Summer Beans With Marinated Mozzarella And Cherry Tomatoes Recipes

GREEN BEANS WITH CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Place beans and water in a large saucepan. Cover, and bring to a boil. Set heat to low, and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain off water, and set aside.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in sugar, garlic salt, pepper and basil. Add tomatoes, and cook stirring gently just until soft. Pour the tomato mixture over the green beans, and toss gently to blend.

TOMATO AND MOZZARELLA BITES

Steps:

• Using a toothpick, spear a half of a tomato, a leaf of basil, a mozzarella ball, and another half of a tomato. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
• Place on a serving dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix the vinegar and oil together in a small bowl to serve as a dipping sauce.

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.

CHERRY TOMATO MOZZARELLA SAUTE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; saute shallots with thyme until tender. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, salt and pepper; heat through. Remove from heat; stir in cheese.

SUMMER BEANS WITH MARINATED MOZZARELLA AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• In a medium-size bowl, toss the shallots with vinegar. Add cubed mozzarella, herbs and oil. Toss well to coat, season with salt and pepper and marinate for a few hours or overnight to let flavors blend. Bring a medium-size pot of water to a boil and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Drop in the beans and cook until just tender, 1 to 2 minutes for small young beans and up to 6 minutes for larger beans. Drain. Toss the hot beans with the olive oil, shallots, tarragon, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. The beans will soak up the flavors as they cool to room temperature. Toss in the cherry tomatoes. Season and drizzle with additional oil and vinegar if desired.

GREEN BEAN GRATINATE WITH CHERRY TOMATOES, MOZZARELLA AND BASIL

Steps:

• Recommended Equipment: A shallow baking dish with two-or three-quart capacity.
• Arrange a rack in the top half of the oven and preheat to 375ºF. Fill a large pot with water (at least five quarts) and bring it to a boil.
• Dump them all into the boiling water, cover the pot until the water boils again, then cook uncovered, for 10 minutes or so, until they are just cooked through -- tender but still firm enough to snap.
• Drain the beans briefly in a colander, then put them in a big kitchen bowl. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of salt on the hot beans and toss them so they're all seasoned. Let the salt melt and the beans cool for a couple of minutes.
• Meanwhile, rinse and dry the tomatoes. If they're larger than an inch, slice them in halves, otherwise, leave them whole. Cut the mozzarella into 1/2-inch cubes. Slice the basil leaves into thin shreds or a chiffonade.
• Toss the grated cheese and bread crumbs together in a small bowl. Lightly grease the insides of the baking dish with a teaspoon or more of the butter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese-and-bread-crumb mix all over the bottom of the dish.
• When the beans are no longer steaming, drop the tomatoes, cubes of mozzarella and basil shreds on top. Drizzle the olive oil over all, sprinkle on the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and toss together a few times. Sprinkle 3/4 cup of the cheesy bread crumbs on top and toss well, so everything is coated.
• Turn the vegetables, scraping up all the crumbs, into the baking dish and spread them in an even layer. Sprinkle over the remaining 1/4 cup of crumbs, cut the rest of the butter in small pieces and scatter them all over the top. Place the dish in the oven.
• Bake the gratinate for 10 minutes, then rotate it back to front and bake another 10 minutes. Check to see that it is browning and bake a few minutes more, until the gratinate is dark golden and crusted. (If the crumbs still look pale after 20 minutes in your oven, raise the temperature to 400 degrees or 425 degrees and bake until done.)
• Serve the hot gratinate in the baking dish. Recipe serves 6.

SUMMER BEANS WITH MARINATED MOZZARELLA AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• In a medium-size bowl, toss the shallots with vinegar.
• Add cubed mozzarella, herbs and oil.
• Toss well to coat, season with salt and pepper and marinate for a few hours or overnight to let flavors blend.
• Bring a medium-size pot of water to a boil and add 1/2-teaspoon salt.
• Drop in the beans and cook until just tender, 1 to 2 minutes for small young beans and up to 6 minutes for larger beans.
• Drain.
• Toss the hot beans with the olive oil, shallots, tarragon, 1/2-teaspoon salt and pepper.
• The beans will soak up the flavors as they cool to room temperature.
• Toss in the cherry tomatoes.
• Season and drizzle with additional oil and vinegar if desired.