ONE FOR THE TABLE: Grilled Caprese Sandwich
When it comes to cooking, you never know where you are going to find inspiration. Of late, however, my muse has been a likely source: my herb garden. I have been outside in the heat of the afternoon, just to smell the herbs made fragrant by the sunshine. The pineapple sage, the peppermint, the lemon thyme and oregano ... all smell wonderful in the summer sunlight. And then there is the basil, just begging to be harvested and made into something, anything.
When I made this sandwich, I had a loaf of rosemary-olive oil bread, fresh mozzarella in the fridge and vine-ripened tomatoes on my counter. If you are lucky enough to have a warm, summer tomato picked right off your own vine, lucky you. Your sandwich will taste even better.
The rosemary-olive oil bread really gave a nice, complex flavor to the sandwich. However, you can use any crusty bread you choose. Just make sure it is sturdy. I also sprinkled a touch of fleur de sel on my tomatoes, just to perk them up. I brushed the bread with olive oil before grilling and rubbed it with a garlic clove when it was warm -- so delicious! Pulling out a tray of these sandwiches at any gathering will cause a great commotion. You have been warned!
Grilled Caprese Sandwich
Recipe from Noble Pig
Serves 4-5 people.
1 (12-ounce) loaf rosemary and olive oil bread or other crusty bread, sliced
Olive oil
4 large vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced into rounds
Fleur de sel or kosher salt
20 (approx.) basil leaves
1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into rounds
Balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic
Preheat grill or grill pan until hot. Brush slices of bread with olive oil on both sides. Grill bread on one side until golden brown. Turn over and on half of the bread slices, stack the mozzarella and tomatoes, sprinkling the fleur de sel on the tomatoes; leave on grill until the cheese is slightly warmed. Remove from the grill and top tomatoes with several basil leaves. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and top with another slice of bread. Rub the top piece of the grilled bread with a clove of garlic. Sprinkle top of bread with a little more balsamic vinegar and top with another basil leave for garnish.
(Cathy Pollak owns a vineyard and winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. She blogs about food and wine at noblepig.com. One for the Table is Amy Ephron's online magazine that specializes in food, politics and love. http://www.oneforthetable.com/.)
