Even though we had a winter day in May here in Utah, it’s starting to feel like summer. And that means BBQ grillin’ time and summer foods! These Caprese salad skewers are perfect bites of freshness and assembly is as easy as 1…2…3!
Basil
Mozzarella ball
Tomato
Made with fresh mini mozzarella balls, skewered with tender basil leaves and juicy tomatoes and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Tip: You can use a plain balsamic vinegar or try our secret ingredient–pomegranate balsamic vinegar from a local Ogden restaurant called Hearth on 25th! You can also find it online here.
This stuff is delicious! This simple appetizer will have people coming back for more and I know they won’t be able to eat just one!
This was one of those meals that fell together as I was raiding my fridge in search of quick, non-cereal dinner option. I had been out of town on a week-long East coast road trip and was too busy (read: lazy) to go to the grocery store to replenish my barren refrigerator, and eating out again was the last thing I wanted to do. You know how it is, after a road trip sometimes you just want “real food,” that is cooked in a house, and has to be eaten with a fork. It’s only natural after a week of trail mix, apples, donuts, Swedish Fish, and Coke, right?
So as I stared deeply into the refrigerator, noticing all of the things that I probably should have thrown away prior to said trip, I saw some Trader Joe’s ravioli perched on top of a two week old birthday cake. Seeing this as a solid start to my meal I grabbed it and noticed that it was a fancier version of ravioli than I typically buy. This was a lemon ricotta flavor. Intrigued and excited about this new flavor I began to think about what I could pair with it. Obviously you can’t go dump regular old tomato sauce on the delicate flavors of a lemon and ricotta, so the jar of pasta sauce was out. Next I thought about making a light cream sauce, but quickly realized I had no cream or milk in the fridge. Bah! And then out of the corner of my eye I saw my little ole basil plant sitting in the living room. I moved it into the living room so it could get more sun and have a fighting chance at survival in this “black thumb” household. And you know what? It was still alive! (Largely in part due to the graciousness of my awesome roommate that watered it for me while I was out of town, so thanks Em).
The little grocery store basil plant was actually flourishing and needed to be harvested. Perfect! Lemon and basil are a perfect combo. I decided to keep the sauce light so the light, fresh flavors of the basil and lemon could shine through and used a little garlic olive oil (side note: are you using flavored olive oils?? If not, do it! They are game changers, for sure), sea salt, cracked pepper, and some Pecorino Romano cheese that I had laying in the fridge. Pecorino is a hard sheep’s cheese with a great salty flavor. I’m a sucker for the fancy cheese station at any grocery store and love trying new flavors and types of cheeses. One thing that is awesome about buying those little fancy blocks (as opposed to the generic pre-shredded cheeses) is that they seriously last forever. Obviously it depends on the cheese, but I’ve had this Pecorino Romano block for over 6 months and it’s still flavorful and mold-free. Just sayin… Also, the Pioneer Woman says to never buy pre-shredded cheese. Always buy the block and shred it yourself. Your taste buds will thank you, I promise.
Ok, so moral of the story is…
Randomness and creativity pay off in the kitchen
Flavored olive oils—go try ‘em
Fancy cheese last forever and can snazz up any plain-jane meal
When it comes to cheese buy the block and shred yourself
Enough chatter, let me give you the deets for this super simple, super easy, super quick meal.
Bring on the flip flops, BBQs, sunscreen and pool time. Memorial Day is on it’s way and in my book that means summer is practically here. Everyone loves summer, duh, but one of the reasons I love it is for the food. Summer is full of simple, fresh, healthy food. And ice cream. Those sunny days make me crave salads, fruit and grilled anything. And let’s be honest, you know you’ll be going to a few BBQs this summer and sometimes the old pasta-salad-with-Italian-dressing-cucumbers-tomatoes-olives gets a little humdrum. This fresh watermelon salad will liven up any potluck spread and it is guaranteed to elicit some recipe requests. Oh, and did I mention that it’s easy?? Like, really easy. Fresh watermelon + basil + pine nuts + olive oil + balsamic vinegar + salt + pepper, that’s it.
Perhaps for some of you, adding savory ingredients like olive oil, salt, pepper, and basil to a sweet, summery fruit feels weird. I hear you. But trust me, it works. The vanilla fig balsamic keeps the sweetness of the dish in-check and adds an exciting depth of flavor, while the olive oil brings a richness that seems to smooth the flavors together, the salt enhances the natural watermelon flavor, the pepper gives it a gentle kick, and the basil adds freshness. If basil and watermelon were on a color-wheel of flavor they would definitely be complimentary colors. They are the “Ken and Barbie” power-couple of the kitchen if you ask me. And a flavor duo that should be the anthem to your summer.
Let me pause for a minute to talk about the balsamic we used from “Our Best Bites”. It’s no ordinary balsamic (if you’re in a pinch you can definitely use regular balsamic, but it won’t be quite the same). Have you guys heard of these ladies? I’m sure you have. They have some go-to, no-fail great recipes on their blog and have expanded their brand with their own product line of oil and vinegar and other kitchen awesomeness. But guys, seriously. Their vinegar and oil line is so good and a perfect way to enhance simple flavors. The rosemary olive oil is one of my favorites (hmm, perhaps I’ll make it a sweet pick…). I put it on any vegetable I roast and it’s downright delightful. They also have a blood orange olive oil that will turn a boring leafy salad upside down and jalapeño olive oil to spice up any dish in a flash. Go check them out. They aren’t even paying me to say that, promise.
Okay, now let’s make this salad!
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