Ah, Italy!The country is no less mysterious than romantic France or prim England. And Italy is the sun, the sea, pizza, pasta... And also such mysterious words for the Russian ear as "lasagna", "bolognese", "mozzarella". By the way, did you know that mozzarella is a cheese made from the milk of black buffalo? And this cheese is unusual not only because of the original product: mozzarella is made and sold in the form of balls. The largest mozzarella balls are called "bocconcini", the smaller ones are "cilieggini", and the very tiny ones are "perlini". True, you can also find mozzarella in the form of a braid on store shelves. The taste and structure of this cheese also differ from the hard cheeses we are used to and even from feta cheese. And in Italian cuisine, mozzarella is an indispensable component of many dishes. Pizza, lasagna, and the traditional calzone pie are prepared with it. And, of course, the national Italian salad "Caprese", which is prepared with fresh tomatoes and basil, is simply unthinkable without mozzarella. But this is by no means the only salad with mozzarella and tomatoes. We offer you several salad recipes with this amazing Italian cheese.
Salad «Caprese»
Ingredients:
- Mozzarella - 1 ball of "bokkonchini";
- Fresh red tomatoes - 2 pcs .;
- Basil - 1 bunch.
For the sauce:
- Balsamic vinegar (or wine) - 2 teaspoons;
- Olive oil (or any vegetable) - 2 teaspoons;
- Black pepper - half a teaspoon;
- Salt - to taste.
Preparation:This salad is very, very easy to prepare. First, wash and dry the tomatoes, then cut them into thin (about half a centimeter) circles. A ball of mozzarella is also easy to cut into round slices - this is how we will cut the cheese. Wash the basil, dry it and remove the leaves from the branches. Then lay the salad in a circle on a flat plate: a white circle, a red circle, white, red. And another circle of a smaller diameter. And so fill the entire dish. By the way, the sliced circles can be laid overlapping. After this, prepare the sauce for the salad. Mix balsamic vinegar with olive oil, add salt and pepper and shake well. Sprinkle the salad on the plate with vinegar and decorate it with basil leaves. Note: Very small mozzarella balls do not need to be cut, but can be used whole. And instead of mozzarella, you can put Feta or Ricotta cheese in the salad. But real Caprese is made with mozzarella.
Salad with mozzarella and cherry tomatoes
Ingredients:
- Mozzarella - 200 g;
- Tomatoes - 200 g;
- Shrimp - 200 g;
- Avocados - 2 pieces;
- Green leaf lettuce;
- Basil.
For filling:
- Vegetable oil - 4 tablespoons;
- Lemon juice from one lemon;
- Pepper and salt - to taste.
Preparation: Cut the cheese into small pieces.Wash the cherry tomatoes, dry them and cut them in half. Boil and peel the shrimp. Peel the avocados, remove the pit and cut the flesh into pieces. Place all the ingredients in a bowl, mix and season with the sauce. For the sauce, mix the vegetable oil with lemon juice, add salt and pepper and shake. Then wash the lettuce leaves, let them dry and place them on a plate or in a flat salad bowl. Place the salad on the leaves in a mound and decorate it with basil leaves.
Salad with mozzarella, tomatoes and olives
Ingredients:
- Fresh tomatoes - 4 pcs .;
- Mozzarella - 300 g;
- Olives black and green - 10-12 pieces;
- Leaf salad - 1 bunch;
- Basil - 1 bunch;
- Mixture of peppers - to taste;
- Olive oil for refueling.
Preparation:Wash and dry the tomatoes, cut them into medium-thick pieces, and also cut the mozzarella ball. Remove the basil leaves from the stems, wash, dry and chop finely. Wash and dry the lettuce leaves, then lay them out on a flat plate. Mix the tomatoes with cheese and pitted olives, season with olive oil and place on top of the lettuce leaves. Sprinkle everything with pepper and chopped basil on top. Try making a traditional Italian Caprese salad or other salads with mozzarella and tomatoes based on it. Perhaps you will get something completely new, completely original and unusual. Try it. And cook with pleasure! We recommend reading:
