Marinated Mozarella

This is one I've been wanting to try for a while now, but never had the chance. I figured the holidays are the perfect excuse for trying stuff, so I gave it a try. I was a slacker and forgot photos, but I'm guessing you can use your imagination on this one!

Making this is actually super-duper easy. I did it in all of 10 minutes in the middle of the night because that's when I was thinking about it!

I used basil, rosemary, and thyme because these are what are in my garden and what I think of when I think "Italian". Oregano or other herbs would probably also be fantastic.

I also added some whole peppercorns, a little bit of crushed red pepper, a tiny bit of salt, and a whole glove of garlic (next time I would crush the garlic, but whatever floats your boat).

Of course, the main ingredient, the cheese! There are a few ways you can do this - the hard way is to get a large piece like a big ball or a log and cut it into pieces yourself. The not-so-hard way is to get pre-packaged little pieces. Now, I have seen/heard the little balls of mozzarella called "bocconcini" in lots of recipes. However, when I went to the store, the package that said "bocconcini" were about five still good sized balls per pound. NOT what I needed for appetizers. Luckily, there was a package marked "Mozarella Pearls" and that was exactly what I needed.

Moral of the story: Look at the actual product, not just the name on the label. You know what you're going for here! (Had I not been such a slacker, I would have pictures here. Sorry!)

Now, fill the jar up with olive oil and put on the lid. You may want to shake it up a little bit (even though everything will probably make its way back down to the bottom anyway!) and then stick it in the fridge. It needs to sit in there and marinate for at least three days, but you probably want to eat it within a week. You may want to take it out a bit before serving, but either way it works.

I ate these on little pieces of toast with pesto and a drizzle of balsamic. YUM!

I'm sure this would also be great tossed in a simple pasta salad, stuffed in a piece of chicken, or any where else you need a little bit of special cheesy goodness!