Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad

I know this won't strike anyone as a very innovative dish, but I had to share it. I was watching the Food Network (my default channel) last week and watched the Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten) cook up this deliciously juicy dish. We are all used to the typical tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad, but the difference here is that the tomatoes are slow roasted. Yummmm...the juices are locked right in and explode forth when you take a bite! Here is the recipe as it appears in one of Ina's cookbooks. (Sorry, I know these pictures look a little funky...we only have a video camera to take pictures and it doesn't have a flash :-/)

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 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

Directions

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.



This recipe was the centerpiece of what became a yummy Italian meal, perfect to enjoy during a pleasant Saturday evening with dinner and a movie. :-) Ben and I took a treat trip to Whole Foods (we're not regulars there for obvious reasons) and picked up some Cilantro-Lime Pesto for a simple pasta dish and splurged just a little on some special prosciutto. If you ever see La Quercia products at the grocery, consider treating yourself (esecially if your looking forward to a nice night in!). They come from Iowa, surprisingly enough, but critics agree that they give comparable Italian products a run for their money! The prosciutto was featured in Chicago Magazine and is truly oh so savory -- not stringy or chewy. It really just melts in your mouth like butter.

Top it all off with a delicious glass of Italian-friendly red wine and it won't disappoint! You don't have to do all this to enjoy that yummy Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad, though. It can certainly be savored anytime, anywhere!