Tomato Goat Cheese And Black Olive Salad Recipes

Steps:

• Whisk 1/2 cup oil, thyme, and black pepper in small bowl to blend. Arrange grape leaves, vein side up, on work surface. Dip each cheese round into thyme oil and place in center of 1 grape leaf. Fold sides of leaves over cheese; fold up bottom and continue to roll up, enclosing cheese completely. Arrange wrapped cheeses, seam side down, on platter. Brush lightly with some thyme oil. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead; keep chilled. Cover remaining thyme oil and store at room temperature.)
• Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Whisk 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, vinegar, and mustard in small bowl to blend. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Slightly overlap tomato slices on large platter. Drizzle with dressing; sprinkle with half of olives.
• Place wrapped cheese rounds on grill, seam side down. Grill until cheese softens and leaves begin to char, about 2 minutes per side. Arrange cheeses atop tomatoes. Sprinkle with remaining olives.
• Brush bread slices with remaining thyme oil. Grill bread until beginning to brown, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes. Cut toasts diagonally in half. Serve cheese, passing toasts separately.

Steps:

• In a blender, combine basil, oil, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon water. Blend until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.
• With dental floss or a warm knife (wiped clean after each slice), thinly slice cheese. Arrange tomatoes and goat cheese on a serving plate; drizzle with dressing to taste. Serve garnished with basil leaves.

Steps:

• Arrange the sliced tomatoes on a plate without overlapping. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Crumble the goat cheese all over the tomatoes and then sprinkle the black olives on top. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.

Steps:

• In a small, shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs with salt and pepper, to taste. In another small, shallow bowl, beat the egg just until blended. Dip each goat cheese round in the egg, and then in bread crumbs, patting the crumbs in place. Cover and refrigerate the coated cheese rounds for about 15 minutes.
• Center the tomato slices on 4 salad plates and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat and pour in 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is almost smoking, add the cheese rounds. Cook until lightly browned, about 45 seconds. Turn them over and cook on the other side until the cheese just feels quivery, about 45 seconds longer, depending on the thickness of the rounds. Place a cheese round on each tomato slice.
• In a bowl, toss the herbs with a light drizzle of olive oil, a splash of red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper, to taste. Mound the herbs on top of the cheese, dividing them evenly. Serve immediately.
• Michael's Notes: This salad looks best when the tomato slice and the goat cheese slice are about the same size. So if you can only find goat cheese in small logs, you may want to serve 2 goat cheese rounds to each diner and perch them on slices of smaller tomatoes.
• Be sure you take all the stems off the herbs carefully so your guests can enjoy just the soft leaves.

Steps:

• Cook lentils in partially covered pot until they are tender but not mushy, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Slice onion into rings about 1/4-inch thick. Prepare stove-top grill, and grill onion, turning once or twice.
• Wash, trim and cut white part from leek; mince white part.
• Wash, trim and chop fennel bulb.
• Heat olive oil in small nonstick skillet, and saute leek and fennel until fennel softens.
• Wash, trim and slice tomatoes into 1/4-inch thick slices, and place in bowl with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, mixing to coat well.
• Mince garlic.
• When lentils are cooked, drain and rinse. Stir in leek, fennel, garlic and remaining balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
• Slice cheese, and heat at 400 degrees in toaster oven for a couple of minutes, until it begins to bubble.
• Wash, dry and chop basil; stir 2 tablespoons into lentils.
• Arrange lentil mixture on serving platter. Top with tomatoes. Place grilled onions in center, place cheese rounds on top of tomatoes, sprinkle with basil.

Steps:

• Cover each plate with a layer of mesclun or mixed greens. Place sliced tomatoes on top. Salt generously.
• Mix the dressing ingredients into an emulsion.
• Crumble the goat cheese onto the tomato slices.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Pour dressing on top lightly and add the chopped parsley or basil.

Steps:

• Combine tomatoes, black olives and onion in medium bowl. Add olive oil and balsamic vinegar; toss to blend well. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in arugula and serve.