I love bite-sized appetizers that are fresh and light. These cucumber and Feta cheese bites fit the bill perfectly.
Cucumber and Feta Bites
I love bite-sized appetizers that are fresh and light. These cucumber and Feta cheese bites fit the bill perfectly.
Ingredients
- 1 large English cucumber, (cut into ½” slices)
- ½ cup Feta cheese, (crumbled)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
- ¼ clove of raw garlic, (finely minced)
- ¼ cup pine nuts, (lightly toasted)
- Zest from 1 lemon
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt & freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Start by washing the cucumber and slicing it into ½” slices.
- Place the cucumber slices on a paper towel, and pat them dry.
- Lightly salt the cucumber slices and allow them to drain some of their water for ten minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- In a small bowl, mix together the crumbled feta cheese, chopped dill, basil, mint, garlic, pine nuts, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Add the olive oil, and mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Taste, and season the mixture with salt and freshly-ground black pepper.
- Put the salted cucumbers dry again with paper towels when you are ready with the filling.
- Take a cucumber slice and use a small spoon to remove a small scoop of cucumber flesh from the center of each cucumber slice.
- *Essentially, you are hollowing out each slice of cucumber, so you can fill it with the Feta cheese mixture.
- Fill the indentation in each cucumber with a small spoonful of the feta cheese and herb mixture.
- Repeat with the remaining cucumber slices until all the slices are filled. Garnish the bites with additional fresh herbs, if desired.
- Chill the cucumber and feta bites in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
These cucumber and feta bites can be made in advance, although note that the salted cucumber have a tendency to release some water as they sit.