Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad

This is one of the easiest recipes to make and is low in calories. Serve this as an appetizer and make sure to have on hand fresh bread to mop up the juices! Fresh mozzarella should have a sweet, creamy, milky taste and should have a soft, yielding, pull apart texture. Water packed fresh mozzarella is very moist and ideal for salads and appetizers. Vacuum sealed fresh mozzarella is less moist and perfect for sandwiches and pizzas.

Serves 4
16 plum tomatoes, halved
6 or 8 sprigs of fresh thyme
extra virgin olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
2 x 125g buffalo mozzarella balls, torn apart
small bunch of basil
sea salt and pepper
1 lemon

Place tomatoes on a baking tray and add a garlic slice on top of each tomato slice, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Bake in 180c oven for 30-40 minutes until tomatoes start to shrink in size but not browned. Remove from oven and let cool. Arrange tomatoes on a platter. Add torn mozzarella, basil leaves and fresh thyme sprigs. Grate lemon zest over tomatoes followed by a splash of olive oil.

The Culinary Chase's Note: Beautiful flavors flow from this dish! I also added a sprinkle of dried oregano to the tomatoes before placing in the oven. Fresh mozzarella, whether it be made from buffalo or cow's milk, is key to making this a fab dish! Enjoy!