Archive for the 'appetizers' Category
Have I shown off my garden yet? I’m loaded – with spinach and chard, that is – between the CSA box and the boxes in my back yard, I should have X-ray vision or some such superpower by the end of the summer. Which is coming up all too quickly.
I punched “chard” into the search box on Epicurious the other day, looking for more inspiration (but really just procrastinating), and these frittata bites jumped out – they suggest cold squares for a cocktail party. I wound up doing my own thing, but kept the sausage-chard-feta combo, and it was loved by all. (Except W, who struggled unsuccessfully to separate the green stuff from the rest.) Bonus: two huge bunches of chard went into this – it always amazes me how small it gets once it wilts. You could cook a bunch down to a spoonful and just eat it, like a real-food vitamin pill.
Chard, Sausage and Feta Frittata
canola or olive oil, for cooking
1 small onion or half a purple one
2-3 large sausages (I used Winter’s Turkeys sausages)
1-2 bunches chard, ribs removed and leaves roughly chopped or torn
8 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
salt & pepper
1 cup crumbled feta
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large ovenproof skillet (cast iron is perfect!) heat a drizzle of oil and cook the onion over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until starting to soften. Squeeze the sausage out of its casing into the skillet and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until no longer pink. Transfer to a bowl and add another drizzle of oil (if you need it) then add the chard to the pan – if you’ve washed it, the moisture clinging to the leaves should provide enough moisture – and cook for a few minutes, until it wilts. Add the sausage and onion back to the pan.
Whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Stir in the cheese and pour over the meat and veg in the pan. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook for a few minutes, until it’s starting to set around the edges and on the bottom. Transfer to the oven and cook for about 10 minutes, until cooked through and golden on top. (Alternatively you could stir the lot together, pour it into a buttered baking dish and bake for 40-45 minutes, until set.)
Serve warm, in wedges, or cold in squares. Leftovers make great sandwich filling. Serves 8.
One Year Ago: Browned-Butter Blueberry Muffins (made with saskatoons)
August 24 2010 | appetizers and eggs and one dish | 16 Comments »
I was on traffic duty today (and yesterday) afternoon at CBC – earlier I went for X-rays of my arm, which hasn’t been fully functional for awhile now (nothing exciting to report, sadly – I can’t claim a rodeo injury here – more a very unglamorous and noisy trip over laptop cords. Gravity doesn’t like me very much. Nor do these hardwood floors.) and tonight I’m baking 400 Saskatoon squares for the kitchen theatre tomorrow. In between I had a deadline that unfortunately took priority over making dinner (and reporting it here, I’m sorry to say) and so at close to 8, when W had (happily) eaten oatmeal for dinner, I sliced up the avocados that were at their buttery smooth peak in the fruit bowl, tossed them with some minced purple onion, a handful of halved grape tomatoes, some fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice, drizzle of oil, a big clove of garlic and sprinkle of salt, and we scooped up the lot with corn chips. It was almost as if I had planned it that way.
On the topic of garlic: I have officially given up my search for the perfect press. It doesn’t exist. HOWEVER, a rasp/Microplane does. And when you make things like salsa or guacamole, when you want your garlic to be a nice, smooth purée, nothing does a better job. Do watch your fingernails.
OK. Since I’ve been slacking off in the Free Stuff Fridays department (mostly due to disorientation – what day is it again?) I picked up a nice new Microplane grater (that’s right, I bought it myself) to give to one of you, because it really is (and they don’t give me anything – including new Microplanes – to say this – I’m certain they don’t even know I exist) one of the best kitchen tools out there. Not only are they grate (ha!) for garlic, but for sinewy ginger, fresh nutmeg, and any type of citrus, which is best grated finely in order to release as much flavour as possible. Trust me, you need one of these. And an ice cream machine. But that’s another story.
Really, I’m just buying comments – I miss hearing what everyone had for dinner last night.
Look what I was eating last year on this day! I can’t wait. One more week to go.
July 16 2010 | appetizers | 74 Comments »
These aren’t nearly as disgusting as they sound, honest.
