Courses Archives: Appetizer

Texas Caviar

Texas Caviar

Carol C.
A friend of mine shared this with me many years ago. It makes a perfect summer appetizer!

Ingredients
  

  • 1 red or green pepper diced
  • ½ bunch celery diced
  • ½ red onion diced
  • 1 can shoepeg corn
  • 1 can blackeye peas
  • 1 can black beans
  • cup oil
  • cup apple cider vinegar
  • cup sugar

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl, combine red/green pepper, celery, red onion, shoepeg corn, blackeye peas, black beans.
  • Boil oil, apple cider vinegar, and sugar. Pour boiled contents over bowl and refrigerate overnight.
  • Drain liquid and serve with tortilla chips (scoops)

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Smoked Fish Dip

Smoked Fish Dip

Flora S.

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups flaked smoked whitefish
  • 2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
  • 4 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
  • 1 pinch Old Bay tm Seasoning
  • 4 drops hot pepper sauce or to taste
  • 3 drops Worcestershire sauce or to taste
  • 3 drops liquid smoke flavoring Optional
  • cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Place whitefish, mayonnaise, and sour cream in the bowl of a food processor.
  • Season with Old Bay ™ seasoning, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, and cracked black pepper.
  • Blend all ingredients until consistency reaches a spread.

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Russian Deviled Eggs

Russian Deviled Eggs

Flora S.

Ingredients
  

  • 1 small beet peeled
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish Optional
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 pinch ground paprika or to taste
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 12 sprigs fresh cilantro Optional

Instructions
 

  • Place beet in a small saucepan with water to cover; bring to a simmer and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool. Grate beet on medium holes of a grater. Place grated beet in a bowl; stir in mayonnaise, mustard, and relish.
  • Place eggs in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 15 minutes. Remove eggs from hot water, cool under cold running water, and peel.
  • Cut each egg in half lengthwise; place egg yolks in a bowl. Mash egg yolks with a fork; stir beet mixture into egg yolks. Season with paprika, salt, and pepper.
  • Place egg whites cut-side up on a serving platter. Spoon yolk mixture into egg white halves; top with cilantro.

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Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

Flora S.

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large head cauliflower separated into florets
  • cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a large casserole dish.
  • Place the olive oil and garlic in a large resealable bag. Add cauliflower, and shake to mix. Pour into the prepared casserole dish, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Bake for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Top with Parmesan cheese and parsley, and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown.

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Potato Latkes

Potato Latkes

Flora S.

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups peeled and shredded potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon grated onion
  • 3 eggs beaten
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • ½ cup peanut oil for frying

Instructions
 

  • Place the potatoes in a cheesecloth and wring, extracting as much moisture as possible.
  • In a medium bowl stir the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour and salt together.
  • In a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until hot.
  • Place large spoonful of the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on them to form 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick patties.
  • Brown on one side, turn and brown on the other. Let drain on paper towels. Serve hot!

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Mushroom Julien

Mushroom Julien

Flora S.

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lb assorted fresh wild mushrooms brushed clean and sliced
  • ½ cup dry Porcini mushrooms
  • 1 large Spanish onion sliced into thin quarter-rounds
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup whole milk warmed and kept hot
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • pinch of fennel seeds
  • ½ lb Gruyere cheese shredded
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 4 tbsp vegetable oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Add enough boiling water to dry Porcini to barely cover them. Cover the container and let stand for at least 30 minutes.
  • Make bechamel sauce by warming 1 tbsp butter over very low heat; once the butter is completely melted and begins to bubble, quickly sift the flour over it. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon constantly, taking care that the flour does not burn.
  • Once the mixture has become a deep golden color, remove from heat and add milk in a thin stream, whisking vigorously to prevent clumps. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
  • At the end of the 5-minute period, whisk lightly. The sauce should have thickened to a consistency of a rich cream. If too thick, whisk in a little more hot milk.
  • Add nutmeg and season with salt. Cover and set aside.
  • Warm 1 tbsp and 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet. Add mushrooms and sauté on high heat, stirring, until the mushrooms are browned, about 10 minutes.
  • Strain the liquid from the dry Porcini into the skillet; discard the dry mushrooms. Continue cooking, stirring from time to time, until the mushrooms have absorbed most of the liquid.
  • Remove the mushrooms from the skillet and set aside. Wipe the skillet dry and return to heat; add 1 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp vegetable oil.
  • Add the onions and sauté over low heat, stirring from time to time, until the onions have decreased in volume and caramelized evenly. (This takes anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour, so be patient!)
  • Return the mushrooms to the skillet. Wisk together sour cream and béchamel sauce, and add the mixture to the skillet.
  • Season with salt and pepper and add fennel seeds. Stir and cook, covered, over low heat for 15 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven. Distribute the stew evenly among individual mini-crocks or ramekins (but mini-crocks are best).
  • Top with Gruyere cheese and broil, uncovered, until the cheese has melted and formed a deep yellow crust with brownish blisters.

