Posts tagged ‘appetizers’
Recipe of the Week – Oven-dried Tomatoes
(From the Vegetable Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Oven-dried Tomatoes
I am a little tardy in writing this post; we are on vacation in NJ and I have been very busy in the kitchen. I have been making some of our old favorites and some new ones that I wanted to try. Feasting on Bouillabaisse, short ribs and pan-roasted salmon one night and then Watermelon Gazpacho and Shrimp Bisque the next. Desserts were Tiramisu, Carrot Cake and a double chocolate cake.
So now to the reason for this post. My mother-in-law still buys for 5 although she is the only one still here. Searching for a few tomatoes in the frig I came up with about 12 rather large NJ tomatoes. As it is harvest time in many regions everyone will probably be overloaded with tomatoes. The attached recipe is for plum tomatoes but any type will work. Additional, the house smells great when the tomatoes are in the oven.
Oven-dried Tomatoes
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 6 |
| Category: | Vegetables |
| Meal: | Veggie – Book Group (Theme Meal Plans) |
| 6 | medium | tomatoes, plum |
| 1 | pinch | salt, kosher |
| 3 | Tb | sugar, brown |
| 2 | cloves | garlic, minced |
| 1 | pinch | thyme, dried |
| 1 | pinch | pepper, fresh ground |
| 2 | Tb | oil, olive |
Cut tomatoes in thirds lengthwise, place on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper, garlic and thyme. Sprinkle with a drop or two of olive oil. Bake at 250- degrees for 2 1/2 hours.
Note: may be re-heated prior to serving.
More recipes at emealsforyou.com
Recipe of the Week – Keeping it Simple – Easy Appertizers
(From the Appetizer Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Dates and Goat Cheese
Melon and Ham
I seem to be on a mission to find easy but good food; maybe it is the unbelievable heat we have been having. Simple seems to have a special appeal when the thermometer reads in the high 90′s. The neighbors came over last night for dinner and I was scratching my head to come up with some quick and easy appetizers. I had a ripe cantaloupe, some excellent Polish ham, some dates and a little goat cheese. Add a few drops of honey and you have pretty good summer appetizers. They must have hit the spot as they disappeared from the plate just about as quickly as they took to assemble.
Melon and Ham
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 6 |
| Category: | Appetizer |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 0.25 | small | cantaloupe |
| 2 | slices | prosciutto, sliced |
Cut melon into small chunks. Wrap a small piece of the prosciutto around the melon, secure with a toothpick and serve.
Note: You may use any ham you have available.
Dates with Goat Cheese
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 6 |
| Category: | Appetizer |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 1 | cup | dates, whole |
| 2 | Tb | cheese, goat |
| 1 | tsp | honey |
Cut dates in half and remove the pit. Place a small dollop of the goat cheese in each half and drip a drop or two of honey on the top. Serve at room temperature.
See more quick, easy and good appetizers at emealsforyou.com
Recipe of the Week – Pesto ( hold the pine nuts)
(From the Misc Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Basil Pesto on Pasta
Pesto is a wonderful thing. You can make it with almost any herb or vegetable. You can serve it as an appetizer, a dip or a sauce on pasta or meats and fish. Basically you add cheese, garlic, olive oil and your herb or vegetable and some nuts together in a food processor, process until you get the consistency you wish and voila! you have it; all in about 30 seconds.
We have been making assorted pesto for years; combining sun-dried tomatoes and toasted pecans or spinach and hazelnuts, and of course basil and pine nuts. (see our selections at emealsforyou.com). The problem and reason for this post is that there seems to be a shortage of pine nuts on the market. Usually readily available in the grocery in pound bags, you are lucky to see a couple ounce jar in the Italian specialty aisle for about $5. Don’t let this dissuade you from making pesto. Use toasted walnuts in place of the pine nuts and you will not notice the difference. The texture will be the same and you will get the same “sweetness” that the pine nuts provided. Basil is flourishing in the bright sunshine, plant some or buy some but give pesto a try for a great meal.
Basil Pesto
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 6 |
| Category: | Misc |
| Meal: | other (General) |
| 0.5 | cup | basil leaves, whole |
| 0.75 | cup | pine nuts, toasted |
| 0.75 | cup | cheese, Romano |
| 1.5 | cloves | garlic, chopped |
| 0.75 | cup | oil, olive |
Toast pine nuts lightly. Place basil, pine nuts ( or any other nut you choose), garlic and romano in food processor, process until a paste forms, add oil slowly until you reach the consistency you desire. Should be spreadable, like peanut butter.
Note: Great on sandwiches, may be used on pasta. I spread it on toasted French bread, sprinkle with romano and basil and broiler slightly.
