed today. These were appetizers that my buddy Larry brought to a party at least ten years ago. They incorporate two of the three ingredients that are plentiful right now. He roasted the tomatoes till they were just bursting with flavor, then topped them with fresh basil and mozzarella and sprinkled balsamic glaze on top.
It reminded me how food is such a great holder of memories, so I thought I’d honor my old friend today by not only sharing his recipe with you, but also a few more using three simple ingredients to make fun foods to share with your family and friends as you build your own memories of good times on warm summer nights.
Oven Roasted Caprese
Serves: 12
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
6 Roma tomatoes sliced in half long ways
Olive oil, drizzle
Pinch of salt
12 basil leaves
12 slices or 24 small balls mozzarella
Balsamic glaze to taste
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
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Scoop the seeds out of the halved tomatoes and lay them cut side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and pinch of salt.
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Bake 40-45 minutes until you see the tomatoes caramelizing. Remove from oven and let cool.
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When cool, lay a basil leaf on top, add the mozzarella on top of the leaf, and drizzle with balsamic glaze.
In addition to my usual caprese avocado salad and sheet-pan caprese pizza, I experimented with some tortillas I had left over from dinner last week. Here is the Caprese Taco!
Caprese Tacos
Serves 1-2
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 5-8 minutes
Total time: 20-28 minutes
8” flour tortilla
3 slices mozzarella per tortilla
3 slices tomato per tortilla
3 fresh basil leaves per tortilla
3 slices avocado per tortilla
Neutral oil for pan
Balsamic drizzle
Fresh pesto (recipe here)
Fresh squeezed lime
1. Preheat a grill pan and brush neutral oil on top. This will give the tortilla nice grill marks.
2. On each tortilla, lay the cheese, tomatoes, and basil down. Fold over. Place on the heated grill pan.
3. Let the tortilla sit for 3-4 minutes until you can see the grill marks forming and the cheese starts to melt. Then flip it over and grill for another 3-8 minutes.
4. Transfer to your plate and cut or leave whole. Drizzle with balsamic, top with pesto, and enjoy.
I added some tortilla chips to one plate so help scoop up that pesto. So good! I also decided to throw together a quick sangria to keep in the spirit of easy summer dinner. Easy Sangria: glass of red wine, splash of brandy, splash of triple sec, some cut up apples and sliced orange. Add ice, if you like.
Fresh ingredients and fun drinks are featured in so many of our summer classes! Sangria will be the featured drink in the hands-on Paella Party on August 26 at 6pm. Our hands-on Garden to Table is sure to wow you with new ideas for in-season fruits and vegetables on September 17 at 6pm. There truly is something for everyone at The Chopping Block this time of year!
