Recipe: Ina Garten's Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad

ROASTED TOMATO CAPRESE SALAD
"I love tomatoes but they're usually only good in summer when I can get them at a farmstand. I discovered that if you slow-roast the plum tomatoes that you can find all year long at the grocery store, they will have full, rich summer tomato flavor. Now I can make Caprese salad whenever I want."



FOR THE ROASTED TOMATOES:
12 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeds (not cores) removed
1/4 cup good olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
FOR SERVING:
16 ounces fresh salted mozzarella
12 fresh basil leaves, julienned

TO ROAST THE TOMATOES:
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Arrange the tomatoes on a sheet pan, cut sides up, in a single layer. Drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with the garlic, sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Roast for 2 hours until the tomatoes are concentrated and begin to caramelize. Allow the tomatoes to cool to room temperature.

TO SERVE:
Cut the mozzarella into slices slightly less than 1/2-inch thick. If the slices of mozzarella are larger than the tomatoes, cut the mozzarella slices in half.

Layer the tomatoes alternately with the mozzarella on a platter and scatter the basil on top. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Serve at room temperature.

Makes 6 servings
Adapted from source: Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten