http://www.adishofdailylife.com/2014/10/sandwich-recipes-foodiefridays/http://thenovicegardener.wordpress.com/fiesta-friday/
I have been longing for these for days.For weeks.Wondering about them..wondering if I would ever get mozarella in this tiny lil sleepy town of mine... praying .. asking, cajoling, imploring the local mafia of imported goodness for it... When he said yes, I did a lil jig.. well almost in front of him!!
But somehow controlled my jelly (not J Lo ) like glutes in public and promptly gave in to the jiggy in the privacy of my home, where there is no one to judge me.. just me and my sheer excitement, happiness and incredulity at getting Mozarella here!!
Too much drama ..ain't it?
Anyways now that I had my cheese and my cherry tomatoes..I needed Basil! And guess what, I was outta them! :( So I made a little change and used cilantro as thats all I had.. )
Please don't start a riot coz of this...I know we need to use basil. Trust me, whenever I make these, I do use them..but the Lords of herbs were conspiring against me that day..and I had no other option bu to use what I had on hand, or let the long awaited mozarella (Buffalo at that) go to waste! And THAT was an outcome I was simply not willing to even think of!
But I had everything else I needed to make this glorious ,riot in your mouth kinda insalata.. (fancy shmancy name for salad)..
I had my olive oil, my seasonings..and Of course the HERO of the dish...the Balsamic Vinegar!
We love it at the Singh household... Both DaddyLongLegs and your Lapetitchef adore it..absolutely adore it.
I use in on bruschetta, crostinis, various salads , chicken marination..dressings...U name it!
But this time, I wanted to make a teeny tiny little change to it, which would take it to a different level altogether...
I decided to try something new...and man..did it work!!! :D
Your basic Balsamic Vinegar has a certain acidity to it..It has a kick to it...But I am rather partial to dressings layered with flavours...especially if it is contrasting complex flavors.
A dressing makes the salad. Not the other way round. Keep that in mind, note it down in your lil black book, and put it away in the locker, wont you? ;)
So what I did was.. make a simple yet lovely "Balsamic Glaze".
Now doesn't that sound good... You simply simmer balsamic vinger with honey till it reaches a syrupy consistency and the flavours have developed a little more...
Its a little milder than your regular vinegar..but sooo good , especially if you are into layered flavors like us. It is now officially the dressing we use for Caprese salad..or Insalata Corleone...Insalata Mista ..Insalata Gennarino...More on that later though.Patience, my love, Patience. I will bring all of those to you in good time.
Just take a few minutes from your life to make this ultra simple but oh so wonderful glaze..You won't be disappointed.
It goes wonderfully with the caprese as it doesn't overpower the mozarella or the tomatoes, which is how I like it.
You can of course add the salad to a toasted piece of warm farmer's bread and make for a filling starter..or just stack them up like i did, drizzle on the glazy goodness and dig in!
How to:
I have been longing for these for days.For weeks.Wondering about them..wondering if I would ever get mozarella in this tiny lil sleepy town of mine... praying .. asking, cajoling, imploring the local mafia of imported goodness for it... When he said yes, I did a lil jig.. well almost in front of him!!
But somehow controlled my jelly (not J Lo ) like glutes in public and promptly gave in to the jiggy in the privacy of my home, where there is no one to judge me.. just me and my sheer excitement, happiness and incredulity at getting Mozarella here!!
Too much drama ..ain't it?
Anyways now that I had my cheese and my cherry tomatoes..I needed Basil! And guess what, I was outta them! :( So I made a little change and used cilantro as thats all I had.. )
Please don't start a riot coz of this...I know we need to use basil. Trust me, whenever I make these, I do use them..but the Lords of herbs were conspiring against me that day..and I had no other option bu to use what I had on hand, or let the long awaited mozarella (Buffalo at that) go to waste! And THAT was an outcome I was simply not willing to even think of!
But I had everything else I needed to make this glorious ,riot in your mouth kinda insalata.. (fancy shmancy name for salad)..
I had my olive oil, my seasonings..and Of course the HERO of the dish...the Balsamic Vinegar!
We love it at the Singh household... Both DaddyLongLegs and your Lapetitchef adore it..absolutely adore it.
I use in on bruschetta, crostinis, various salads , chicken marination..dressings...U name it!
But this time, I wanted to make a teeny tiny little change to it, which would take it to a different level altogether...
I decided to try something new...and man..did it work!!! :D
Your basic Balsamic Vinegar has a certain acidity to it..It has a kick to it...But I am rather partial to dressings layered with flavours...especially if it is contrasting complex flavors.
A dressing makes the salad. Not the other way round. Keep that in mind, note it down in your lil black book, and put it away in the locker, wont you? ;)
So what I did was.. make a simple yet lovely "Balsamic Glaze".
Now doesn't that sound good... You simply simmer balsamic vinger with honey till it reaches a syrupy consistency and the flavours have developed a little more...
Its a little milder than your regular vinegar..but sooo good , especially if you are into layered flavors like us. It is now officially the dressing we use for Caprese salad..or Insalata Corleone...Insalata Mista ..Insalata Gennarino...More on that later though.Patience, my love, Patience. I will bring all of those to you in good time.
Just take a few minutes from your life to make this ultra simple but oh so wonderful glaze..You won't be disappointed.
It goes wonderfully with the caprese as it doesn't overpower the mozarella or the tomatoes, which is how I like it.
You can of course add the salad to a toasted piece of warm farmer's bread and make for a filling starter..or just stack them up like i did, drizzle on the glazy goodness and dig in!
Ingredients:
For the Balsamic Glaze
1 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup honey
For the Caprese Salad:
1 ball of fresh mozzarella (buffalo mozzarella, if you can find it)
Few ripe cherry tomatoes (a combination of yellow, green, red or any kind you find; I had only red ones)
Fresh salad greens(lettuce)
Fresh Basil Leaves 6-7 , can be used torn up or as it is.
Drizzle of olive oil
Drizzle of Balsamic Glaze
Sea salt
Pepper.
- In a small saucepan, bring the balsamic vinegar and honey to a simmer. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (Glaze will thicken a bit more as it cools.)
- Arrange greens, tomatoes, and mozarella as you would like. Slicing and layering the tomatoes and mozzarella make it pretty, but also makes it easy to get even amounts of each ingredient in every bite.You can also add the topping to a piece of toasted warm farmer's bread. Or just toss all together.
- Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze. Season with freshly ground sea salt and pepper to taste.
First off make the Balsamic Glaze..
Assemble the salad:
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