Italian food meets Hanukkah.
Despite all Hanukkah dishes needing to be cooked in oil/fried, we do not fry the mozzarella to allow for a textural interplay between the creaminess of the cheese and the crispy basil and tomato crunch. It’s a fun holiday spin on the arguably healthier simple caprese salad.
Ingredients
Fried Green Tomatoes
- 1 green tomato, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
- flour
- panko bread crumbs
- vegetable oil
- sea salt
Fried Basil
- 6 large, fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup flour
- vegetable oil
- salt
Mozzarella
- 4 1/4-inch thick slickes of fresh mozzarella
Directions
For Fried Green Tomatoes
- Salt and pepper the tomato slices; dredge in flour.
- Dip slices in beaten eggs, letting excess drip off, then coat well with Panko. Fry in hot oil until browned, turning gently (about 3 minutes each side).
Fried Basil
- In a shallow bowl, whisk the flour and water
- Pour vegetable oil into a saute pan and heat until starts to bubble.
- Dredge the basil leaves in the batter and fry, about 1 minute per side or until golden brown.
For Caprese Salad
- Interchange tomato and mozzarella on a plate, placing basil leaves on top. Sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle extra virgin olive oil.
