Category: appetizer

Olive Tapenade

This one’s really easy to make, and works great as an appetizer.  Rosemary crackers work really well with it, as does a crusty loaf of bread.

What you need

about a cup of black or green sliced olives

1 tablespoon capers

a drizzle or two of olive oil

a little squeeze of lemon (optional)

pepper

What you do

1.  Throw all the ingredients in a food processor.  Whiz it around for a few seconds so it is chopped up but not too finely.

2.  You can serve right away, but it also keeps for a while.  I prefer serving it at room temperature, so I take it out of the fridge a while before I’m going to serve it.

Rosemary Crackers

I just happened to be making these crackers on Easter weekend, so they are in the shape of little bunnies.  It’s pretty easy to make your own crackers, just mix, roll, cut and bake. I like the idea that I know what is going into my food, so I try to make as much of it from scratch as I can.

I got this recipe from a cook book called 100 Perfect Pairings, and the original recipe used fennel seeds instead of rosemary.  The crackers are brushed with red wine before baking, giving them a pink hue – this is optional, as I didn’t find I could actually taste the wine.  So if you want pink crackers, brush away!

I served mine with olive tapenade and goat cheese, but other sliced cheeses would work well too.

What you need

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus a little more for rolling

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 & 3/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine (optional)

3/4 teaspoon fleur de sel for sprinkling

What you do

1.  Combine the flours, salt and rosemary in a bowl.  Add the oil and 1/2 cup of water, working it until it combines into a crumbly ball.

2.  Preheat the oven to 450F.

3.  Cut the dough into three pieces and wrap two of them in plastic wrap.  Work with one of the balls, rolling it out on a floured surface until it is about 2mm thick.  Cut the dough into squares, or into any shape you desire.

4.  Lightly brush the dough with wine, then sprinkle with a little fleur de sel.  Move the crackers to a baking sheet.

5.  Bake for 7-10 minutes, watching carefully so they don’t burn.  While they are baking you can roll out the next batch.

6.  Allow the crackers to cool on a wire rack. After they are thoroughly cooled you may store them in an airtight container for about a week.

Savoury Pancakes II, Leek Pancakes with Mushroom Sauce

Mm, they were so good last time I had to try another version of these.  This time they’ve got leeks in them, and they are topped with a creamy vegan (or not) mushroom sauce.  Brunch, dinner, an appie – these are good anytime!

What you need:

4 eggs, separated

1 cup flour

1 & 1/3 cups cottage cheese

salt and pepper

1 leek, sliced

butter for frying

grated parmesan for serving (optional)

For the mushroom sauce:

2 shallots, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

10-12 button mushrooms (or any others of you’ve got some fancier ones)

a few leaves of fresh sage, chopped (a little thyme would work well as a substitution)

2 tablespoons butter plus some for cooking the shallots and mushrooms

2 tablespoons flour

1/2-3/4 cup soy milk (or regular)

1/3-1/2 cups white wine

2-3 tablespoons cream cheese/ soy cream cheese (optional)

salt and pepper

What you do:

1.  To begin the mushroom sauce, heat a frying pan, add a little butter and cook the shallots for a minutes.  Then add the garlic and mushrooms and fry until the mushrooms are cooked through.  Set aside.

2.  Heat the butter, then add the 2 tablespoons of flour.  Cook for a minute or two, then gradually add the soy milk (or regular milk), stirring each time you’ve added a little, making sure it doesn’t get lumpy.  Before it gets too runny begin adding the wine, a little at a time.

3.  Add the mushroom and shallot mixture to the cream sauce, then add salt and quite a bit of pepper to taste, along with the sage.  Set this aside, reheating just before serving.

4. To begin making the pancakes,  heat a frying pan and add a little butter, then the leeks, and cook for a few minutes.  Remove from the heat and allow the leeks to cool a little.

5.  Beat the egg whites until they are very fluffy and a peak forms when you take the beater out.

6.  Mix the egg yolks into the flour, salt and pepper.  Fold the egg whites into this yolk mixture, then add the leeks, stirring until it is just combined.

