Favorite appetizers???

[KimKelly]

I've never been a good one in the appetizer catagory. I make a mean salsa and my husband loves that 7 layer mexican dip. But beyond that I just don't have it. Any favorites out there in cyberland?

Kim

[Gail]

Welcome to my kingdom. I do a lot of appetizers. Regretfully, not a lot of them could possibly be construed as "light."
Where do I begin? Let's see... the Greek stuff: spanokopita (spinach pie), tzatziki (yogurt, cucumber, GARLIC and dill dip), tiropeta (cheese pie). Croquetas (croquettes) Empanadillas. Shu mei. Bacon-wrapped water chestnuts. Eggplant meatballs. Cajun shrimp. Miniature pizzas (from pesto to French onion to eggplant toppings). Deep- fried mushrooms or zucchini. Quiche. Bean dip. Walking tostada. Nachos. Crab puffs. Spinach dip. Shrimp cocktail. Cheese-stuffed chile in won ton wrappers. Smoked albacore (OK. I buy that one.) Guacamole. Samosa (Indian appetizer; my version is ground beef, all kinds of spices, chile, onion, herbs etc.) Stuffed mushrooms. Sautéed mushrooms with garlic... I could probably think of more only it's after midnight and I'm tired.
Do we have a smilie with a yawning face?

[Mamasue]

KimKelly,

The lastest issue (July 2000) has quite a few of appertizers that sound yummy.

Gail...The Croquetas sound interesting. Are they little bites of croquettes? A smiley yawn face would be cool! What do you think CL?

[Kristilyn1]

I like to make mini quiches--those are always a hit. I also make crab stuffed mushrooms. My favorite (not light though!)is Espinaca dip--which you may have experienced at a mexican restaurant, though I suspect it is a pseudo-mexican dish.

Espinaca Dip

1 lb. Land O'Lakes Jalapeno cheese*
1 pkg. frozen shredded spinach
1 medium tomato, diced

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and microwave until cheese is melted. Serve with tortilla chips.

* have tried other cheeses, but they don't melt nearly as well--this cheese is sold in the deli

[lorilei]

Mmmm...mmmm...mmmm... eggplant meatbulbs!! They sound great! (maybe Gail will post)

I too am a big appetizer fan, and here's some I make which haven't been mentioned --

- hummus w/ pitas
- baba ghanouj (roasted eggplant dip)
- spinach artichoke dip
- baked brie
- the aforementioned greek "pizza"

Oh, there are many... it depends highly on the gathering and the "known preferences" of my guests. I'd be happy to dig up recipes upon the command of any interested parties

[This message has been edited by lorilei (edited 06-28-2000).]

[JodiL]

Gail, could you please post your spinakopita recipe? I've been looking for one ever since I fell in love with it at local greek restaurant! Thanks.

Also, Lorilei, I would love your hummus recipe. My husband I go to a lot of cocktail parties where we need to bring an appetizer and these would be perfect! Thanks.

[This message has been edited by JodiL (edited 06-28-2000).]

[Gail]

Originally posted by lorilei:
... eggplant meatbulbs!! They sound great! (maybe Gail will post)...
- baba ghanouj (roasted eggplant dip)
- spinach artichoke dip
[This message has been edited by lorilei (edited 06-28-2000).]

I'll be happy to trade the recipe for the "meatbulbs" for the two recipes listed above...

And in answer to your question, Sue, croquetas are one of the favorite appetizers in Cuba-- not really any smaller than the kind you'd serve as an entree. Ham is the most popular, I think, but I can't seem to make that variety worth a lick. My croquetas are be beef.

You like the idea of the yawning smiley? What about one licking his chops?

Glad I came back to add a comment since Jodit was posting while I was posting. Jodi, check the favorite veggies string. I have two variations on spanokopita there. If you haven't worked with phyllo before, I can provide a little more instruction on the second recipe.

And lastly (but not least) Kristilyn-- I LOVE crab filled mushrooms. How do you make them?


[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 06-28-2000).]

[lorilei]

Gail, et al... I'll post these one at at time.
Here's the traditional recipe I use for baba ghanouj. I also have a spicier version which I use occasionally, taken from the "Jump Up and Kiss Me" cookbook... but I don't have that one here with me.

