Presto Pesto Skewers

If you can boil water, you can make these party skewers.  The real beauty of these are that while they are so easy, they look elegant and festive.  That's exactly what we are looking for in an appetizer right?

There are tons of different ways to skewer your favorite ingredients to make these.  I picked these things because; 1. These tomatoes looked great. 2. Cheese cubes are boring, cheese tortellini is much cooler.  There are other potential add ons to this Greek skewer stick like, olives, pepperoncini peppers, artichoke hearts, pepperoni....the list goes on.  Add whatever you like.

I used store bought pesto.  Yes, I could have made my own.  However if you buy basil in any supermarket in Clarksville this time of year it is the poorest excuse of fresh herbs you will ever see.  You would have $30 invested in trying to make a cup of viable fresh basil leaves.  I'm not up for the challenge and I would assume you aren't either.  Actually store bought pesto tastes amazingly close to homemade.  The best store-bought pesto's are the refrigerated ones, not the jarred.  Jarred pesto on the shelves taste too garlicky for me.  Our Kroger carries Buitoni refrigerated pesto.  Its found in the dried pasta isle in the cooler, right above the fresh tortellini you will need to buy for these also.  See, I'm keeping it simple for you.

A note about the tomatoes:  I used CHERRY tomatoes, not GRAPE tomatoes.  They are usually found right above the grape tomatoes in stores.  These were in a red net sack, not plastic.  Cherry tomatoes are closer to what we grow in our backyard in the summer time.  They are slightly larger and much, much juicier than grape tomatoes.  It gives you that sweet burst when you bite into them.  We southerners can relate to this variety more than grape tomatoes. 

Enough talk, let's skewer...

Ingredients:
1 package refrigerated cheese tortellini (I used whole wheat)
1 English Cucumber, sliced
1 package cherry tomatoes
1 container refrigerated pesto
Bamboo skewers

Boil cheese tortellini according to package directions.

Drain well and place in a bowl.  Place bowl in refrigerator to cool tortellini.

While tortellini cool, prep the rest of the ingredients.

English Cucumbers are different than what we grow in our gardens.  They are longer and have little to no seeds.  They are also less watery than the variety we are used to.  That makes them perfect for these skewers.  These cuc's are wrapped in a clear plastic wrapper in the grocery.  All you need to do to prepare them for eating is give the outside a good rinse.  The skins of these are not coated with that weird waxy substance regular cucumbers are when purchased in the store.

To make them look more festive, I take a vegetable peeler and run it down four sides of the cucumber before slicing them.  This gives them the striped edges. 

It looks pretty, but is completely optional for you.

Rinse tomatoes and remove what is left of the stems.

Once tortellini is cooled add the tomatoes and cucumbers to bowl. 

Add in pesto stirring carefully to combine.

At this point you can cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to

skewer them, if needed. 

Thread the ingredients onto the bamboo skewers in

whatever combo and sequence you prefer.

I love tortellini so I made sure to put at least two on each skewer.

Keep skewers in the fridge until you are ready to serve. 

They can come up to room temperate while the party is in full swing and they are still just as tasty. 

No worries.

If you are hosting or going to a party that will be full of heavy dips and rich foods these skewers are a great addition to the buffet.  Since there are veggies on here you don't have to feel guilty about having two or three of these babies. 

It's a nice break from the calorie bombs we often think of to take to parties. 

But these don't skimp on flavor one bit.  They were a hit!