Mozzarella - pickled cheese, originally from Italy.
Italians recognize its combination with tomatoes as ideal.
On the basis of these products there are many national dishes and created a huge number of recipes.
Mozzarella with tomatoes - the general principles of cooking
Mozzarella is different. On sale you can find soft cheese, hard and even in the form of a pigtail. For appetizers, mozzarella is most often used in balls, which can be of completely different sizes. Usually it is selected taking into account the dishes that are going to cook. Large balls cut into slices or cubes. Small peas halves or use entirely. Before cooking the dish, mozzarella is taken from the brine, and excess liquid is drained.
Tomatoes for snacks, you can use any, including cherry. Typically, vegetables require cutting, so you need to choose fleshy varieties with dense pulp and not overripe.
Italians are big fans of spices and fragrant spices. Therefore, basil, lemon, various types of pepper, balsamic vinegar, and oregano are often added to mozzarella with tomatoes. Pepper is better to use freshly ground, it is pounded in a mortar with the addition of salt. Practically none of the dishes is complete without olive oil, often the fruits themselves are marinated.
Recipe 1: Caprese Mozzarella with Tomatoes
A truly Italian mozzarella dish with tomatoes, which, thanks to its amazing taste, has become popular all over the world and is served in many restaurants. But what is most interesting is that it is very easy to prepare it.
Ingredients Required
• a large ball of cheese;
• 2 tomatoes;
• 1 tbsp. l balsamic vinegar;
• 1 tbsp. l olive oil;
• 5-8 basil leaves;
• salt, black pepper.
Cooking method
1. Tomatoes need to be washed, dried and cut into circles.
2. Remove mozzarella from brine, cut into rings, preferably not thicker than tomatoes.
3. Spread on a dish, alternating pieces. It is not necessary that they close each other, just a small overlap is made.
4. Mix balsamic vinegar with a pinch of salt, black pepper, add olive oil and sprinkle with mozzarella sauce with tomatoes.
5. Fold out the leaves of basil.
Recipe 2: Mozzarella with Tomatoes and Pesto Sauce
Pesto is a fragrant green sauce based on basil, parmesan and garlic. It can be purchased ready, but it is better to do it yourself. Especially if it is intended for tomatoes with mozzarella.
Ingredients Required
• tomatoes 0.2 kg;
• Mozzarella 0.2 kg.
For the sauce:
• 50 gr. Parmesan;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 80 ml. olive oil;
• 50 gr. pine nut kernels;
• a bunch of basil;
• ½ lemon.
Cooking method
1. Cut tomatoes and cheese into rings and arrange them, as in the previous Caprese salad recipe.
2. Cooking sauce in a simplified way. Wash and dried basil leaves in a blender, add peeled garlic cloves, pine nuts, lemon juice and parmesan. We grind everything together, to taste we salt.
3. Spread the pesto on top with no mozzarella with tomatoes, decorate the snack with whole basil leaves.
If you need to make a real pesto sauce, then greens, garlic and nuts are finely chopped, pounded together in a mortar, parmesan is rubbed on a fine grater. Then lemon juice and olive oil are added, everything is mixed.
Recipe 3: Mozzarella with tomatoes on skewers
Spectacular mozzarella snack with tomatoes on wooden skewers. Small balls of cheese and cherry tomatoes are used. But if these products were not found, then you can always use standard analogs and arm yourself with a sharp knife. You will also need small skewers or toothpicks.
Ingredients Required
• 10 mozzarella balls;
• 10 cherry tomatoes;
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar;
• lettuce leaves;
• a bunch of basil;
• 50 ml of olive oil;
• salt, sulfur pepper.
Cooking method
1. Cooking the sauce. To do this, chop the basil, salt, add vinegar, pepper and rub well with a pestle so that the greens give flavor. Bay olive oil and remove the sauce to the side.
2. Cut the cherry tomatoes into even halves, put them cut up on a board or flat dish, and coat each with a prepared sauce.
3. Remove the mozzarella balls from the brine and put them in a bowl with the remnants of a green sauce, mix.
4. Putting up a snack. To do this, we put on the skewers two halves of a tomato, between them a ball of cheese. Mozzarella should be between two slices. We spread the skewers on a dish with lettuce leaves.
Recipe 4: Mozzarella Salad with Tomatoes and Olives
For the preparation of this salad with mozzarella and tomatoes is better to use large balls, it will be more convenient to cut them into neat cubes. Snack is prepared in portions, this amount of food is enough for 2 persons.
Ingredients Required
• 0.15 kg of mozzarella;
• 2 tomatoes;
• greenery;
• 80 gr. canned pitted olives;
• 2 spoons of lemon juice;
• salt;
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
Cooking method
1. Cut the tomatoes into cubes, spread equally in 2 salad bowls.
2. Remove the mozzarella from the brine, cut it into cubes and lay it on top of the tomatoes.
3. Slice the olives into 4 pieces and sprinkle with the top layer on the salad.
4. Mix lemon juice with salt, add vegetable oil and pour salads, divided into 2 parts.
5. We decorate with greens.
Recipe 5: Mozzarella with tomatoes in the oven "Gratin Caprese"
It turns out that mozzarella with tomatoes can be eaten not only fresh. The recipe of another Italian dish that is cooked in the oven and has a stunning aroma, thanks to sesame seeds. It is necessary to use hard mozzarella cheese, which is specifically designed for hot dishes.
Ingredients Required
• 5 tomatoes;
• 10 mozzarella pieces:
• sesame seeds;
• dill;
• salt.
Cooking method
1. We cut the tomatoes in half, cut a small plate from the back side so that the pieces stand on the baking sheet more firmly and the juices do not pour out of them.
