appetizers

Fri 6 Jan 2012

Falafel

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I’d always shied away from making falafel from scratch and used the powdered mix instead because I figured it would be a pain in the ass to make. What a mistake! It turns out falafel from scratch is way easier to make than I expected… And way tastier than the mix. Who knew?

Falafel
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Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 20 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
  • 1/2 onion, cut into chunks
  • 1 large garlic clove
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt (depends on if you use fresh or canned beans)
Directions:
  1. If you’re starting with canned beans then drain, rinse & drain your beans. If you’re starting with home cooked beans just drain them. Throw them in a food processor and pulse to coarsely chop the chickpeas. Remove to a bowl.
  2. Add the onion to the food processor and pulse to mince. Add to the bowl with the chickpeas.
  3. Add the garlic to the food processor and pulse to mince. Add to the bowl with the chickpeas.
  4. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix everything together using your hands. Let sit for 5 minutes.
  5. Form golf ball sized chunks of the dough into patties. Pan-fry in a small amount of oil until both sides are browned. You can also deep fry them. Don’t think about baking them because they won’t get the nice browned color.
  6. A tahini sauce makes a nice accompaniment. To make this mix 1 Tablespoon tahini with 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Add water until you get a pourable consistency. This is easiest to make in the food processor.
Notes:

I made this on a day I happened to also make chickpeas from scratch. If you only have canned chickpeas just substitute one 15-ounce can.

Also if you don’t have a food processor you can mash the chickpeas with a potato masher and just mince the onion & garlic by hand.

 

Posted by carrie under appetizers , beans , main dishes , recipes
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Tue 2 Aug 2011

Asian Tofu Salad

20110725-185121.jpgTofu salad is a versatile option for lunch. You can serve it with crackers, on top of a green salad, or as a sandwich filling. This Asian-inspired version is particularly zippy. It also makes a great appetizer. I like this recipe because it takes only 5 minutes to make.

Asian Tofu Salad
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Prep time: 5 mins
Total time: 5 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger OR 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup kimchi, chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons minced parsley
  • 2 Tablespoons minced cilantro
  • 1 cake firm tofu
Directions:
  1. Combine garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, kimchi, parsley and cilantro in a medium bowl.
  2. Crumble tofu into bowl. Mix until tofu is thoroughly coated with dressing and kimchi is evenly distributed.
  3. Serve with crackers, on top of a green salad, or as the filling for a sandwich.

Posted by carrie under appetizers , recipes , sandwiches , tofu
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Fri 1 Jul 2011

French Friday: Tartines aux lègumes

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Tartine was the first dish we ate after we moved into our Paris apartment. We ended up at nearby café just across from the metro station around happy hour. We got an apéritif at the bar, Kir Royale for me – Martini Rosso for Ed, then sat down for a light bite.

Tartines are an open-faced sandwich. You typically see them prepared with cheese and ham as toppings, however, you can make tartines with anything. Tuna, smoked salmon, tomatoes, olives, diced & cooked vegetables. The only real requirements seem to be bread and toppings though most of the time you’ll find one of the toppings is cheese.

I decided to prepare tartines aux lègumes et gruyère for this week’s French Friday. Tartines are great for Friday’s when you’ve run out of energy to cook. They are quick and easy! A typical accompaniment to tartine is salade verte. So get out the salad bowl and toss together a nice green salad. Don’t forget the glass of red wine!

Tartines aux lègumes et au gruyère
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Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 5 mins
Total time: 10 mins
Serves: 4
A vegetarian tartine (French open-faced sandwich). Flexible, easy, fast & filling… Add a side salad and you have an easy weeknight meal.
Ingredients:
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 small zucchini, diced
  • 1/2 small onion, diced
  • olive oil
  • salt & pepper
  • 4 slices bread
  • 1 hunk gruyère
Directions:
  1. 20110627-124233.jpgPreheat broiler.
  2. Sauté the diced vegetables in a skillet with a little olive oil until veggies are browned & slightly softened. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. 20110627-124226.jpgDivide veggies equally among 4 pieces of bread. Cover each slice of bread with slices of gruyère. Broil for 2 min, until cheese is melted, bubbly & browned.
  4. Serve 1 tartine per person with a side salad.

 

Posted by carrie under appetizers , main dishes , recipes
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Fri 17 Jun 2011

French Friday: Crostini aux rillettes de haricots blancs

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This week’s French Friday recipe comes from a story on crostini toppings in Régal. All of them looked great, however, the picture for this recipe really drew me in. The picture showed a creamy off-white spread flecked with red (tomatoes) and black (crushed pepper) topped with a slim leaf of basil. Very beautiful.

I adore crostini and eventually will make all of the toppings featured. They make a great substantial appetizer to have with wine. The other crostini toppings are: tapenade of artichokes, ricotta with peppers, pistachio pesto with arugula, anchovy & marscapone, fava beans with pecorino, mixed herbs & parmesan, and tomato-mozzarella.

Crostini aux rillettes de haricots blancs
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Prep time: 10 mins
Prep time: 15 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 6
Note the different method of toasting bread. Typically when I toast bread I use the broiler which produces a nice top crust but a somewhat soft interior. The method used in this recipe creates a toast that is dry throughout.
Ingredients:
  • 12 slices baguette (try to find sourdough or wheat)
  • 1 15-oz (500 g) can white beans (navy or cannellini)
  • 12 quarters of tomates confites, diced
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 6 small leaves basil, cut in chiffonade
  • olive oil
  • black pepper
Directions:
  1. Crostini: Preheat oven to 410°F (210°C). Place the baguette slices on a baking sheet. Brush each slice with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn baguette slices over and cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove baguette slices from oven & turn off oven.
  2. Topping: Rinse and drain the beans then mash with a fork. Add the juice from the lemon, the garlic, and 3 Tablespoons olive oil. Mix together. Season with salt & pepper. Incorporate the tomates confites.
  3. Spread topping on crostini. Garnish with basil.
Posted by carrie under appetizers , beans , recipes
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Wed 8 Jun 2011

Melon with Blue Cheese


20110601-213849.jpgAt the farmer’s market this week I ran into some beautiful melons. They smelled and tasted flowery and sweet. I couldn’t resist buying one. I knew immediately I wanted to make an appetizer with the melon. Initially I thought about prosciutto wrapped melon, however, while at the store I noticed the greater than $6.00 price tag for 5 or 6 slices of organic prosciutto. Ouch! I then remembered the blue cheese sitting in my fridge and decided the saltiness of the cheese would play nicely with the sweetness of the melon. Voila! A simple, easy appetizer for weekdays.

Melon with Blue Cheese
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Serves: 2
Ingredients:
  • several slices of melon (honeydew or cantaloupe)
  • small hunk of blue cheese
Directions:
  1. Trim the slices of melon into 1″ squares. Place a small piece of blue cheese in the middle of each square of melon.

 

Posted by carrie under appetizers , recipes
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