BABA GHANOUJ

1 large eggplant, unpeeled
1 medium onion, finely chopped
½ bunch parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Dash cayenne pepper

Bake whole unpeeled eggplant in 450 degree Fahrenheit oven until tender, about 30-45 minutes. When done, let cool, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out eggplant insides and mash well with wooden spoon (OK, it doesn't have to be wooden, but that's what I use).

Blend onion and parsley with eggplant. Mix tahini with lemon juice and garlic to form a thin paste; then stir into eggplant mixture. Add salt and dash of cayenne pepper.

Serve with pita bread or crackers for dipping. Garnish with parsley, drizzle with olive oil, if desired.

I usually drizzle the finished product with olive oil, sprinkle with a bit of paprika for color -- and then surround the whole shebang with a good dose of greek olives. This stuff looks like brown mush otherwise But, it tastes like heaven... eggplant heaven, that is.

[lorilei]

This is a good basic recipe for hummus -- a lot of the time I will vary it by adding roasted red pepper, pepper flakes, chopped fresh mint or ginger...

HUMMUS
2 (15 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 cup roasted tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic (I always use 3-4)
1/4 cup packed flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped green onions
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

Place garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, parsley, and green onion in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until smooth, adding water if the mixture is too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I serve this with pita chips or veggies, drizzled with a bit of olive oil and framed in good quality Greek olives. Leftovers make great sandwiches -- put in pita with cucumbers, tomatoes and a few spinach leaves!

[lorilei]

And, as for the Spinach Artichoke dip, I use a slightly improvised (improved?) version of the famous Houston's Artichoke dip recipe... It is definitely one of the best (and simplest) recipes out there. Here it is with my changes suggested...

HOUSTON's Spinach Artichoke Dip

1/2 C. grated Romano cheese
1 large clove garlic (I use 2)
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, firmly squeezed to remove moisture
1 (6-1/4 oz.) jar artichoke hearts, drained, patted dry
1 (8 oz.) container of soft garlic-chive cream cheese (I always substitute plain Neufchatel or low-fat cream cheese and add extra garlic and 1/4 cup fresh chives or chopped scallion tops)
2 large eggs
1 C. shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 F. Put Romano cheese in a food processor with metal blade. Turn motor on and drop garlic through feed tube to mince. Stop machine and add spinach, artichokes, cream cheese and eggs. Process until thoroughly blended; turn into medium bowl. Fold in mozzarella.

Transfer to a 2 to 3 cup baking dish; bake until heated through, 20-25 minutes.

Makes 16 servings.

They suggest serving this dip hot with tortilla chips, sour cream and salsa.
I agree with the "serve hot" part, but always serve this dip with crusty french bread or good quality wheat crackers.

They say it serves 16 -- it probably serves 10 in the real world. Everyone loves this dip, and I almost always double it for parties.




[This message has been edited by lorilei (edited 06-28-2000).]

[Gail]

Oh, Lori-- they both sound WON-derful! Thanks for increasing my appetizer repetoire this week. I'm eager to try ALL the new things you've given me!

About the following. I suppose I should've warned you that the meatballs aren't vegetarian, so you'll probably be disappointed. But for those occasional times you have meat, they are good.

EGGPLANT MEATBALLS

The Meatballs:
1 large eggplant, peeled and diced
2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon basil
Salt and black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

Frying:
2 tablespoons olive oil

Baking:
1 cup spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese
3/4 pound Muenster cheese, thickly sliced (seems to be I've used other cheeses on occasion)

Place the diced, peeled eggplant in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the eggplant is tender.
Meanwhile, mix together the remaining ingredients for the meatballs. Drain the eggplant and allow it to cool for a moment. Mash the eggplant and mix it in with the meatball mixture. Form into 18 meatballs. Heat a large frying pan, add the oil, and brown the meatballs in two batches.
Place the sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish. Set the meatballs in the sauce. Top with the grated cheese and finally with the thickly sliced (1/8 inch thick) Muenster cheese. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes,or until hot and bubbly.

(From The Frugal Gourmet Cooks with Wine)

This serves 6 if you make the meatballs as large as the recipe specifies, although I suspect I've done them smaller. Since I know you have vegetarian leanings and probably don't want the red meat, I suppose this would be alright with turkey instead of beef. Some time I should try it that way myself, I suppose...



[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 06-28-2000).]

