The Mothership of Tomato and Mozzarella
The Mothership of Tomato and Mozzarella
Submitted by Chef John Vander Jagt
Appetizers
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 pounds of mixed ripe tomatoes, different shapes/colors
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- A good pinch of fresh oregano and basil
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons Fustini’s Basil Crush olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of Fustini’s 18-year balsamic
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
- 1 fresh red chile, seeded and chopped
Directions
- Depending on the size of your tomatoes, slice some in half, some into quarters and others into uneven chunks. Straightaway this will give you the beginnings of a tomato salad that's really brave and exciting to look at and eat. Put the tomatoes into a colander and season with a good pinch of sea salt. Give them a toss, season again and give a couple more tosses. The salt won't be drawn into the tomatoes, instead, it will draw any excess moisture out, concentrating all the lovely flavors. Leave the tomatoes in the colander on top of a bowl to stand for around 15 minutes, then discard any juice that has come out of them.
- Transfer the tomatoes to a large bowl and sprinkle over the oregano. Tear fresh mozzarella into bite-size pieces and add to the tomatoes along with the onion. Make a dressing using 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil, the garlic and the chile. Drizzle the tomatoes with enough dressing (combined oil and vinegars) to coat everything nicely.
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