roasted red pepper appetizer

You can add black olive slices, fresh basil and italian parsley, use bleu cheese or ricota and parmesan

16 ozs roasted red pepper (drained)
8 ozs goat cheese (room temperature)
1 garlic cloves (minced)
3 tbsps olive oil
3 tbsps pine nuts (toasted)

12 tsp red pepper flakes
14 tsp pepper
5 slices garlic (bread)
1 Swirl half of the olive oil into an attractive baking dish - 9x13 or so.
2 Combine the softened Goat Cheese with the garlic, stuff gently into the Red Peppers and place them in a single layer into the baking dish. Sprinkle with the pine nuts, red pepper flakes and pepper, drizzle with remaining olive oil.
3 Cut garlic bread (I use the frozen box of garlic toast) into "fingers" and kind of place them on their sides in the dish, so they will brown.
4 Bake about 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.

lissa's toast cups

1 lb sliced bread
2 T butter
2 or 3" biscuit cutter

Grease mini muffin tin and press bread into each place. bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. can store up to 3 weeks in airtight container.

Filling:

4 T butter
3 shallots, minced
1/2 lb finely chopped mushrooms
2 T flour
1/2 c heavy cream
3 T chives
2 T chopped parsley
1/2 t salt
1/2 t lemon juice
1/8 t cayenne
2 T parmesan cheese

Melt butter, add shallots, cook 2 min. Add mushrooms and cook 10=15 min. Sprinkle flour over mixture, cook 2 mint. turn heat to high and add cream, cook and boil 3 min., stirring. remove from heat, add rest x cheese, fill cups, sprinkle cheese on top. bake 350 10 min.

thyme gruyere gougeres

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
Large pinch of cayenne pepper
Large pinch of kosher salt
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons grated Gruyère
1/2 cup grated Asiago
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves plus more for garnish
5 large eggs

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Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Bring butter and 1 cup water to a boil in a large heavy saucepan. Remove from heat. Add flour, cayenne, and salt; stir vigorously to blend. Return to heat; stir vigorously over medium heat until mixture forms a ball and a thin, dry film forms on bottom and sides of pan, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add 1 cup Gruyère, Asiago, and 2 teaspoons thyme; beat on low speed to blend. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each egg between additions, and scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Spoon dough into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2" tip or a plastic bag with 1/2" cut diagonally from 1 corner. Pipe dough onto prepared baking sheets in 1"–1 1/4" rounds, spacing 1" apart. Whisk remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Brush egg wash lightly over rounds, patting down to form rounded tops. Sprinkle with remaining 3 tablespoons Gruyère. Garnish each with a few thyme leaves.

Bake gougères until puffed and golden brown and centers are cooked through but still moist, 20-25 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 month ahead. Let cool completely. Store airtight in freezer. Rewarm in 325°F oven until hot, 10-15 minutes.

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Garlic Dip with Crudites

For a great appetizer before dinner or as a snack any time of the day, try this quick and easy-to-make dip that goes with any type of fresh cut vegetables (such as carrots, celery, cucumbers, or bell peppers). Garlic not only tastes great but provides you with extra health benefits from its sulfur-containing compounds.
Garlic Dip with Crudites Prep and Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

* 2 cups cooked or canned garbanzo beans
* 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
* 3 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
* 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
* Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Serve with sliced carrots, cucumbers, celery and/or sliced red bell peppers, or any raw vegetable of your choice.

Serves 8

apricot glazed chicken

* 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots (2 large)
* 1/4 cup finely chopped peeled ginger
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1/2 cup red-wine vinegar
* 2/3 cup soy sauce
* 1 cup apricot preserves (12 ounces)
* 16 chicken drumsticks (4 1/2 pounds)

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Preparation

Cook shallots and ginger in oil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and boil until reduced by about half, about 2 minutes. Add soy sauce, preserves, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.

Purée sauce in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), then cool to room temperature.

Divide chicken between 2 large sealable bags and pour marinade over chicken. Seal bags, pressing out excess air, and marinate, chilled, turning bag over occasionally, at least 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.

Line a 17- by 12-inch shallow heavy baking pan with 2 slightly overlapping sheets of foil, then lightly oil foil. Arrange chicken (with marinade) in 1 layer in pan. Roast chicken, turning once, until deep brown, cooked through, and glazed, about 40 minutes total.

Cooks' notes: · Chicken can be marinated up to 24 hours. · Cooked chicken can be kept warm, loosely covered with foil, in a 250°F oven (in lower third of oven if at same time as latkes; recipe follows).


