The most impressive courses can also be the simplest to make, a point that this easy dish proves. Starting with roasted or grilled red and orange bell peppers, alternate slices of fresh salted mozzarella, prosciutto and peppers to make a layered “Napoleon.” Top with whole basil leaves. You can make a short stack or, for a heartier course, make a tall stack and skewer with a long toothpick. Sprinkle the plate with shredded basil and extra virgin olive oil or a balsamic vinaigrette. In the summer, use delicious local tomatoes instead of peppers; when standard tomatoes aren’t in season, decorate the plate with a few yellow and orange grape tomatoes. Find more salad ideas for first courses at THE NIBBLE online magazine. And read up on all cheeses in THE NIBBLE’S Gourmet Cheese section.
This napoleon is made from Mozzarella Fresca, a Nibble Top Pick Of The Week.
Make a sweet spring salad from antioxidant- and fiber-rich spinach.
Here’s a variation on a spinach salad that’s especially spring-like: Take a bag (10 ounces) of baby spinach, 2 cups of sugar snap peas or pea pods and 2 cups of sliced strawberries. Cut half a medium red onion or a sweet Vidalia onion into thin slices. Add a 1/2 cup of sliced unsalted almonds, raw or toasted. Toss with a honey vinaigrette: 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of vinegar (balsamic, wine or cider) and 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of honey, depending on how sweet you like it. If you have lavender honey, it’s a home run! Head over to THE NIBBLE’s Vegetables & Salad section for more ideas. And for additional dressing recipes and reviews, see our Oils, Vinegars & Salad Dressings section.
Peach salsa is always a top-seller, but we think mango salsa is even more exciting. It’s so sophisticated on top of fish, chicken, with pork or tortilla chips—and it’s easy to make a delicious version at home. Combine diced tomatoes, mango, red onion, chopped mint and lime juice. Add a splash of cider, red wine vinegar or flavored vinegar. Click here for a mango chile vinegar from Gennari’s that’s also splendid for fruit salads, green salads, bread dippers and anyplace else you need vinegar and extra flavor. For more salsa recipes, check out THE NIBBLE’s Salsas, Dips & Spreads section. And to learn about the different types of salsa, read our Salsa Glossary.
This carmelized salmon with cherry-mango salsa is a perfect summer dish. You can find the recipe here.
Mount McKinley, a Nibble Top Pick, is a shepherd’s-style aged goat cheese unfamiliar to most people: sharp, earthy and nutty. Photo by B.A. Van Sise.
The next time you’re deciding on what cheeses to serve, select the entire group from either goat’s or sheep’s milk. From fresh chèvre to blue to Parmesan- and Cheddar-like goat cheeses, for example, you and your guests will experience goat (or sheep) cheeses in a new light. People who may only be familiar with fresh chèvre logs and aged pyramids will be surprised and delighted by what the milk produces in other styles of cheese. Include quark, a yogurt-like cheese, for a complete picture. As an added bonus for those who have lactose problems, goat’s and sheep’s milk cheeses are easier to digest than cow’s milk cheeses. You can learn more about fine cheese in the Gourmet Cheese section of THE NIBBLE online magazine.
