Our season has now officially started here in Umbria with new guests now arriving weekly to Il Casale di Mele and with the high temperatures we have each summer, I am always on the look out for easy to assemble warm weather dishes. We do a lot of entertaining here in Umbria, and along with the meals I prepare for guests upon request, I like to have a number of “go to” dishes that I know I can pull together easily without a lot of fuss and food that everyone loves.
This dish is a recent invention that basically came together when I was looking for something different from the usually caprese salad of mozzarella and fresh tomatoes. Oven roasted tomatoes have so much flavor and sweetness and play along with roasted peppers beautifully. I’ve paired both in many a pasta dish, soup, or salad in the past but thought they would both be delicious with some creamy buffalo mozzarella.
I like dishes like this one that I can prep ahead and simply assemble when needed and when displayed on a nice big platter, this dish makes an impressive first course for a dinner party, or on an antipasti table for a party. Just as I usually say, any dish is only as good as the ingredients used to make it, so choose the best mozzarella, balsamic vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil you can.
If you cannot find buffalo mozzarella, choose a top quality fresh mozzarella instead. I have made this dish with small pacheri tomatoes that I roasted whole, and with larger plum tomatoes that I roast sliced in half and either works fine. I like to serve this dish with some good crusty bread so folks can sop up the delicious juices.
Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele
Buffalo Mozzarella With Oven Roasted Tomatoes & Peppers
Creamy mozzarella is paired with meltingly tender oven roasted tomatoes and peppers in this gorgeous antipasto option.
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Buffalo Mozzarella, Sliced
- 1 Recipe Roasted TomatoesÂ
- 1 Recipe Roasted Sweet PeppersÂ
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Fresh Basil Leaves
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Sea Salt
- Cracked Black Pepper
Instructions
- On a large platter, arrange the tomatoes and peppers side by side overlapping in an attractive manner.
- Spoon some of the pepper and tomato juices over the arranged peppers and tomatoes.
- Tuck in basil leaves along the peppers and tomatoes.
- In the center of the platter, arrange the sliced mozzarella in an attractive manner.
- Drizzle some olive oil over the cheese and the tomatoes and peppers.
- Drizzle just a little of the balsamic over the tomato mixture.
- Sprinkle the dish with some sea salt and cracked black pepper and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 portionAmount Per Serving: Calories: 259Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 573mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 17g