Shown here on pasta.
Recipe of the Week – Frugal Entertaining – Try Small Plates
(From the Appetizers Category at www.emealsforyou.com)
Tomato Crostini
Coming off an extended period of cooking for company I thought it would be the ideal time to suggest scaling back on the food and saving money at the same time. In our house the term “small plates” refers to any number of small, colorful dishes (think tapas) that provide an interesting alternative to dinners, both large and small. My wife prefers several small options to one big meal, usually on Friday night.
Small plates are ideal for using up all the small containers of leftovers you find after a week of meals. Usually too little to provide a meal but when taken as a group will provide “ahs” from the crowd. For the cost of a baguette ($2.79 at Panara Bread) you can feed a large group when pairing the toasted bread with the leftovers in your frig. A basic salad, cut into smaller pieces, provides a wonderful and surprising addition. Yesterday I took the leftover pork chops from a dinner party and shredded them, added chopped onions, celery and garlic and wrapped them in flour tortillas. Cut them on the diagonal and you have another quick and “cheap” small plate. Plus you get the added smile of using those annoying plastic baggies and containers in the frig.
The bottom line here is to use your imagination. Leftover frozen ham becomes wonderful finger food when placed on refrigerator biscuits with a little pepper jelly added for zing. A container of olives become a great tapenade to spread on toasted slices of the baguette. The secret here is put a few on a serving platter, add a few more of another, bring out small dessert plates or even paper plates and you have an instant party or maybe an intimate dinner.
Fresh Tomato Crostini
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 6 |
| Category: | Appetizer |
| Meal: | Other (General) |
| 1 | medium | baguette |
| 24 | spritz | PAM |
| 1 | large | tomatoes, fresh |
| 2 | cloves | garlic, minced |
| 2 | Tb | onion, red |
| 3 | Tb | roasted red peppers |
| 2 | Tb | peppers, pickled rings |
| 1 | Tb | vinegar, red wine |
| 1 | Tb | parsley, flat leaf, chopped |
| 1 | pinch | salt and pepper to taste |
Slice baguette diagonally in ½ inch slices. Spray both sides with Pam and place on a cookie sheet. Place in a 400 degree oven for 6 -8 minutes until lightly golden. Mince the garlic and place in a medium bowl; cut tomato, onion, red pepper, pepper rings and parsley into a small dice. Add to the bowl. Add vinegar, stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon onto the toasted baguette and serve.
Pesto – A Happy Rant
(From the Misc Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Everytime I go back to New Jersey to visit family the one consistent request is for Sun-dried Tomato Pesto. This last time was no exception; the pesto was served on toast points with a thin slice of turkey as part of our appetizer plates. Most of us forget about the usefulness of a simple pesto in moving a meal or party snack to a higher level.
By simply mixing sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, pecans, olive oil and cheese in the bowl of a food processor yields a unique taste treat that can be served on crackers, spread on a sandwich in place of mayo or thinned out with a little more olive oil and give a boost to any pasta. Top off a chicken breast with a dollop and you have a gourmet meal that everyone will love.
Pesto can be made of many different herbs and ingredients. Using the last home-grown basil of the season, add it to your processor bowl with some pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and cheese to give you a great tasting sauce or spread. Any leftover can be frozen to be used in the dead of winter to add a surprise element to a dreary meal. The same goes for spinach, hazelnuts, garlic, olive oil and cheese. Give pesto a try, your family will love it, your friends will be amazed by your culinary acumen and you might find a smile on your face.
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 6 |
| Category: | Misc |
| Meal: | Brunch Anyone? (Distinctive Dinners) |
| 0.75 | cup | sun dried tomato |
| 0.75 | cup | pecans, halved |
| 1.5 | cloves | garlic, chopped |
| 0.75 | cup | cheese, Romano, grated |
| 0.75 | cup | oil, olive |
Toast pecans slightly. Place tomatoes, pecans, garlic and Romano in food processor, process until a paste forms, add oil slowly until you reach the consistency you desire. Should be spreadable, like peanut butter.
Note: The color will vary with the color of the sun dried tomatoes you use. Great on sandwiches, may be used on pasta. I spread it on toasted French bread, sprinkle with romano and basil and broiler slightly
Recipe of the Week – Small Plates
(From The Quick Meals Planner at emealsforyou.com)
Every once in a while we break from our usual Friday night pizza and go for something a little more interesting. I put together some appetizer plates with whatever is around and whatever I feel like eating. The assortment above works for us as I don’t eat fish and my wife loves it. Fish for her and chicken for me. Actually she had some from each plate and really enjoyed the crostini.
