A tasty and simple appetizer or a light and scenic second course, the Stuffed Mozzarella Braid with Ham and pesto on top is very quick and obviously no-cook.
A dish definitely to prepare in the summer for a meal on the terrace with friends or family that you can prepare just before serving, and you can further enrich it with Taggiasca olives, or with olive paté. If you prefer, instead of cooked ham, you can spread the mozzarella braid with a ham mousse or, if you want to eliminate the ham, you can use tuna mousse.
If you don’t like mixed salad, you can use arugula, and so on, you can transform each braid into a masterpiece.
We used small mozzarella braids so as to serve one for each person, but if you prefer, you can use a single 2.2 lbs (1 kg) one and cut it into 4 parts.
My sincere advice? Remove the mozzarella braid from the packaging at least 30 minutes before, dry it with paper towels to remove the excess whey that would otherwise be released on the plate.
Below I leave you other tasty and fresh no-cook ideas, and then right after the photo, as always, we will discover how to prepare the Stuffed Mozzarella Braid with Ham and pesto.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Stuffed Mozzarella Braid with Ham and Pesto
The quantities I leave you are for a second course designed for 4 people; if you want to serve them as an appetizer, calculate small braids of about 3.5 oz (100 g) each.
- 4 buffalo mozzarella (small braids of about 9 oz (250 g) each)
- 3.5 oz cooked ham
- 2 beefsteak tomatoes
- to taste mixed salad (or arugula)
- 4 teaspoons Genoese pesto
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pinches salt (for the tomatoes and salad)
Preparation of Stuffed Mozzarella Braid with Ham and Pesto
Start preparing the Stuffed Mozzarella Braid with Ham and Pesto by removing the mozzarella from its preserving whey.
Dry it with paper towels, leaving it at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Wash the salad and dry it, slice the tomatoes thinly, and season everything with a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
Dilute the pesto with 1 tablespoon of oil to make it nicely fluid.
Gently cut each mozzarella braid in half to form a sandwich, then place the tomato slices inside.
Fold each slice of ham in half and the freshly seasoned salad.
Close by gently placing the other half of the braid, distribute the diluted pesto with oil on top.
Serve the Stuffed Mozzarella Braids with Ham and Pesto at room temperature, or let them rest in the refrigerator for up to 30 minutes before enjoying.
If you want, you can add finely chopped Taggiasca olives before stuffing with the tomatoes.
You can replace the cooked ham with another cold cut or with drained canned tuna.
Instead of the salad, you can use arugula.
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