Tag: Appetizers

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Peppers stuffed with goat cheese and olives

From https://www.theperfectpantry.com/2009/05/black-olives-recipe-goat-cheese-and-olive-stuffed-peppers.html. I made half a recipe. The leftover cheese makes a nice spread on other vegetables or crackers.

Ingredients

  • 12-16 canned piquillo peppers or 36 peppadews (I bought peppadews from the Whole Foods olive bar)
  • 1/3 cup pitted black olives, finely chopped
  • 7-8 oz log of fresh soft goat cheese, softened*
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 Tbsp capers, roughly chopped
  • 1-2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
  • Kosher salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
  • 1 Tbs. olive oil
  • Fresh parsley sprigs, to garnish

Directions

*Remove the cheese from the refrigerator and let soften at room temperature for 1-2 hours.

Halve the peppers lengthwise and blot the outside of the peppers with a paper towel to remove excess oil. Combine next seven ingredients. Mix well and adjust seasonings if necessary. Fill the peppers and refrigerate for 2 hours. Garnish with parsley sprigs, and serve.

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Spinach Balls

Been making this recipe for many years. I typically bake just enough to serve, freezing the rest to bake another time. Makes about 40 1″ balls.

  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 Tbs. butter, room temperature
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 Tbs. lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
  • 1 c. dry bread crumbs (I use Panko crumbs from TJ’s, but seasoned Italian crumbs are really good)
  • 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp. oregano
  • 1/4 tsp. basil
  • 1 10oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1/4 c. sesame or hemp seeds, approx. (The hemp seeds adhere better than sesame and add a delicious nutty taste.)

In food processor, mince onion and garlic. Add butter and process. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix well. Add lemon juice and mix again briefly.

In large bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, and seasonings. Stir in onion-butter mixture. Mix in spinach until well combined (I use my hands). Cover and refrigerate one hour.

Form spinach into 1″ balls and place on wax-paper-lined baking sheet. Pour the sesame or hemp seeds into a small bowl, and roll each ball in seeds to coat. Return seeded balls to the baking sheet (minus the wax paper).

Options: 1) Cover and refrigerate up to one day; 2) Freeze on baking sheet, then put in zip-lock bag up to 2 months.

To bake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake room-temp balls 20 minutes, then check for doneness and add additional baking time as needed. I find that it usually needs at least 30 min. Balls should be slightly firm. Bake frozen balls 30-35 minutes, adding additional baking time as needed.

 

 

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Turkey Liver Paté

This uses just one turkey liver – perfect to make at Thanksgiving time. Adapted from https://onthegas.org/food/turkey-liver-recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 1 turkey liver
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1/2 medium shallot (or use 1-2 T. minced onion)
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • 1/8 cup Cognac
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp coarse black pepper
  • 1 hard-cooked egg, chopped

Preparation:

  1. Place butter in large pan on low heat and allow to melt until butter begins to foam.
  2. Chop and mince shallots and add to butter and sauté until clear.
  3. Add the liver, thyme, Cognac, salt and pepper and simmer on high heat.
  4. Cook and stir occasionally until the Cognac is reduced and the liver is brown on the outside but still slightly pink on the inside (about 3-4 minutes)
  5. Remove from heat and let sit for approximately 10 minutes.
  6. Once mixture has cooled, place in blender or food processor and add the cream.
  7. Blend until mix is smooth and creamy, feel free to add more cream until the mix reaches desired consistency. Add the hard-cooked egg, and pulse until mixed well.
  8. Adjust seasonings as needed then place mixture in the refrigerator and allow to cool for at least two hours. Serve with toast or crackers.
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Tomato-Basil Bruschetta Topping

Use homegrown tomatoes in season. Serve on lightly toasted bread rounds.

