Marinated Mozzarella Caprese Salad

Every day when I go out onto the deck to harvest the daily offerings from my humble container garden, I vow to use those ingredients in whatever meals I am having that day. Nothing beats fresh-from-the-vine produce, warm from the sun.

Today I brought in beautiful fresh tomatoes, radishes, a cucumber, and lots of basil. The radishes and cucumber are going to go in a dinner salad; for lunch I decided that I was going to have a small Caprese Salad along with a slice of homemade bread, slathered with fresh chive butter. If you are unfamiliar, a Caprese Salad is really nothing more than slices of tomato, fresh basil, and fresh mozzarella. It is simple, satisfying, and delicious. You can put your own personal spin on it in the way in which it is laid out to be served, or kick things up a little bit by marinating the mozzarella, and then drizzling that marinade over the slices of tomato and leaves of basil.

Earlier in the week, anticipating a tomato harvest, I bought a container of mozzarella balls to marinate. This recipe is slightly adapted from The View from Great Island blog. I find that fresh basil, very good olive oil, and a whisper of red peppers do amazing things to fresh mozzarella, and give it a special zing. This is the taste of summer!

Marinated Mozzarella Balls

Adapted from The View from Great Island

1 8-ounce container of fresh mozzarella balls
2 ounces of fresh basil
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of one Melissa’s seedless lemon
Whisper of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Drain mozzarella balls and place into a clean jar. Place all ingredients into a food processor, and pulse until emulsified. Pour over the mozzarella balls, seal jar, and place in the refrigerator for at least four hours, overnight is better. Serve with sliced tomatoes and fresh basil leaves. Drizzle the marinade from the mozzarella balls.