Braised Endives

INGREDIENTS
2    teaspoons olive oil
¼   cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
1    tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried
2    tablespoons butter
3    medium heads Belgian endive, halved
½   cup low sodium chicken broth
2    clove garlic, minced
1    teaspoon dried thyme
½   teaspoon sugar

METHOD

Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring, until the bread crumbs are brown and crispy. Remove to a plate, reserve.

In a large skillet over medium heat melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the endive halves, cut side down, and cook until they begin to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broth, garlic, thyme and sugar. Cook the endives for about 15 minutes, turning at 7 minutes, or until the liquid is evaporated and the endives are glazed. Serve sprinkled with the reserved bread crumbs.

Modifi9ed from a recipe in Eating Well magazine

Sherried Mushrooms and Sausage

INGREDIENTS
2    sausages, pre cooked (4-5 ounces total)
8    ounces Portobello or Crimini mushrooms
3    cloves garlic
2    tablespoons olive oil
½   cup Emile’s sherry or equivalent
1    baguette
      sour cream

METHOD

Remove the outer skins from the sausages and cut into ½ inch slices. Place these into a food processor and pulse until they resemble hamburger. Remove to a mixing bowl. Wash and de-stem the mushrooms, cut into quarters and place into the same food processor. Pulse until they are coarsely ground. Remove and add to the medium mixing bowl.

Clean the garlic, cut into slices and add to the food processor. Pulse until minced and set aside. In a medium frying pan, over medium-low heat, add the olive oil, swirling to coat. Add the sausage, stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the sherry, stir around and scrape up any brown bits. Continue to cook until all the wine has been absorbed or evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat  

Slice the baguette crosswise into 10 to 12 slices, ½ inch wide. Place these on a baking sheet and broil until just beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool. Butter each slice thickly with sour cream, add a scoop of mushroom mixture, flatten it with the spoon or your fingers and they are ready to serve.

Or, cut off 4 inches of the baguette, slice it lengthwise, butter both halves with the sour cream and add scoops of the mushroom filling for a sandwich you won’t soon forget.

North African Hummus

INGREDIENTS
1    can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans
1    clove garlic, minced
2    tablespoons olive oil
3    tablespoons sesame seed paste
2    tablespoons preserved lemon, seeded, rinsed, drained
     or 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1   teaspoon ground cumin
1   teaspoon ground coriander
1   teaspoon ground cinnamon

METHOD

Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add small amounts of water or chicken broth to thin during the blending process, even to a thin consistency. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour during which the hummus will thicken. Serve with vegetable sticks and/or crackers.

NOTE:  The three spices can be reduced to ½ teaspoon each for a less-spicy hummus.

Asiago Cheese Straws

INGREDIENTS
1          egg
1          tablespoon water
1          package of croissant pastry
¾         cup freshly grated Asiago cheese, divided
            flour and olive oil

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Beat the egg and water together with a whisk until well blended. Reserve. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil. Set aside.

Unfold the pastry onto a lightly floured surface. Use two portions of the croissant dough and press the serrations together to form a solid rectangle. Roll each into large rectangle.

Brush each part of the dough lightly with the egg and water mixture and spread ¼ cup of cheese over one of the pastry pieces. Place the other part, egg side down, over the cheese and roll them lightly with a rolling pin to seal them together. Cut into 1/2 inch wide strips, then to two inch lengths, twist each strip, and place on the greased baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Continue with the remaining dough in the same manner.

Steak with Roasted Red Bell Pepper Pesto

Try a little something different to put on your flank or sirloin steak. Simple to make and great to eat. Can serve as an appetizer also.

INGREDIENTS
1   pound flank or sirloin steak
1   teaspoon dried basil
1   tablespoon olive oil
1   jar (7 ounce) roasted red bell peppers
2   tablespoons roughly chopped fresh basil
2-3 tablespoons beef broth

METHOD
Cut the steak across the grain into 2 inch by 1/2 inch strips and place them into a re-seal able plastic bag. Put the dried basil leaves into a coffee grinder and pulverize them. Add them and the olive oil to the plastic bag. Seal the bag and mix it well to coat all the steak strips with oil and basil. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Place the roasted red bell peppers into a blender or food processor and puree. If they will not puree completely, add beef broth by tablespoons and continue to process until a smooth puree is obtained. Add the chopped basil leaves and process until they are chopped to 1/4 inch pieces.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add the beef slices from the plastic bag with any liquid and cook, turning as needed, until thoroughly browned. Remove from the skillet to a serving dish and cover to keep warm. Add the pesto to the skillet  and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to  heat. Remove from the stove, pour over the steak strips and serve.

