Here’s a great appetizer recipe, very easy although it takes a little time  to make .
It’s very common in France to have friends over for a pre-dinner drink (apéritif). But we also often invite them for what we call « apéritif dinatoire » which means there is no dinner after it, you eat while drinking! In these occasions, I make different finger-food like Spanish tapas. It’s important to vary tastes and types so your guests don’t get bored.  There are tons of delicious recipes I’ll try to share with you in the finger-food pages.

Preparation time: 15 minutes – Marinating time: at least 30 minutes

Ingredients (for 20 skewers)

20 toothpicks

20 tomatoes cherry
20 small mozzarella balls
10 basil leaves (5 if they’re big)
2 tablespoons of parsley
2 tablespoons of small chive
2 tablesoons of olive oil
salt & pepper

Instructions

1/ Chop parsley and small chive. Pour mozzarella balls in a bowl. Add olive oil, parsley, small chive, salt and pepper. Cover and leave aside for at least 30 mn. (If you can leave it overnight, even better).

2/ Cut tomatoes and basil leaves in half. On a toothpick, line up one half of tomato, a piece of basil leaf, a mozarella ball and finish with the second tomato half.

We’re not exactly in the middle of the tomatoes’ season but I made these stuffed tomatoes a few days ago for a dinner with a vegetarian friend of mine and it came out pretty good

Preparation Time: 15 mn – Cooking Time: 15 to 20 mn

Ingredients (for 4 to 6 servings)

8 big tomatoes
1/2 lbs (225g) of feta cheese
4 slices of bread
2 garlic cloves
5 tablespoons of olive oil
3 tablespoons of fresh cream (crème fraiche you can replace it by Quark or fromage blanc)
1 tablespoon of capers
1 tablespoon of thyme (or parsley if you prefer)
Salt & Pepper

Instructions:

1/ Clean tomatoes and carefully cut off the tops. Scoop out pulp (very easy with a teaspoon, just be careful not to break the bottom of the tomato). Chop pulp finely and leave aside.

2/ Take out crumb from bread and dice it.

3/ Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan; brown crumb dices and chopped garlic.

4/ Preheat oven to 400° F (200° C – Th 7).

5/ Dice feta cheese. Combine it with fresh cream, salt and pepper. Add thyme, capers and crumb dices.

6/ Put tomatoes in an oiled baking dish. Fill with mixture. Put tops back on tomatoes.

7/ Pour chopped pulp between tomatoes (not everything if you have a lot). Add salt & pepper and 3 tablespoons of olive oil on top.

8/ Bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with a salad or rice.

Note that the picture was taken before the dish was ready, your tomatoes should have more « wrinkles » when ready to get out the oven.