They went over stupendously well last Tuesday morning at CBC. Seriously, people were near-ecstatic over them. Being Stampede week and all I need to give you an appropriately-themed recipe – I’m sorry if I held out for so long and you’re already over the whole corn dog thing. Even if you never were into the whole corn dog thing, these are worth a try. They’re little breakfast sausages dipped in grainy pancake batter and fried corn-dog style, then served with maple syrup for dipping. I made these once years ago, and we had wee ones in Kelowna last year at a hotel – I wish I could remember which one – they were small, and part of a breakfast buffet. So there you go – a new idea for your next brunch, or any party, really. Breakfast of champions. Also a great way to win friends and influence people.
They started with a pancake recipe. A nice grainy (without being heavy) one with a smattering of cornmeal (but not so much as to make them corn-cakey). The pancakes were great (although I do give you permission to knock down the oil a bit), and substantial enough that they worked perfectly for corn dog purposes, although I did omit the oil (after all, I was going to cook them in oil) and one of the eggs. (Don’t try boxed mix – not that you buy boxed pancake mix, right? – it’s too poufy and wussy, and your sausage will undress itself almost immediately upon hitting the hot oil.) You could make full-sized corn dogs using regular hot dogs, and this same batter would work out just fine. Upon comparing to my old corn dog recipe to this, they aren’t really that different. Turns out you can teach an old corn dog new tricks. Haw! Yes, I am my father’s daughter.
Whole Wheat Cornmeal Pancakes
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl; add buttermilk, eggs, and oil and whisk until smooth. Let stand 5 minutes (batter will thicken). If it’s too thick to pour easily, thin with more buttermilk.
Brush a griddle or skillet with oil or spray with nonstick spray and heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Reduce heat to medium. Working in batches of 4, spoon 2 tablespoons batter per pancake (a heaping large serving spoon works well) onto hot griddle and cook for about a minute, until bubbles appear on surface and pop around the edges, the edges are set, and undersides are golden. Flip pancakes with a thin metal spatula and cook until undersides are golden and pancakes are cooked through, 45 seconds to 1 minute more. (Lower heat if pancakes brown too much before insides are cooked through.) Transfer pancakes to plates and brush griddle with oil between batches; if you like, keep them warm in a 250F oven while you cook the rest. Serve warm. Makes about 10 pancakes.
Pancake Corn Dogs
1 1/2 – 2 dozen small maple pork breakfast sausages
wooden coffee stirrers, popsicle sticks or bamboo skewers
1 batch pancake batter above, omitting the oil and one egg
canola oil, for cooking
Cook the sausages and let them cool, then stick them on the wooden stirrers. In a wide, medium-large pot, heat a few inches of canola oil until hot but not smoking. Dip each sausage into the batter, holding it by the stick and rolling it around until well coated – dip into the oil and cook, turning as necessary, for a minute or until deep golden. Cook only two or three at a time, without crowding the pot, which could cause corn dog collisions and cause your oil to cool down.
Drain on paper towels and serve immediately, with maple syrup.
July 11 2010 | appetizers and pork | 12 Comments »
I’m cheating tonight and offering up a recipe (or idea, really) that I was reminiscing about today and realized I took photos of a few weeks ago, and so went and dug them up. Because it’s exactly the sort of thing that comes in handy in summertime – something you can pull together in a few minutes when there are mouths around to feed.
Plus, I’m in full-on bean mode. The book is in the final FINAL for-real-now stages of pulling it all together and I live and sleep beans. I dream about soaking times. (Still no title, by the way. Help.)
So I may be a girl of fewer words this week, or I may just start recycling. I’ve got a sudden onslaught of other imminent deadlines too, and I’m on the Eyeopener covering traffic all this week, AND this weekend is Gallery Calorie, an event I’ve helped organize and am emceeing. In fact, I’m in a meeting about it now. I look very busy taking notes on my laptop. But -are you reading this Artemis girls?- I’m totally paying attention. You’re talking about silent auction items now. (I love silent auctions – I try to buy gifts there – there’s always cool stuff, and the bonus of your money going to charity.) If you don’t have plans this Saturday, it’s the best party in the park of the year – fist, a stroll up and down 17th Avenue, popping into shops and restaurants and trying food and wine and other tasty stuff, checking out art and shopping and such, and afterward there’s a party in Tomkins Park, in front of Mount Royal Village, with a live band (Magnolia Buckskin!) and food and drinks and general merrymaking. And I’m emceeing!
