Caprese Sticks

Anyone who knows me knows I’m crazy for caprese.  I love tomato-basil everything.  So when I saw my heap of tomatoes growing wildly and uncontrollably, I knew exactly what I needed to do.  I went straight to tomato town!

I started off by making these, to use up all of the cherry guys first (I can hardly keep up with these tasty little dudes).  Just couldn’t get enough caprese.  Kept making little sticks until I had no more makings to make with!  Then, with the larger guys, I made Serrano salsa (here), stuffed squash with meat, herb, and tomatoes (here), an assortment of tomato salads, and soup!  And now that I have a whole new batch of fresh pickin’s, I think I’ll make these again… these caprese sticks are, I’m pretty sure, the easiest things I’ve ever made.  Quick, simple, easy, and delicious!  A perfect snack any time of day… also great for appetizers and potlucks 🙂

I also have a ton of basil right now.  I am growing Thai basil, Greek basil, and sweet basil, and from my CSA, I have purple basil and lemon basil right now… so it’ safe to say I’ll make whipping up some pestos soon.  But I’ll definitely be keeping some around for my caprese fix.  This combo is just oh so good.

INGREDIENTS

small tomatoes, like Cherries

a few fresh basil leaves

fresh mozzarella balls, same size as tomatoes

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper

You’ll also need some sort of skewer…

I love these flat ones I found at Whole Foods months ago.

They come in 6″, 9″, and 12″… I like the small guys.

If you don’t have skewers or toothpicks, just toss them in a bowl with a fork. 😉

Get your little goodies ready… try to find tomatoes and

mozz. cheese balls that are a similar size if you can

Slice mozzarella balls into thick slices

Then slice tomatoes in half.. keep tops and bottoms near each other

Half way there already… !

Then place mozzarella slice in between a tomato top and bottom, like a sandwich

Jab the skewer through the whole thing…

And continue till you have them all jabbed and ready

Place in a small bowl or on a plate

Chop up basil into little strips or pieces

Whisk a little vinaigrette together in a small bowl- I use about a 2:1 ratio of balsamic to olive oil

Add a little salt and pepper, taste to check ratios, and stir

Pour vinaigrette over tomatoes

Top with basil pieces…

Devour and enjoy!

{You can refrigerate them already skewered if you’re preparing ahead of time}