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caponatina

INGREDIENTS

# 1 medium size eggplant, finely diced
# 1 small onion, diced
# 1 stalk of celery, diced
# 1 small red bell pepper, diced
# 1 8oz can of tomato sauce
# 6 green olives, pitted and chopped
# 6 black olives, pitted and chopped
# 1 Tbls of capers
# 1 Tbls of pine nuts
# 2 Tbls of raisins
# 1/2 cup of olive oil
# 1 Tbls of sugar
# 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
# 1/4 tsp. of salt
# 1/4 tsp of freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION

# Prepare the eggplant by salting them and letting them stand around a half an hour or more to release the excess water. Rinse and pat dry with a paper towel.
# In a frying pan sauté the eggplant in olive oil until tender.
# Remove the eggplant from the pan and drain on a paper towel and set aside.
# Add the onions, celery and bell pepper to the pan and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes.
# Stir in tomato sauce, olives, capers, pine nuts and raisins and simmer for 15 minutes.
# In a separate saucepan slowly heat the vinegar and sugar until sugar is dissolved.
# Stir the sugar vinegar mixture into the tomato sauce .
# Stir in the eggplant.
# Season with salt and pepper.

Serve warm or cool to room temperature before serving. Serve on toasted bread.

Pinzimonio with Tonnoto sauce

Wednesday morning i looked for easy appetizers in various websites, to take something to wba. this was perfect. fast, easy to transport. of course i didn't have greens or cukes or radishes or fennel bulbs. and i used anchovy paste instead of anchovies, so i julienned a zucchini to add to carrots and celery. and i garnished the tonnoto with slivers of just-picked baby green pepper, and grape tomatoes. it was really good.


Ingredients

1. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2. One 8-ounce jar Italian tuna in olive oil, drained
3. 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4. 4 oil-packed anchovies, drained
5. 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
6. 1/4 cup mayonnaise
7. 1/4 pound green, Roma or wax beans
8. 8 Parisian round carrots or baby carrots
9. 4 tender celery ribs with leaves attached, quartered crosswise
10. 2 lemon, Persian or Kirby cucumbers, peeled and quartered lengthwise
11. 2 small watermelon radishes, cut into 8 wedges each, or 10 small radishes, halved
12. 1 fennel bulb, cored and cut into 16 wedges
13. 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
14.

Directions

1. In a food processor, combine the 1/4 cup of olive oil with the tuna, lemon juice, anchovies, capers and mayonnaise. Process until smooth. Scrape the tonnato sauce into a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate.
2. In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the beans until crisp-tender, 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water; pat dry.
3. Arrange the beans, carrots, celery, cucumbers, radishes and fennel on a platter; sprinkle with the sea salt. Drizzle the tonnato with olive oil; serve with the vegetables.

Artichoke-Olive Crostini

Adapted from Mario Batali

In addition for making great crostini, we tossed some of the leftover paste with pasta for dinner that next night and it was delicious. I think it would be especially good in a cold pasta dish, like a salad.

1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
1 cup large green pitted olives
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can of artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 large slices of crusty bread

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a food processor, process the garlic, olives, capers, artichoke hearts and olive oil to a coarse paste.

2. Toast the bread on the oven rack for 6 minutes, or until crisp and browned. Spread the olive paste thickly over the toasts and serve.

Do ahead: The olive paste can be refrigerated for 2 days. Let it return to room temperature before using.

/feta and dill tart with lemony spinach salad

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1/3 cup crème fraIche or heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus 1/2 cup loosely packed dill sprigs for the salad (optional)
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the salad
Freshly ground pepper
1 sheet [about 9 ounces) frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 cup [about 4 ounces) crumbled good-quality feta

4 small handfuls baby spinach or Baby arugula leaves, washed and dried well
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste

This and many other wonderful recipes may be found in Martha Holmberg's
Puff
from Chronicle Books




I like piling the spinach salad right on top of this tart, because the cool, slightly bitter leaves contrast beautifully with the tangy, salty tart below. But for a cocktail snack, skip the salad and simply cut the tart into smaller pieces. This is not a particularly good reheater, so make it close to serving time.

1. Heat the oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, crème fraiche, chopped dill, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and about 10 grinds of pepper.

2. On a lightly floured counter, roll the pastry into an 11-by-13-inch rectangle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (in case there are any leaks), and lay the pastry on the sheet. Wet the edges with water and fold over a 3/4-inch border. Distribute the feta evenly within the border, and then carefully pour the egg mixture over the cheese, taking care that it doesn't slosh onto the border. Carefully transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake until the pastry is puffed and brown on the border and the underside, and the filling is golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.

3. Slide the tart off the pan and onto a rack to cool a bit. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into four rectangles, so that each piece gets some border. Put the tart onto plates.

4. In a large bowl, toss the spinach and dill sprigs [if using) with the olive oil and lemon juice until evenly coated. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice to taste. Arrange a handful of salad on each piece of tart and serve immediately.

