Category: appetizers

Somewhere hidden in your pantry lies a can of sardines. It probably arrived as part of a Mediterranean gift basket and was pushed to the back of the closet three holidays ago. You tell yourself “I hate sardines. What am I doing with these things?” You are here to find out the answer to that question. Turn the contents of that can into a delicious bite to serve on toast, gluten free crackers–I love Mary’s–even cucumber rounds. What you need is that can with some of its oil, 1/2 stick softened unsalted butter, juice of 1/2 lemon (or whole lemon depending on taste), finely chopped scallion, and salt and pepper to taste. Check the sardines for bones, sometimes they have already been removed, just slide your finger down the middle of the fish and pull out if bone is still there. Chop finely or add to food processor with some of the sardine oil, butter, lemon juice, scallion and season to taste with salt and pepper. It can be used immediately, or prepared ahead, just bring to room temp before serving, it should be spreadable. Serve with something fizzy like Prosecco or a spritz. (Tip for keeping scallions-place in water as though they were flowers with roots still attached. They will keep longer-see below.) One more thought. If, after all is said and done, you still don’t like sardines, substitute canned tuna, in oil please, or, for something really luxurious, canned crabmeat. It’s all good.

 

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What to do with a peppadew? Peppadews are round, cored pepper-type things that are generally found at the olive bar in many supermarkets. They can be purchased in jars, but it is more economical to purchase them loose and buy just what you need. They come in red and yellow varieties, but the red is the more prevalent color. If you can find both, buy both, they look pretty when filled and displayed. The flavor is sweet and slightly briny. Because they are hollowed out, they lend themselves to many types of fillings–think crabmeat, tuna chunks, even scrambled eggs; they are perfect for one bite, fork not required, and do not need anything but a cocktail. Here I stuff them with feta cheese. Just cut the feta cheese into pieces and stuff the peppers. Pour a glass of wine. Eat.

I think of Mortadella as Bologna’s sexy Italian cousin. It is wonderful thinly sliced and put onto ciabatta bread with arugula and some salt, pepper, and olive oil. But, take away the bread, toss the arugula with a vinaigrette of your choice (lemon would be perfect), place the salad on the thin slice of mortadella and roll it tightly into cigar shape, and you have a beautiful bite to go with a cold glass of rose’. See below, before and after. Here is another idea and is always a big hit. Have your deli man slice a chunk of mortadella about a finger thick (1/2″-3/4″). You will also need some Balsamic vinegar, about 1/4 cup. You don’t need aged or anything special, just garden variety Balsamic, also a sprig of rosemary or thyme, maybe a bay leaf if you want, and some black pepper. Cut the slab into roughly 1″ cubes. Place the cubes into a pan and brown. You want a nice crispy crust on the meat, but don’t burn it. When the cubes are done to your liking, remove them and set aside. Off the heat, pour in the Balsamic vinegar, add the rosemary or thyme and black pepper and reduce until syrupy, it will take a few minutes. When it has reached that stage, add the cubes back in and toss to coat. Place on a plate and serve. Don’t turn your back because when you return, they will be devoured. Consider yourself warned.

 

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The not so humble Endive and how it allows you to nibble without the carbs or gluten if that is a concern. Just slice off the flat side and gently separate the leaves. Then place them in cold (icy!) water with a drop of lemon juice to keep them white and crispy until ready to be filled with something yummy, like this lemon and onion combo that I adapted from a recipe I saw on saw on www.elizabethminchilli.com a few years back. You will need 1/2 white onion (or red onion or two large shallots or 5 scallions depending on what you have or where your preference lies, I have used them all), a lemon, a pinch of red pepper flakes (or more depending on your tolerance for heat), flaky or kosher salt, olive oil and mint. Dice the onion. Make the dice as small as your knife skills allow. You can also pulse the onion in a food processor but don’t pulse too long, you don’t want mush. Mush is bad. After cutting the onion, place it into cold water to rinse the bitterness and then drain well. While the onions are draining, slice a lemon in half from pole to pole (top to bottom). Place the cut side down on a cutting surface and slice off the ends. Cut paper thin half moon slices from each half and cut those slices into thirds as shown below. You will have a pile of little lemon pieces. Combine the lemon and onion together with salt and pepper flakes to taste and olive oil. Chopped jalapeno pepper can be substituted for the flakes if you prefer. Let the mixture sit in the fridge for about 1/2 hour. The onions can be chopped ahead of time as can the lemon, just store each in a separate container until ready to combine, about at least 1/2 hour before serving. The curing in the salt tenderizes the lemon rind. When ready to serve, add mint. Taste for seasoning and spoon a bit into your chilled and drained endive cups. It is refreshing and unusual. Perfect for cocktail hour (think cold cold martinis). If you have any leftovers, toss with pasta for an easy summer dinner.