Fresh Corn and Tomato Caprese Salad
Fresh Corn and Tomato Caprese Salad - if you look up "summer" in the dictionary, you just might see a picture of this fresh, delicious, vibrant salad!
Calories:
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts**
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 medium size ears fresh corn husked and silk removed
- 3 cups cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- 2 medium tomatoes preferably heirloom, halved and sliced in to ¼ inch slices
- 3 ounces fresh mozzarella diced into ¼ inch cubes or 3 ounces of Fresh Mozzarella Pearls
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 medium clove garlic finely minced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup small fresh basil leaves if you don't have small leaves, roughly chop enough larger leaves to equal ¼ cup
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves*** optional
Instructions
- Combine ½ teaspoon olive oil with pine nuts and salt in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Stir continuously for 3-4 minutes or until pine nuts turn a pale golden brown. Don't be tempted to walk away as pine nuts can go from pale to burned in a heartbeat. Remove from heat as soon as they are pale golden brown and keep stirring as they will continue to cook off of the heat. After a minute, transfer pine nuts to a plate lined with several thickness of paper towels. Set aside.
- Place 2 ears of corn in a gallon size ziplock bag. Add about a teaspoon of water (I just run my hand under the faucet and shake a bit of water into the bag) and seal bag. Place corn in microwave for 4 minutes then carefully remove (it will be hot) and transfer corn from the bag to a plate to cool. Repeat with 2 remaining ears of corn.
- When corn is cool enough to handle, cut kernels from cobs. Discard cobs.
- Combine tomatoes, corn and fresh mozzarella in a medium size bowl.
- For the dressing combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisk well.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons dressing to tomato/corn mixture and stir gently to combine. Taste and add more dressing and additional kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, if needed
- Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and scatter with fresh basil leaves, thyme*** and pine nuts.
Notes
* Pine nuts are expensive but add a delicious, gourmet touch to salads, soups, breads, etc. Like any nut they can go rancid if kept at room temperature. I like to store them in the freezer where they'll stay fresh for months.
**Salad can be made 1-2 hours in advance through step 6. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature. When ready to serve, stir gently and scatter with the basil, thyme and pine nuts.
*** If I have thyme, I like to add a sprinkle in addition to the basil, but it's not necessary.
**Salad can be made 1-2 hours in advance through step 6. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature. When ready to serve, stir gently and scatter with the basil, thyme and pine nuts.
*** If I have thyme, I like to add a sprinkle in addition to the basil, but it's not necessary.
