Portabella Mushroom Salad with Balsamic Vinegar Dressing

This recipe serves four -- although it's tasty enough that I've eaten two servings at once. Oink.

Roasted red peppers are now available in most specialty stores.

Start with whole Portabella caps for this salad, because you need thinner slices than those found in packages. Balsamic vinegar is generally available in specialty stores; buy the best you can afford. The very old ones are sweet with an acid edge perfect for this dish - although most good commercial brands will do. Do not substitute regular wine vinegar, you heathen.


Ingredients:

• 1 very large or 2 medium fresh tomatoes, sliced thin into about as many pieces as you have of mozzarella
• 2 balls fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into ½-inch-thick rounds
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 whole Portabella caps, 3-4 inches in diameter, thinly sliced
• 2 whole marinated roasted peppers. Sliced into 1-inch-wide pieces
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

Preparation:

Alternate the slices of tomato and mozzarella on 4 plates.
Blend together the oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkle half of it over the tomatoes and cheese. Then place the slices of mushrooms and peppers crossed over one another on top of the tomato and cheese.
Sprinkle with the rest of the dressing.
Finally, sprinkle the basil over top of the entire salad and serve.