When I opened my Kelly Bros veggie box this week, and saw the big ugly tomatoes, first thing I did was hold one to my nose....and BANG!  I was rewarded with that sumptuous aroma that only ever seems to come from homegrown tomatoes....you know that smell that makes your mouth water, and makes you want to take a bite, as if it was an apple?  This was it.  In case I didn’t love Kelly Bros already!!

In my opinion, theres only 2 things to do with amazing tomatoes....serve them on salada biscuits, or make Caprese Salad!!  So I thought I’d share this super easy, beautifully fresh and tasty salad, one I fell in love with on my first trip to Italy, in the city of Turin.


INGREDIENTS 
2 large tomatoes (beefsteak, or something equally flavoursome)

1 large ball buffalo mozzarella (or bocconcini) – you will find this in the gourmet cheese section, sold in a tub of brine or water

¼ bunch fresh basil

Good quality olive oil (basil infused is great!) for drizzling

METHOD

Thinly slice your tomatoes, and set aside.

Thinly slice your mozzarella into discs, and then cut through the centre of each disc, so that you have a pile of flat half circles.  Set aside.

Tear the leaves of your basil off the stem and set aside.

On a plate, lay down a slice of tomato, then a slice of mozzarella, then a couple of basil leaves, layered in an offset fashion so that you can see a small part of each ingredient.  Continue in this order until you have used all your ingredients. 

Drizzle your olive oil over the whole salad, and garnish with any leftover basil leaves.

Serve alone as an entree (like they do in Italy), or as a side dish.

Preparation time: 5-10 mins

Serves: 3-4 as a side dish

With temperatures soaring, refreshing salads and smoothies are most certainly the order of the day.  This week we are thinking a little outside the box, using both kale and beetroot in these simple, yet refreshing recipes.  Special thanks to Sheryl Brooks for creating the test kitchen this week, and sharing with us her delicious creations!

Kale & Beetroot Salad.

Serves 2 main 

3 Cups packed Kale, Stalks removed and (kept for juicing), leaves thinly sliced.

Juice for 1/2 lemon.

2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil.

Pinch Salt.

Pinch freshly ground black pepper.

150 gm Fresh beetroot diced.

50 gm Fetta diced.

1/2 Carrot shredded.

1. Combine kale, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

2. Using your hands massage for 1-2 minutes.

3. Add remaining ingredients, toss and serve.

Beetroot and Kale Juice

3 Cups packed Kale (plus the extra stalks from the Kale & Beetroot salad).

1 1/2 Fresh beetroot peeled.

3 Carrots ends chopped off.

1/2 lemon.