I would like to amaze you, and maybe I will succeed with some: Stuffed Cucumbers with Feta and Cherry Tomatoes Recipe, an easy, quick, and no-cook recipe! An appetizer or a fresh aperitif, to be enjoyed with a spoon directly from the cup created with the round cucumber.
Do you know the Round Pugliese Cucumber? The Cucumber Barattiere is a variety of cucumber typical of Puglia, mainly cultivated in the provinces of Foggia and Bari. It has a spherical shape and smooth skin of dark green color, and it doesn’t grow very large, in fact, it is harvested when the diameter is between 1.5 and 2.5 inches maximum. It can replace the classic cucumber in many dishes.
The Barattiere is appreciated for its freshness and lack of bitter taste. Considering that my father didn’t even complain after finishing his dressed salad served in the round cucumber, I would say it passed with flying colors. Perfect for use in: salads, crudités, it is ideal to serve during summer as an appetizer or aperitif like in my case. The harvest takes place from the beginning of June until the end of September.
Now that, like me, some of you have discovered the existence of the Round Cucumber or Barattiere Pugliese, you can run to the greengrocer or to the supermarket to buy 4 of them, so you can prepare this recipe together! I also made the video recipe to follow step by step to prepare this tasty and fresh appetizer. I amazed my father, who also took some photos as a memory of this dish, with this round cucumber with delicate flavor and perfect round shape.
Note on the Recipe: My Paciccio took the photograph you will find below both to have a memory of a dish and of a cucumber unknown to him, and because he made fun of the daughter because she doesn’t eat anything anymore without first taking a photo of the dish. Moreover, the aggravating factor, as he says, is that certain dishes, if they come out well and the photos are beautiful, are no longer prepared because they move on to new recipes. So if you want to eat Stuffed round cucumbers again, you will have to make them yourself! Sore point of having a daughter who is a food blogger for a living, to add to all the others he is still trying to understand and memorize. Maybe one day I will tell you in a stories about the communication with my father about my blog.
Below, I will leave you clickable links to read other recipes I have prepared with the baked feta with cherry tomatoes and basil, from the latest on my recipe site which is the Watermelon and Feta Checkerboard, super colorful and tasty to the Savory French Toast with confit cherry tomatoes and salted ricotta, you will also find the recipe to make a homemade gin tonic super good and fresh.
I also remind you that I wait for you every morning in the group and on the Facebook fan page of Le Ricette di Bea with the Recipe of the Day, many food contents live from my kitchen and especially many other easy, quick, and delicious recipes like this one!
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Affordable
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer, August Holiday
- Energy 177.12 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 9.42 (g) of which sugars 6.26 (g)
- Proteins 8.35 (g)
- Fat 12.23 (g) of which saturated 6.86 (g)of which unsaturated 2.65 (g)
- Fibers 1.08 (g)
- Sodium 671.07 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 4 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for 4 Stuffed Cucumbers with Red and Yellow Cherry Tomatoes
- 4 cucumbers (Pugliese barattiere)
- 7 oz feta (lactose-free in my case)
- 7 oz cherry tomatoes (yellow and red)
- 1 drizzle extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- Half lemon juice
- 10 leaves mint
Tools for the Stuffed Barattiere with Yellow and Red Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Corer
- 2 Small Bowls
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Blender
Recipe Steps for Stuffed Cucumbers with Feta and Cherry Tomatoes with No Cooking
Let’s start by thoroughly washing the Pugliese barattieri under the faucet. Then place them on a wooden cutting board and with a knife, cut off the cap, keeping it aside for final decoration.
Now take a corer; I used the one for zucchinis. Here’s the link here to buy one like mine, and try to scoop out as much as possible without breaking the round cucumber. Divide the pulp; in one small bowl, place the cucumber seeds which will be discarded later, and in the other bowl, keep the pulp without seeds. Nothing is wasted to create this recipe.
Blend the pulp into a purée and add the juice of half a lemon, salt, pepper, and fresh mint leaves. Stir with a spoon and place in the refrigerator.
Wash the four round cucumbers under running water to remove any remaining seeds inside and then place them on a serving plate.
Place them again on the wooden cutting board and this time cut the yellow and red cherry tomatoes in half and then in half again after washing and drying them. Then dice the Greek feta into not too large pieces, in my case lactose-free. We have all the ingredients ready to proceed.
As you may have noticed, there is no cooking, there is no waste except for the cucumber seeds.
Take the small bowl with the previously prepared purée and place all the ingredients in front of you on a work surface. Now we will fill the Pugliese barattieri.
First, place the four round cucumbers, then add cherry tomatoes, pieces of feta in each, and then with a spoon, top with the purée. In my case, I managed to make two layers of filling in each round cucumber.
As a final decoration, add some mint leaves or basil if you prefer. Drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and serve to your guests or your family!
A fresh dish, quick, to be enjoyed directly from the cup made with the Pugliese cucumber. A tasty appetizer or a quick aperitif to accompany with a fresh sparkling wine.
I can only wish you bon appétit and remind you that I wait for you every morning on my blog Le Ricette di Bea with many easy, quick, and delicious recipes like this one!!!
As I said, nothing goes to waste, in fact, after enjoying this dish, I rinsed the round cucumbers that I had simply emptied, sliced them into pieces, and stored them in a container with a lid in the refrigerator to prepare a tasty salad the next day with tuna, eggs, and chickpeas. Delicious, super easy with only the cooking of the eggs!!!
Variations of the Stuffed Cucumbers Recipe with Feta and Cherry Tomatoes
You can vary the type of cheese; for example, if you don’t like Greek feta, you can opt for the more classic mozzarella, aged cheese, or salty ricotta.
Instead of mint, you might use fresh basil.
Replace the yellow cherry tomatoes by using only the red ones, from piccadilly to datterini or cherry tomatoes.
