Recipe: Marinated Mozzarella

Continuing my Italian kick, I'll share with you a simple method to spruce up that delicious chunk of mozzarella you have sitting in your fridge. This is a marinated mozzarella recipe inspired by Josh, the cheese guy at Whole Foods in Plano, who tediously but happily makes his fresh mozzarella by hand in store. However, since Plano is more than a stone's throw away, I went with some fresh mozzarella from our local Houston Dairymaids.

This recipe is a quick, easy addition to a party platter or just a delicious snack.

Marinated Mozzarella

• 1 pound of fresh mozzarella
• 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 teaspoon of crushed red peppers
• 1 cup of fresh basil leaves
• Salt

1. Cut the mozzarella into half-inch cubes. Set aside at room temperature.

2. Mince the garlic as finely as you can.

3. Coarsely chop the basil leaves. I personally prefer my basil leaves whole, as you can see in the photo.

4. Combine the all the ingredients except the salt into a bowl and toss until even. Taste a cube of cheese. Depending on the cheese you use, you may want to add salt. Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes for the cheese to soften, allowing some flavor penetration.

Serve with toast or as is.