Canapé Salad – Tomato Mozzarella Basil Salad

Sometimes simplicity can be beautiful… and delicious. A great example of this is “Insalata Pomodori e Mozzarella Bascilico or in other words, Tomato Mozzarella Basil Salad” :D. All it takes are four main ingredients and a little bit of seasoning to come up with a vibrant, dainty-looking starter, that is delicious and refreshes the palate. For me, tomato, mozzarella and basil are a match made in heaven. Needless to say, this is one of my favorite salads 🙂

Tomato Mozzarella Basil Salad

Serves 4 people

Ingredients:

• Cherry Tomatoes, preferably on the vine – 20 (or more if you have a big gathering)
• Fresh Basil Leaves – 20 (a bunch or 1 packet)
• Italian Mozzarella  – 200 grams or 20 Bocconcini Balls (more if you have a big gathering)
• Cocktail Sticks – 20

For the dressing:

• Oregano – 1 teaspoon
• Italian Herbs – 1 teaspoon
• Black pepper – 1/2 teaspoon
• Lemon Juice – 2 teaspoons
• Salt – To taste
• Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 2 tablespoons

Steps:

1. Cut the tomatoes and olives in half and add them to a mixing bowl.
2. Cut mozzarella into cubes or use individiual bocconcini balls. As a rough guide for the size of the cubes, ensure that the cubes are roughly the same size as the halved tomatoes. Add the cubed mozzarella to the mixing bowl with tomatoes and olives.
3. Roughly tear the basil leaves with your hands and add them to the mixing bowl.
4. Add oregano, italian herbs, black pepper, salt, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil into a small bowl and mix well.
5. Add this dressing to the mixing bowl and lightly toss either with the hands or two large spoons.
6. You can either serve the salad as is or thread the dressed tomatoes, mozzarella, olives and basil leaves onto the cocktail sticks alternating each of these ingredients. For a visual cue, you can refer to the photo on the post.

Voila! See, I don’t always post complicated recipes 😉

The best way to enjoy this salad is freshly made, just before eating. This is because, leaving the mozzarella and other ingredients after dressing them will lead to a soggy salad.

I hope you and your guests enjoy this refreshing little salad 🙂

As always, your feedback is welcome 🙂