You never know where you are going to find inspiration when it comes to cooking. However, these past few warm summer days, my muse has been a likely source…my herb garden. I have found myself outside, in the heat of the afternoon, just to smell the herbs made fragrant by the sunshine. The pineapple sage, the peppermint, the lemon thyme and oregano…all smell wonderful in the summer sunlight. And then there was the basil, it was just begging to be harvested and made into something…anything really.
I had a loaf of rosemary-olive oil bread, fresh mozzarella in the fridge and vine-ripened tomatoes on my counter. If you are lucky enough to have a warm, summer tomato picked right off your own vine, lucky you. Your sandwich will taste even better.
The rosemary-olive oil bread really gave a nice, complex flavor to the sandwich. However, you can use any crusty bread you choose. Just make sure it is sturdy. I also sprinkled a touch of Fleur de sel on my tomatoes, just to perk them up. I brushed the bread with olive oil before grilling and rubbed it with a garlic clove when it was warm….so delicious. Pulling out a tray of these at any gathering will cause a great commotion, you have been warned.
Grilled Caprese Sandwich
Recipe from Noble Pig | Serves: 4-5 people
Ingredients:
- 1 (12 ounce) loaf rosemary and olive oil bread or other crusty bread, sliced
- olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 large vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced into rounds
- 20 (approx) basil leaves
- 1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into rounds
- balsamic vinegar
- Fleur de sel or kosher salt
Directions:
- Preheat grill or grill pan until hot. Brush slices of bread with olive oil, both sides. Grill bread on one side until golden brown. Turn over and on half of the bread slices, stack the mozzarella and tomatoes, sprinkling the Fleur de sel on the tomatoes, let it warm until the cheese is slightly warmed. Remove from the grill and top tomatoes with several basil leaves. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and top with another slice of bread. Rub the top piece of the grilled bread with a clove of garlic. Sprinkle top of bread with a little more balsamic vinegar and top with another basil leave for garnish.
Cathy owns her vineyard and winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. She is a food writer for Davis Life Magazine and blogs daily about wine, food and everyday living. She lives with her husband and two sons. You can visit her at noblepig.com.