Oooh – they’re talking about Art Race now! This is the best part, and totally unique. We have 30 pieces of original art, and sell 30 tickets at $150 a pop. At the afterparty we hold a race – the artwork is set out under a tent for all to peruse in advance, and then we start drawing numbers – the first person to have their number called gets first pick, and so on. SO MUCH FUN. And last year I brought home an original Lisa Brawn woodcut (LOVE HER. gush.) made out of a chunk of reclaimed grain elevator. How cool is that? When I was drooling over her pieces at the Axis gallery at Art Central at Christmas they were worth far FAR more than $150. It became imminently clear that Santa doesn’t spend that much. But she’s back again this year! I can’t wait to see what she brings. All artists have of course donated their work. Thanks guys.
Anyway. All the proceeds from this year’s event are going to two great charities – the Servants Anonymous Society and Birthday Buddies, an organization that buys, wraps and delivers gifts, balloons and cake to kids who are living in homeless shelters throughout Calgary. Can you think of a better cause? We sold out last year, but there are still some tickets available for this one. They’re $40 – email me if you want some! Or you can buy them online at the Gallery Calorie website.
And it’ll be nice and sunny out this Saturday! Remember the sun? Best to celebrate our few short days in its presence with martinis and cupcakes.
Oh right, the fava bean toasts. So simple, but so delicious. We had them at a birthday party a few weeks ago and they took a few minutes to assemble as we all stood around and chatted with our drinks. Bread was brushed with oil and grilled, then topped with a tumble of fava (aka broad) beans and big shavings of Parmesan cheese – do them with a vegetable peeler. I think she may have snipped on some mint. Perfect patio food.
Setting my alarm for 4am. Will be having extra martinis on Saturday, and cheese (Janice Beaton!) and cupcakes. Won’t you come join us?
And if you’re jonesing for new recipes, I do have some going over at Family Kitchen. The latest: Blueberry Brown Sugar Buttermilk Cake.
June 08 2010 | appetizers | 28 Comments »
For some reason, a bag of Cheezies (the real, Hawkins kind – they’re Canadian, did you know?) with some kind of big red wine has become my idea of heaven on a Friday night. (It’s important to have achievable dreams.) It occurred to me awhile ago that I could in fact make something kindasorta similar – I’m not sure revisiting these cheesy bits was altogether a good idea. So I’ve decided to drag you down with me.
Yes, I’m aware that you know about cheese straws already. They were All That in the eighties and are still just as familiar, although most present-day recipes have taken a shortcut with frozen puff pastry dough. Trust me, these are worth tucking back into your repertoire; they’re as easy to mix and bake as a batch of cookies, and can be pulled into service for any occasion for which you are responsible for providing something to nibble on. The dough takes no more than five minutes in a food processor and is freezable – stash a few balls of dough to thaw, roll and bake when a cheese craving hits. (And because your sense of taste has so much to do with your sense of smell, baking them right before you eat them is like food foreplay – the best possible potpourri.)
They also, it turns out, make a great nibble alongside a bowl of soup, if you need a sort of ballast that doesn’t come in the form of a wedge of bread or enormous biscuit. And have you heard what I’m doing this weekend? I thought I was spending it gaining some control of my house / yard / laundry / basement. Nope. It turns out I’m making lunch for Leonard Nimoy, Malcolm McDowell
and Sid Haig. Life is weird sometimes. Leonard requested two soups. I’m making soup for Spock!
For real! No pressure. I’ll get pictures.
Cheddar Straws
These could be made using an aged Gouda, asiago or any firm, flavourful cheese. For a twist, try blitzing a teaspoon of chopped fresh rosemary into the dry ingredients in place of the cayenne.
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated old or extra-old cheddar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into chunks
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch cayenne pepper or paprika (sweet or smoked – optional)
2 Tbsp. milk
Put the cheddar, flour, butter, salt and cayenne into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until well combined and crumbly. (If you don’t have a food processor, grate the cheese and toss it with the dry ingredients, breaking it up as much as you can with a whisk, pastry cutter or fork.) Add the milk and pulse until it starts to come together. Remove the dough from the food processor and gather it into a ball. Cover with a tea towel and let rest for about 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into an oval or rectangle about 1/8” thick and cut crosswise into strips that are about 1/4” wide using a pizza wheel or sharp knife. (Alternatively, cut the dough into stars or other small shapes.) Transfer to an ungreased cookie sheet and if you like, twist them a few times for dramatic effect. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until pale golden on the ends.
Makes lots.
April 23 2010 | appetizers | 20 Comments »
Next »
