Here’s a quick and very delicious appetizer to serve this New Year’s Eve…or anytime, for that matter. Basically, it’s a bite-sized version of prosciutto-wrapped (pronounced proh-shoo-toh) caprese salad. Prosciutto is an Italian salt-cured ham that can be found in many supermarkets and gourmet food stores. I found mine at Trader Joe’s. Actually, I got everything for this recipe at TJ’s: the fresh basil, sugar plum tomatoes, prosciutto, and ciliegine (cherry-sized whole milk fresh mozzarella balls).

Husband saw me making the mozzarella and basil bites and commented on how fragrant the fresh basil was. He waited with anticipation until I gave him the go-ahead to help himself to the plate of appetizers. It’s amazing that something so easy to make can deliver so much flavor!

You will probably want to double or triple the recipe because they will disappear quickly. Serve with Champagne, red wine or your fave cocktails. Enjoy!

Prosciutto-Wrapped Mozzarella & Basil
-recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine
 
Serves eight.

8 thin slices prosciutto (preferably imported), halved lengthwise
8 large basil leaves, torn in half
8 small fresh mozzarella balls (about 1-inch in diameter), halved
8 ripe grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

Arrange 8 slices of prosciutto flat on a cutting board and put a piece of basil on one end of each slice. Top each piece of basil with a piece of mozzarella and a tomato half, matching the cut sides to make a ball. Season very lightly with salt and generously with pepper and then roll up the balls in the prosciutto. Secure each with a toothpick and set on a platter. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Drizzle with the olive oil and serve.

Make Ahead Tips
These keep at room temperature for up to 1 hour before serving.

This salsa rocks! If you’ve never made fresh salsa before, I highly encourage you to make a batch of it. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to whip up and how delicious it is! Of course, starting with top quality ingredients (vine-ripened tomatoes) is key to a good salsa, while dry roasting the veggies in a pan is super simple and only takes a few minutes. Husband thinks I should make this recipe on a regular basis…I couldn’t agree more!

Don’t forget to season the finished salsa with salt (bland salsa just won’t do). Enjoy!

Salsa Quemada (Roasted Tomato Salsa)
-recipe from Epicurious.com | April 2010
Reprinted with permission from Amor y Tacos: Modern Mexican Tacos, Margaritas, and Antojitos by Deborah Schneider

A very useful salsa that is easy to make and keeps well. Firm, fresh Roma tomatoes are dry-roasted until soft and well charred on all sides (quemada literally means “burnt”), then pureed into a smooth salsa with sweet toasted garlic, fresh cilantro, and onion. Salsa quemada clings to the dryer and chunkier taco fillings, adding moisture and great flavor. It is also a classic table salsa, perfect to serve with tostadas and totopos.

Makes 2 1/2 cups

5 large Roma tomatoes, whole, not cored or cut in any way
1 serrano or jalapeño chile
2 cloves garlic, skin on
1/4 cup minced white onion
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 bunch cilantro

Make sure your kitchen is well ventilated. Put a piece of aluminum foil in a heavy sauté pan (preferably cast iron) and set it over medium-high heat. Place the whole tomatoes, chile, and garlic cloves in the pan and dry-roast them on all sides until well charred and soft. The garlic and chiles will be done quickly; the tomatoes may take 10 minutes or longer to cook.

Peel the garlic and stem the chile. Place the tomatoes, garlic, and chile in a food processor with the onion, salt, and cilantro. Pulse until the salsa is smooth and taste for seasoning. The salsa will keep, refrigerated, for several days. Reseason before use.

Homemade salsa is super easy to make and waaaaay better than most you’ll buy at the grocery store. Plus, you can make it exactly how you like it (spicier, milder, more lime, etc.). Whip up a batch of this salsa, buy the best tortilla chips you can find and invite some friend over! Homemade salsa is definitely a party pleaser!!!

If you can’t find serrano chiles, jalepenos will do just fine. Enjoy!