Serves 8 as an appetizer or 2 to 3 as a light main course

Hummus

Paula Wolfert’s Hummus

1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
3 garlic cloves, peeled
3/4 cup sesame seed paste
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, and more to taste
Cayenne, hot Hungarian paprika or za’atar
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons olive oil

1. Rinse the soaked chickpeas well and drain them before putting them in a saucepan and covering them with plenty of fresh water. Bring to a boil; skim, add one-half teaspoon salt, cover and cook over medium heat, about 1 1/2 hours, until the chickpeas are very soft (you might need to add more water).

2. Meanwhile, crush the garlic and one-half teaspoon salt in a mortar until pureed. Transfer the puree to the work bowl of a food processor, add the sesame seed paste and lemon juice and process until white and contracted. Add one-half cup water and process until completely smooth.

3. Drain the chickpeas, reserving their cooking liquid. Add the chickpeas to the sesame paste mixture and process until well-blended. For a smoother texture, press the mixture through the fine blade of a food mill. Thin to desired consistency with reserved chickpea liquid. Adjust the seasoning with salt and lemon juice. The hummus can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.) Serve, sprinkled with paprika (or za’atar) and parsley and drizzled with oil.

Makes 4 cups

feta salsa

I made a grocery list and perused ideas for dinners and such next week. So I made this because I had the ingredients. We tried it with blue corn tortilla chips and decided to have some on toast rounds with a glass of white wine before dinner. It would be great over greens for a simple dinner salad, or on pasta.

Recipe is great and it works as is but is infinitely flexible should you want to use different herbs or add capers or skip something or other.

1/2 lb. feta (cow’s milk)
2/3 cup sundried tomatoes in oil
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
2 tablespoons fresh dill
3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley
2 scallions
1/4 cup olive oil

Crumble the feta into a bowl. Chop the tomatoes and olives, dill and parsley and thinly slice the scallions. Gently mix the ingredients together and drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oi, or to taste.

stuffed artichoke

one day a few years ago, i bought some nice looking artichokes. but i couldn't find a recipe i liked that told me exactly how to prep the choke. here's one from breadandhoney. it's steaming now, while the kale soup is cooking. and it smells good, i'm sure we're going to like it. meatless sunday dinner, we are planning to watch obama on 60 minutes and then either watch: the blues part 2, or syriana.

Stuffed Artichokes

Ingredients:

1 artichoke per person
Stale bread (preferably Italian or French) *About 2 pieces per artichoke, broken up
Stem from artichoke, peeled and chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
Fresh parsley
Oregano
Parmesan or Romano cheese, lots of it
Olive oil

Directions:

Wash and and cut off tops of the artichokes, about ½ inch across to get rid of the prickly ends, and cut stem off and save.
Put all other ingredients in bowl and drizzle with enough olive oil to moisten. Add tablespoons of water as needed to moisten. Stir all together.
Turn artichokes upside down on flat surface and press down gently with a rocking motion. This will open up the leaves. Turn over; pull leaves gently apart to form a bowl-shaped area to stuff, and stuff.
In a large pan, cover bottom with olive oil and brown 2-3 cloves of garlic. Let cool, add one cup of water to oil and put artichoke(s) in pan. Bring to a boil, and then turn heat to medium and cover. Artichokes will steam in pan, but be sure to check every 15-20 minutes to be sure water has not evaporated. Keep adding water as needed. Cook for one hour. Artichoke leave should pull off easily when done.

Serve with melted butter or oil and garlic. *I recently served an artichoke on a beautiful plate with olive oil dotted with Balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with pepper, and a scoop of mayonnaise whipped with some horseradish. It was wonderful!

artichoke and white bean crostini

4 artichokes, halved lengthwise, tops and stems trimmed, center leaves removed, chokes scraped out
6 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 large fresh thyme sprigs
1 cup drained rinsed canned cannellini (white kidney beans)
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup (packed) finely chopped fresh basil plus whole leaves for garnish
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for brushing
8 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick slices pain rustique or other flat country bread
Lemon wedges
Preparation

Bring artichokes, 6 cups broth, and next 5 ingredients to boil in large saucepan, adding more broth if necessary to cover. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until artichoke hearts are very tender, about 50 minutes. Chill artichokes in broth mixture, uncovered, until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Remove artichokes from broth; drain. Pull off leaves. Cut hearts into 1/3-inch cubes; place in large bowl. Mix beans, cheese, 1/4 cup chopped basil, and 2 tablespoons oil into hearts. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange bread on rimmed baking sheet. Brush with oil. Bake until beginning to crisp, about 8 minutes.

Spoon artichoke topping onto bread. Squeeze lemon juice over; top with basil leaf.

EfM dip dip dip with pita

the women loved this. but the three guys aren't too adventurous.

smash some chick peas in a bowl
add some Greek yogurt
lemon juice
minced garlic
olive oil
sesame oil
feta, crumbled
finely chopped green onion
chopped arugula
s and p
grated cucumber


serve with pita

it's basically the sandwich filling before, with sesame oil added - GOOD