Fried Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives

Here’s a great ‘From The Pantry’ appetizer, serve up with any dip or all alone!

Fried Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives

Great out of the pantry appetizer….

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup dried bread crumbs
40 Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives
Vegetable oil, for deep frying
Lemon wedges, for serving

Fill three bowls, from left to right, with the flour, eggs, and bread crumbs. Stuff the olives with your choice of fillings.

Spear and olive with a toothpick (optional- you can use your hands if you like) and coat it in the flour evenly, shaking off the excess, into the egg, and then roll it in the bread crumbs. Use a fork to pop it off the toothpick onto a plate. Repeat until all of the olives are crumbed.

Heat 1 1/2 inches of oil in a medium saucepan until it reaches 350°F on a deep-fat thermometer or a candy thermometer. Place a few of the olives at a time in the bowl of a slotted metal spoon and lower them into the oil. Fry in batches until golden brown, less than 1 minute. Fish out the olives with a spoon and transfer them to paper towels. Spritz them with lemon while sizzling, if you like. Serve hot.

New Year Empanadas

12 / 31 / 1512 / 31 / 15

Another quick and easy appetizer from the pantry, the refrigerated pantry that is. Make ahead, freeze and cook as many as you like. I made these pastries using a 3″ cutter and fold them over to look like half moons. You can make them round, square, make them larger or smaller, whatever your needs might be.

Try and get puff pastry that is made with real butter for a better flavor and defrost it in the refrigerator. The trick to working with puff pastry is to keep it as cold as possible, if it becomes sticky, put it back in the refrigerator until it firms up. If you don’t have time to freeze the pastries before baking, let them rest and chill up in the refrigerator while your oven is preheating.

(If you’d like to try your hand at making Quick Puff Pastry at home try this recipe~it’s easy! Just start the day before)

Quick Puff Pastry Recipe

Make extra, these are tasty treats that will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Happy New Year!

Smoked Ham and Gruyere Cheese Empanadas

1 box puff pastry, defrosted or homemade
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, approximately
¾ cup Manchego or gruyere cheese, grated
¾ cup Serrano or Black Forest ham, chopped
1 egg whisked with a little water

Preheat oven to 400°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Roll out dough* and using a round cutter, cut shapes in 3" rounds.

Spread with a small amount of mustard and sprinkle half the dough with ham and cheese leaving a 1/4" border around the edge of the dough. Brush the edge of the dough with water, fold over and crimp edges with a fork. It's best to freeze the empanadas and cook from a frozen state. Freeze individually on a baking sheet and then store in a freezer tight bag. If you don’t have time to freeze then bake, refrigerate them until they are very cold, about 1 hr.

Brush the egg/water mixture over top of the dough and bake for 15 min or until crust is lightly browned. If baking from a frozen state it may take 25 minutes to baking.

*Keep puff pastry as cold as possible, if dough begins to stick return to the refrigerator until cold and then continue with recipe.

Artichoke Dip

3 / 5 / 153 / 28 / 15

Walt's Wharf Artichoke Dip

Adapted slightly from Walt’s Wharf recipe.

1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons local honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons sea salt
4 tablespoons Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
1 cup mayo

Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary for your taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Chef Debbi

Mushroom and Gruyere Puff Pastries

12 / 14 / 14

Mushroom and Gruyere Puff Triangles

A wonderful easy appetizer to make ahead and freeze individually, pull out cook as many as you need.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups finely chopped Cremini mushrooms
1 onion, chopped finely
1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs, crushed
Sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoon flour
½ cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons dry white wine
1/3 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed (12x12 inches)
1 egg + 1 tablespoon water, whisked together

Serves: 32

Preheat your oven to 400°.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Heat a medium sauté pan over medium high heat, add butter and olive oil, and add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the mushrooms, herbs, sea salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms are lightly browned and no liquid remains in the pan.

Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, add the wine and cream.

Remove from the heat, and stir in the Gruyere cheese. Chill.

Place a rolling mat on your counter, or a large piece of parchment paper. Add a little flour and lightly roll out the puff pasty, cut into 16 pieces using a pizza cutter or knife.

You should keep the puff pastry as cold as possible, if it starts to stick or becomes doughy, return it to the refrigerator for about 10 min. Keep the second piece of puff pastry in the refrigerator while you work on the first one.

Scoop about 1 t tablespoon of the cold mushroom mixture into the center of the dough (do not overfill or they will leak). Fold the over in a triangle and, using a fork, press the edges together to seal them.

Place the mini turnovers onto your prepared baking sheet, at least 1 inch apart. Place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes and prepare the second batch. Refrigerate the second batch for 20 minutes for best results.

