Individual Cucumber Salad Appetizers

This crisp and refreshing appetizer is sure to be a conversation starter at your next social function. The basic recipe itself is simple and harbors an infinite number of variations based upon your own level of taste and creativity. For instance, your can roll the base of the lettuce or mixed greens in proscuitto or thinly sliced ham and then fill the cored cucumber with the combination of the two for a little extra pizzazz. Alternatively, add small cubes of ham, egg, and/or chicken into the cucumber before adding the lettuce. Your imagination is the limit with this one. Give it your own kick of flavor, don’t be afraid to add something you like, break open that stash of hearts de palm, feel free to sprinkle crushed croutons over the top if you want, or even crushed cashews, try some finely diced pieces of dried cranberry, duck, tuna, whatever your little heart desires!

This recipe is good for 5-7 portions…


1 each European cucumber, peeled (reserve a few of the longer peels for plating)
1 cup Mixed Greens, rinsed and blotted dry (aka: spring mix, mesculine mix, look for a good variation of colors, they are your friend)
4-5 each Cherry Tomatoes, cut in half (make sure the overall diameters of the tomatoes you purchase are close to, or slightly larger than the diameter of your apple corer.
2-3 ounces Of your favorite salad dressing or a very high quality Balsamic Vinegar such as *Villa Manodori Balsamico Artigianale*
For more specialty ingredients, check out www.dipaloselects.com


To assemble your cucumber salads:

1.Trim off the ends of your cucumbers and then cut the cucumber into 1-inch to 2-inch segments. You should get five to seven pieces from a standard European cucumber.
2.Use an apple corer to punch out the centers of the cucumbers.
3.On a flat surface, take one-half of a cherry tomato and push it into the bottom of each of the cut cucumbers; Rounded side down. The tomato should fit snuggly into the opening and make a firm seal around the inside so that it doesn’t fall out when picked up.
4.Select multiple colors of lettuce leaves and pinch the bases together, and then push them into the top of the cucumbers.
5.Drizzle your dressing on top of the lettuce leaves. (you can insert some dressing into the cucumber itself at this point if you are using a cone tipped squeeze bottle)
6.Take a few of the longer cucumber peels and lay them out on the edges of a white plate. Cutting them into thin-long strips will give an added visual appeal with very little effort.
7.Arrange your finished cucumber salads in a triangular pattern. (think bowling pins)
8.Serve and enjoy.



For more Smoking Hot, Tips, Tricks, and Recipes check back soon.


Until next time,
Chef James


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