Summer’s veggies are piling up and I plan on over-dosing on tomatoes for the next little while. Fresh salsa, Bruschetta, Cheese & Tomato Galette, sliced tomatoes sprinkled with salt and this sweet number, the Caprese Salad. To-may-to, to-mah-to, they are all good to me.
I wasn’t particularly familiar with the Caprese Salad until after attending a work function with MJ at an upscale restaurant downtown. I struggled with picking what to eat because everything looked so good so I asked the waiter his advice and he recommended the Caprese. Wow was I smitten. The mozzarella, the tomatoes, the thick balsamic vinegar. I was in heaven. The waiter went on and assisted me in choosing the rest of my meal and my drink. I wanted to ask him if he assisted people with choices in their personal lives but MJ said to stop talking and to put down my wine glass.
Before I knew about vinegar reduction, I was convinced that the balsamic vinegar the restaurant used was a kind that I would never be able to afford because the only kind I’d ever seen was the real liquidy kind. (You know, like regular balsamic. Sometimes I’m slow.) This made me sad. But, then I learned that simply cooking down regular balsamic made it into a thick glaze, just like the restaurant’s. This made me happy. I did a whole bottle since I plan on eating it over and over again. And now you can make it too.
The recipe is kind of ‘make as you want’, but for those who want to see some figures, here are the details.
Caprese Salad
recipe from The Pioneer Woman
2 cups Balsamic Vinegar
3 whole ripe tomatoes, sliced thick
12 oz mozzarella cheese, sliced thick
Fresh basil leaves
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil. Cook for 10 to 20 minutes, or until the balsamic has reduced to a thick glaze. It’s hard to be patient. I actually cooked mine twice because I didn’t cook it long enough the first time. I was nervous I was going to over cook it and waste the whole bottle.
Remove from the heat and transfer to another container of your choice. Allow to cool.
To serve, layer the tomatoes and the mozzarella and stick a basil leaf between each. Drizzle the olive oil over the top, making sure to hit every slice. Do the same with the balsamic reduction. Add designs if you want. I loved that part.
Sprinkle with salt and black pepper
Extra balsamic reduction can be stored in the refrigerator for later use.