[lorilei]

Oh, yum -- I'll eat meat just to eat these, Gail And, as I'm "almost vegetarian" purely because I like vegetables, I won't even suffer from any sort of guilt eating that bit of ground cow

Do you suppose these meatballs could be browned in the oven? And would they be appropriate as a main course?

[Kristilyn1]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Gail:

And lastly (but not least) Kristilyn-- I LOVE crab filled mushrooms. How do you make them?

I like the Cooking light recipe--I have it ripped out of some issue at home--otherwise I wing it--I like to mix the crabmeat with parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, scallions, garlic, a little olive oil and spinach.

Kristi

[Denise]

I love the feta spinach dip from Jan/Feb 00. I eat it with carrots and celery. That's how I convince myself to eat my veggies on those days when it seems harder to be healthy.

[KimKelly]

Wow! You guys are appetizer gurus! I'm impressed. You have most certainly brought me out of the chip and salsa mode ... I'm so excited to try some new ones.

Lori... what is tahini? Sounds tropical, would I need to hop a plane to Tahiti to get it? I'll be packing my bag in hope of that!

Kim

[Gail]

Originally posted by lorilei:
Do you suppose these meatballs could be browned in the oven? And would they be appropriate as a main course?

The recipe as written is intended as a main course, so no problem there. Now, on the other thing-- see, I'm not as "light" a cooker as I probably should be, so I don't feel I can rightfully make recommendations on that one. I'd be more inclined to cut down on oil a little (if that's your concern) and/or cook in a non-stick pan than to brown in the oven. I just happen to prefer the overall effect of pan browning.

Whatever you decide, I hope you enjoy them!

[lorilei]

KimKelly -- Tahini is roasted (usually) sesame paste. You can find it at health food stores, some ethnic grocers, and possibly at your local grocery (if you're lucky).

I usually buy mine at a local health food store or through the co-op I belong to (NorthFarm).

Honestly -- it's not terribly hard to find, and your grocer might even be able to order it for you.

[lorilei]

Gail -- You know, I'm probably going to go home and make those meatballs tonight... if I can muster the energy after this very long day.

I will pan fry them the first time and think of you -- and if I'm brave I'll experiment with them the second time around.

In any case, thanx, they sound delish.

[Mamasue]

Gail,

I make the Frug's eggplant meatballs too...they are great! Would you share your croquetas recipe? **Licking my chops with a smile* LOL

[JodiL]

Gail, Thanks I did find your tried and true spinakopita recipe on the veggie posts. I haven't worked with phyllo dough before, but I did have a disastrous experience once with won ton wrappers does that count?? I would be willing to try it again--these sound great! Thanks for posting it.

[Gail]

Sue,

I'll be back later (hopefully tonight) with the croquetas, since I have to locate the recipe and type it up.

Jodi,

Do you need any phyllo wisdom (wisdom? from me??? -- that may be playing with fire...) or would you rather not go there?

[Gail]

That was faster than I'd expected. Here you go, Sue.
...and pardon me, CL, for posting a recipe for something deep-fried!

CROQUETAS DE MI ABUELITA
(My Grandmother's Croquettes)

1 1/2 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 1/2 large white onions, finely chopped
1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup evaporated milk (reduced fat works fine)
1/4 cup lemon juice
salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I recommend the smaller amount)
1 9 ounce box seasoned breadcrumbs
2 to 3 eggs (you could probably either dilute this or use more whites and only one yolk to lighten)
garlic powder
black peper
oil for (gasp!!) deep frying

In large skillet over high heat, cook meat and onions, stirring constantly to crumble meat. Cook until all moisture from onions has evaporated and no liquid appears when meat is pulled back. Reduce the heat and sprinkle flour over meat. Mix well. Add milk. Stir until well blended. Add lemon juice, blending until mixture is pasty. Season to taste with salt and nutmeg. Spread in jelly roll pan (I just use a large roasting pan) and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate 30 to 45 minutes.
Place crumbs in large pan. When meat is cooled, mark 2 inch squares on surface. Lift one square of meat and shape into 1 1/2 to 2 inch roll using palms of hands (3/4 - 1 inch in diameter.) Place on crumbs and repeat with all meat squares.
Pour more crumbs over croquetas. Using palms of hands only, lift each croqueta along with mound of crumbs so as not to touch meat mixture. Cover entirely by tossing gently from hand to hand, letting extra crumbs fall back to pan. Fingers should never touch meat (nor should fingers ever leave hands at any time. Sorry.)
Place breaded croquetas on wood cutting board or brown paper. (picky, picky, picky... waxed paper, whatever cutting board you use is fine) Beat eggs in shallow dish and add garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Carefully place each croqueta in egg mixture. With fork, turn croqueta until covered with egg and lift, placing back on crumb bed. With palms of hands, sweep crumbs around and over croqueta until covered and repeat earlier process of tossing to coat.
Fry (!) in very hot oil 1/2 inch deep, turning as soon as croqueta is placed in skillet. Fry until golden and drain on paper towels.

