Photo Credit: L. Marie
Having a dinner party and looking for a simple appetizer? Wanna knock their socks off and still save yourself some dish washing stress? Consider this little gem of an idea I picked up at a dinner party we were invited to recently.
Basically, you just need all the ingredients you would normally use for a basic caprese salad, along with some of the shorter wooden BBQ skewers. Here’s a breakdown:
1 package of the shorter wooden kabob skewers, 1 package of grape tomatoes, 1 good sized bunch of fresh basil leaves, 1 container of small fresh mozzarella balls (or you could cube bulk block mozzarella as a budget option), extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and peppercorns, both in their own spice grinders.
Thread each item in repeating order onto individual skewers, starting with a single basil leaf. Arrange on a serving platter and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Grind fresh sea salt and black pepper over the entire batch. Simple, affordable and sexy.
If you like you can dress these up into anti pasta kabobs by adding such things as rolled sections of salami, Mediterranean olives or marinated artichoke hearts. The cool thing about these appetizers is that they don’t need to be grilled, making them quick and perfect for warm summer nights. These would also make an excellent side dish for a simple meal of grilled meats and spinach risotto.
Related Reading: Affordable Pineapple Recipes, Simple Summer Menus, Backyard Barbecue Ideas, Summer Cocktails.