The basil in our garden is out of control. We’ve been waiting for the tomatoes to ripen because there is nothing better than fresh mozzarella, basil, and tomato drizzled with good quality olive oil. Adding a can of chickpeas to our salad gives it bulk and protein. It turns the simple salad into a full meal. Fresh cucumbers give it the added crunch. This Chickpea Caprese Salad is a summer staple in our house.
To get maximum basil flavor, we chiffonade it. Basically, you stack and roll the leaves then cut them crosswise into long strips. LeCordon Bleu has a great video showing you exactly how to do this. It’s one of the first things I taught the Kid when she started helping in the kitchen. Knife skills are just so important.
Fresh Mozzarella
Growing up, the only place you saw fresh mozzarella was at an Italian deli. Mozzarella was a block or bag of shredded white stuff. It didn’t really have much flavor. Now, you can get pearls, balls, pre-sliced, and whole mozzarella. It’s still not quite as amazing as the truly fresh-made, but it is a step up from the white blocks we used to get. And don’t even get me started on burrata….I’ll take that over mozzarella any day! If you have fresh garden vegetables, and you’re making a caprese type salad, just get the good stuff.
Olive Oil
There isn’t anything wrong with the generic olive oil you get at the grocery store, if you’re just cooking with it. When you’re making a salad dressing, essentially eating it raw, now you need to pay attention. Olive oil can have very distinct flavors, from nothing at all, to absolutely amazing. We have a store in town, The Olive Sprig, that has all kinds of oil and vinegar and you can taste each one before buying. Some are flavored with herbs and spices, and others are single source pure olive oil. If you have a store like this, check it out. The oil is more expensive, but only use it for drizzling, dressings and the like. It’s not for everyday cooking.
Our Chickpea Caprese Salad has enough bulk and protein to be a full meal on it’s own. Or serve it alongside your favorite summer bbq recipe. It goes great with our Italian Marinated Chicken. Whatever you serve it with, just honor those great fresh veggies out of your garden with good quality ingredients and a lot of love.
| This recipe is part of our Summer Vegetable Week |
Chickpea Caprese Salad
Ingredients
- 1 can Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 large Cucumber, diced
- 2 large Tomatoes, diced
- 1 Shallot, thinly sliced
- handful Fresh Basil, chiffonade
- ½ cup Fresh Mozzarella, diced or small pearls
- ¼ cup Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas, picking out any shells or odd pieces
- Add the chickpeas, shallot, diced tomatoes and cucumbers to a large bowl
- Gently toss, then add the mozzarella and basil
- Season with salt and pepper and add the olive oil and vinegar, gently tossing again
- Let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes mixing at least once before serving
- Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days
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