Summer Beans With Marinated Mozzarella And Cherry Tomatoes Recipes

PASTA WITH MARINATED TOMATOES AND SUMMER HERBS

Steps:

• Up to 4 hours before serving, put tomatoes in a large bowl and sprinkle all over with salt. Set aside for 30 minutes, then drain off liquid.
• Add tuna and its oil, olives or capers, if using. Add herbs and zest. Add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and stir gently, flaking tuna into pieces. Cover and set aside at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Cook pasta in plenty of boiling salted water. Drain very well. Combine tomatoes and pasta well, then taste and add more oil, salt and pepper to taste. Add red pepper flakes if desired. Sprinkle with pine nuts, if using, and chopped herbs. Serve immediately.

GREEN BEAN GRATINATE WITH CHERRY TOMATOES, MOZZARELLA AND BASIL

Steps:

• Recommended Equipment: A shallow baking dish with two-or three-quart capacity.
• Arrange a rack in the top half of the oven and preheat to 375ºF. Fill a large pot with water (at least five quarts) and bring it to a boil.
• Dump them all into the boiling water, cover the pot until the water boils again, then cook uncovered, for 10 minutes or so, until they are just cooked through -- tender but still firm enough to snap.
• Drain the beans briefly in a colander, then put them in a big kitchen bowl. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of salt on the hot beans and toss them so they're all seasoned. Let the salt melt and the beans cool for a couple of minutes.
• Meanwhile, rinse and dry the tomatoes. If they're larger than an inch, slice them in halves, otherwise, leave them whole. Cut the mozzarella into 1/2-inch cubes. Slice the basil leaves into thin shreds or a chiffonade.
• Toss the grated cheese and bread crumbs together in a small bowl. Lightly grease the insides of the baking dish with a teaspoon or more of the butter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese-and-bread-crumb mix all over the bottom of the dish.
• When the beans are no longer steaming, drop the tomatoes, cubes of mozzarella and basil shreds on top. Drizzle the olive oil over all, sprinkle on the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and toss together a few times. Sprinkle 3/4 cup of the cheesy bread crumbs on top and toss well, so everything is coated.
• Turn the vegetables, scraping up all the crumbs, into the baking dish and spread them in an even layer. Sprinkle over the remaining 1/4 cup of crumbs, cut the rest of the butter in small pieces and scatter them all over the top. Place the dish in the oven.
• Bake the gratinate for 10 minutes, then rotate it back to front and bake another 10 minutes. Check to see that it is browning and bake a few minutes more, until the gratinate is dark golden and crusted. (If the crumbs still look pale after 20 minutes in your oven, raise the temperature to 400 degrees or 425 degrees and bake until done.)
• Serve the hot gratinate in the baking dish. Recipe serves 6.

MARINATED MOZZARELLA, OLIVES AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Put cherry tomatoes in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add the olives and toss.
• In a small bowl, stir together olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano and red-pepper flakes. Pour mixture over tomatoes and olives. Toss well to coat and let sit for at least 10 minutes and up to an hour.
• When ready to eat, arrange mozzarella in the center of a large platter (or arrange on individual plates). Spoon tomato and olive mixture over mozzarella. Garnish with lots of basil leaves.

GREEN BEANS WITH CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Cook beans in water, until tender.
• In a fry, melt butter and add garlic salt, sugar, basil, salt and pepper.
• Swish cherry tomato halves around until barely soft and heated, but not squishy.
• Add the drained beans and mix well.
• (TO SAVE TIME, you can use drained canned green beans instead of fresh green beans and canned stewed tomatoes instead of fresh cherry tomatoes. Just add the canned vegetables to the butter/basil mixture and heat through. I do this frequently and it works o).

SPICED MARINATED TOMATOES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine first 4 ingredients.
• Stir together remaining ingredients in a small bowl until blended, then pour over tomato mixture; toss to coat.
• Chill 1 hour.