Category Archives: appetizers

texas caviar

by

1


bowl of caviar

I have an old party standby.  Ok it isn’t that old.  Where the history of this recipe originated from is unknown to me.  All I know is that my mom gave it to me years ago, and once I finally made it for some get together, it became a party staple.  It’s funny how simple things can be the party glue.  You don’t always have to wow with fancy appetizers or stress about keeping other starters hot in a chafing dish.  This recipe pleases virtually everyone, and it is super simple to make.  I swear by it. Now I know that some may turn a nose up to the bottled italian dressing used here, but I don’t care.  I really don’t.  Now I do have preference on the type of Italian dressing….but that’s on y’all to decide!

ingredients

texas caviar:

1 can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can hominy, drained and rinsed
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
1/2 red onion, diced
4 green onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 plum tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
1 bottle Italian dressing (I used Wishbone Italian Robusto)

beans and hominy

get started on the caviar:

Drain the black-eyed peas, black beans and hominy in a colander and rinse.  Add to a large mixing bowl.  Start dicing the peppers, onions, garlic and tomatoes.  Toss into the mixing bowl and combine with the beans.  Add the Italian dressing and parsley.  Stir to combine.  It is ideal to make this a day in advance and store in an airtight container, but it isn’t required.  Using a slotted spoon, add caviar to a serving bowl and serve with tortilla chips.

raw veggies

bowl of caviar

note:  this serves a crowd of 10-15.  I have added various other ingredients from time to time, like cucumber, olives, mild green chilies…you name it.

sautéed broccoli rabe

by

2


broccoli rabe cracker

We are a big appetizer family.  It can be as informal as a bag of Tostitos and burning hot salsa, with my son stealing dollops of sour cream, or it could be as involved as pulled pork chalupas topped with guacamole.  Last weekend, my girlfriend was over our house, and was generously preparing an awesome dish of shrimp in Thai coconut broth for us, so I wanted to keep the appetizer healthy too.  I had an old recipe for broccoli rabe that I wanted to try because it was different from how my husband makes it, since he usually mans the rabe station.  I was curious to see if it would taste any different.  So I got the chance to make it when he opted to leave the two ladies in the kitchen to chat it up, and busy himself in the family room watching the Flyers lose.  During intermissions, he kept visiting the kitchen to see what was coming out of it other than all the chatter.  I placed the bowl of the sautéed broccoli rabe before him and cut up some provolone cheese and waited.  The bowl was gone in 10 minutes.  He asked me to make it again this weekend so I guess he liked it.  The difference between his preparation and mine, is that I trimmed off the thicker stems and then blanched the broccoli rabe for barely 5 minutes before sautéing.  He sautés and steams his in wine or beer.  I like it prepared either way.  His retains more of the bitterness, but I have a palate for that.  The way I prepared it made it seem brighter and sweeter….unlike my personality….haha.

broccoli rabe floretgarlic

sautéed broccoli rabe: 

2  bunches broccoli rabe (about 2 lbs), tough ends discarded
3  TB extra virgin olive oil
4  garlic cloves sliced
crushed red pepper
1/4 cup water
kosher salt and pepper

garlic and crushed red pepper

get started on the broccoli rabe:

After you have trimmed and discarded any thick stems from the broccoli rabe, add the remaining broccoli rabe to a large pot of boiling, salted water.  Blanch for 5 minutes until some of the thicker stems are softened.  Remove and drain completely in a colander.  In a sauté pan, cook the garlic and crushed red pepper in oil over medium heat.  Stir occasionally so that the garlic becomes golden but not burned, about 2 minutes.  Add the broccoli rabe, water, and salt and pepper to the pan.  Stir uncovered about 2 minutes.  You want the broccoli rabe to remain a bright green.  Serve in a bowl with a serving fork for topping crostini or crackers.

crostini

note:  Watch that clock when blanching…much more than five minutes and you have green mush.  This also makes a great side dish for fish or pork chops.  You get a good amount of appetizer servings for a group of 4 or 5.

