Marinated Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad * Dig In With Dana

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Ripe summer tomatoes + Buffalo Mozzarella + two tone basil = Marinated Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad.

This winning combination comes from the vegetable cookbook Plenty by chef Yotam Ottolenghi. I love his unfussy approach to creating stunning but simple vegetable dishes.
Serve it as an appetizer or the star of summer lunch or dinner. Fennel, lemon zest, a little garlic and lots of chopped basil make a flavorful marinade. In this picture, purple “opal” basil adds an unexpected pop of color to green and red tomatoes and creamy white buffalo mozzarella.

Dry sauté fennel seeds until they start to turn brown to bring out

the slightly licorice flavorings.

Let cool before before grinding seeds with a mortar and pestle,

or rough chop with a knife.

Zest the lemon, then use the same microplane to grate the garlic.

If you prefer Greek seasonings, replace the basil shown here with mint and oregano and leave out the fennel. Stack similar size leaves together, roll tightly and thinly slice the roll into ribbons.

Lay out all your ingredients before mixing the marinade.

You could use slices of feta cheese or any soft creamy cheese in place of the mild, slightly buttery tasting mozzarella.

Look for heirloom tomatoes or choose several unusual colors like green, orange or yellow for a fast, fresh colorful salad you’ll want to make all summer long.

Dig into marinated tomato, mozzarella and basil salad. Easy to prepare and mmm… mozzarellalicious!

Marinated Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad

Adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

Total time: 30 minutes

Serves 4 – 6 as an appetizer

Ingredients

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

zest of 1 lemon

1 clove garlic, pureed or crushed

20 basil leaves, shredded

2 tsp good olive oil

2 tsp grape seed or canola oil

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp coarse ground pepper

8 oz buffalo mozzarella, cold

*2-3 ripe medium tomatoes (mixed colors), room temperature

*Never refrigerate tomatoes!

Directions

Measure, chop and lay out all ingredients first.

Make marinade: Dry sauté fennel seeds in a small frying pan over medium heat until they begin to brown. Let cool, place in a mortar and pestle and crush (or rough chop on a cutting board with a knife). Place crushed fennel in a small mixing bowl and add lemon zest, garlic, basil, oils, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Slice cold mozzarella into 1/4 ” thick pieces. Fan slices on a long plate, spread marinade evenly on top of slices and set aside for 15 minutes or longer.

Slice tomatoes into rounds or wedges (if very large) and tuck tomatoes in-between cheese slices, alternating colors.

Garnish with additional whole leaves of basil, extra lemon zest and a few scattered fennel seeds.

Drizzle with extra olive oil, if desired and serve.

Ripe summer tomatoes + Buffalo Mozzarella + two tone basil = Marinated Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad.

Marinated Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad

Adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

Ingredients

Directions

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