Tag Archives: fresh mozarella cheese

Basic Italian Tomato Pasta

30 Jul

I told you about the versatile and easy Tomato Italian Salad…  and here’s how you turn a salad into a meal.

 

BASIC ITALIAN TOMATO PASTA

1 recipe of Basic Tomato Italian Salad
½ package of pasta – I used kamut spaghetti, but I think it would work better with penne

 

  1. Bring a large pot with salted water to a boil.  Cook pasta according to the package directions until al dente.
  2. While the water boils and the pasta cooks, you prepare the Basic Tomato Italian Salad.  If you have some leftovers of this salad left from a previous night, just take it out of the fridge so it can come a bit to room temperature while the pasta cooks.
  3. When the pasta is done, drain it and combine with the Tomato/Mozarella mixture.

Tags: , , ,

Quesadilla Caprese

7 Feb

I love Caprese salads… fresh mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and fresh basil drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Mmmmm!!! So when Rachael Ray proposed in one of her shows to make quesadillas with an Italian twist, I was all eyes and ears.   

I tried this one night I wanted a quick dinner…  this Quesadilla Caprese works great alone or accompanied with a salad.  As an appetizer or as lunch or light supper.  The fresh mozzarella is very watery and oozes a bit when you’re making it, but the flavor is amazing.

 caprese-quesadilla-2.jpg

QUESADILLA CAPRESE

1 whole wheat tortilla
4-5 fresh mozzarella slices
3 tomato slices
4-5 fresh basil leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
  1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brush some olive oil. 
  2.  oiling-the-pan.jpg
  3. Place whole wheat tortilla to warm up.  Flip over to the other side.
  4. Place 1/2 of the mozzarella slices, tomatoes, sprinkle salt and pepper, place basil leaves and the remaining mozzarella slices.  You need cheese next to the tortilla side to act as the “glue” that will keep the quesadilla closed and together.

caprese-quesadilla-dentro.jpg

 5.  Press down with a spatula.  Some of the moisture of the cheese will ooze out.  Don’t worry, keep the skillet warm enough and the tortilla will not wilt.  Actually it helps to build some crust on the outside rim.  Flip it a few times to get the cheese well melted on both sides.

6.  Dress with a additional drizzle of olive oil.

Try it… it’s awesome.

Tags: , , , ,

%d bloggers like this: