1 cup hot water

20 large mushrooms

3 tablespoons margarine

1 small green pepper (chopped finely)

1 small red pepper (chopped finely)

3 tablespoons melted butter

+++++++

Preheat broiler.

Mix stuffing mix and hot water in medium bowl, cover, let stand for 5 minutes.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and simmer in the butter until browned.

Arrange them in a shallow baking dish.

Chop the stems fine and add them along with the peppers to the skillet to cook in the mushroom butter.  Cook until tender.

Stir into the stuffing mix until well blended.

Spoon this mix into the mushroom caps.  Drizzle the melted butter over them.

Broil them 5 to 7 minutes or until heated through.

+++++++

I've changed this recipe around a number of times, it's one that I bring to parties.  I've used garlic in them a lot, onion.  Powdered ginger added sparingly to the mix is also different, but really tasty.

As far as making it healthier, I would use a low sodium butter spread, or only simmering the mushrooms in a tablespoon of peanut oil.  Skip the step where you drizzle it on top of course..

Greek Salad in Cucumber Cups

True Greek salad doesn't include any lettuce, so the transition to a bite-sized cup was easy.  And since cucumber is a main ingredient in Greek salads, and because they are strudy enough to carve, it made the perfect edible container for my appetizer.  The dressing should be made a few hours in advance so that the flavors can truly marry.

For the dressing:

• 1/2 teaspoon jarred, finely minced garlic or 1 fresh garlic clove, finely minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1-1 1/2 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
• 1/4 tespoons dried basil leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 8 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon crumbled feta cheese

For the dressing, in a food precessor or with a whisk, combine all of the ingredients except for the olive oil.  Blend thoroughly to combine.  Slowly pour in the olive oil while blending.  Refrigerate for a few hours. 

For the salad:

• 2 English (seedless) cucumbers
• 1/4 red onion, finely diced
• 1/4 green pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives, finely diced
• 1/4 cup mild banana peppers, diced
• 4 ounces feta cheese block, crumbled
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

To make the cucumber cups, cut the narrow ends of the cucumbers off and discard.  With a vegetable peeler, peel strips of the skin off all the way around the cucumber to create a stripe effect.  Cut the cucumber into abnout 3/4 inch rounds.  Spoon out the inside of each cup with a melon baller (or one of your small measuring spoons) and discard the inside of each cup.  Be careful to not break through the bottom or sides of the cups.

For the salad, combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl.  Pour enough dressing over the salad mixture to lightly coat all the vegetables and stir to mix.  Spoon a bit of the dressed salad mixture into each cucumber cup.  Serve cool or at room temperature.

This is a very simple salad but the cucumber cups really make an impressive presentation.  The recipe above made about 20 cucumber cups but you could easily halve or double it, or omit any ingredient to accomodate your guests.  The dressing is better-than-bottled without being overpowering, and the colors and textures of the salad are bright and varied.  This is an hors d'oeuvre that I will absolutely be making again - and hope you try too!  Enjoy...

• Not one of my bridesmaids looked at me cross when I told them to put little colored golf tees in fake grass. 
• No one batted an eye when I stated that I wanted to do the Grand March to JT's SexyBack when our original choice, a techno version of Carmina Burana, was unavailable.  (That would have been so sweet.) 
• No one complained about the Hors d'œuvres, drinks or food. 
• No one winced when I stated that the ceremony was going to be outside one way or another despite the fact that it had been not only raining, but down pouring, all morning and the night before.

It. Was. Perfect.  And I can't get over it!

I was testing out both the application of a Cucumber cup and and idea I had for a Peach Gazpacho. It turned out to be a great Summer hors d'oeuvre.

2 English or Hot House Cucumbers (often individually wrapped)

3 Ripe Peaches

1 Roma Tomato, seeded and diced

1 Small Red Onion, diced

1 Serrano Pepper, seeded and diced (1/4 Green Bell Pepper may be substituted)

1/4 cup of Cilantro, finely chopped

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Juice of 1 Lemon

Salt and Pepper to Taste

First prepare the Cucumbers by peeling then slicing into 5-6 equal pieces. Then with a small melon baller scoop out the center of each piece leaving both a bottom and border to the "cup". Set aside. Peel Peaches and remove the pits. In a food processor or blender, puree 2 of the Peaches, add a dash of water only if necessary. Finely dice the last Peach. In a medium bowl combine the Peach puree, the diced Peach, diced Tomato, diced Onion, diced Serrano Pepper, Cilantro, Olive Oil and Lemon juice. Salt and Pepper to taste. Spoon mixture into Cucumber cups and serve chilled. Makes 10-12 cups. Enjoy!

Oven Roasted Green Beans

Ingredients
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Heat oven to 500°F. Arrange green beans on a large cookie sheet; drizzle with olive oil, turning beans to coat. Bake at 500°F. for 6 to 8 minutes or until tender, stirring twice during cook time. Transfer beans to serving dish; drizzle with lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or cold.

Similar Recipes: Oven Roasted Vegetables with Balsamic Glaze, Oven Roasted Asparagus

Depois que estavam sentados, cercados pelos muitos hors-d'oeuvres dos sonhos de Tuppence, Tommy não pôde mais conter a curiosidade acumulada:
- E agora me conte tudo, Tuppence! (pág. 28)

Hors-d'oeuvre. É o estágio preparatório; em português ou italiano: o antepasto. Do antepasto não se espera que seja particularmente nutritivo, mas que excite o aparelho digestivo, que o torne exigente, e que aguce o apetite. Por isso no antepasto servem-se alimentos de aspecto atraente, que excitam o apetite, que estimulam as glândulas salivares e gástricas: folhas de alface, tomates, limões, fatias de ovos, escargots, pãezinhos, que são precedidos ou acompanhados de pequena dose de aperitivos: caipirinha, Campari com suco de laranja (se vão além de uma pequeninísssima dose, os aperitivos fazem efeito contrário: anestesiam e paralisam as glândulas digestivas, embotam o paladar e matam o apetite, e causam dor de cabeça!...). (Ruben Queiroz Cobra)

Os hors-d'oeuvre (singular e plural são idênticos e a tradução é, mais ou menos, "fora do serviço", sendo "serviço" a própria refeição) são servidos quando há um longo período de tempo entre a chegada dos convidados e o início da refeição.

Canapés, crudité, queijos, lingüiças, bruschettas, empanados, salgadinhos também podem ser servidos como hors-d'oeuvres.

Na Itália são conhecidos como antipasti, nos EUA como appetizers e na Espanha, como tapas.

Crudité
Ingredientes:
• pimenta-do-reino a gosto
• sal a gosto
• 1 salsão pequeno
• 2 pepinos
• 3 colheres (sopa) de salsa picada
• 3 cenouras
• 250 g de ricota amassada
• 2 potes de iogurte natural

Preparo da Receita:
Misture o Iogurte com a ricota até obter uma pasta homogênea. Tempere com sal e pimenta e adicione a salsa. Raspe levemente a casca da cenoura, corte-a em quatro partes no sentido do comprimento. Corte da mesma forma o pepino. Separe os talos do salsão, cortando ao meio aqueles que estiverem muito largos e deixando inteira as folhinhas internas que são mais tenras. Coloque o patê em uma cumbuca e sirva com os legumes cortados em tiras para que cada pessoa se sirva.

Bruschetta de tomate
Ingredientes:
4 fatias de pão italiano
1 dente de alho amassado
1 colher de sopa de azeite
2 tomates picados
Sal a gosto
Manjericão em folhas

Modo de preparo:
Asse em forno alto prequecido as fatias de pão, por 10 minutos.Esquente o azeite, coloque o alho, o sal e o tomate. Refogue bem por 2 minutos em fogo baixo. Espalhe sobre as fatias de pão, decore com folhas de manjericão e sirva.

