Midweek Food Musings: Tomato, Basil Mozzarella Marriage

Sometimes, as I've said before, simple is best—and this is the case with this sometimes-appetizer-sometimes-lunch treat. (And, I confess, I ate a few of ‘em for breakfast on Monday—after serving them on Sunday!) This is another regularly featured side or appetizer on my Sunday tables, and there’s plenty of room to vary it. The starring players are the tomato, the basil, and the mozzarella; they make an excellent marriage. (And oh--this is lovely with Mango Sangría--which I recently included in my Latin Twist Blog!) 

The trick—as with any recipe—is to use the best quality ingredients. We’re lucky to be in a neighborhood where I can get homemade mozzarella (thank you DeCiccos) excellent quality bread (from the Bronx, baby!), fresh basil, from my garden (thanks, Hon!), and sweet kumato tomatoes (thank you, Trader Joes!).  I’ve also used a balsamic glaze that I bought in Berlin (!), but you can find now in many places (or you can make it by reducing balsamic vinegar so that it becomes as thick as a light syrup). By the way—sometimes I put the tomato down first, and then the cheese on top. It all depends on my mood. Enjoy!

Fresh Tomato and Mozzarella

1 baguette, sliced into about 20 rounds

1 pound fresh mozzarella

6 – 7 medium-size ripe tomatoes

Extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Balsamic glaze

Fresh basil leaves, rolled and cut into ribbons

Place the cut baguette slices on a serving platter. Cut the mozzarella so that the slices fit on the bread rounds.  Slice the tomatoes in a similar way. Drizzle with olive oil, and add salt and pepper. Then drizzle with the balsamic glaze, and top with the basil ribbons.  Serve at room temperature.