  • 3 c. chopped fresh plum tomatoes
  • 1/3 c. chopped fresh basil
  • 1-2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
  • 1 1/2-2 Tbs olive oil
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Sprinkle chopped tomatoes with a little salt and let drain in strainer 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  2. Press out more water if tomatoes are watery.  Combine all ingredients. Let sit 30 minutes or so. Serve at room temperature.
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Asian Lettuce Wraps

PF Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps. A copycat recipe that you can easily make in just 20 minutes.
Yield: 4 sevings.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha or other hot sauce, or more to taste (optional)
  • 1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and diced
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 head butter lettuce (we prefer leaf lettuce)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add ground chicken and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the chicken as it cooks; drain excess fat.
  2. Stir in garlic, onion, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger and Sriracha until onions have become translucent, about 1-2 minutes.
  3. Stir in water chestnuts and green onions until tender, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  4. To serve, spoon a tablespoon or two of the chicken mixture into the center of a lettuce leaf, taco-style.

From http://damndelicious.net/2014/05/30/pf-changs-chicken-lettuce-wraps/

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Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

This is the best way to roast the seeds from a pumpkin or winter squash. They turn out crunchy and salty, yet tender.

  1. In a large bowl, rinse pumpkin seeds well to separate the seeds from the slimy mess. Drain well in a strainer.
  2. Bring heavily salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan. When I did a small pumpkin, I put about 1/4 c. of salt with about 1 quart water, I think.
  3. Add pumpkin seeds and boil for 10 minutes.
  4. Drain well and spread on greased baking sheet.
  5. Bake at 400 degrees (preheated oven) for 10 minutes or until just golden brown, stirring occasionally. Let one cool and taste it to see if it’s done to your preference. Be careful not to burn.
  6. Cool and store in covered container.
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Bacon-Wrapped Dates

These are awesome, yet so simple and easy. It’s one of the few things I can make easily in the boat’s tiny toaster oven. A perfect addition to the appetizer/munchie repertoire.

  • 4 large Medjool dates with (try to get soft ones with pits; I buy from the bulk bin at Whole Foods)
  • 6 pecan halves, each cut in 1/2 (total 12 pieces)
  • 4 strips bacon, not too thin, preferably without nitrates or nitrites (I like TJ’s Applewood Smoked Bacon)
  • 12 toothpicks

Preheat oven to 325. Place a piece of foil in a shallow metal baking pan (the toaster oven one is perfect).

Cut dates horizontally into thirds, removing pit. Stuff a pecan piece into each date piece. Cut each bacon strip into thirds. Wrap each date piece in a bacon strip, being careful to cover the dates completely. Stick a toothpick in each to secure the bacon and make a convenient handle for serving. Place on foil and bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until the bacon is done to your liking. Check often so you don’t overcook. Makes 12 pieces, enough for four servings (but we’ve never had any leftovers if it’s just the two of us).

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Spinach Dip

I made this up a number of years ago.

  • 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1/3 c. chopped green onions
  • 1 or 2 vegetable bouillon cubes, dissolved in a little boiling water (I use Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base)
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
  • Hot sauce to taste
  • ½ c. plain yogurt (amount is approximate)
  • ½ c. mayonnaise (Hellman’s or Best Foods) (amount is approximate)
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs

Drain spinach well. In food processor, combine spinach, green onions and dissolved bouillon cubes, processing until finely chopped. Add half the yogurt, mayonnaise and hot sauce, and process until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add more yogurt and mayo until the mixture is the right consistency and tastes good. You may need other seasonings. Add 1 chopped hard-cooked egg and process briefly. Scrape into serving dish and chill. Garnish with the other hard-boiled egg (chopped) before serving.

Serve with Pepperidge Farm Pumpernickel Snack Sticks. Update 11/16/13: Apparently Pepperidge Farm discontinued the Pumpernickel Snack Sticks a few years ago. Trader Joe’s sells a similar product. Snyder’s Pumpernickel and Onion Braided Twists are a good replacement, if you can find them.

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Always a Hit Shrimp Dip

  • 8oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
  • 2 TBS. Hellman’s mayonnaise
  • 1 TBS. freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (or to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp. hot sauce (or to taste – I used Sriracha)
  • 4oz. can tiny shrimp, drained
  • 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 hard-boiled egg, chopped

Stir together cream cheese, mayo, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce until smooth. Stir in shrimp, green onions, and hard-boiled egg. (The shrimp will fall apart – that’s fine.) Cover and chill.

Best made a day ahead to develop flavors. Serve with pumpernickel breadsticks, whole-grain crackers (not sweet), or cocktail rye bread.