Category Archives: appetizers

Boiled Artichokes with Creamy Garlic Dressing

March 16, 2011 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

I have fond childhood memories of sitting down for dinner with a big bowl in the center of the table. I’d scrape a leaf of a boiled artichoke with my bottom teeth and toss the leaf into the bowl. My parents would do the same, which made dinnertime all the more fun.

Fresh artichokes are a small luxury if you live in Alaska. They aren’t cheap and often they don’t make it up here in great shape. Every once in a while the grocery store will have an artichoke special and that’s when I make a simple appetizer of boiled artichokes. Dip each leaf into melted butter or make a creamy dressing like this recipe. I’ve also included step-by-step instructions on how to eat an artichoke in case you’ve never had the opportunity.

Ingredients:
Fresh artichokes, one per person
equal parts low-fat mayonnaise and fat-free plain yogurt (about 1/4 cup of each)
1 clove of garlic, minced
freshly ground pepper to taste
pinch of salt
juice of 1/2 lemon or a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

If your artichoke has lots of pokey spikes on the tips of the leaves, chop a few inches off the top of the bloom. It’s not necessary, but it makes the artichoke easier to handle.
Place your artichokes in a large stockpot and fill the pot with water. Your artichokes will probably float, but that’s ok. Place a tight-fitting lid on the pot and place over high heat. Once boiling, turn down the heat to medium-low and allow artichokes to boil for 45 minutes.

While artichokes boil, combine the other ingredients in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate till artichokes are done.

To test the doneness of your artichokes, tug at one of the inner leaves with some tongs. If the leaf pulls out easily, your artichoke is done. If you have to tug on it for a while before it comes out, it’s not ready. Boil another 5 or 10 minutes.

When your artichokes are done, transfer them to shallow bowls with a small sieve or slotted spoon. Let them cool for 5 minutes before eating. Allow the cooking water to cool to room temperature and use it to water your plants.

How to eat your artichoke:
1. Place a big empty bowl in the center of your table
2. Discard the very outer leaves, as they tend to be tough
3. Remove a leaf and scrape the lower inside half of it with your teeth (I prefer to use my lower teeth, but whatever seems right for you is good).
4. Discard the leaf in the bowl
5. Eat as many leaves as you can in this fashion, turning the artichoke as you go.
6. Eventually the leaves will be so tender you can’t really scrape them. These are ok to eat the entire ends of (I wouldn’t eat the tips)
7. When the leaves get too thin and tender, use a spoon to scrape them away. Beneath these leaves will be a layer of hairy bits. Scrape all the hairs away and you’ll reveal the heart of the artichoke. This is my favorite part. Dip the whole heart into your creamy sauce and eat all of it but the stem.

appetizers, Cooking, recipes

Stuffed Baby Portobello Mushrooms

March 5, 2011 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

I love Costco, but when there are only two members in your family, it’s difficult to use Costco quantities without everything spoiling. That’s why I buy carefully — I buy foods that last a long time, such as mini bell peppers, olive oil and chicken stock. But yesterday I just couldn’t resist the baby portobello mushrooms in the refrigerated produce room. Also too delectable to avoid — the Costco rotisserie chicken. Such heavenly flavor for only $5 and there’s so much you can do with the leftovers.
This recipe I threw together in about 20 minutes. It uses some chicken leftovers and makes good use of my perfect mushrooms. These make colorful appetizers, but I was craving them as my main meal. They were delish!

Ingredients:
3 mini bell peppers (red, yellow and orange) or 1/4 of a bell pepper
1/8 of an onion
1 clove of garlic (I was out, but I would normally add this with the onion)
about 12 mini portobello mushrooms (crimini or buttons would work too), stems removed and saved
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tbs fresh chopped oregano
2 tbs bread crumbs
2 thick slices of roasted chicken breast
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Carefully remove the stems from each mushroom and with a melon baller, scoop out some of the flesh inside each mushroom so there’s room to stuff. Save what you scoop.

In a mini food processor, pulse the peppers, onion and mushroom stems and innards till finely chopped. In a small frying pan, heat up about a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the peppers, onion, garlic, mushroom innards, oregano, salt and pepper. Saute till everything is softened, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, finely chop the chicken.
Transfer the cooked ingredients to a bowl and combine the chicken, bread crumbs and half the cheese. In a small baking dish, fill each mushroom cap with the mixture so it mounds up on top. Top with shredded parmesan cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

appetizers, recipes

Orange Garlic Shrimp

February 27, 2011 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

This recipe is based on one from The Pioneer Woman Web site with a few alterations.

There are still a few shrimp left in this photo! They were so good, I forgot about blogging altogether.

