A couple weeks ago I picked up a gorgeous pine nut cheese from Blode Kuh, one of my favorite vendors at the Farmers Market. This cheese was screaming to be made into some version of a caprese salad. Voila! Most times, the simplest stuff using ingredients made with love, make the brightest and most tasty dishes.
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vegan caprese with pine nut cheese & roasted pepper dressing
2 vine ripened tomatoes, sliced into fairly thick slices
1 small wheel of pine nut or other aged nut cheese
8-10
fresh basil leaves
1 red bell pepper
1 tbsp. (or more)
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 clove garlic, chopped
Juice
of 1 small lime
Splash of balsamic vinegar
Sea salt & pepper to taste
Truffle oil or more extra
virgin olive oil for drizzling (optional)
First roast your pepper. There are two different ways to do this. You can place it over an open flame on a gas stove, turning until the entire outer skin is blackened. Or, you can rub with olive oil and place in a hot oven and roast until the skin is blistered. Either way, once it is roasted, let it cool, then peel off the outer skin by cleaning the roasted pepper under cold running water. Place the roasted pepper meat into a food processor along with the olive oil, garlic, and lime juice. Turn on the food processor and blend until it is smooth and emulsified. At this point, you can add a little more oil if you want it to be fluffier. Be careful not to add too much oil. Add a splash of Balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste, and give it a final couple of pulses.
Carefully slice the cheese wheel evenly. Place layers of tomato slices, basil leaves, and the cheese, alternating on a plate. You can lay them out like a fan, or stack them so it is more of a tower presentation. Drizzle the red pepper dressing around the plate. Finish it off with a drizzle of truffle oil or extra virgin olive oil.
vegan caprese with pine nut cheese & roasted pepper dressing
Ingredients
- 2 vine ripened tomatoes sliced into fairly thick slices
- 1 small wheel of pine nut or other aged nut cheese
- 10 fresh basil leaves
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil or more
- 1/2 clove garlic chopped
- Juice of 1 small lime
- Splash of balsamic vinegar
- Sea salt & pepper to taste
- Truffle oil or more extra virgin olive oil for drizzling optional
Instructions
- First roast your pepper. There are two different ways to do this. You can place it over an open flame on a gas stove, turning until the entire outer skin is blackened. Or, you can rub with olive oil and place in a hot oven and roast until the skin is blistered. Either way, once it is roasted, let it cool, then peel off the outer skin by cleaning the roasted pepper under cold running water.
- Place the roasted pepper meat into a food processor along with the olive oil, garlic, and lime juice. Turn on the food processor and blend until it is smooth and emulsified. At this point, you can add a little more oil if you want it to be fluffier. Be careful not to add too much oil. Add a splash of Balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste, and give it a final couple of pulses.
- Carefully slice the cheese wheel evenly. Place layers of tomato slices, basil leaves, and the cheese, alternating on a plate. You can lay them out like a fan, or stack them so it is more of a tower presentation.
- Drizzle the red pepper dressing around the plate. Finish it off with a drizzle of truffle oil or extra virgin olive oil.
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