Coming off of my last post: Tomato Tower Salad .. my husband brought home some mozzarella cheese so I was able to try to re-create the gorgeous, yummy Caprese Tower (sliced tomato, roasted yellow bell pepper, fresh mozzarella, basil pesto and a balsamic glaze) from Mercy Wine Bar. I did not have enough time to try to make a balsamic glaze so I just used good ole extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. If you would like to try, I just found this recipe. I have not tried this one yet though.
I also had the yellow tomatoes already so opted to use these instead of the roasted yellow bell pepper. If I remember correctly (I did have a lot of wine that night) the good people at Mercy Wine Bar had sliced everything really thin for this salad. I don’t do thin well. . I like my tomatoes a little thicker so sliced them how I like them. You should slice these babies however you wish! Also, make the tower as low or high as you wish. I wanted to show a few layers so went a little overboard with mine.
Give me fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil & balsamic any day and I am happy. . I think this one turned out pretty yummy. Never thought to add a pesto sauce to a caprese salad but this was delicious! You definitely need a knife and fork to eat this, so dig in and enjoy!!
Caprese Tower Salad
Caprese Tower Salad
Ingredients
- 2 large beefsteak tomatoes sliced (or I would try an heirloom tomato)
- 2 large yellow tomatoes or yellow bell peppers sliced
- Fresh mozzarella cheese sliced
- 1-2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 -2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Garnish: fresh basil leaf; torn and pine nuts optional
- FOR THE PESTO::
- 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1 cup good extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 – 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Instructions
- Wash and slice all the tomatoes. Slice the mozzarella.
- TO MAKE THE PESTO:
- Rinse or clean the basil well with water and dry with a paper towel. (If you need to store them: store them in a closed plastic bag with a slightly damp paper towel. As long as the leaves are dry they will stay green for several days.)
- Combine the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil (I used about a cup) into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and puree for a minute. I also added the salt and pepper into the food processor but you can season later when serving.
- ASSEMBLE:
- Drizzle a little olive oil on the plate
- Stack tomatoes and mozzarella (alternate each one according to the photo or however you wish)
- Top with the pesto
- Drizzle balsamic vinegar on top (and a dash of olive oil if desired), season with salt and pepper and top with freshly torn basil and pine nuts (optional)