Note: I like Juanita’s Tortilla Chips…available in the Portland area

Pico de Gallo
-recipe courtesy Marcela Valladolid, Food Network

In Mexico, pico de gallo is used to describe a wide variety of regional salsas, which are always made with fresh cubed fruit and/or vegetables. The most common version is made with any red tomato, onion and green chiles and is sometimes called “salsa mexicana” or “salsa bandera,” because the colors in the salsa represent the Mexican flag. Makes 3 cups

1 1/2 pounds yellow or red tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 serrano chiles*, seeded and minced
Pinch kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Add all the ingredients to a medium bowl, and toss to combine. Cover and chill until ready to serve. This salsa can be made 4 hours ahead.

*The serrano chile is a fresh, small, green chile. Traditionally used in salsas it is slightly hotter than a jalapeno chile and can be found at most supermarkets, Latin specialty markets or online.

Roasted Garlic
-recipe from Martha Stewart Everyday Food

Roasted garlic is an easy and affordable way to add a savory boost to almost any meal. The long, slow cooking mellows the garlic’s bite and leaves rich, deep flavor and silky texture in its place. This recipe keeps for two weeks — double it and bring a jar to a friend or neighbor. It will be much appreciated.

Makes 2 cups.

1 pound garlic (6 to 8 heads, depending upon size)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a serrated knife, slice off top quarter of garlic heads, exposing as many cloves as possible. Arrange garlic heads, cut side up, in an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish (make sure garlic heads sit flat).

Season garlic with salt and pepper and sprinkle with thyme. Slowly pour oil over each head, letting it soak into and around cloves. Cover dish tightly with foil and roast until cloves are golden, completely soft, and begin to protrude slightly from skins, about 1 hour. Let stand until cool enough to handle.

From the bottom up, squeeze each head to push out cloves (peel skins from any completely enclosed cloves). Transfer garlic and cooking oil to an airtight container.

Uses for roasted garlic:
- Mix into mashed potatoes
- Use in place of mayonnaise on your favorite sandwich
- Toss into steamed vegetables like broccoli
- Add to creamy dressings, vinaigrettes, or dips

Guacamole…so simple yet so incredibly delicious. The first time I had really great guacamole was at a resort in Tuscon, Arizona. The waiter made it at our table so, of course, we were impressed with the presentation: mashing the perfect avocado right before our very eyes in a molcajete, the traditional Mexican version of a mortar and pestle, then adding fresh tomato, chopped onion, a little garlic, cilantro, fresh lime and salt. It was amazing! 

A good batch of guacamole is hard to stop eating, especially when you serve it with fresh, locally-made tortilla chips. If you live in the Portland area, try Juanita’s brand tortilla chips. They’re made in Hood River and are the best grocery store tortilla chips I’ve ever had (available at many local markets). Some Mexican restaurants even sell freshly-made tortilla chips.

This recipe for guacamole is from Rick Bayless, the king of authentic Mexican cuisine. I prefer the luxurious version of this guac…it rocks!  As long as you start with good avocados, you pretty much can’t go wrong. For more on avocados, click here.

Guacamole Three Ways: Simple, Herby or Luxurious
Guacamole Tres Estilos
-recipe from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless

“I gave up looking for “the one best guacamole” years ago. Because “the best” is only the best for a particular moment, a particular set of ingredients, a particular group of people and the role it plays in their eating or snacking. Which is why I’ve written this recipe in stages. I want you to have an easy-to-follow guide for making the perfect guacamole for a multitude of uses, a variety of occasions. So it starts with the simplest perfect mash of avocado, garlic and salt (I know many cooks in Mexico who think that adding anything to avocados but those two ingredients is a start on the road to ruin). This simple guacamole is a delicious condiment to spread on sandwiches or grilled meat tacos that are served with salsa. Adding cilantro and lime to the basic, garlicky guacamole gives it the pizzazz to stand alone—as a topping for crispy tacos or tostadas, even as a dip. Green chile, white onion and red tomato—do I need to point out that those are the colors of Mexico’s flag?—create a chest-thumping, look-at-me guacamole that’s perfect with a bowl of chips at a party where the music’s turned up and there are lots of laughs.” -Rick Bayless

Makes 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups

2 medium ripe avocados
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped or crushed through a garlic press
Salt
To make it herby, add:
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
About 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
To make it luxurious, also add:
Fresh hot green chile to taste (I like 1 serrano or ½ to 1 jalapeño), finely chopped
¼ small white onion, finely chopped
½ medium tomato, chopped into ¼-inch dice

Cut the avocados in half, running your knife around the pit from stem to blossom end and back up again. Twist the halves in opposite directions to free the pits and pull the halves apart. Dislodge the pits, then scoop out the avocado flesh into a medium bowl.