Pepper Breadsticks

Bread sticks are pretty easy to make and pretty dull, so why don't we add something wild - like pepper! Sure does spice them up and make you pay attention. There are other things that can be added - see the note at the end of the recipe.




INGREDIENTS
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast (1 1/2 packages)
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons bread flour
3/4 cup butter, butter substitute or shortening
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the water, 2 tablespoons of flour and the yeast. Mix well and let it stand for 5 to 7 minutes until it gets foamy. (Be sure it is in a warm, draft free place.) Add the rest of the flour, shortening, salt and pepper.

Knead until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel, place in a warm environment and let it rise for about 15 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a un-floured work surface and divide into 4 parts. Divide each quarter into 8 parts and roll each part into a 8 to 9 inch rope and arrange on the baking sheets.

Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown and firm, shifting the pans half way through the baking. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Serve at room temperature.

Additions: 1 tablespoon of a spice such as oregano, sage, rosemary, thyme 1/4 cup of grated cheese such as Parmesan, Asiago, Pecorino 1/4 cup pureed sun dried tomatoes
 

Shrimp and Artichoke Dip

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons butter or butter substitute

2 tablespoons flour

1 jar marinated artichoke hearts (11-12 ounces) or two smaller jars, drained

2 cups half and half

¼ cup teleme cheese, in lumps

¼ cup Emiles Dry Sherry
1 teaspoon dried garlic powder
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 pound bay shrimp, cleaned and pre-cooked
¾ cup freshly grated Fontina cheese
1 teaspoon paprika

METHOD
In a small bowl, mix the flour and butter together by hand until a uniform, well mixed paste is developed. Chop the artichoke hearts into medium pieces, removing any tough, outer leaves. Set aside. In a large sauce pan, add the half and half and heat over medium heat. Gradually add the butter/flour mixture and stir it in. Once all the butter/flour is mixed in, the sauce will thicken and become smooth in about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the teleme cheese, sherry, garlic powder and egg yolks, stirring them in as you add them.

Place the artichoke hearts into a blender or food processor and add some of the cheese sauce. Blend to a coarse mixture and then return it all to the sauce pan. Add the shrimp, Fontina cheese and the paprika. Continue to simmer until all the cheese has melted and is well mixed in. Remove from the heat, let it cool for a few minutes and either serve immediately or chill overnight and serve the next day. Use crackers or tortilla chips to scoop up portions of the dip.

Spicy Bean and Chipotle Dip

Not all bean dips are the same. Some are mostly beans. Some are not very spicy. Most have little cheese. Until now - spicy, cheesy and beany. How about that !!




INGREDIENTS
4 slices thick bacon or equivalent salt pork, cut to 1/2 inch pieces
1 small white onion, diced (about 3/4 cup)
4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 jar ELKI Chipotle Bean Dip (about 11 ounces, 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup Hot Pepper Cheese (4 ounces)
2 tablespoons Garlic Survival Garlic Salsa
1-2 pinches cayenne pepper

METHOD
In a small skillet, brown the chopped bacon until crisp but not thoroughly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon onto paper towels to drain, reserving one tablespoon of the oil. (Discard the rest into the garbage, not down the drain.) Pat the bacon dry and put into a blender or food processor and chop into bacon crumbs. Reserve.

In a medium sauce pan, using 1 tablespoon of the bacon oil and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, bring to heat on medium and add the onion. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes and add the garlic. Continue to saute for another 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and the reserved bacon crumbs, stirring as you add items. Simmer over low heat, continuing to stir, until all the cheese is absorbed and melted. Remove to a serving dish and serve with corn chips, tortilla chips, pita chips.or bread rounds.

Cheese and Olive Toast

A quick and easy and very good appetizer for those times when you just don't have time.

INGREDIENTS

1    tub (7 ounces) Spreadable Cheese

1    jar (10 ounce) Black or Green Olive Tapenade

     Baguette rounds, either toasted or not

METHOD

Place a paper towel into a fine sieve and place the tapenade into that to drain some of the liquid. If you wish to, place the baguette rounds on a baking sheet and lightly toast them under the broiler. Spread some of the cheese on each baguette round, pressing it slightly into the bread. Add a spoonful of the tapenade from the sieve, distributing it evenly on the bread and pressing it slightly into the cheese. Place it onto a serving platter and do another.

Swiss Anchovy Toasts

Don’t let the anchovies fool you – these are really tasty appetizers that are simple to make and look much more difficult to make than they are

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

1   cup grated Emmenthaler cheese ( 2-3 ounces)
1   small can anchovies (2 ounces)
1   tablespoon chopped chives or green part of green onions
½  teaspoon dried dill
2   tablespoons low fat yogurt
½  teaspoon lemon juice
1   pinch of ground pepper (optional)
     paprika for dusting
12-14   baguette slices, ¼ inch thick

 METHOD

Preheat the broiler with the oven rack in the top position. When grating the cheese, use the large grating side. On a bread board or cutting board, mix the cheese and anchovies by chopping them together with a large knife until thoroughly mixed. Remove to a medium bowl and add the chives, dill, yogurt, pepper and lemon juice. Mix well.

