Super Simple, Italian Inspired Appetizer Skewers

Preparing tasty appetizers can sometimes be an arduous task. However, these three skewers are as simple to make as they are to eat. My favorite thing about these appetizers is that there’s no actual cooking involved which makes them an excellent option for summer days when it’s just too hot to turn on the stove or oven. The flavors are also light, bright, and refreshing. Keep reading for my easy to follow recipe.

Two of the skewers below contain fresh, marinated mozzarella balls, and one skewer contains marinated artichoke hearts. For added simplicity and convenience, you can easily find marinated mozzarella and marinated artichokes at your grocery store, OR you can choose to marinate them yourself if you have the time. At the end of the day, do whatever works best for you 🙂

Since I practically live at Trader Joe’s, my go-to container of marinated mozzarella is from their store of course. These bite size treasures come in a delicious herb packed, olive oil and are slightly smaller than your average Ciliegine fresh mozzarella ball.

If these are unavailable, I just buy their standard Ciliegine mozzarella container where the cheese is still fresh but comes in slightly salted water. My other go-to brand of plain, fresh mozzarella is the Angelo & Franco Ciliegine available at Costco. They also come in water and as expected are packaged in a much larger container which is always nice!

Here’s how I like to marinate my plain Ciliegine mozzarella.

Remove the desired amount of cheese from the water bath, and place them onto a cutting board.
Slice the mozzarella balls in half.
In a bowl, combine extra virgin olive oil, garlic powder or granulated garlic, dried oregano, crushed red pepper or cayenne, fresh ground black pepper, & your favorite grinding salt. I personally never measure during this process and just eyeball everything. However, if you are not as confident with dumping ingredients into a bowl, I would start with 1/4 cup of olive oil + 1/2 teaspoon of both the garlic & oregano + 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper + 4 grinds of black pepper + 2 grinds of salt. Taste your marinade and adjust based on your personal flavor preference & the amount of cheese you are choosing to season. Also – feel free to throw in whatever herbs and spices you have available or enjoy the most. I’m thinking sumac would be great with mozzarella because of its tart, lemony notes as well as some finely chopped mint, chives, or thyme. Creating marinades should be fun, and there is always room to experiment 🙂
Once you are happy with your marinade, add in your halved mozzarella and stir until all of the cheese is thoroughly coated in the mixture.
Cover the bowl and place the mozzarella into the fridge for at least 1 hour.
NOTE: The mozzarella pictured in the completed skewers above were Angelo & Franco Ciliegine that I cut in half and marinated myself.

Okay – time to talk artichokes. I, unfortunately, cannot recommend a favorite brand of pre-marinated artichokes since I only ever purchase plain artichoke hearts. My go-to unseasoned artichokes are the canned variety from Trader Joe’s. I am obsessed with these things and always have them in my pantry.

Here’s how I like to marinate my artichoke hearts.

Open your chosen can or jar of artichoke hearts, and drain the water.
In a bowl, combine extra virgin olive oil, dried oregano, crushed red pepper or cayenne, red wine vinegar or lemon juice, fresh ground black pepper, & your favorite grinding salt. As mentioned above, I never measure during this process and just eyeball everything. However, if you are not as confident with dumping ingredients into a bowl, I would start with 1/4 cup of olive oil + 1/2 teaspoon of oregano + 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper + 2-3 teaspoons of red wine vinegar or fresh squeezed lemon juice + 4 grinds of black pepper + 2 grinds of salt. Taste your marinade and adjust based on your personal flavor preference. And once again, feel free to throw in whatever herbs and spices you have available or enjoy the most. There are no rules here 🙂
Once you are happy with your marinade, add in your drained artichoke hearts and stir until all of them are thoroughly coated in the mixture.
Cover the bowl and place the artichokes into the fridge for at least 1 hour.
NOTE: The artichokes pictured in the completed skewers above were sourced from Trader Joe’s and then marinated at home.

Okay let’s build these skewers, my friends!

Classic Caprese

This skewer is always a crowd pleaser! Before you begin assembling, rinse & dry your small tomatoes of choice and basil leaves. I always try to use large basil leaves if available. And if you have access to homegrown tomatoes and basil, your caprese will taste that much more amazing 🙂

Step 1: Slide a tomato down the toothpick.

Step 2: Fold over a basil leaf in half, thirds, or quarters (based on its size), and slide it down the toothpick until the herb is sitting on top of the tomato.

Step 3: Slide a halved piece of marinated mozzarella on top of the basil.

Step 4: Drizzle all of the completed caprese skewers with a touch of the seasoned olive oil that the mozzarella was marinating in plus a drizzle of your favorite balsamic vinegar.

Voilà – all done!

Artichoke Heart, Olive, & Tomato

I love all of these ingredients, but have never put them on a skewer together until I made these appetizers two months ago. Lucky for me, everyone at the party really enjoyed them. The birthday boy even said that they were his favorite!

Step 1: Slide a pitted, Greek olive down the toothpick. I typically use Kalamatas.

Step 2: Slide the marinated artichoke heart width wise down the toothpick until it hits the olive.

Step 3: Slide a small, rinsed tomato on top of the artichoke.

WooHoo – all done!

Salami & Mozzarella

This skewer is the simplest of the bunch!

Step 1: Take a piece of thin pre-sliced salami, fold it over twice to form a small triangle, and slide it onto your toothpick.

Step 2: Slide a piece of halved, marinated mozzarella right on top.

All done! Couldn’t be easier, right?

Tip: It should go without saying, but please use whatever cured meat you have available or enjoy the most. I just happened to have salami in the fridge the afternoon I made these appetizers so that is what I used.