baked feta and romesco and olive tapenade

by

2


two crostini

I can eat a whole loaf of crusty bread.  Add olive oil or cheese and I’ve just gained 8 pounds without blinking. I also get into trouble when my husband makes his big pot of ragù sauce.  That pot calls me…taunting me all effin day…while it simmers away.   He has to shoo me away from it, or else I will have ‘tested’ it 45 times before serving, and then all the bread will be gone for dinner.  He can even tell while he’s upstairs, that I have removed the lid of the cast iron pot to dunk some bread in the bubbling sauce.  I can’t help it.  Maybe this bread addiction stems from when I was growing up, my parents would snack on it after my father got home from work, and they would review their day before dinner.   The telltale ‘antipasti’ – the Boursin cheese (and if bought that week, dad’s stinky cheese…aka some sort of blue cheese), pepperoncini and green olives.  It wasn’t anything fancy – just a flimsy single paper plate, damp with dumped out olives and pepper tops.  It wasn’t put out for me or my sister either, but that didn’t stop us from cruising by, and ripping off some bread and smearing it with cheese and exiting the kitchen while our parents continued to talk.  Fast forward 20 years and marry an Italian.  The cycle has reset itself.  My husband has a soft spot for cheese and bread as well, but he brings soppressata and hot peppers to the mix.  After sampling this dip, he made the ‘eh’ face, which says to me he’s sticking with his toppings.  That’s ok, you can’t please everybody.  I liked this mix of cheese, olives and romesco.  I had never made a romesco sauce before and it was delicious!  Plus, it all was served warm with a crusty loaf of bread, which reminded me of dipping in his pot of tomato sauce…

baked feta with romesco and olive tapenade (adapted from Cooking Light October 2011)

romesco:

red bell pepper
cooking spray
1  28 oz. can San Marzano peeled whole tomatoes, chopped
5  garlic cloves, minced
1/2  cup low sodium chicken broth
2  TB chopped hazelnuts, toasted
1  slice wheat bread, chopped
1/4  tsp. black pepper

tapenade:

1/2  cup pitted kalamata olives
1/2  cup pitted fruity green olives (I used a large green olive in a spicy oil)
1/4  cup fresh flat leave parsley, chopped
1  TB extra virgin olive oil
2  TB sherry vinegar
1/4  tsp. fresh ground black pepper

remaining ingredients:

1 1/4  cups (5 oz) crumbled feta cheese, divided
2  TB fresh flat leave parsley

roasted pepperswhole peeled tomatoes

get started on dip:

Preheat broiler to high.  To prepare romesco sauce, cut red bell pepper in half lengthwise, and discard seeds and membranes.  Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet and flatten them slightly with hand.  Broil for 8 minutes or until blackened.  Place peppers in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap to steam.  Let stand for 10 minutes.  Peel and chop peppers.
Reduce oven to 425.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat and coat with cooking spray.  Add chopped tomatoes and garlic.  Cook 4 minutes or until garlic starts to brown slightly, stirring frequently.  Add red bell peppers and broth.  Cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in nuts and bread and cook for 1 minute more.  Transfer mixture to a food processor or blender and process until smooth.  Transfer to a bowl and add pepper.
To prepare the tapenade, place olives, 1/4 cup parsley and the next 3 ingredients (through pepper), in a food processor.  Process until finely chopped.  Transfer to a bowl.  Coat a smaller size broiler safe casserole dish (1 1/2 quart) with cooking spray.  Spoon half of romesco sauce into prepared dish, and top with 3/4 cheese.  Dollop tapenade over cheese.  Spoon the remaining romesco sauce over tapenade, and top with remaining 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese.  Bake at 425 for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  Sprinkle with parsley.

chopped olivesdip dish

note:  this dip serves 12 (which is hilarious).  Ok portion control….deep breath.  Oh, and I had Serrano peppers laying around…stuck them on there for ‘garnish’.

crostini