Observação: As citações e respectivas páginas foram extraídas da edição brasileira de O Inimigo Secreto
Ed. Círculo do Livro
Tradução: Carlos Soulié do Amaral
Ano: n/d
Páginas: 265

On any average day, I tend to walk the culinary straight and narrow.  This means nothing overly fatty (sigh), fried (hmph) or cheesy (BOO!).  But all I need is the teeny tiniest of excuses to send me digging through my Lick 'Em & Stick 'Em recipes.  These are so bad (read: lip-smacking, mouth-watering yumminess) that you might as well lick them and then stick them to your hips because that's exactly where they're going.  Unless you're my friend Megan who has the metabolism of 15 average women and who, therefore, we all take turns hating. 

This week my excuse was our semi-regular Texas Hold 'Em poker tournament.  I made these for the last tournament and they were such a hit that they got asked back to the party.  This is really saying something since the menfolk don't care much for greasy playing cards.  Leave it to Paula Deen to charm the guys. 

 So Thursday night I spent the evening rolling out dough and filling up mini fried-pie type things.  Some argue that making empanadas from scratch is way too much of a PITA to deal with, but I disagree.  There is something strangely soothing and comforting about kneading and rolling out dough.  Even if it isn't dough you've made from scratch.  In fact, I think it's the perfect way to prepare for a poker tournament.  You'll arrive with a batch of goodies that will distract all your opponents, while you sit there and rake in the dough (ha, sorry), completely calm and relaxed. 

Cheesiest Fried Chicken Empanadas
Paula Deen 

3 cups chopped, cooked chicken, about 4 to 5 chicken breasts
1 (8-ounce) package shredded colby and Monterey Jack cheese blend
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 chopped red bell pepper (I omit this.)
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
Water

Preheat oven to 375F. 

In a large bowl using a rubber spatula, combine the chicken, colby and Monterey cheese, cream cheese, red pepper, jalapeno, cumin, salt, and pepper. Remove 1 pie crust from pie tin onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 15-inch circle. Cut out rounds, using a 3-inch cookie cutter. Re-roll dough as needed. Repeat procedure with remaining pie crusts, making 12 to 15 circles total. Arrange 1 round on a clean, flat surface. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the edges of crust with water. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of chicken mixture in the center of the round. Fold the dough over the filling, pressing the edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining rounds and chicken mixture. Place empanadas on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until slightly golden.

Top with your favorite Mexican sauce (chili con queso, guacamole, salsa, etc.).

*Paula Deen's original recipe has you deep fry these, which I did the first time I made them.  However, after testing out one baked empanada, I felt that they were just as delicious and actually were easier to eat during the tournament (see the aforementioned greasy fingers).  If you do want to deep fry these, just heat your oil to 350F, and drop 4 or 5 in for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. 

Luciano Pavarotti. 1935 - 2007

Grazie.

This looked like a really simple recipe. Just cherry tomatoes in a vodka based marinade. The blurb in The Book tells us that "what makes these tomatoes special is that they're peeled. Don't worry; after you blanch them their skins slip right off". The book lies! I blanched them well, even a few seconds longer than recommended in loads of boiling water. The skins absolutely didn't slip off, and peeling the slightly loosened skins was a huge huge pain. The active time for this was more like 2 hours than 45 minutes. I'll presume that I just don't know how to peel a tomato though.

The marinade was quite good. Vodka and tomatoes are a classic pairing, apparently there are flavour compounds in tomatoes that are only soluble in alcohol, and without it we're missing out on part of what the tomato has to give. The zest and vinegar gave the tomatoes a nice citrus bite. It's becoming a recurring refrain here, but there was too much sugar on these. The recipe calls for a tablespoon to be added, and while I see where they were going with the sweet / citrus / vodka contrast I think they went too far. Vodka is quite sweet on its own, I'd say a teaspoon of sugar would have been more than sufficient. Maybe they calculated that amount using less naturally sweet cherry tomatoes? Who can say.

While peeling these little guys was a big hassle, it really did let the marinade penetrate the tomatoes. The tomatoes were flavour packed, and because they were peeled but not cooked you still got the delightful feeling of them popping in your mouth. I think they were tasty, but on the whole not worth the effort.

