APPETIZERS FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON

 

                        Appetizers for the holiday season

 

          Each year we find the days after Thanksgiving until the New Year filled with anticipation and joy of seeing family, friends, coworkers and neighbors in friendly gatherings with good cheer. Tradition and good taste demands that they include good food and libations of choice. Catering services flourish in December but the thrifty home cook can come up with delicious home alternatives that don’t break the bank and are relatively easy to prepare.

A vegetable tray with dip, cheese and crackers or a shrimp ring with cocktail sauce immediately come to mind. Equally easy are open-faced mini sandwich treats with smoked salmon or shrimp. 

                                               Smoked salmon on cocktail rye

Spread cocktail rye (or crostini, or thin slices of a French baguette) with cream cheese. Arrange on top a thin piece of smoked salmon, small red onion rings and capers. Decorate with small segments of a dill pickle. For shrimp mini sandwiches omit the onion and top with slivers of pimento and capers.

 

                                       Magical garlic-herb Boursin

Herbed Boursin, originally developed by François Boursin, a Normandy cheesemaker in 1957, is the miracle ingredient that makes a variety of delectable appetizers for any time of the year, and is especially useful because of its versatility during the holidays. Cows milk Boursin is a fresh cheese blended with cream, herbs and garlic, slightly crumbly in texture and still spreadable on crackers, vegetables or even grapes with tasty results. The assortment in the picture shows mini-pepper halves stuffed with Boursin and crackers topped with Boursin and a dab of tomato jam. My old Craig Clairborne cookbook had appetizers made of grapes stuffed with cream cheese. Updating the recipe with Boursin and very large green grapes yielded a tasty bite with complex flavors that sent everyone for seconds.

There are of course many other intricate baked appetizers. Recently I noticed that many food magazines have re-discovered Gougère. They are French Choux pastry or French cheese puffs that make wonderful light appetizers. They are relatively easy to make with crusty outside and a bit hollow and soft on the inside. This is my recipe from Craig Clairborne, NY Times Cookbook that I have made for many years.

                                                                   Gougère

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line your pans with parchment. Finely grate 1 and ½ cup Gruyère cheese (do not use pre-grated cheese because of coarseness and additives).  Pour 1 cup water in a medium saucepan, add 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, 1 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. peeper. Bring to boil and add 1 cup of sifted flour all at once with stirring. Set heat to medium and continue stirring until the dough forms a ball and leaves sides of the saucepan. Set aside from stove for 2 minutes and then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time and ¼ tsp. nutmeg. Set aside 2 tbsp. of the cheese and stir the rest into the dough mixing thoroughly.

Place rounded tablespoons of the dough on prepared pans, sprinkle with the reserved cheese and bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve warm. Gougère can be reheated at 350 degrees for 7 minutes. 

These would be wonderful for New Years Eve served with Kir Royale (chilled champagne with a dash of crème de cassis).                           

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day…”and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

 

 

MEATLOAF, VEGETABLE MELANGE AND FRUIT FOR RESCUE

 

            Meatloaf, vegetable mélange and fruit for rescue

           As we enter the holiday season, it is tempting to focus on preparations to the celebrated star events. We plan to make our table shine with traditional and inventive dishes while juggling myriads of shopping, baking, socializing and regular everyday chores as well as work. Somewhere in all this activity, everyday proper nutrition gets a short shrift. However, a little foresight can prevent us living on cheese and crackers during these weeks from November through December, by cooking dishes that can serve a variety of purposes and are easily reheated.

          The simple meatloaf can easily come to rescue by virtue of stress-free preparation and multiple subsequent uses with tomato or mushroom gravy, crumbled as meatballs for spaghetti, or as an excellent sandwich filling in a fluffy roll. Here is my infinitely versatile updated version.

                                      Not your grandmother’s meatloaf

          In a large bowl reconstitute 1/3 cup fine breadcrumbs (use GF crumbs for GF meatloaf) with 1/3 cup milk. Stir in 1 beaten egg, 1 medium finely chopped onion, 1 tsp. garlic powder, ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes, 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 2 tsp. double strength tomato paste, 1 ½ tsp. Provençal seasoning and ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley. Crumble and mix in by hand 1 lb. fresh 85% ground beef and ¼ to ½ lb. ground pork.

          Line a loaf pan with 2-3 strips of bacon and fill with the blended meat mixture. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 1 ¼ hours. Serve warm sliced with tomato sauce and boiled potatoes sprinkled with fresh parsley or dill.

          Cheesy vegetable casseroles make wonderful side dishes. They complement everything from turkey to roast beef, are equally welcome as a vegetarian luncheon dish and reheat well in the microwave.