(From LA Times, and an anonymous Cuban grandmother)

In posting this deep fried recipe, I may be risking banishment from CL's board forever, but darn it, the things are tasty. The author does make a bit much of the breading ceremony, I think-- and if you follow it to the letter, you will have breadcrumbs all over your kitchen and high blood pressure from frustration. Honestly, the more I make these, the less I follow the instructions. I just work fast, and despite what the author would have you think, if your fingers should touch the meat nothing is ruined, nor will you be striken down by the great god Huitzilopochtli, who happens to be Aztec and has nothing to do with Cuba anyway. Oh, and for the record, if you're serving these as an entree, do it with black beans and white rice, please.

Enjoy. (and pardon the weird comments accompanying some of my recipes.)

[Laura]

Wow. I can't wait to try the spinach artichoke dip. With all the recipes you guys are posting I will never get to the ones in the July issue. (Going out on a limb tonight and making the cajun grilled corn on the cob with good old fashioned hamburgers - it's about all I can muster after my day) Have a great evening everyone!

[Mamasue]

Gail,

You are quick Girl! Thanks so much for sharing. These sound real yummy and will try on my next dinner party. Oh, and I love your comments....weird or not weird they get posted with the recipes....makes them more personal too.

Here is one of mine to say thanks. I also make these an an entree and serve with a romaine lettuce salad, orange sections and walnuts with italian dressing; crusty italian bread and dunking tomatoes. Enjoy!

* Exported from MasterCook *

Rosemary-Skewered Shrimp

Recipe By : Mamasue
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Apertizer Fish/Shellfish


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 pounds 30-count shrimp -- shelled
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves -- chopped
2 teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Ground cumin
4 cloves garlic -- finely chopped
50 long fresh rosemary springs or bamboo skewers -- (6 inch)

In large bowl, combine shrimp, oil, lime juice, rosemary leaves, salt, cumin, and garlic. Cover and refrigerate shrimp 1 to 2 hours to marinate.

Meanwhile, strip rosemary sprigs of all leaves except for a tuft at the end. In shallow pan, cover rosemary or bamboo skewers with water and let soak at least 30 minutes.

Heat charcoal or gas grill. Drain skewers. Thread shrimp onto skewer so that each shrimp is pierced through the center to stay flat. Lay the skewers on the grill so that the tufts of rosemary leaves lie outside the grill, where they will not burn. Cook shrimp until opaque-about 3 to 4 minutes, turning several times.
Serve as appetizer or as main entrée with salad, crusty bread

[Gail]

Who's Mr. Congeniality there on your message?
And how'd you get him there?

Thanks so much for the recipe and the big smile. Lorilei made my day yesterday, you made it today.

[KimKelly]

You guys are all so great. I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed reading everything on these boards. I agree, I copy all the comments along with the recipes, I enjoy looking back at them in years to come.

I also love that wonderful smiley! Please share the secret of how to creat them!

Kim

[JeanneW]

Enjoy. (and pardon the weird comments accompanying some of my recipes.)
[/B]

Gail,

Your comments are one of the best parts of the board. You always bring a smile to my day. Don't stop!

Jeanne

[JodiL]

Gail, Trust me, I need all the phyllo wisdom I can get! You should have seen my kitchen when I tried to make a variation of crab puffs. I kept adding water because it said to keep the dough moist, but then it became like paste. I fried them anyway and they came out awful--even the dog wouldn't eat it!!!

[Gail]

Gee, thanks ladies! Today you ALL made my day!

[alisome]

Gail, lorilei, Mamasue!

You guys are great, I have tried several of your recipes and my husband wants to know when you're coming for dinner!

Gail, what is a walking tostado? I had to read that twice to be sure...

Live in FL and love all your Cuban recipes! I used to live in Naples and go to Miami all the time now live in Jacksonville and it's just not the same.