[rating:25]

This was a great appetizer, it's basically a tapenade cut with roasted eggplant. I love eggplant, and I love olives, together they're even better. Eggplant dips naturally tend to turn out a kind of grey-brown that's not the most inviting. The olives helped it turn a delightful shade of purple with a nice lustre. Also, a straight ahead tapenade can be a bit too much olive, even for olive lovers. Using eggplant cut the intensity and made this very affordable. I'd say this was the best of both worlds. I like that all the saltiness of the dip came from the olives and capers, no need to add more.

The result here had loads of olive flavour, with the almost meaty background of the eggplant. It worked well as a dip, which I find nicer than having to spread a thin layer as you would with a more potent tapenade. This was a really solid recipe that I'd happily make again.

[rating:40]

This worked out surprisingly well. My dining companion was a bit skeptical when I said I'd be making a pâté, but I think we were both suitably pleased with it. It was very smooth with a mild flavour, and the aromas of the cognac really coming through. I'd never had fruit in a pâté before, and the sweetness of the currants (I cheated and used small raisins) was a really nice addition.

Actually making this was a bit offputting. I didn't much enjoy watching the livers swirl into a paste in the food processor, and tasting for seasoning while it was still hot was an experience I wouldn't rush to repeat. Once it had cooled and had a bit of time to come together it was absolutely delicious. That said, this is not a pâté for those who are at all squeamish about liver. This is more like a smooth liverwurst than the more terrine like pâtés you often run into.

I had a good time gathering mildly grossed out looks from friends when I told them about this one, it would seem that liver isn't too popular amongst my social set. Mes amis végétarien, I devote this post to you.

[rating:40]

the recipe

This was an absolute winner. Easy, cheap, packed with flavour, unusual, brightly coloured, exploding with garlic, what's not to love? I've made this twice and I'm sure a third time is not too far away. There are flavours pulling in all sorts of directions here, sweet roasted red peppers and molasses, earthy cumin and walnuts, sharp garlic and red pepper flakes, an acidic bite of lemon juice, but everything plays very well together. It also changes a bit as you eat it. At first the sweet and spicy flavours are prominent, but after a few bites the nuts start to take centre stage.

I was complaining that the lamb tagine's flavours were too scattered and working against each other. The flavours here are similar in some ways, but they're pulling in concert. The result is my new favourite spread. The book suggests adding this sauce to meat, and while I haven't tried it on a roast, I did put it on a turkey sandwich. I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch.

The only downside here is that I think I might be slightly allergic to walnuts. It's nothing much, just a slight numbing of my mouth and lips and a tickle at the back of my throat; particularly if they're raw. I'd probably do well to limit my exposure to avoid kindling or sensitization though. Too bad.

[rating:45]

1 lb. carrots, peeled and julienned

5 tbs. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tsp. harissa mixed with 6 tbs. water

1 tsp. ground caraway

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. salt

¼ c. wine vinegar

chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro optional garnish.

Bring a saucepan ¾ full of salted water to boil. Add carrots and boil, until tender, 5-8 minutes. Drain well. In a sauté pan over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil.

Add the garlic, diluted harissa, caraway, cumin, salt and vinegar. Stir for 2 minutes.

Add carrots and cook them, stirring occasionally, for 5-8 min. Transfer to a serving dish, and serve at room temperature, with or without garnish.

for tips, click below:

Tips: (1) I have found that this is a dish best served cool or at least at room temperature, as the recipe specifies. I would not recommend refrigerating the carrots to bring down their temperature – instead take the time to prepare this dish that allowing it to cool requires in order for it to be properly served. (2) Boiling the carrots and then sautéing them can make them softer than is desirable if one is not careful to monitor their consistency rather frequently while cooking them. The carrots should end up still resilient enough that they do not easily break. (3) When transfering the carrots to a serving plate, generally I use a fork or slotted spoon so that I don’t take with the carrots all of the sauce from the pan. The diluted harissa is not always evaporated or infused in the carrots, which is fine, but I prefer to decide whether I want it dressing the carrots or not. (4) If for whatever reason, I am not able to throw the carrots into the saute pan soon after they are boiled and drained, I find it best to rinse them with cool water so that they stop cooking (if the carrots just lay there steaming in a colander or whatever, they continue to soften).