Caprese skewers
Caprese Skewers
Serves 4 as meal; 8 to 12 as an appetizer.
Cooking meat and vegetables on a stick is as old as humans cooking over fire. Grilled shish kebabs, however— the ones we know and love date back to the Ottoman Empire (1301-1922 C.E.,) which encompassed Turkey, the Mediterranean Rim, the Middle East, North Africa, and Greece. Now nearly every culture has its version of skewered meats: satay in Thailand, yakitori in Japan, suya in Nigeria, and corndogs in the USA. One of the first “to-go” meals, skewered foods are practical for many other reasons - they make great party treats and are enough easy for kids to assemble and eat. Skewers are also good vessels for introducing new foods to kids, ‘cause everything looks cuter and tastes better on a skewer, no?!
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces (about 16) mini mozzarella balls (regular mozzarella balls cut into 1-inch chunks can be substituted for mini mozzarella balls)
1 pint (about 24) cherry tomatoes (regular tomatoes cut into 1-inch chunks can be substituted for cherry tomatoes)
1 bunch basil, washed, dried well on paper towel, and leaves picked off
1 pint seedless green olives (totally optional)
Cubes of mortadella or slices of prosciutto ( totally optional)
8 to 12 (5-inch) skewers or 16 toothpicks
Steps:
1. In a small bowl, combine the mustard and honey. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and whisk to combine. Whisk in the balsamic vinegar, then whisk in the olive oil until fully blended. Season again with more salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
2. If the mozzarella balls are too big, cut them to the size of the tomatoes. Pierce a mozzarella ball, then tomato, then basil leaf with a skewer. Repeat this pattern, adding olives or mortadella/salami/prosciutto, if you choose, until the skewer is almost full. Set on a platter. Repeat, making more skewers.
3. Using a small spoon, drizzle the balsamic glaze over the tomato, mozzarella and basil skewers. Recipe by Jill Santopietro