Appetizer for 2

Ingredients:
1/2-3/4 pounds of raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
A small carton or jar of orange juice
6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
dash of cayenne pepper
several shakes of Old Bay seasoning
olive oil
1 tbs. honey
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

With a large Ziplock bag propped up in a bowl, pour in about a cup of orange juice and three sliced cloves of garlic. Add a glug of olive oil, some salt and pepper, and a shake of cayenne powder. Add the shrimp, seal up the bag and marinate for a couple of hours.

This dish only takes a few minutes to prepare, so when you’re ready, take out the shrimp and dry them on a couple of paper towels. In a liquid measuring cup, combine 3/4 cups of orange juice, a few sliced garlic cloves, some cayenne and the Old Bay. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat up a large non-stick skillet on high. Add the butter. When it’s melted, add the shrimp. Cook for about one minute, flip shrimp and cook another minute. Set aside. With the pan still on the heat, add the orange juice mixture and the honey. Let it bubble and thicken for about five minutes. Take care not to let it burn by stirring often. When it’s a little thicker, add the shrimp and toss thoroughly. Transfer to a shallow bowl. The leftover glaze is phenomenal when sopped up with rustic bread.

appetizers, Cooking

Shrimp Cocktail with Creamy Horseradish Sauce

January 29, 2011 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

This was really easy and totally satisfying.

Ingredients:
1 lemon, halved
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2-3/4 pounds of raw unpeeled shrimp
1 bay leaf
1 cup dry white wine (I used Chateau Ste. Michelle dry riesling)
2 cups water
salt and pepper
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 green onion, chopped finely
1 tablespoon horseradish sauce

Directions:
Combine water, wine, 1/2 lemon, bay leaf and a pinch of salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile fill a medium bowl with ice water. When water is boiling, add the shrimp and immediately turn heat to low and poach for 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to ice water. To the poaching liquid, add the juice of the other half of lemon and bring to a roaring boil. Boil for about 20 minutes till there’s only a couple of tablespoons of liquid left. Meanwhile, peel the shrimp leaving the tails intact. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, horseradish, salt and pepper, zest, green onion and 1 tablespoon of the shrimp reduction. Hang the shrimp on the edge of the bowl and serve.

appetizers, Cooking

Packers vs. Steelers — how to feed a hungry crowd

January 24, 2011 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

It was a good six hours of football today. Both Packers and Steelers fans had a good day. Good thing we had provisions!

Speedy Guacamole

Ingredients:
Two ripe avocados, smashed
Two small tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup salsa
dash of white wine vinegar or a squeeze of lime
salt and pepper
a couple of dashes of hot sauce

Toss together all of the ingredients. Serve with corn chips

Gotta-have-it Cheese Dip

Ingredients:
1/2 block of velveeta
1/2 cup salsa
1 small can of diced green chiles
2 tbs chopped jalapeños (from the jar)
a few dashes of hot sauce
1/2 lb. ground pork
smoked paprika
chili powder
salt and pepper

Season the pork with a couple of shakes of paprika and chili powder. Add salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Brown the meat and break into small pieces. Add pork and all the other ingredients to a medium sauce pan and cook over medium heat till the cheese is melted. Serve with corn chips.

appetizers, recipes

Meatballs and special sauce

December 24, 2010 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

Back in high school, my boyfriend’s mother used to serve at her parties Hillshire Farms Lit’l Smokies with this delicious sauce. I loved her recipe and when I asked for the ingredients, she told me it’s their official recipe. I loved it so much that she brought it as a dish to our wedding upon my request.

For our work Christmas party this year, I combined my meatballs recipe with this delicious Hillshire Farms sauce. Super easy. Enjoy!

Meatballs and Special Sauce
Makes about 60 small meatballs

For the balls:
Two slices of white bread put through the food processor into coarse crumbs. Soak these in milk for a few minutes and squeeze out milk.
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup grated parmesan
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 – 1/2 onion, chopped finely
1 tsp. porcini powder (optional)
1 TBS dried basil
1 TBS dried parsley
1 TBS tomato paste
2 tsp dried oregano
a couple of dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
splash of red wine
salt and pepper
a couple of shakes of pepper flakes (that rhymes!)

For the sauce:
1 jar of Chili Sauce (looks like ketchup)
1 jar of Concord Grape Jelly (NO JOKE)

Mix all the meatball ingredients together thoroughly and form into balls smaller than a golf ball. Place in a 375-degree oven for 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile, empty the chili sauce and grape jelly into a casserole dish or crock pot and heat until melted and combined. When meatballs are done, place them in the casserole dish and toss till balls are coated with the sauce. Serve with toothpicks at an ugly sweater party.