Brush the sealed edges and tops of the turnovers with the egg mixture.

Bake each tray for about 15 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

Adapted from Jo-Anna, A Pretty Life in the Suburbs, courtesy of Kendall Jackson

Artichoke and Leek Filo Cups

12 / 5 / 1412 / 6 / 14

Artichoke and Leek Filo Cups

*The filling can be prepared a day in advance and kept refrigerated until ready to use. Assemble hors d’oeuvres up to one hour ahead of time and keep refrigerated.

1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained well (about 3 oz)
1 package chopped leeks (or 1 lg. stalk chopped fine)
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
filo cups, can be found in the freezer section near the puff pastry

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheet with parchment; set aside.

In a food processor fitted with metal blade, combine artichoke hearts, leeks, garlic cloves and lemon juice. Pulse several times or until ingredients are finely chopped. Add mayonnaise and sour cream; process until well combined, stir in Parmesan cheese and chives.

Fill each mini filo shell with filling and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until heated through and golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Marinated Olives

12 / 5 / 1412 / 6 / 14

Marinated Olives

There are a million ways to adapt this recipe to your liking. Marinate the
olives for at least 24 hours and serve at room temperature. Try different
herbs, spices, fruit zest and vinegar. Look to see what’s in your pantry.
This is great served with a little Baked Goat Cheese and a baguette.

1 lb. mixed olives, not pitted
1 lemon rind, cut from the lemon without removing the white pith beneath the skin
1 tablespoon mixed dried Italian herbs, crushed
pinch of salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup Zinfandel vinegar
1 cup (or more) lemon flavored olive oil or use an extra virgin olive oil

Place the olives into a jar so they fit snug.

Chop the lemon rind into fine strips, mix with remaining ingredients and pour over the olives to cover. Add a little more oil if it doesn’t quite cover the olives. Place the lid on the jar and refrigerate overnight.

You can store these olives for several days in the refrigerator but serve at room temperature

Summer Ceviche

9 / 24 / 1412 / 3 / 14

Ceviche with Avocado and Tomato Broth

Serves 4, approximately

1          pound white fish halibut, red snapper, sole,
2         teaspoons mild or hot pepper
2          tablespoons cilantro, minced
1          tablespoon shallot, minced
1          large rib celery, cut into a small dice
1          medium tomato, cut into the same size as the fish, squeeze out the seeds
1/2      cup freshly squeezed lime juice, or enough to cover ingredients
1          splash olive oil

Tomato Broth

1          slice white bread
1          can whole tomatoes, with juice
1          cucumber, peeled, rough chopped
1          small shallot, rough chopped
1          cup tomato juice
1          tablespoon red wine vinegar
1       tablespoon olive oil
1          pinch garlic powder
Salt and pepper
1       pinch sugar

To Serve:
2 Haas avocadoes, peeled, cut in half, pit removed
1 lemon or lime zested

cilantro sprigs, for garnish

Ceviche:

Chop the white fish into small dice, add to a mixing bowl and set aside.

Clean the pepper of stems, seeds and ribs and mince into a fine dice. You may want to wear glove to do this.

Mix all ingredients together well; making sure it’s all covered by the lime juice and olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Tomato Broth:

Place the bread into the bowl of a food processor and process until you have coarse crumbs. Add remaining ingredient and process until pureed. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Ladle some tomato broth into a cup or bowl. Place avocado into center of bowl, place ceviche into the center and top wit

Giardiniera or Pickled Vegetables

11 / 11 / 1312 / 5 / 14

Giardinaria

Save

Print

When I was growing up, if I was lucky enough, once in awhile we’d dine at a fine dining restaurant. They always served a relish tray when the guests were seated, it was to stimulate your taste buds and make you hungry. I miss having those relish trays but once I learned how to make pickled vegetables myself, so easy!, I keep them in the refrigerator almost year round. The vegetables change with the seasons; they can be eaten alone, with cheese and crackers or chopped finely to make a wonderful relish for all kinds of meats. Be creative!

2 pounds, approximately mixed vegetables, whole or cut into pieces

2 cups cider vinegar

1 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/2 tablespoon pickling salt

1 tablespoons sugar, if desired

2 tablespoon pickling spice

Makes 2 - 3 quarts

Wash and drain vegetables. Sterilize jars and lids in hot water.

Bring vinegar, water, salt, sugar and pickling spice to a boil.

Pack vegetable medley into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Pour hot solution over mix in jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Add liquid to bring headspace to 1/4 inch. Wipe jar rims.

Refrigerate and let stand 2 days before serving. Will last several weeks refrigerated.

For longer storage, process in boiling water bath for 20 minutes.*

*Follow jar manufacturers directions for filling and processing jars.