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1/30/10

Beet, mozzarella and basil salad

One of my most favorite salads is tomato/mozzarella/basil/olive oil. Unfortunately, tomatoes in the winter time are less than desirable.

So I decided to switch up tomatoes for beets. Beets? Yes, beets. They have a natural sweetness to them, especially when roasted, and have a similar texture to the tomatoes. (Ignore this number please RA4HFJTU2JKP)



Ingredients
beets
tomatoes
fresh mozzarella
fresh basil
olive oil
salt & pepper



Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400. Wash the beets, trim the ends and wrap them individually in foil. Bake for about an hour, or until the beets are tender (a knife should face no resistance).
2. Cool, peel and slice the beets.
3. Slice the fresh mozzarella.
4. Combine beets with mozzarella, basil, olive oil, salt & pepper.

Obviously I stacked my ingredients to make a tower. You can make a circular design or mix them all together. Just keep in mind that beets will color everything pink.

Question for you: what other vegetable would you use instead of tomatoes in the classic tomato/mozzarella/basil salad?

16 comments:

Nikki Rappaport said...

I didn't know cooking beets was this easy. I'm going to pick some up at the farmer's market tomorrow.

Instead of tomatoes, also try roasted red peppers.

Gera@SweetsFoodsBlog said...

You're right about tomatoes in winter; wonderful alternative with beets..love this stack :)
Mozzarella match well with sautéed onion too.

Happy weekend,

Gera

Lauren said...

great idea! I love beets, and the towers are just so pretty! winter tomatoes are gross.

Unknown said...

Roasted red peppers are a good sub for tomatoes and go great with the basil and mozzarella, too. Love these beet stacks-- will have to try them!

Anonymous said...

This is a great take on the caprese salad. You did a beautiful job with the presentation. Great pictures.
Have a wonderful weekend.
*kisses* HH

Lea Ann said...

Beautiful

♥peachkins♥ said...

This is fab! Have a sweet day Olga!

Delicious Dishings said...

Definitely eggplant. The beets look great too!

TasteStopping said...

I can't believe I've never thought of this before. My husband enjoys fresh tomatoes and basil from our garden all summer in the classic version of this dish, but I'm not so hot on tomatoes. But this! This I can sink my teeth into. In fact, I just bought some beets to roast. Now I have no excuses! Thanks for the delicious inspiration.

Best,
Casey

Dewi said...

very beautiful to look at and delicious!

Simones Kitchen said...

Looks delicious Olga and I love that little tower you made!

Hungry Dog said...

Lovely idea! I don't believe I've ever had beets and mozzarella but why not? I think eggplant is also good in place of the tomato, or maybe grilled zucchini?

Carol Egbert said...

I might add some red onions that have been pickled in red wine vinegar and seasoned with coriander seeds.
The beets look perfect.

S said...

that is an absolutely stunning, gorgeous photograph. and a lovely combination. best wishes, shayma

Fenke said...

beets and mozzarella are a lovely combination, i also like raw marinated zucchini.

violarulz/ducksandbooks said...

mmmm, sounds like it would be super tasty with goat cheese too (that's what I bought to go with week 3 in a row of CSA beets)