Small plates work well for company, there is usually something on the plate that suits everyone’s taste. This is a good way to get rid of all those partial containers of “stuff” in your frig. You can roll up some lunch meat, spoon out some pickles or just put some left over cheeses in your food processor and make a cheese spread, adding olives, garlic, bacon bits, red peppers or whatever you feel like. We call this small plates (tapas) as we only put out small plates, that way everyone gets a chance at the food instead of the first person to the table takes it all.
Fresh Tomato Crostini
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 6 |
| Category: | Appetizer |
| Meal: | Other (General) |
| 1 | medium | baguette |
| 24 | spritz | PAM |
| 1 | large | tomatoes, fresh |
| 2 | cloves | garlic, minced |
| 2 | Tb | onion, red |
| 3 | Tb | roasted red peppers |
| 2 | Tb | peppers, pickled rings |
| 1 | Tb | vinegar, red wine |
| 1 | Tb | parsley, flat leaf, chopped |
| 1 | pinch | salt and pepper to taste |
Slice baguette diagonally in ½ inch slices. Spray both sides with Pam and place on a cookie sheet. Place in a 400 degree oven for 6 -8 minutes until lightly golden. Mince the garlic and place in a medium bowl; cut tomato, onion, red pepper, pepper rings and parsley into a small dice. Add to the bowl. Add vinegar, stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon onto the toasted baguette and serve.
Recipe of the Week – Antipasti Tray
Antipasti Tray
(from www.emealsforyou.com Recipes/Appetizer/AntipastiTray)
With all my recent posts and rants about healthier eating it may appear that I have deserted those who eat a normal diet; normal being somewhat less health conscience and in moderation. One of the many things to come out of my NJ trip and cooking marathon is that I now have a wealth of food topics to pass along to you.
Although I usually recommend cooking from scratch to control what goes into meals; occasionally I rely on prepared or as the TV show calls them “Semi-Homemade” products. This antipasti tray was one of 11 different dishes we prepared for the buffet party in NJ for 35 people. Wanting to provide a salad-like course we decided to go the deli route. Shooting for a visual as well as a palate pleasing effect we selected thinly sliced hard salami, Gorgonzola stuffed green olives, assorted black olives, marinated artichoke hearts and goat cheese stuffed red peppers. ( we did stuff the peppers ourselves; the we being my wife). Our friend Jean arranged the dish and I can verify that it did have the desired visual and palate pleasing results.
BTW – For those keeping score I found antipasti spelled antipasti, antipasta and antipasto. Would one of my Italian readers please send a comment as to the difference in these three?
Recipe of the Week – Oven-dried Tomatoes
Oven-dried Tomatoes
(from www.emealsforyou.com/Appetizers/Oven-driedTomatoes)
We are back from our Food Fest week in NJ. Surprisingly everything went as planned; I think that is a first. The dinner party on Thursday was a success; we were able to accommodate everyone, the non-meat eater, the non-fish eater and the gluten intolerant. The ” normal” people enjoyed it as well. One of our appetizers appears in the photo above: Oven-dried Tomatoes.
I will be highlighting more of the meal in detail in the coming weeks but here is the menu: Appetizers: Oven-dried Tomatoes and TJ’s Special Dipping Sauce with French baguettes. Main course: Osso Buco of Veal and also Osso Buco of Monkfish, Italian salad and White Beans with Spinach. Dessert: Oven-roasted Pears with Blue Cheese Fondant and Pine Nut Brittle and Tiramisu.
Just to make life more interesting I cooked the meal at our friend Jean’s house. The main event for the week, the wedding celebration party for my brother-in-law and his wife, was at my mother-in-law’s on Saturday, we had 36 people. I must be a glutton for punishment as it is difficult at best to cook in someone else’s kitchen much less cook two complete meals in two different kitchens.
Anyway, here you are; Oven-dried Tomatoes enjoy!
Oven-dried Tomatoes
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 6 |
| Category: | Vegetables |
| Meal: | Veggie – Book Group (Theme Meal Plans) |
| 6 | medium | tomatoes, plum |
| 1 | pinch | salt, kosher |
| 3 | Tb | sugar, brown |
| 2 | cloves | garlic, minced |
| 1 | pinch | thyme, dried |
| 1 | pinch | pepper, fresh ground |
| 2 | Tb | oil, olive |
Cut tomatoes in thirds lengthwise, place on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper, garlic and thyme. Sprinkle with a drop or two of olive oil. Bake at 250- degrees for 2 1/2 hours.
Note: may be re-heated prior to serving.
This recipe and the menu recipes may be found on our website emealsforyou.com
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