7.  Heat a frying pan to medium high.  I made small pancakes so they wouldn’t break apart easily.  Try making one first to see how long they take to cook and to make sure your pan is the right temperature.  When one side has browned nicely it’s time to flip it, then the other side needs about a minute.

8.  I like to serve them as soon as they come off the pan and eat them while they’re hot.  Top with the mushroom sauce and a little grated parmesan.

Savoury Pancakes I – Red Onion and Broccoli

My friend Jen got me thinking about this dinner pancake thing. It’s an all-in-one type of meal, good for dinner, lunch or brunch. Because of the beaten egg whites they are quite light, almost like a pan-fried souffle, and your veggies are built right in. I served them with slices of avocado on top, but plain yogurt or some fried mushrooms would make great toppings too!

What you need:

6 eggs, separated

1 cup flour

1 & 1/2 cups cottage cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper

1 head of broccoli, separated into small florets

1/2 red onion, diced

What you do:

1.  Cook the onion in a little olive oil until slightly browned.

2.  Beat the egg whites until they are very fluffy and a peak forms when you take the beater out.

3.  Mix the egg yolks and cottage cheese into the flour, salt and pepper.  Fold the egg whites into this yolk mixture, then add the onions and broccoli, stirring until it is just combined. I made the mistake once of stirring too much, and they got a bit tough and weren’t very fluffy.

4.  Heat a frying pan to medium high.  I made small pancakes so they wouldn’t break apart easily.  Try making one first to see how long they take to cook and to make sure your pan is the right temperature.  When one side has browned nicely it’s time to flip it, then the other side needs about a minute.

5.  Top with something savoury and eat them while they’re hot!

Cajun Pecans

I made these to top my Cajun Quinoa Stuffed Peppers, but they’d be great on a salad or just as a treat on their own.

What you need:

1/2 cup pecans

2 teaspoons butter or olive oil

2 teaspoons cajun spice mix

What you do:

1.  Melt the butter or oil in a frying pan.  Add the pecans and stir until they are coated.

2.  Add the spice mix and stir until all the nuts are thoroughly coated.

3.  Cook on medium-low heat, stirring from time to time so they won’t burn.

4.  After 5-8 minutes remove the nuts from the pan and let them cool.

Use them whole or chopped up however you wish!  Leave a comment below if you’ve discovered a new way to use them, or if you just like them!

Chili-Lime Nuts

This my attempt to make nuts like the Trader-Joe’s Thai lime and chili nuts.  These have less salt and no added oil.  You can adjust the amount of cayenne, if you don’t like things to get too hot.  This is really easy to make, and makes a nice treat to nibble on.

What you need:

juice of 1 lime

1 cup mixed nuts (I used red-skin peanuts, pistachios, walnuts, pecans and cashew – almonds would be great!)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 dried chili, crumbled

pinch of sugar

3 lime leaves, sliced – optional

What you do:

1.  Put all the ingredients in a bowl and coat all the nuts.

2.  Bake at 220F for 40-60 minutes.  Check them and stir every 10-15 minutes, especially near the end.  They will be done when they are dry inside – check by tasting!  You’ll want to scrape the dried juice and spices off the pan as you go along to combine with the nuts.

3.  These will keep for a few weeks.

Oven-baked Onion Rings

I’ve been trying for a while to find the right way to do this.  I tried one recipe that had cornmeal, and they were awful and cardboardy.  And a lot of the recipes I googled were coated in potato chips – pretty much defeating the purpose of oven-baking.  I wanted them to be delicious AND healthy – too much to ask?  Apparently not!

I just did what I usually do with breaded foods, but I added some yogurt to the egg coating to make them a little more tender.  And yum, it worked!  And it’s easy!

What you need:

1 egg

2 tablespoons plain yogurt

1/3 cup breadcrumbs

salt and pepper

1 sweet or red onion

What you do:

1.  Crack the egg into a bowl and add the yogurt.  Mix well with a fork.

2.  Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl with some salt and pepper.

3.  Cut the onion into thick rings, about 2cm wide.

4.  Dip each ring into the egg mixture, then coat thoroughly with the breadcrumb mixture.

5.  Place the breaded rings on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 400F.  Flip the rings over and bake for another 10-15 minutes.  They are done when they are quite browned.

