Salty Snowmen

17/11/2023

Salty snowmen are delightful appetizers to serve during the Christmas holidays. They are usually made with ingredients like mozzarella or creamy cheeses for the body and decorated with vegetables to make them more fun and attractive. Here is my Italian version of this festive recipe.

Ingredients

Buffalo mozzarella or cherry-sized mozzarella balls (for the body and head of the snowmen)
Black olives (for the eyes and buttons)
Carrots (for the nose)
Whole peppercorns (for the mouth)
Capers (optional, for buttons or decorations)
Breadstick rods or rosemary breadsticks (for the arms)
Parsley or chives (for the scarf)

Preparation

Start by preparing the various components that will be needed to assemble the snowmen. If you’re using buffalo mozzarella, cut them so as to obtain two spheres of different sizes, a larger one for the body and a smaller one for the head. If you’re using cherry-sized mozzarella, pick two of appropriate sizes.
To make the nose, cut the carrot into a small cone shape. For the eyes and buttons, slice the black olives into rounds or small pieces.
Assemble the snowman by inserting a toothpick in the center of the larger mozzarella ball and resting the smaller one on top to form the head.
Add the carrot nose by making a small incision on the head and inserting the carrot cone.
Apply the eyes, mouth, and buttons using whole peppercorns or pieces of olives.
Insert the breadstick rods on the sides to make the arms.
Prepare the snowmen’s scarf using parsley or chives. If you opt for chives, you can tie them around the “neck” of the snowman. If using parsley, you can simply place it or secure it with a toothpick.
Arrange the snowmen on a serving plate and keep in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve.

Curiosity

Salty snowmen are a great way to encourage even the little ones to eat some extra vegetables during the holidays. Moreover, they offer the chance to get creative, allowing everyone to personalize their own snowman with the ingredients at hand.