Seven Layer Italian Salad

I was talking with one of the chefs at work yesterday morning about how the change of seasons means a change of menus. Our restaurants are all about using fresh, local, sustainable ingredients in everything we make. We definitely follow the tenets of the Slow Food movement.

I always lament the end of summer, since my favorite foods tend to be summer foods. I told the chef how I was broken-hearted that I wouldn't have any more fresh tomatoes. He told me I was mourning prematurely, though. He said that weather permitting, we'd be able to get good tomatoes until the end of this month.

So in honor of the good news, I thought I'd share one of my favorite recipes that uses tomatoes. It's a delicious layered take on a caprese salad. It looks beautiful in a trifle dish or a deep glass bowl, and it's incredibly easy to make.

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

1 medium head iceberg or romaine lettuce, rinsed, cored and torn into pieces

1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 large ripe tomato, peeled, cored and chopped

6 ounces fresh mozzarella, small balls or cut into cubes

Fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper; set aside.

Layer remaining ingredients in a large bowl, ending with toasted pine nuts. Drizzle dressing over salad.

That's it! Once I found myself out of balsamic vinegar, so I used champagne vinegar instead -- worked fine. And if you don't want to bother making a vinaigrette, you can substitute your favorite store-bought vinaigrette or Italian dressing.

You can find pine nuts in the baking section of your grocery store, along with the other chopped nuts. To toast them, just spread them on a baking sheet and put them on the top rack of a 250 degree oven for about five minutes.

Enjoy this last taste of summer!