Spread the mixture evenly on the 12 to 14 baguette slices (about one teaspoon per slice) and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle a bit of paprika on top of each slice and broil for 3 to 4 minutes until cheese is completely melted. Do not let them burn (a bit of burn on the bread won’t hurt.) Serve immediately.

Spread the mixture evenly on the baguette slices (about one teaspoon per slice) and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle a bit of paprika on top of each and broil for 3 to 4 minutes until the cheese is completely melted. DO NOT let them burn (a bit of burn on the edges of the bread won't hurt a thing.) Serve immediately.

Blue Cheese Dip

A great dip to use with vegetables or on crackers.

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup Ricotta cheese
3/4 cup low fat yogurt
6 ounces Blue Jack Cheese (1 package)
2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves, crushed
1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
3 green onions, chopped fine, white and part green
1 dash fresh ground black pepper

METHOD
Place the Ricotta, Blue Jack, yogurt and vinegar into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Remove into a serving dish and add the remaining ingredients, mixing well. Refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Serve cold with crackers or vegetables.

Smoked Salmon Horseradish Spread

INGREDIENTS
1          can wild Alaska smoked salmon  (6.5 ounces)
1/3       cup Horseradish spread
1/3       cup Non Fat Yogurt

METHOD

Remove the salmon from the can and, using a fork, flake it into small bits. In a medium bowl, mix the Horseradish dip and the yogurt. Fold in the salmon and mix well. Spread on crackers and garnish with a bit of chopped flat leaf parsley or put it out as an appetizer tray and allow your guests to do it themselves.

Emmenthaler Swiss Cheese Bread

A quick and easy appetizer that will have everyone asking for more

INGREDIENTS
2 cups Emmenthaler Swiss cheese, finely grated (4 ounces)
1 tablespoon cream or half and half
1 medium egg
1 pinch paprika
1 twelve inch long baguette

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Cut the baguette in half crosswise and then each piece length wise, yielding four 6 inch long pieces.

 In a medium bowl, beat the egg with a fork for 70 times to fully fluff it up, add the cream, the cheese and paprika, mixing well. Spread the mixture evenly over the four baguette portions, place them on a baking sheet and place on the rack in the middle of the oven.

Bake them for 5 to 6 minutes until the cheese has melted and is just beginning to brown. Remove from the oven, cool and cut into serving size pieces. Serve immediately.

Cannellini and Mussel Stew

A recipe inspired by Spanish wines, but very good with Italian white wines. Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a small plate dish. The attached photo shows one half of the amounts in this recipe.

 

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds mussels, scrubbed

¾ cup Emiles Sherry

¼ cup TRE Chardonnay

           ¼ cup olve oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans (14oz) Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 pinch (or more ?) red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley fr garnish

Toasted crusty bread slices to accompany

METHOD

In a large sauce pan or deep skillet, combine the wines and the mussels. Bring to a boil and cook covered for 3-5 minutes until the mussels open. Remove from the heat and let cool. Remove the mussels from the shells, tossing out any that are not open, and discarding the shells ( unless you wish to use a few for garnish.) Strain the broth and reserve one cup.

 

Clean out the pan and add the olive oil, minced garlic and pepper flakes. Saute for a few minutes on medium heat for 1 minute. Add the broth and mussels and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the beans and parsley and continue simmering for another 3-4 minutes.

 

Serve with the toasted crusty bread and a chilled bottle of Guglielmo Pinot Grigio.

 

Based upon a recipe in : Food and Wine Magazine

Black Olive Soup - an Italian Crema

In Italian, a crema is a puree that is thickened with potato. This soup is quite thick and should be served in small quantities either as a soup course or as an anti-pasto as shown here.

INGREDIENTS

1 small white onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 ½ cups chicken stock

2 large cans (6 oz) pitted black olives, chopped

½ cup marsala wine

1 small golden potato, diced

1 Pinch black pepper, freshly ground

METHOD

In a large sauce pan, add the olive oil and warm over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until onion is translucent. Add all the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil for three minutes and then reduce to simmer. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and, in small batches, puree in a blender or food processor. Serve hot, garnished with chopped Italian parsley.

As an anti-pasto, serve with either Sauvignon Blanc or Rosatello. As a soup dish, a medium red like Sangiovese or a continuation of the pasta wine.