How To Make Tomato And Mozzarella Salad

Step 1: Roast the pine nuts

Step 2: Make the pesto

Put all the ingredients for the pesto except the olive oil, into the food processor. Start with your now roasted pine nuts then add the parmesan cheese, the garlic, the basil and the parsley and blitz together for one minute. Add the oil, slowly in a thin stream whilst still blending the ingredients together. Finally switch the processor off, pour the mixture into a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Step 3: Blanch the tomatoes

De-eye the tomatoes and then lightly criss cross them at the bottom with a sharp knife. This will ensure that the skin will come off easier. Then boil a litre of water. When the water is ready, drop all the tomatoes in it for 10 seconds but no longer. Then immediately take them out, it is best to use a large slotted spoon for this. When they are all out put them into iced water straight away, leave them for one minute then remove them.

Step 4: Prepare the aubergine

Peel and chop the aubergine as finely as you can.

Step 5: Fry the aubergine

Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in the heavy pan and add the finely chopped aubergine. Stir fry until crisp and slightly brown. Now take the aubergine and put it into the sieve to drain.

Step 6: Prepare the pesto

Then while the aubergine is still hot transfer it into a bowl and stir in six tablespoons of pesto and the remaining olive oil.

Step 7: Slice the tomatoes

Slice the blanched tomatoes, roughly 1 cm thick.

Step 8: Slice the mozzarella cheese

Cut the mozzarella roughly the same thickness as the tomatoes

Step 9: Prepare the plate

Alternate between slices of tomato and mozzarella around the edge of the plate and then start on the inside of the plate until it is full. Finally spoon the aubergine pesto over them. Season with black pepper and enjoy!