Caprese salad with sundried tomato pesto and pickled walnut

Caprese salad with tomatoes, mozzarella and pickled walnut. Photograph: Harry Weir
Caprese salad with tomatoes, mozzarella and pickled walnut. Photograph: Harry Weir
Serves: 2
Course: Lunch
Prep Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

  • 300g sun dried tomatoes in oil
  • 100g roasted pine nuts
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 100g grated Parmesan
  • 1tbs lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper
  • 500g mozarella (or burrata)
  • 4 heirloom tomatoes
  • 10 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1tbs olive oil
  • 100g pickled walnut, plus the juice
  1. For the sun-dried tomato pesto: in a food processor, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, oil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Adjust the consistency by adding more olive oil if necessary. Set aside.
  2. Drain the mozzarella and leave out at room temperature to de-chill before serving. Slice the tomatoes into half centimetre thick slices and place on a tray with the halved cherry tomatoes and season with a little salt and pepper.
  3. For the pickled walnut: blend together the olive oil, pickled walnuts, pickled walnut juice, salt and pepper.
  4. Arrange the tomatoes, fresh basil leaves and mozzarella on a serving plate. Drizzle the pickled walnut dressing over the salad. Spoon dollops of the sun-dried tomato pesto on top of the salad. Finally, garnish the salad with a few sliced pickled walnuts or basil leaves.
Gráinne O'Keefe

Gráinne O'Keefe

Gráinne O’Keefe is a chef, restaurateur and contributor to The Irish Times. She is chef-patron of the Dublin restaurant Mae