Basil Rosemary Marinated Mozzarella

Have you ever opened up a package of mozzarella pearls, used about half of them on a salad or pizza or something and then stuck them in a container or bag in the fridge and forgotten about them?

This is something that has happened to me on multiple occasions. I decide I want mozzarella. I purchase a package of mozzarella pearls. I bring the little beauties home. I open up the package, use some of them and hope that I will find another use for the rest … but I don’t. Or at least not until it’s too late. And then I end up having to toss all of the what-was-once-beautiful cheese into the trash. So frustrating!

There’s an answer for that. Maybe you didn’t know, but I have no excuse. Marinating cheese in herbs and olive oil not only makes it taste amazing, it preserves it for a long, long time. As long as the cheese is fully submerged, the olive oil keeps the air from touching it and brilliantly preserves the cheese for several weeks, perhaps months. And when you add garlic and herbs to the mix, oh man, it just gets keeps getting better.

Marinating cheese has become one of my specialties, and sadly, I have a couple friends that think they cannot possibly master marinated cheese. It’s really very simple … you totally CAN do this! Here are some tips for success:

1. Get fresh garlic. Skip the jars of pre-peeled cloves. It’s super easy to peel a clove of garlic. Just smash the clove with the side of your knife. It releases the garlic flavor and will help the garlic infuse into the oil.
2. If your garlic cloves are big, cut them into slivers. Use 2 – 4 cloves per jar of cheese. Make sure the shapes of garlic are recognizably different than your cheese so you don’t accidentally snack on a clove of garlic!
3. Use good quality extra virgin olive oil.
4. Use good cheese! Bad cheese just tastes bad, even when you add things to it. Make sure your mozzarella pearls are good tasting from the start.
5. Store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

That’s really about all there is to it. You just try to smush as much cheese as you can into a jar, one layer at a time. Sprinkle each layer with seasonings and squeeze in some garlic and a sprig of basil and rosemary. Cover it with olive oil. And you’ll have some amazing tasting cheese that will last for weeks or even months. Some claim that raw garlic in oil only keeps a few days. For safety, store your marinated cheese in the freezer if you want to keep it more than a week. Other options are to saute the garlic before adding it or use freeze dried minced garlic.

How do you use this lovely marinated mozzarella? Here are a few ideas:

• Set out the jar with toothpicks and crackers for an easy party appetizer.
• Use it on a caprese salad.
• Top your favorite pizza with pearls of marinated mozzarella.
• Use these little balls of cheese on a charcuterie board or fruit and cheese plate.
• Make caprese skewers: a cherry tomato, a basil leaf and a mozzarella pearl on a toothpick.
• Use a ball of marinated mozzarella to tuck inside meatballs, rice balls, or veggie tots.
• Make a cheese bliss salad. SO good!
• Wrap the top of the jar with a ribbon and give it as a special gift to a friend.

How would you use it? I always love to hear new ideas. Let me know in the comments below.

Note: The FDA recommends storing the oil in the fridge and using garlic infused oils within a week. If you are concerned about botulism, store your cheeses in the freezer after letting them marinate for a couple days in the fridge.

Basil Rosemary Marinated Mozzarella

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 1 - 2 jars

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Ingredients

• Mozzarella pearls
• Garlic cloves, peeled
• Italian seasoning
• Red pepper flakes
• A sprig of rosemary
• A sprig of basil
• Extra virgin olive oil

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Instructions

1. In a small jar, make a single layer of mozzarella pearls on the bottom. Wedge a clove of garlic in amongst them. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Tuck in the basil and rosemary.
2. Continue making layers of mozzarella, each layer sprinkled with seasonings, until the jar is full or you run out of mozzarella. Pour extra virgin olive oil over to coat the mozzarella.
3. Let sit on the counter for about 30 minutes to let the flavors meld, then store in the fridge or freezer. About an hour before serving time, set out on the counter to let the oil liquefy.

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Notes

For safety, store your marinated cheese in the freezer if you want to keep it more than a week. Other options are to saute the garlic before adding it or use freeze dried minced garlic in place of the fresh garlic.

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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Do you have other cheeses you want to marinate?

I do recommend switching up the seasonings to match the cheese. Here are some more of my favorite marinated cheese recipes:

• Rosemary Garlic Marinated Feta – I use this one ALL the time on salads, soups, meats, and all sorts of things!
• Marinated Havarti Cheese – Havarti and Dubliner benefit from similar herb treatments. Use this recipe for either one.
• Festive Marinated Cheddar Appetizer – Cheddar is fussy when it comes to marinating. Sweet peppers and garlic are wonderful with cheddar. This one is a gorgeous presentation for the holidays, too.
• Honey Orange Thyme Marinated Cheddar – A little sweet and orange with thyme works very nicely with white cheddar.
• Herb Marinated Cheese – the original recipe from Full Belly Sisters that got me started marinating cheeses!

Looking for more cheese recipes?

Here are some amasing cheese recipes from me and my foodie friends:

• Bacon Dill Gougeres (French Cheese Puffs)
• Bacon Mushroom Swiss Cheeseburger Dip
• Four Cheese Mushroom Cauliflower Risotto – low carb and low cal, but super cheesy!
• Three Cheese Broccoli Potato Soup
• Indian Creamed Spinach with Cheese (Saag Paneer)
• Bacon Walnut Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
• Tyler’s Classic Cheese Fondue
• Red Lobster’s Cheddar Biscuits – Southern with a Twist
• Cheese Pennies – Southern with a Twist
• The Great Cheese Betrayal – three wonderful cheese recipes from Texana’s Kitchen
• Bacon & Cheddar Biscuits – Cooking with Mary & Friends
• Homemade Lasagna – Cooking with Mary & Friends
• Swiss Cheese Hard Apple Bread – Seduction in the Kitchen
• Egyptian Oven Baked Cheese – Seduction in the Kitchen
• Vegan Nachos – with vegan cheese! from ChinDeep
• Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Goat Cheese Spread – Bacon Fatte
• Island Queso Cheese Dip – Bacon Fatte
• Pretzel Bites with Everything Bagel Cheese Dip – Dixie Chik Cooks
• Jalapeno White Cheddar Pimento Cheese – Dixie Chik Cooks
• Bread Cheese Who Knew? – Unorthodox Epicure
• Chocolate Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache – Unorthodox Epicure
• Brazilian Cheese Bread – Whisk & Dine
• Campfire Mac & Cheese – Girls Can Grill