So excited for our new Book of the Month: The Hunger Games! I’ve loved both the books and the movies, and since Mockingjay Part 1 is coming out later this month, it seemed like the perfect time for a Hunger Games menu. Luckily, the books feature so many recipes, any difficulty in developing a menu comes from the sheer number of options.

For the appetizer, I wanted to feature a recipe that appears early in the first book, before the Games even start. Prim’s gift to Katniss of basil-wrapped goat cheese was the clear choice—a light, delicious salute to Prim and an example of the simple life in District 12.

P.S. The recipe I use here is an altered version of one found in the Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook.

Prim’s Basil and Goat Cheese Bites

“On the table, under a wooden bowl to protect it from hungry rats and cats alike, sits a perfect little goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves. Prim’s gift to me on reaping day. I put the cheese carefully in my pocket as I slip outside.”
— The Hunger Games

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 oz plain or honeyed goat cheese (the honeyed version is a sweeter and lighter—I prefer the flavor of the honeyed version a little more, but plain goat cheese is more true to the book)
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 10-12 fresh basil leaves

 

Makes 10-12 cheese bites

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Start by adding your cheese, olive oil, and lemon juice to a medium bowl. Stir until smooth. Now add your salt and pepper, stirring again until they’re evenly incorporated. In the end, you should wind up with a texture like ricotta.
   
   

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2. Spoon approximately 1 tsp of the cheese mix onto the middle of a basil leaf. Lift the two pointed ends of the leaf and pinch them together. Secure with a toothpick and repeat until you’ve reached the desired number of cheese bites.
   
   

   Step 1

   

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3. And that’s it! You’re all done. Technically, these can be covered and refrigerated for a day, but I recommend serving them right after making, so the leaves don’t wilt.

   

4. Enjoy with a friend while walking through the woods just before the Reaping!

   

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s the Yummly printable!