Serve with a yogurt dip.  I like to add a bit of dill, salt and pepper to some plain yogurt.  Adding some curry powder to the plain yogurt is nice too.

Garlic Pea Shoots

Here’s another attempt to recreate a dish I tried and loved, this one from Legendary Noodle on Main Street in Vancouver.  So quick and easy, so addictively good.

If you’re in Vancouver, you can find pea shoots at East West Market on Main at King Edward St.

What you need:

pea shoots

sesame oil

3 cloves garlic, sliced

soy sauce

water

What you do:

1.  Heat a frying pan on medium heat and pour in a teaspoon or so of sesame oil.

2.  When the oil is hot, add the garlic and then the pea shoots to the pan.

3. Add a tablespoon or so of soy sauce and toss the shoots a little.

4.  Add a tablespoon or two of water, then cover the pan and let it cook for about a minute.

Done!  Ready to eat!

Beef and Chorizo Empanadas

If you’re looking for a savoury appetizer that you can make ahead, you might want to give this a try.   This recipe is an amalgamation of the empanada recipes I found on the internet – I put together all the elements that I thought would work well together.  And how can you go wrong with flavourful meat-filled pastry?

You can make the filling and pastry ahead of time, then assemble and bake them right before you need them.  Alternately, you can make them days or weeks ahead of time, then pop them in the oven right out of the freezer .  This is great for the times when you suddenly need something the serve and don’t have time to do any cooking.

What you need:

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 onion, diced finely

1 clove garlic, diced finely

1 carrot, diced finely

1/2 red bell pepper, diced finely

500 g extra lean ground beef

500 g uncooked chorizo, with casings removed

1/4 cup red wine, optional

1 teaspoon cumin

1 & 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 cup chopped green olives

1/2 cup golden raisins

2 teaspoons honey

salt

pepper

hot sauce

1 egg

lime wedges to serve

For the pastry:

2 & 1/4 cups flour

1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 large egg

1/3 cup ice water

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

What you do:
1.  To make the pastry, blend the cold butter into the flour and salt with a pastry blender or your fingers.  Mix the egg, water and vinegar, and add them to the flour mixture.  Mix with a wooden spoon until combined, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

2.  Cook onion in oil until slightly browned, then add peppers, carrots and garlic, cooking for a few minutes.

3.  Cook the beef along with the chorizo, in another pan.  Break it up as it cooks so the meat is in fine pieces.  Drain excess fat, then add to the vegetable mixture.

4.  Add optional wine and simmer  for a few minutes.  Then add cumin, paprika, olives, raisins, honey, pepper and a few dashes of hot sauce.  Simmer until very little liquid remains.

5.  Season to taste – you may want to add more hot sauce, depending on how spicy the chorizo.   Remove from heat to cool before filling pastries. (I cool the filling the day before)

6.  Roll out dough to about half a centimetre thick.  Cut into circles with a cutter or bowl.

7.  Using your finger tip dab a little water along one edge of the rounds.  This will help the pastry stay sealed.

8.  Place the pastry in the palm of one hand, fill it, then lightly pinch it shut.  To  seal you can make a folded edge or close with a fork.

9.  Combine the egg with a little water, then brush onto each pastry.  Poke a few holes with a fork into the top of each pastry.

10.  Bake at 400C for 20-25 minutes, until golden.

11.  Serve hot with lime wedges.  Squeeze a little lime juice on top right before it goes into your mouth!

Fruit wrapped in Prosciutto with Arugula

Well, this one started out as just persimmons, but I was growing frustrated trying to wrap each of the slippery little things up neatly with some arugula tucked inside.  So I cut my losses and grabbed the apples and asian pear I had on hand.  In the end it was great to have some variety.

What you need:

200 grams prosciutto

fruit – persimmons, crisp apples, asian pear

arugula

What you do:

1.  Cut the fruit into wedges.

2.  Place  a few pieces of arugula on a slice of fruit, then wrap with the prosciutto.  For the smaller pieces of fruit I used half a slice of prosciutto.

3.  Arrange on a platter, along with a few unwrapped pieces of each fruit.

Serve right away, especially if you are serving apple: the apples will brown and the prosciutto will dry out if it sits of long.