Walnut-Arugula Pesto And Fresh Mozzarella Open-Face With Balsamic Syrup
- 5m Prep Time
- 25m Cook Time
- 30m Ready In
An open-face sandwich with walnut-arugula pesto, fresh mozzarella, and balsamic syrup on toasted focaccia. Perfect as an appetizer or light snack.
Ingredients
- 4 Focaccia al Rosemary Sourdough rectangles
- 1/4 cup Walnut-Arugula Pesto
- 1 fresh mozzarella ball
- 2 tbsp Balsamic Syrup
- 1/2 cup raw, shelled walnut halves or pieces
- 4 cup baby arugula
- 4 clove garlic
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tsp brown sugar or honey
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 11 of 15 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 217 mg
- Iron: 1.71 mg
- Magnesium: 35.2 mg
- Phosphorus: 182 mg
- Potassium: 362 mg
- Zinc: 1.44 mg
Let's Prepare
Collect
Gather these ingredients — no prep needed yet.
- 4 Focaccia al Rosemary Sourdough rectangles
- 1/4 cup Walnut-Arugula Pesto
- 1 fresh mozzarella ball
- 2 tbsp Balsamic Syrup
- 1/2 cup raw, shelled walnut halves or pieces
- 4 cup baby arugula
- 4 clove garlic
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tsp brown sugar or honey
Let's Cook
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Step 1.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spread the walnuts in a pie plate or small baking dish and toast for 12–15 minutes, until fragrant. Let cool completely.
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Step 2.
While the walnuts cool, make the balsamic syrup: In a small pan over medium heat, combine the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar or honey. Stir and bring to a soft simmer. Reduce the heat to maintain a low, constant simmer and cook, stirring often, until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a Pyrex measuring cup; it will thicken as it cools. Set aside.
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Step 3.
In a food processor, pulse the cooled walnuts, baby arugula, and garlic until finely chopped. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and sugar; pulse a few times to combine. With the machine running, add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream and process until smooth. Taste and adjust salt, sugar, or lemon juice as desired. Transfer the pesto to a small jar and refrigerate (or freeze for longer storage).
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Step 4.
Bisect each focaccia rectangle through the middle horizontally to create eight pieces. Lightly toast the bread in a toaster or under the oven broiler (about 1½ minutes under the broiler).
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Step 5.
Spread each toasted bread square with about 1 teaspoon (or more) of the walnut-arugula pesto. Place a thin slice (about ¼ inch thick) of fresh mozzarella on top of the pesto. Drizzle each sandwich with balsamic syrup. Serve immediately.