HOLY YUM.
Today I’m sharing with you a delicious, EASY, fresh summer recipe that has gotten many rants and raves at the parties I bring these little bites of awesome to. I’m all for a recipe in the summer that requires no heat, since it is so hot outside. I also salivate at the thought of a Caprese Salad. What is Caprese, you ask? It is a salad made of rich, creamy mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and juicy tomato, basking in a balsamic vinegar and olive oil drizzle, finished with freshly cracked salt and pepper. Sounds AH-mazing, right? Well, my recipe today is basically a more fun, easier, and less messy version of the salad, because it’s on a stick!
(I found this idea via Pinterest, but don’t have a specific recipe I followed. I made it myself!)
You will need:
cherry or grape tomatoes
a roll of mozzarella cheese (found in the specialty cheese section of your grocery store)
fresh basil
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt and pepper
toothpicks
*NOTE: I did not give specific amounts of the ingredients, because it is based on taste and how many you are going to make. Use your best judgment after reading this tutorial!*
Step 1: Chop Chop!
Chop your mozzarella into chunks and your tomatoes in half. You may get the pre-sliced mozzarella and then just cut chunks from each slice, or you can get the roll whole, and determine the size of your chunks. Another idea for your cheese is to get the mozzarella pearls, for less prep time. Tear the basil into smaller leaves.
(Notice the Italian flag?! 🙂 Also, by this time I have taste-tested a lot of tomatoes and mozzarella. Best part!!)
Step 2: Assemble
Start the assembly of your skewer by sticking on a piece of basil and sliding into the middle of the toothpick.
(Please ignore the chipping nail polish!)
Then, sandwich the basil with two mozzarella chunks on either side.
Finally, skewer on two halves of a tomato for the perfect bite!
Step 3: Drizzle and Marinate
Above is my picture before I add on all the goodness. Then, I just use my chef estimation to drizzle the balsamic vinegar, then the olive oil, over the skewers. Finish with the salt and pepper. Then pop in the fridge for a few hours! The longer the skewers marinate in the delicousness, the more flavorful they will be!
Step 4: Serve and Enjoy!
Do you have a family favorite recipe for summer? What has been on your “to make” list?
