Tomato Appetizer with Cheese and Garlic

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make a tomato-and-cheese appetizer? For the first version, we'll make a tomato appetizer with dill and green onion. Gather the ingredients.

2. Step 2:

   

   Wash the tomatoes, dry them, and cut them into rounds. Choose juicy but firm tomatoes. Soft ones don't hold their shape well; as you cut and mix them, they fall apart into a shapeless mush and ruin the look of the dish.

3. Step 3:

   

   Cut the bell pepper into very small cubes.

4. Step 4:

   

   Peel the garlic and run it through a press or grate it on a fine grater.

5. Step 5:

   

   Wash the dill and green onion stalks, dry them, and chop them finely. Set aside a little dill for garnish.

6. Step 6:

   

   Put the cream cheese in a bowl and mash it with a fork. If your cheese is very firm and you want it softer, add 1-2 tablespoons of full-fat sour cream and mix.

7. Step 7:

   

   Add the herbs, garlic, khmeli-suneli, and ground pepper blend to the cream cheese.

8. Step 8:

   

   Mix everything thoroughly with a fork until smooth.

9. Step 9:

   

   Transfer the resulting cheese filling into a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe the cheese filling onto each tomato round.

10. Step 10:

    

    To make the appetizer look nice, set the tomatoes on lettuce leaves. Sprinkle the chopped bell pepper and the reserved dill over the top.

11. Step 11:

    

    Now let's move on to the second version of this appetizer. You can use basil with large leaves or small branched bushes with little leaves. I used one kind of basil for the filling and another for garnish.

12. Step 12:

    

    Likewise, wash, dry, and cut the tomatoes into rounds.

13. Step 13:

    

    Wash and dry the basil. Pull the leaves off the stems.

14. Step 14:

    

    Peel the garlic clove and cut it into several pieces.

15. Step 15:

    

    Put the prepared basil leaves, garlic, and sea salt in a blender.

16. Step 16:

    

    Blend everything to the consistency you want. I didn't blend long, so the leaves wouldn't break down into a smooth purée.

17. Step 17:

    

    Put the cream cheese in a bowl and mash it with a fork. If you like, thin it with sour cream too.

18. Step 18:

    

    In a bowl, combine the cream cheese and the basil mixture.

19. Step 19:

    

    Mix everything thoroughly. Unlike the first version, the cream cheese will turn pale green from the juice released as the herbs are blended.

20. Step 20:

    

    Likewise, transfer the cheese filling into a piping bag with a star tip. If you like, you can use an ordinary teaspoon to apply the filling to the tomatoes in both cases.

21. Step 21:

    

    Arrange the tomato rounds on a dish. Pipe the basil cheese filling on top.

22. Step 22:

    

    Garnish the appetizer with basil sprigs on top. You can serve both appetizers separately or together on one platter. Enjoy!