2. Spread the tomatoes on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, put a little chopped dill for aroma.
3. Dip the pieces of cheese in sesame and put on the prepared halves of tomatoes. If mozzarella is sufficiently dry, then each slice dipped in brine and only then in sesame, so the seeds are better stick.
4. Send the snack to the oven and bake for 15 minutes until cooked. This dish can also be made in the microwave.
Recipe 6: Mozzarella with Tomatoes and Shrimps
This mozzarella salad with tomatoes and shrimps is prepared with small balls of cheese, the size of a cherry (pearl). The snack turns out very tasty, looks elegant. Already boiled shrimps are used. Also comes avocado, which should be ripe and soft.
Ingredients Required
• 0.2 kg mozzarella;
• 0.3 kg shrimp;
• 0.2 kg of tomatoes;
• 1 avocado;
• lettuce greens;
• sprig of basil.
For refueling:
• 50 ml of olive oil;
• salt;
• ½ lemon juice.
Cooking method
1. Put on the plate the leaves of washed and dried salad.
2. Peel the shrimps, put them in a large bowl and for the time being set aside.
3. Cut the tomatoes into slices, it is important that they are sufficiently firm. We send in a bowl with shrimps.
4. Remove the bone from the avocado, free it from the skin, cut it into cubes and transfer it to a bowl of salad.
5. Add mozzarella balls whole, if they are larger than necessary, then you can cut it in half.
6. Chop the basil finely, pour it into the bowl for the rest of the products.
7. Dressing can be prepared in a separate bowl or just put all the ingredients in a salad. The taste of this does not change. Everything is thoroughly mixed.
8. Spread the salad with mozzarella and tomatoes on a dish with lined greens.
Recipe 7: Mozzarella with Tomatoes and Eggplants.
A delicious dish that is cooked in the oven and does not require much time. If eggplants gorchat, you first need to soak the pieces in salted water, then rinse, squeeze and cook according to the recipe. All products must be taken in equal quantities, that is, a piece of mozzarella and tomato per eggplant circle.
Ingredients Required
• tomatoes;
• mozzarella;
• eggplants;
• basil;
• salt;
• garlic
• oil for greasing baking sheet.
Cooking method
1. Grind basil and garlic, you can do it in a blender. Add salt and set aside.
2. Eggplants, tomatoes and mozzarella cut into slices, approximately 0.5 cm.
3. Spread eggplant on a baking sheet, on top of each piece of tomato, grease with a mixture of garlic and basil. The last lay out the cheese.
4. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 180 ° C. Serve hot or cold.
Recipe 8: Mozzarella Salad with Tomatoes and Quail Eggs
Preparing a salad of mozzarella and cherry tomatoes with the addition of pine nuts and olives. Optionally, you can use green olives. Honey-based sauce and mustard add special flavor to the dish. Unlike the usual oil dressings, it does not flow down to the bottom of the salad bowl and envelops every piece well.
Ingredients Required
• 10 quail eggs;
• 10 small mozzarella balls;
• 10 cherry tomatoes;
• 0.1 kg of olives;
• dry mixture of Italian herbs;
• 0.05 kg of cedar nut kernels.
For honey sauce:
• spoon of honey;
• a spoon of mustard of medium sharpness;
• 2 spoons of butter;
• salt;
• black pepper;
• A spoon of apple or wine vinegar.
Cooking method
1. Boil quail eggs, peel and cut in half. We spread on a dish.
2. Cherry tomatoes cut in half, spread on eggs. Also cut the balls of cheese and send to the dish.
3. Sprinkle the salad with a mixture of Italian herbs. You can replace them with finely chopped basil and oregano.
4. Pour pine nuts in the finishing layer and prepare the dressing.
5. Pound honey with a mustard spoon, add vinegar, salt, pepper and pour in vegetable oil. All carefully stir.
6. Pour salad sauce over the top and can be served. Also, this dish can be immediately mixed and not made into layers.
Recipe 9: Mozzarella with Tomatoes and Pasta
Traditionally, this mozzarella tomato dish is made with rigatoni pasta. But if you want, you can use any pasta made from durum wheat. You can take color, with the addition of spinach and tomato, in which case not only the taste will be excellent, but also the appearance.
Ingredients Required
• 0.3 kg of pasta;
• 0.5 kg of tomatoes;
• 0.25 kg of mozzarella;
• 5 tablespoons of butter;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• ½ tsp. Oregano;
• pinch of red pepper;
• salt.
Cooking method
1. In salted water, boil the paste until cooked. Drain broth, pasta, we recline in a colander and immediately rinse under running water, give excess liquid to drain and for the time being set aside.
2. Cut tomatoes into random slices, add oregano, red pepper, salt and remove aside.
3. Pour olive oil into the pan and place on the stove. Peel the garlic, chop finely and send it to the pan. Fry until golden brown (literally 2 minutes), then remove the pan from the heat and pour the tomatoes and spices with boiling oil.
4. Cut the mozzarella into cubes, add tomatoes and spices to the cooled pasta. Mix everything well, add salt to taste. If the tomatoes are sweet, then for the acid you can pour in a little fruit vinegar or lemon juice. The dish is ready!
Mozzarella with Tomatoes - Tricks and Tips
• It is better to buy mozzarella in transparent jars to assess the condition of the balls, their number and integrity. It is advisable to avoid soft packages, which are increasingly found on store shelves.
• Got too salty mozzarella? You can hold the balls in fresh cow's milk. The extra salt will come out, and the cheese will only make it taste better.
• If you can not find a real mozzarella, you can try to prepare dishes with feta cheese, ricotta or add salted cheese. These species also blend perfectly with tomatoes, suitable for most Italian snacks.
• Meals with real mozzarella cheese should not be subjected to prolonged heat treatment, bitterness may appear on the cheese.
