Marinated Eyeballs

Marinated Eyeballs

Pictures taken from my personal collection

Ingredients:

Eyeballs:

2 packages (8 0z. ea.) mini mozzarella di bufala balls, drained
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 sundried tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
2 - 3 cloves minced garlic
sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Irises and Pupils:

Unpitted green olives, about 10
black olives, about 6
cabbage or lettuce leaves for serving

Create it!!

1. For the eyeballs: combine the drained mozzarella, oil, sundried tomatoes, hebs, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Stir gently to mix. Marinate a few hours (or up to 24 hours).

2. For green irises and black pupils: to create the 'iris' of the eyeball, cut one green olive in half. (This will create 2 irises). Using the end of a straw, poke a hole through the middle of each olive half removing a bit of olive. This is where you will place the black pupil. To create the 'pupil' of the eyeball, insert the end of a straw into a black olive and pull the small,straw-shaped piece out of the straw. Place the small black piece in the middle of each 'iris' on the rounded side (not the cut side). Repeat this process until you have enough irises/pupils for each 'eyeball'.

3. To assemble, drain the marinade and place the mozzarella balls on a serving platter lined with lettuce or cabbage. (This keeps the 'eyeballs' from rolling around the platter). Place the cut side of the olives onto the mozzarella balls to make the completed 'eyeballs'. Makes about 20 appetizers.

*simplify by using green pimento-stuffed olives. You will need an olive for each mozzarella ball. Simply cut off the bottom of each stuffed olive. Place the olive, cut side-down, on a top of each mozzarella ball. The iris will be green and the pupil will be red... creepy!!!!