Recipe: Homegrown Mini Caprese
In this inaugural recipe post for Blondes Can't Cook, I'd like to introduce you to one of my family's favorites.
When I first got married, my husband and I lived in an itsy bitsy apartment. A farm girl by nature, it was a tough transition for me - I had no dirt in which to dig and no kitchen window from which to watch the birds as I washed dishes, not even a balcony on which to grow potted plants.
To remedy the situation, we bent the "nothing left on the sidewalk or breezeway" rule and acquired a few large flower pots and some heirloom vegetable seeds. Soon, the sidewalk was besotted with tomato plants, peppers, basil, and lavender. The best part was, property management thought it improved the apartment's appearance!
We found that the Italian Grape Tomato from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds grew prolifically in a container. But what were we to do with all those tiny tomatoes? This special Italian salad provided the answer.
Mini Caprese
Ingredients:
6 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
3 small mozzarella balls
3 to 6 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
12 fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. Wash and halve the tomatoes. Place them on a serving platter, cut side up.
2. Slice each mozzarella ball into 4 flat slices. Place one slice on each tomato half.
3. Peel the garlic and mince (or use a garlic press). Sprinkle the garlic over the tomatoes and cheese.
4. Drizzle olive oil over the caprese, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Garnish each caprese with a flavorful fresh basil leaf - that's what sets this salad apart!
Serving Size: 4 to 6 mini capreses
Serves: 2 to 4
When we finally moved from that apartment, the neighbors were sad to see our plants go. Driving by a few months later, we observed that one longtime neighbor had acquired a baker's rack full of plants and was carrying on the urban gardening tradition!
(c) Cara Siera 2017.