Notes

Julien is typically served as a hot appetizer dish.

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Minted Pea Puree

Minted Pea Puree

Carrie M.
Fun easy snack or appetizer. Great for warmer months!

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups frozen green peas thawed
  • 1 cup mint leaves tightly packed
  • ½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves tightly packed
  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • salt and fresh ground pepper
  • 1 baguette sliced and toasted
  • Parmesan shavings
  • Balsamic vineger

Instructions
 

  • Put one third of the peas into a food processor with the mint, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice
  • Puree to a paste. Then turn out into a bowl and combine with remaining whole peas, season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Spread the pea mixture on just-toasted rounds, garnish wiht cheese, a drizzle of balsamic or both. Eat immediately.

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Middle Eastern Hummus

Middle Eastern Hummus

Flora S.

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups dry garbanzo beans soaked overnight
  • 1 pinch baking soda Optional
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¾ cup tahini paste
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice or more to taste
  • 1 large clove garlic minced, or more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the garbanzo beans and and place in a pot. Fill with enough water to cover by at least 1 inch. Add baking soda, if using.
  • Bring to a boil and then simmer over medium heat until the beans are very soft, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
  • Drain the beans, reserving some of the water to use later. Reserve a small handful of the whole beans for a garnish.
  • Transfer the rest to a blender or if you have a hand blender, a large bowl. Blend the beans until smooth, adding 1/2 cup of olive oil gradually.
  • Add some of the reserved water if needed to help it blend. Add the tahini and blend in along with the lemon juice.
  • Blend in the garlic, cumin and salt.
  • Spread the hummus into a flat serving dish and garnish with the reserved beans and a drizzle of olive oil.

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Eggplant Appetizer

Eggplant Appetizer

Flora S.

Ingredients
  

  • 5 eggplants peeled and cubed
  • 5 green bell peppers seeded and chopped
  • 5 to matoes chopped
  • 5 onions chopped
  • 1 ½ tablespoons white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ cup red wine vinegar
  • ½ cup water

Instructions
 

  • Place the eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, and onion into a large pot.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, salt, oil, vinegar, and water.
  • Pour over the vegetables. Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes.
  • Serve warm.

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Dressed Herring under Fur salad

Dressed Herring under Fur salad

Flora S.

Ingredients
  

  • 2 thick salted herrings matthias
  • 5 potatoes
  • 4 carrots
  • 4 beets
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 lb mayonnaise

Instructions
 

  • Boil vegetables until they are ready ( you can boil vegetables in 1 pan).
  • Boil eggs hard.
  • Peel skin from herrings, cut them along the spine. Take all bones away. Cut herring meat into very little pieces and always check for bones. Take a large dish. Put herring meat evenly on the bottom. If you like onion, you can put little pieces of onion on the herring.
  • Then spread mayonnaise evenly (thin layer).
  • Grind potatoes and make the next layer of it. Spread mayonnaise.
  • Use a fork to plane the layers. Then goes carrot (grind, put, spread).
  • Then you do the same with 4 eggs and beets.
  • Spread mayonnaise on the beets and grind 1 egg on it to make the dish beautiful.
  • Put the dish in the fridge for an hour.

Notes

This salad must look like a cake. Selyodka pod Shouboy is served as an appetizer.

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