Category: appetizers

Zucchini Galette

Within about two bites, my family declared that this recipe was a contender for best summer dish of 2010. With a flaky crust, sliced zucchini, three different cheeses and fresh basil, it has a certain summer elegance. I found the dough to be a bit tricky, perhaps because of the intense heat in the kitchen, but ultimately it was forgiving. My version came out much more like a square than a circle, but the crust was so lovely that no one noticed. So go put your flour in the freezer to let it chill, and let me know how this goes for you.

Garlic Scape Pesto

My second big find at the Copley Square Farmer’s Market was garlic scapes. Garlic what? The scapes are the immature flower stalks of the plant. I had seen them on Oh She Glows, and then found another great write up on The Hungry Mouse. These are some unruly plants! But I am not sure how long they’re in season locally, so you must look for them right this minute.

I modified the recipe a bit, and then spread the pesto on top of goat cheese on a toasted whole wheat baguette. The pesto is tangy for sure, but it was offset by the creamy goat cheese and made a fantastic lunch with a big salad on the side.

5 garlic scapes, washed and cut into smaller pieces
2 T pine nuts
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan
3 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice

Blend in a food processor until it reaches the desired consistency.

Mini-Quiches

For my cooking club’s “Mini-Foods” theme, I also made these mini quiches. I loosely based my recipe on this one. I don’t usually buy frozen hash browns, and found them very difficult to use. I started with a big clump of frozen potato, and when it finally thawed it kept burning and sticking to the pan. Next time I might try something simpler, and perhaps use mashed potato for the bottom crust. The quiche was also fairly dense so I might try beating the eggs with a hand mixer to make them a little fluffier. Still, this is a fairly simple recipe which makes a good appetizer or portable breakfast.

2 c. frozen hash browns, cooked in oil and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 onion, diced and sauteed
1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
8 eggs, beaten well
1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

Divide potato mixture and place in 12 muffin tins coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375F for 5 minutes.

Mix onions and spinach together, and divide among muffin tins. Divide egg mixture among muffin tins. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on each mini quiche. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes, or until browned.

Curried Cashew Spread

I wish I could give each and every one of you a spoonful of this amazing spread! The original recipe is from Gena at Choosing Raw, and it was just as good as promised. It’s a little spicy (but not hot), a little sweet, and I had forgotten just how much I like cashews. You could definitely use this as a dip, or in a wrap, but I just put a big spoonful on my Indian roasted veggies and bulgur, and it was perfect.

1 c. cashews, soaked in water for 6-8 hours
3 dates, soaked in water for 1 hour
2 T lemon juice
2 t soy sauce
1 t curry
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t cinnamon

Blend all ingredients in a food processor, and add water until spread reaches the desired consistency.

Sweet Pea and Ricotta Dip

I spied this Sweet Pea and Ricotta Crostini recipe in my Real Simple magazine, and then transformed it into a cracker and vegetable friendly dip to serve at Easter. The dip was easy to make and really good, although both my sister and I thought it might be even better served warm. It might be put to everyday use as a spread for a warm vegetable wrap or portobello mushroom sandwich. But no time this weekend for that, there were other projects to tackle.

1 c. peas, thawed
1/3 c. fat free ricotta
2 t olive oil
2 T Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
1 scallion, cut into small pieces
Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Hawaiian Mini Calzones

My supper club theme this month was “30 Minute Meals” and while we had a number of great dishes, a few of them went over 30 minutes, including mine! I have posted many times about making pizza, etc. with Trader Joe’s whole wheat dough, and this is one more variation. It’s a generally quick recipe, but by the time you roll out the dough, assemble the calzones, and bake them, it’s closer to 40-45 minutes.

1 lb. Trader Joe’s whole wheat dough, divided into 8 small balls
8 thin slices ham
8 thin slices mozzarella cheese
4 pineapple rings
Tomato sauce, for dipping

Roll out each portion of dough into an oval. Fold the cheese slice around the ham, and place on one half of the dough. Top with half of a pineapple ring, and fold over dough, pinching the edges. Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes. Serve with tomato sauce.

Wings!

You can’t have people over for the big game without some wings! Messy to eat, yes, but so good. I can’t take credit for this recipe though, it came from someone who wasn’t even at the party, but thankfully let us in on the secret. The wings cooked for plenty of time, but the sauce didn’t get as thick as expected. It didn’t matter in the end; these wings were tender and had an excellent flavor. Get out the napkins…..

5 lb. chicken wings
2 c. soy sauce
1 c. brown sugar
1 can of beer

Place all ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat, cooking for about 45 minutes. When the sauce is like molasses, they’re done. You should stir throughout the cooking, but be careful because as the wings get cooked the meat will start to fall off the bones and it can end up being a mess.

-Recipe courtesy of Mike Rosa

Spinach Artichoke Dip

It may come as a surprise that I have never made my own spinach artichoke dip. I’ve enjoyed plenty of restaurant and homemade versions, but never got around to trying to make it myself. I used a fairly basic recipe, although I substituted freshly grated Parmesan. The dip was good overall, but I’ve had versions which were slightly creamier so next time I will use just a bit more cheese.

Roasted Vegetable Appetizers: Two Options

I started out by making a roasted vegetable dip. Really, all I did was cut up a Vidalia onion, two zucchini, and a carton of cherry tomatoes and mix them with some olive oil and an onion soup seasoning packet, just like this recipe. I let the vegetables cool, and then tossed them in my new food processor for a quick blend. The end result was a flavorful vegetable dip.

The dip was good, but perhaps a little boring on a cracker. Since I had quite a few leftover won ton wrappers from the Chocolate Ricotta Rolls, I decided to try Roasted Vegetable Won Tons. I placed about a tablespoon of dip in the center of one wrapper, covered it with a second wrapper, and sealed the edges with a touch of water. I baked them at 350F for 8-10 minutes, and a second appetizer was born. They were crunchy and delicious!