Grilled Mozzarella Sun Dried Tomato Skewers Recipes

SKEWERED MOZZARELLA BALLS IN ROMAINE

Steps:

• Preheat outdoor grill to medium heat or preheat broiler.
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the romaine in the salted water for about 30 seconds, or until the central rib is just tender enough to bend. Remove and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and pat dry.
• Lay romaine leaves out on a counter, outer rib side down. Cut out the wide rib section, or flatten it with your hands. Place a piece of cheese in the middle of each leaf. Top with about 1 tablespoon of the prosciutto. Season with salt and pepper. Make a neat package by folding the leaves around the cheese like an envelope. Place them seam side down. Run a skewers through each package. Brush each with olive oil. Refrigerate if not grilling immediately.
• Grill cheese packages over medium heat or broil about 4 inches from the heat. Cook 2 to 3 minutes and turn over. The cheese should begin to weep. Cook another 1 to 2 minutes or until the packets are lightly browned. Top with Sun-dried Tomato Dressing and serve.
• In a bowl, mix the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, vinegar and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

GRILLED MOZZARELLA & SUN-DRIED TOMATO SKEWERS

Steps:

• On each skewer, alternately thread sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella and basil leaves. Brush the cheese with some of the sun-dried tomato packing oil, then grill or broil the skewers until the cheese just begins to melt, turning once. Serve immediately.

SUNDRIED TOMATO KEBABS

Steps:

• Alternate 1 sun-dried tomato half, 1 basil leaf, 1 mozzarella ball, 1 more basil leaf, 1 more sun-dried tomato half and 1 more mozzarella ball on each skewer. Arrange the skewers on a platter. Drizzle the reserved oil from the sun-dried tomatoes over the skewers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve.

GRILLED TOMATO-AND-MOZZARELLA SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Using a 2- or 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter (depending on size of tomatoes), cut out bread and mozzarella.
• Season tomatoes with salt and pepper. Sandwich 1 tomato slice and 1 mozzarella slice between 2 slices of bread. Repeat with remaining tomatoes, mozzarella, and bread to make 16 sandwiches.
• Preheat a grill to medium, or heat a grill pan over medium heat. Brush outsides of bread with butter. Grill sandwiches until golden brown and mozzarella is soft but not completely melted, about 5 minutes per side.

GRILLED MOZZARELLA AND TOMATO SKEWERS

Steps:

• Cut mozzarella in half, then into eight 3/4" slices.
• Place ingredients on the skewers in the following order: bread, tomato, basil, mozzarella, tomato, basil, mozzarella and bread. Set aside while you make the sauce.
• Mix all the sauce ingredients (everything following the skewers) together in a saucepan and warm for 1-2 minutes before serving. You don't want the tomatoes to break down, but rather just to be warmed.
• Brush the skewered mozzarella and tomato with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Grill over high heat on both sides until the bread is lightly toasted and the cheese begins to melt, about 30-45 seconds per side.
• Spoon the sauce onto 4 warm dinner plates. Set the skewers neatly on top of the sauce, slide out the skewers and serve.

MOZZARELLA "S'MORES"

Steps:

• 1. Place the tomatoes in an attractive serving bowl.
• 2. Arrange the mozzarella, basil leaves, and grilled bread or crackers in bowls or on a platter.
• 3. Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to high. In the best of all worlds, you'd use a charcoal grill, raking the embers into a pile at the bottom of the grill and leaving off the grill grate. If using a gas grill, preheat it superhot.
• 4. Skewer a cube of mozzarella. Roast it over the fire, turning the skewer to evenly melt the cheese. If using a gas grill, you'll need to bring it as close as possible to the fire without touching the grate. When the mozzarella begins to melt and brown, after 1 to 2 minutes over charcoal, a little longer over gas, use a knife or fork to scrape the cheese off the skewer onto a piece of grilled bread. Never attempt to eat the melted cheese directly off the hot skewer - you'll burn your lips. Top the cheese with a basil leaf and a piece of sun-dried tomato and place a second piece of grilled bread on top. Eat at once.

MARINATED MOZZARELLA & TOMATO APPETIZERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. Combine salad dressing, basil, chives and pepper. Add cheese and tomatoes; toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, at least 3 hours to let flavors blend., Meanwhile, toss baguette pieces with oil and salt; arrange on a baking sheet. Bake until toasted, 4-5 minutes. Cool completely. Just before serving, add toasted bread to cheese mixture; toss to combine. If desired, thread tomatoes, cheese and bread on skewers for serving.