Skewered Mozzarella Balls In Romaine Food

HEARTS OF ROMAINE WITH BLUE CHEESE AND BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Lay the bacon strips on a roasting rack and bake in the oven until crisp, about 20 minutes. (To make bacon curls: Wrap each slice of raw bacon around a metal skewer in a barber-pole fashion and lay the skewers on the roasting rack.) Pat dry with a paper towel. When cool enough to handle, break into pieces or in half, if using curls.
• Put the egg in a small saucepan with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, cover, and remove from the heat. Set aside for 10 minutes. Drain the egg and roll it between your palm and the counter to crack the shell, then peel under cool running water. Rub the egg through a fine-mesh strainer and set aside.
• Remove the large outer leaves from the romaine hearts and rinse. Chop these leaves into bite-size pieces and spin dry. (Use an extremely sharp knife to minimize bruising the edges.) Halve the hearts through the cores to make 4 wedges. Rinse under cold running water and shake to air dry.
• Divide the wedges among 4 plates. Mound some of the chopped romaine on top and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon about 1/4 cup of Blue Cheese Dressing over each salad and top with some of the sieved egg and bacon. Pass the remaining dressing at the table.
• Pulse the mayonnaise, blue cheese, buttermilk, shallot, lemon zest, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and celery seeds in a food processor to make a chunky but pourable sauce. Stir in the parsley and season with plenty of pepper. Use immediately or refrigerate in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.

SKEWERED MOZZARELLA BALLS IN ROMAINE

Steps:

• Preheat outdoor grill to medium heat or preheat broiler.
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the romaine in the salted water for about 30 seconds, or until the central rib is just tender enough to bend. Remove and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and pat dry.
• Lay romaine leaves out on a counter, outer rib side down. Cut out the wide rib section, or flatten it with your hands. Place a piece of cheese in the middle of each leaf. Top with about 1 tablespoon of the prosciutto. Season with salt and pepper. Make a neat package by folding the leaves around the cheese like an envelope. Place them seam side down. Run a skewers through each package. Brush each with olive oil. Refrigerate if not grilling immediately.
• Grill cheese packages over medium heat or broil about 4 inches from the heat. Cook 2 to 3 minutes and turn over. The cheese should begin to weep. Cook another 1 to 2 minutes or until the packets are lightly browned. Top with Sun-dried Tomato Dressing and serve.
• In a bowl, mix the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, vinegar and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

SKEWERED MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Add the strands of lemon zest to the bagna cauda and stir to combine.
• From each branch, remove most of the rosemary leaves, leaving 1 1/2 to 2 inches of 1 end covered in leaves. Place a bread slice on the work surface, and put a piece of mozzarella on it, followed by a fresh bay leaf, optional. Repeat 1 more time, ending with a slice of bread. You should have a stack that has 3 slices of bread and 2 slices of cheese. Continue with the remaining ingredients, to make 4 stacks total. (If you can't find large rosemary branches, substitute wooden skewers. Soak the wooden skewers in cold water for 20 minutes. As you're assembling, put a few sprigs of fresh rosemary throughout.)
• Using the leafless end of a rosemary sprig, skewer 1 of the stacks through the center, leaving the rosemary leaves exposed on the other end. Turn the stack on its side and, entering from the opposite end, insert another rosemary sprig, leaving the leaves sticking out of the other end. Brush the entire skewer lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle it with a pinch of salt and pepper. Continue in the same manner with the remaining stacks.
• To grill: Place the skewers on the hottest part of a charcoal or gas grill and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, turning frequently, until the cheese just begins to soften and the bread begins to brown.
• To bake: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the skewers on a baking sheet and cook about 5 minutes.
• Carefully transfer the skewers to a plate and drizzle with a generous amount of the bagna cauda. Scatter with parsley leaves.
• Using a mortar and pestle, pulverize the garlic and anchovies into a smooth paste.
• Transfer the paste to a small saucepan. Add the butter and olive oil and bring to a simmer over low heat. Continue simmering for about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt, to taste.

TOMATO & MOZZARELLA SKEWERS

Steps:

• Halve the cherry tomatoes.
• Pluck leaves from basil and tear into 1 inch pieces.
• Cut the prosciutto into 2 inch segments.
• Skewer a tomato half (uncut side first) with a toothpick and slide to the end of the toothpick.
• Skewer basil, then mozzarella pearl, then basil.
• Fold 2 inch piece of prosciutto in half and skewer.
• Take another tomato half and skewer (cut side first).

GRILLED MOZZARELLA AND TOMATO SKEWERS

Steps:

• Cut mozzarella in half, then into eight 3/4" slices.
• Place ingredients on the skewers in the following order: bread, tomato, basil, mozzarella, tomato, basil, mozzarella and bread. Set aside while you make the sauce.
• Mix all the sauce ingredients (everything following the skewers) together in a saucepan and warm for 1-2 minutes before serving. You don't want the tomatoes to break down, but rather just to be warmed.
• Brush the skewered mozzarella and tomato with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Grill over high heat on both sides until the bread is lightly toasted and the cheese begins to melt, about 30-45 seconds per side.
• Spoon the sauce onto 4 warm dinner plates. Set the skewers neatly on top of the sauce, slide out the skewers and serve.

MOZZARELLA TOMATO OLIVE COCKTAIL SKEWERS

Steps:

• Cut the mozzarella into bite sized pieces. If you are lucky enough to find the small balls, keep them whole. Place in a medium bowl and stir in the tomatoes, olives, oil, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and red pepper. Cover and refrigerate 1-3 hours.
• If basil leaves are large, cut into smaller pieces.
• Thread the marinated cheese, tomatoes and olives onto skewers, placing the basil leaves inbetween. Place skewers on a platter; garnish with additional fresh basil. Enjoy!