                           Mediterranean 3 cheese vegetable mélange

          Slice in ½ inch slices: 1 medium eggplant, 1 medium zucchini and 1 medium onion. Seed and quarter 1 orange or red pepper. Toss all with olive oil mixed with 2 cloves of chopped garlic. Spread all on a baking sheet and broil to brown turning once. When slightly cooled, cut the pepper in ½ inch strips.

          Beat together the following for a flavorful sauce: 1 cup marinara sauce, ½ tsp. chopped garlic, 1 tsp. oregano, 1 tsp. fresh chopped basil, ½ tsp, lemon pepper and 3 eggs.

          Assemble the mélange in an 8x8x2 baking dish. A layer of 1/3 sauce, a layer of ½ vegetables, ½ cup shredded Mozzarella, ½ cup shredded Provolone, another 1/3 sauce, ½ vegetables, 1/3 cup sauce and ½ cup coarsely shredded Parmesan cheese.

          Bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes. Serve warm as a side dish or for luncheon with a green salad.

                                                     Peach-cranberry compote

          Place 16 oz. frozen peaches in an enameled pot with ½ cup sweetened dried cranberries, 1 cup orange juice, 6 cloves, 6 allspice, 1 star anise, 3 thin strips of lemon peel and 1 tbsp. lime juice. Bring to boil, lower heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in ½ cup sugar and cook for 5-7 minutes until the liquid starts to thicken. Chill and serve plain or with a dab of whipped cream.

          The daylight may be getting shorter at this time of the year, but the subtle excitement of the coming holidays makes us look forward to our annual gatherings with friends and family, with food as an important partner in all celebrations.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day…”and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

 

LAMB CHOPS, BUTTERECUP SQUASH AND CIDER BRAISED CABBAGE

 

        Lamb chops,  buttercup squash and cider braised cabbage

           Winter squashes are a delight to behold this time of the year. The variety in color and shape intrigue the eye and for a cook, the variety of textures and flavor are an inspiration. While Butternut, Acorn and Delicata are most commonly featured in supermarkets, others like Kabocha (Japanese) and Buttercup are less familiar. Kabocha and Buttercup are somewhat similar in shape and dark green color; except Buttercup has a gray toque at its end. Both feature bright orange flesh and a slightly sweet and nutty flavor. 

           Kabocha is a bit harder to find, but last trip to the local market sent me home with a Buttercup squash that once baked served two different delicious meals. Baked buttercup skins are edible like those of Delicata.

                                       Baked Buttercup squash

          Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Halve and scoop the seeds out of the squash. Melt ¼ cup butter with 2 tbsp. brown sugar, ¼ tsp. kosher salt and ¼ tsp. nutmeg. Place the squash halves on a foil lined baking pan cut side up and brush it all over with the melted butter, allowing it to pool in the hallow center. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes. We had one half served as pieces with a sausage dinner, the other half was scooped, blended with a bit of chicken broth and 1 tbsp. butter to go with lamb chops the following night.

                                          Apple cider braised cabbage

          This recipe was adapted from Food and Wine and yields wedges of cabbage with a delicious sweet-slightly tart tang. Prepare small 1 ½ lb. green head of cabbage cut in 6 wedges, each with a bit of core. Halve 1 medium onion and thinly slice. Dice 2 thick slices of bacon.

          Heat 2 tbsp. love oil in a deep pan to shimmer. Add cabbage cut side down and fry turning once to brown for about 7 minutes and set aside.

          Add bacon to the same pan and cook stirring occasionally for 4 minutes, then add the sliced onion and ¼ tsp. salt and cook for an additional 8 minutes until the onions start to brown. Stir in ½ cup apple cider vinegar and cook on moderately high to reduce to ½ for 2-3 minutes. Add 2 cups of apple cider, return cabbage to the pan, cover and braise for 10 minutes on medium low heat. Turn the cabbage wedges, cover and cook for additional 10 minutes. Remove cabbage to a shallow bowl and loosely cover with foil. Boil sauce with occasional stirring until thickened for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, pour over the cabbage and serve.

                                              Teriyaki lamb chops

          Marinate 1-inch-thick loin lamb chops in low sodium Teriyaki sauce for 2 hours, using 2 small chops per person. Heat 2 tsp. vegetable oil to moderately hot and fry the chops turning once for total of 6-7 minutes for rare or longer for desired doneness. Serve with apple cider braised cabbage, buttered Buttercup squash and garnish with fresh rosemary.

          Buttercup and Kabocha squash have only 40 calories per cooked cup, half of that for Butternut squash, but all come as winners for fall menus of the home cook.

(Ilga Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day…”and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)