[portfolio_slideshow]Here’s fun appetizers that changes from salted crackers, fat chips and other greasy snacking temptations. Maybe you feel the same, but we’d like to see to enjoy something healthier on our table this summer!
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Ingredients list: goat cheese cucumber rolls
For 12 bites:
- 1 cucumber (preferably organic, because we’ll keep a bit of skin)
- 4 thick slices of goat cheese (sold as a small log)
- 6 pigeon heart tomatoes or grape tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large tablespoons chopped chives
- 1 clove garlic
- Salt and pepper
- Bamboo sticks, or toothpicks
Directions
1. Wash the cucumber then remove a first strip of skin using a vegetable peeler or a mandoline slicer. You can throw it because there is not enough flesh on it for a proper use. Then make thin strips of cucumber just like the pictures in the slideshow (there must be a thin trace of skin on each side of the strip). To make nice seedless ribbons, start with one side of the cucumber and make strips until you reach the seeds in the center of the cucumber. Then return the vegetable and do the same thing until reaching seeds again. You will have some flesh remaining on the sides that you can use later as cubes for a salad.
2. Put all the strips in a bowl. Pour a tablespoon of olive oil over the cucumber strips. Sprinkle a good pinch of salt, add a tablespoon of chopped chives and a clove of crushed garlic. Stir gently to avoid breaking the strips. Marinate 1/2 hour or more.
3. Then cut slices of goat cheese 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick (1/2 cm to 1 cm), then cut each slices into quarters. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place the second tablespoon of chives in small a bowl and roll the cubes of goat cheese into the fresh herbs.
Make the rolls:
4. Take a slice of cucumber, put one piece of goat cheese and half a tomato—put cheese into the halved tomato which is a bit hollow as seeds are removed.
5. Roll up gently ad close with a toothpick. When all cucumber rolls are done, keep them in the refrigerator until serving.
Variations:
- Put a cube of feta, half a tomato, a piece of pitted black olives and roll them up in cucumber
- Use mozzarella cheese instead of goat cheese
- Smoked salmon and quail egg in a strip of zucchini
- Shrimp, half a tomato and cucumber
- Ham or smoked bacon instead of cucumber
- Thin slices of radish…
For a lighter version, don’t marinate cucumber in olive oil but season the cheese and sprinkle with sea salt once rolled over.
