caprese with walnut pesto
Recipe courtesy of Brandon Bobb, Executive Chef, Maketewah Country Club (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Ingredients
- fresh basil
- burrata mozzarella - 4 oz. or to taste
- chive oil - or the best extra virgin olive oil you can find
- pistachios - (Chef's note: We toast ours slightly to bring out the nutty taste.)
- tomato - (Chef's note: We used yoom tomatoes this year. Every year, I find a new tomato, and we design the dish around the tomato.)
- balsamic vinegar - (Chef's note: You can buy the thickened, sweet kind at the store, but if you add a tiny pinch of sugar and reduce it some in a pan, then the natural sweetness comes out, and it gets that glaze-like consistency.)
- pesto - (Chef's note: Our favorite is a walnut pesto. Recipe below.))
- salt - to taste
- pepper - to taste
- Walnut Pesto
- walnuts - 1 cup, chopped, toasted
- spinach - 2 handfuls
- parsley - 2 oz., whole
- basil - 2 oz. fresh, leaves
- green onions - 2 ea., root removed
- red pepper flakes - 1 tsp.
- minced garlic - 1 tsp.
- lemon juice - 4 oz.
- cotija cheese - 1 Tbsp., finely grated
- olive oil - 1 cup
- salt and pepper - 1 1/2 tsp.
- water - 2 Tbsp.