Mash the avocado with a large fork or potato masher. Stir in the garlic and about ½ teaspoon salt, plus any other sets of ingredients you’ve chosen. If your list includes the white onion, rinse it first under cold water, then shake well to rid it of excess moisture, before adding to the avocado. (This reduces the risk of having onion flavor overwhelm the guacamole.) Taste and season with additional salt if appropriate. If not using immediately, cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface of the guacamole and refrigerate—preferably not more than a few hours.

A Riff on “Stage Two” Guacamole: Replace the lime juice with (or, for extra-tangy guacamole, add along with the lime juice) about ½ cup homemade or bottled tomatillo salsa—perfect as a topping or a dip, especially when you need to make the guacamole ahead (the additional acid in the tomatillos helps keep the guacamole greener for longer).

Avocado Sauce: For a tangy sauce to drizzle over raw (or blanched) vegetables or on tacos, tostadas and the like, follow the above variation, increasing the tomatillo salsa to 1 cup; puree everything in a blender. If the sauce is too thick to drizzle, thin with additional tomatillo salsa. A little heavy cream, sour cream or crème fraiche can be added for wonderful richness.

Estimating Quantities of Hors d’Oeuvres
-Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Hors d’Oeuvre, by Brigit L. Binns (Simon & Schuster, 2001).

When estimating quantities of hors d’oeuvres for a party, keep these guidelines in mind. As a rule of thumb, most guests will consume 8 to 10 bite-size pieces for every 60 to 90 minutes of a party. However, the larger the variety of offerings, the more hors d’oeuvres that will be consumed because everyone will want to try at least one of each item. At the beginning of a party, especially if it is in the early evening, the pace of eating will be faster and then will slow as people satisfy their initial appetite.

If your party lasts longer than 90 minutes and is intended to replace dinner, the pace of eating will speed up again after 2 hours. In this case, it is important to have enough hors d’oeuvres ready and waiting in the kitchen to replenish empty platters.

For an average-size party, with 8 to 20 guests, plan on 2 hot and 2 cold passed items and 1 or 2 buffet items a total of 5 or 6 selections. If you will be hosting 30 to 40 guests, add 1 more of each hot and cold item plus 1 more buffet selection.

I substituted ground turkey (93% lean) for the ground beef, and used Romaine lettuce leaves since the store I was at didn’t have Boston lettuce. I had some ginger in the fridge that was already minced so I used that instead of grated ginger. For something a bit heartier, serve the cooked meat mixture over rice. Enjoy!

Asian Lettuce Wraps
-recipe from Sunny Anderson, Food Network

Makes 4 servings.

1 head Boston lettuce, leaves separated, cleaned and dried
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey)
2-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 scallions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the vegetable oil and saute beef until brown. Stir in ginger, scallions, garlic, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and hoisin and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the peanuts. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm wrapped in lettuce cups.

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If you’re looking for a way to use up some of that summer zucchini, try this recipe for Zucchini Caponata. The combo of zucchini, tomatoes and olives makes a great topping for grilled bread or a quick, fresh sauce for cooked pasta. I bet it would also be really good as a topping for grilled chicken or pork.

The recipe calls for adding 2 teaspoons of sugar to the cooked zucchini mixture but next time I’d only use one teaspoon. For a little oomph, I added a few dashes of crushed red pepper and a splash of red wine vinegar. A garnish of freshly grated Parmesan cheese or crumbled feta or goat cheese would also be a great addition to the caponata. Enjoy!

Zucchini Caponata
-recipe from kingarthurflour.com

You can also add diced grilled slices of eggplant for an extra-smoky twist. Makes about 3 cups.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped onion
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped or minced
1 1/2 cups chopped tomato
2 to 3 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
1 to 2 tablespoons drained capers
1/4 cup pitted halved black olives, preferably oil-cured
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, parsley, or oregano (optional)

Heat the oil, and fry the zucchini, onion, garlic, and tomatoes for 30 minutes, covered.

Remove the cover, and cook an additional 10 to 15 minutes to evaporate any extra liquid.

