Winter Caprese Salad Part 2


I needed some cherry tomatoes for a recipe recently, so I bought a package of pretty stunners for a silly amount of $.

I should have known better.

People, do not be fooled.

It is not summer when tomatoes are beautiful, ripe and filled with flavor.

It is February, freezing and cruel, and these were grown for show only.

They were flavorless, grown in a hot house, but they worked for the few I needed.

Instead of throwing away the 7 bucks, I bought some burrata to save the day.
That beautiful milky creamy mozzarella ball from Italy oozing with goodness.

I brought these lifeless orbs to life by roasting them w/ olive oil, kosher salt & a splash of balsamic vinegar (in the toaster oven!).


They became sweet and tangy.

Paired with some summer basil pesto I had in the freezer, and some spicy arugula leaves, I could feel the summer sun encompassing my body (not really).

It goes against my grain to buy tomatoes (or blueberries! or asparagus!) in the winter, but sometimes I will do bad things in the name of taste!


PS if you are a true locavore and don't want to buy tomatoes in February, then by all means, make this salad with roasted peppers (which are also out of the season, btw), but you can always find them in a jar!

:)

Comments

Unknown said…
I frequently buy packs of tomatoes and then am horrified at the weird, vomity taste they have in the winter. I agree with you, roasting is the only way to kind of salvage them. Can't wait for August!
Anonymous said…
I bought the most worthless flat of strawberries @Trader Joe's Sunday. What was I thinking??? Is there any way to rehabilitate berries?
Stacey Snacks said…
Anon,
I never buy winter berries....though I am tempted!

I would roast them too and put them on top of ricotta crostini and drizzle w/ balsamic syrup.....

or just bake them in muffins or cake......make my strawberry cake, it's easy and great.

http://www.staceysnacksonline.com/2011/06/marthas-strawberry-cake.html
Natalia said…
Don't beat yourself up - some winter recipes call for vegetables and fruits that are uncommon in winter and as cooks, we break down & buy them. I dislike tomatoes in winter because they are tasteless, but this recipe sounds like a nice way to enjoy them.

On a separate note, not sure you went to the Maplewood Indoor Farmer's Market on Sunday - I did and bought some amazing fresh parsley and watermelon radish (my first!). I enjoyed my watermelon radish with some greens according to a recipe you posted a while ago.
Susan..... said…
I actually found sun-dried red peppers. Dried not in oil.
They aren't real roasted but in a pinch the peppers are loaded with condensed flavor. Have been making red pepper pesto and putting it on every thing. To me sun-dried anything is the way to get flavor in the dead of winter.
Seared scallops on a red pepper aioli is to die for.