Recipe: Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella + Kalamata Olive Skewers

It was 73 degrees and sunny on Halloween and the last thing I wanted to do was spend time in a hot kitchen preparing an appetizer for a dinner party. I started brainstorming...I wanted easy, no-cooking and fresh. The first thing that came to mind was a traditional caprese salad of sliced tomato and mozzarella cheese with fresh basil tucked in between. I thought, I'd love to add the briny taste of Kalamata olives to deepen the flavor a bit. Then it came to me...SKEWERS! No cooking, no slicing or dicing...perfect!

Begin by assembling the skewers alternating cherry tomatoes, basil-wrapped mozzarella balls and Kalamata olives (see assembly instructions in recipe below). After assembling the skewers, arrange them on a serving platter and season with crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Finish by drizzling with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. DONE and DELICIOUS!

-Bon Appetit!

RECIPE for TOMATO, BASIL, MOZZARELLA + KALAMATA OLIVE SKEWERS

Yields 8 skewers = 4 servings (If you have a larger crowd, just double it!)

Ingredients:

- 24 Cherry tomatoes

- 24 1" Ciliegine mozzarella cheese balls (an 8 ounce container will have at least 24 balls)

- 16 Medium sized fresh basil leaves

- 24 Jumbo-pitted Kalamata olives

- 1 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/4 tsp pepper

- 3 tbsp Olive oil

- 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar

- 8 10" Skewers

Assembly Instructions:

1. Working over a cookie sheet, start by sliding one tomato onto the pointed end of the skewer until it is about 1"away from the blunt end of the skewer. I recommend skewering the tomato through the stem end of the tomato.

2. Add a Kalamata olive threading the skewer through the side of the olive. I recommend having a paper towel handy to wipe the skewer clean after adding the olives and cheese.

3. Wrap a mozzarella ball with a basil leaf and thread the skewer through one end of the basil leaf, through the center of the mozzarella ball, then through the other end of the basil leaf.

4. Add another tomato, Kalamata olive, mozzarella ball and one more olive in that order.

5. Add one more basil wrapped mozzarella ball and finish with one last tomato. There should be about 1" of skewer left at the end.

6. Repeat steps 1 - 5 with the seven remaining skewers.

7. Arrange the assembled skewers on a serving platter and sprinkle the crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper evenly over the skewers. If your platter is smaller and you have to layer your skewers, divide the seasonings and sprinkle in layers.

8. Drizzle the olive oil over the skewers then the balsamic vinegar. This does not have to be done in layers. The oil and vinegar will drip down over the bottom layer evenly.

9. You can store the finished dish covered with foil in the refrigerator for an hour or so if you need to. Otherwise, serve immediately.

ENJOY!

(Photos by: Me!)

#fooddrink #appetizer #noncook #easyrecipe #glutenfree #vegetarian