Add the sugar, salt, and pepper; stir and remove from heat. When lukewarm, stir in the cherry tomatoes, capers, and olives. Store covered and refrigerated until ready to use.

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I took this awesome Greek-inspired salsa to a pool party recently. Dang, it’s good! I chose to make it because it’s super easy and I had all the makings for it. It’s a perfect summertime appetizer!!!

I followed the recipe for the salsa except that I didn’t have the fresh oregano so I used a little extra fresh dill and parsley. I also added some chopped red bell pepper and a few dashes of dried red pepper flakes for some zip. If you want the salsa to have a bit more tang, add a few dashes of red wine vinegar.

The recipe calls for making fresh pita chips but I didn’t feel like turning on the oven so I served it with store-bought pita chips. Next time I’ll make my own, though, because the store-bought kind were too small and fragile to hold much of the salsa. Bigger pita squares or triangles would work much better. Enjoy!

Greek Salad Salsa with Toasted Pita Chips
-recipe from San Francisco Flavors: Favorite Recipes from The Junior League of San Francisco

This zesty blend of feta cheese, olives, tomatoes, cucumber, and parsley is a wonderful alternative to guacamole and chips. If, by chance, there is any left over, pulse it in a blender or food processor and use as a sauce for grilled fish. Serves 6 to 8.

8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1 1/2 cups)
1 large ripe tomato, seeded and chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced, including green portions
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup black olives, pitted and sliced
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano
2 tablespoons snipped fresh dill
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/3 cup olive oil
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Toasted Pita Chips (recipe follows)

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients except the pita chips and gently mix.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to one day.

Toasted Pita Chips
You might want to double this recipe — these chips disappear quickly! Make them the night before you plan to serve them, and leave them in the turned-off oven overnight. Makes about 40 chips.

1 package mini pita breads
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Garlic powder, dried
Dill, and paprika to taste

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Cut the pita rounds in half. Cut each half again into thirds, then separate each piece to make two bite-sized chips. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat each chip with the melted butter.

Lay the chips in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Dust with the garlic powder, dill, and paprika. Place in the oven and turn the oven off. Do not open the oven door until the oven is completely cool and chips are crisp, about 4 hours or overnight. If the chips are still soft, repeat cooking process, preheating oven to 200 degrees F.

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Words can not express how much I love this appetizer! In fact, it’s what I had for dinner last night. I didn’t intend to eat only the crostini for dinner but I ate several of them, which led to several more and before I knew it, I was full. This is one of those appetizers that is always a hit at parties and potlucks. Plus, it’s delicious, full of fresh flavors and easy to make. I seriously think I could eat it everyday and never grow tired of it!

Since it’s hot right now, I grilled the bread outside on the grill so I wouldn’t heat up the house by turning on the oven. I used small mozzarella balls called ciliegine that I got at Trader Joe’s. I sliced each cherry-sized ball of mozzarella into several slices and put 2-3 slices on each piece of grilled bread. Sometimes I like to put the cheese on the bread while it’s on the grill so it melts. If you want a little zip, add a few dashes of crushed red pepper flakes to the tomato-basil topping. Yumm!

Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Crostini
-recipe from Williams-Sonoma

Easy to make, crostini are an excellent way to showcase fresh seasonal ingredients. This simple combination of ripe tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese makes a perfect beginning to an alfresco meal.

Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing, plus 1/4 cup
1 baguette, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Salt and coarsely ground pepper, to taste
8 vine-ripened tomatoes, about 1 1/2 lb. total
1/2 cup slivered fresh basil leaves
2 Tbs. finely minced red onion
1/4 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbs. aged balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil and arrange the baguette slices on the sheet in a single layer. Brush the tops with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until crisp and golden, 15 to 18 minutes. If not using immediately, let the crostini cool, then store in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to use.

Core, seed and dice the tomatoes. In a bowl, stir together the tomatoes, half of the basil, the onion, garlic, vinegar, the 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper.

Slice the mozzarella into 1/4-inch-thick pieces or into smaller pieces so they fit on the crostini. To assemble, lay a piece of mozzarella on each crostini and spoon 1 to 2 Tbs. of the tomato salad on top. Garnish each with a pinch of the remaining basil. Serve immediately.

Serves 8.

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