Artichoke-Olive Tapenade →

Wake up those taste buds! This appetizer goes well with your apéritif of choice to enjoy before that special meal. Enjoy!

Artichoke-Olive Tapenade
Makes about a cup

Ingredients
· 1 medium clove of garlic either grated or finely minced
·  ¾ ounce Parmesan cheese, grated
·  1- 14 ounce can of artichoke hearts in water or brine, drained
·  1- 12 ounce jar pitted green olives with pimentos, drained
·  1 teaspoon anchovy paste (omit for vegetarian)
·  ½ teaspoon dried herbes de Provence
·  Zest of half a lemon
· Juice of ¼ lemon- 2-3 teaspoons to taste
·  1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar
·  ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
·  ¼ teaspoon black pepper
·  2-3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped 

Garnish with pomegranate seeds, pickled apples, or minced cornichons (optional)

Preparation
Add the artichokes and olives and pulse a few times to break them up. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse for a chunky tapenade or run until smooth. Serve with toast points or good crackers.

Spanish Turkey Meatballs with Almonds (Albóndigas de Pavo) →

Photos: c. foodblogchef 2022

Popular in Spanish tapas bars, albóndigas (meatballs in a garlicky-saffron-almond sauce) are the Spanish cousin to Italian meatballs. The word “albóndigas” comes from the Arabic “al-bunduq” meaning hazelnut or a small round object. Traditionally made with veal and ground pork, Spanish albóndigas are thought to have been adapted from an Arab dish during the long period of Moorish rule in Spain. Much like meatballs in Italy, every tapas bar, restaurant, and household in Spain has its own favorite recipe for albondigas, but the foundational flavors for the recipe are onion, garlic, almonds, and saffron. For cooks looking for lower fat alternatives to “red meat”, for this recipe, I substitute ground turkey for the traditional ingredients of pork and veal, and I use Panko bread crumbs in place of torn bread soaked in milk. I also use less tomato than some cooks because I want the garlic, almonds, and saffron to shine in the sauce. Feel free to use ground pork and beef (veal) in place of ground turkey. Try them both ways! These flavorful mini-meatballs are great served as appetizers or hors-d’oeuvres or paired with egg noodles or couscous and veggies as a main meal. Either way, you’re in for a treat! Buen provecho!

Spanish Turkey Meatballs with Almonds (Albóndigas de Pavo)
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
Sauce
·  2 tablespoons olive oil
·  1 medium onion, chopped
·  4-5 cloves garlic smashed and chopped
· 1 cup ripe tomato, seeded and chopped (or crushed canned tomatoes)
·   1 roasted whole pimento from a jar, chopped (sub. seeded and chopped red bell pepper)
·   1 ½ cups chicken broth
·   ½ cup white wine
·   3 tablespoons chopped toasted almonds
·   2 bay leaves
·   1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
·   Pinch of saffron
·   Salt and pepper to taste
Meatballs
·  1 pound ground turkey (or use 1:1 ground pork and beef (veal)
·  1 cup Panko breadcrumbs (unseasoned)
·  2 eggs
·  2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
·  2 tablespoons finely chopped toasted almonds (a small food processor or Magic Bullet works well)
·  ½ teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
·  1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
·  2 garlic cloves, finely minced, or grated using a microplane
·  salt and pepper to taste
·  Sliced almonds, toasted for garnish

PREPARATION:
For the sauce:
1. Heat olive oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, tomato, roasted pepper, and cook until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally about 5-7 minutes.
2. Add chicken broth, wine, saffron, lemon zest, almonds, and bay leaves and simmer until sauce is thick and chunky about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before using adding a bit of chicken broth if necessary to loosen the sauce.)
For the meatballs:
1. Thoroughly combine the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients with your hands without overworking the mixture or the meatballs will be tough.
2. Shape mixture into 1 1/4-inch balls. Add the meatballs to a hot, lightly oiled heavy bottom skillet and pan-fry over medium-high heat until there is a nicely browned crust on all sides of the meatballs. (See note below.)
3. Add the browned meatballs to the sauce and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes allowing the meatballs to finish cooking and the flavors to meld.

Divide the meatballs among 4 plates. Spoon sauce over. Garnish with sliced almonds and serve.

Wine pairing: Rioja, Tempranillo, or Garnacha (Grenache) would be the wines of choice at most tapas bars. Medoc or Beaujolais would also be good choices. Dry Riesling, Viognier, or white wines from the Rhone Valley would also work with this dish.
*Note: alternatively preheat your oven to 400 degrees and bake the meatballs on a lightly oiled sheet pan for about 12 minutes.
Inspired by: Bon Appétit, Spain Collector’s Edition, May 1992.

Shrimp Cake Appetizers →

These easy-to-make shrimp cake appetizers will please your guests or hosts for a potluck. At a fraction of the cost of fresh or canned crab meat, not only are they delicious, but they can be prepared in less than an hour. Spooning the mixture into non-stick mini-muffin tins avoids hand-forming each cake and saves a lot of prep time. Fennel fronds, parsley, and tarragon are my herbs of choice to compliment the shrimp, but feel free to use your favorite herbs. The jalapeño and hot sauce are optional and provide a mild spicy background note as written, but if you want to kick it up a notch for real spicy shrimp cakes feel free to increase the spicy heat. Either a traditional Remoulade or the Lemony Cilantro Aioli are my condiments of choice for these delicate, tasty morsels. Enjoy!

Shrimp Cake Appetizers
Yield about 24 appetizer size shrimp cakes
Special equipment: non-stick mini-muffin tins

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise

• 1/4 cup minced green onions

• 2 large egg yolks

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel

• 4 teaspoons minced fresh fennel fronds (or fresh parsley)

• 4 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon (1 teaspoon dried)

• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• dash of Worcestershire Sauce

• 1-2 teaspoons hot sauce

• 1-2 teaspoons minced jalapeño

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 pound medium or small shrimp (31-40 count)

• 3/4 cup Panko

Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 375 F.

1. Whisk all the ingredients except the shrimp and Panko in a large bowl.

2. Chop the shrimp into small pieces and add to the mixture in the large bowl. Add the Panko and mix to incorporate the ingredients. Let stand for 10 minutes or up to several hours in the fridge.

3.  Lightly oil the cups of the muffin tin. This helps to brown the bottoms of the cakes and allows them to be removed easily from the cups of the muffin tin.

4. Add 1 tablespoon of the shrimp mixture to each cup. You should have about 24 tablespoons. Lightly press the mixture into the cups. A light press will ensure that the cakes don’t fall apart when you remove them from the cups; too much pressure will make the cakes rubbery.

5. Lightly brush the top of each cake with melted butter and place the filled muffin tin in the middle of the hot oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

6. Remove the muffin tins from the oven and let the cakes cool for a few minutes. Place a sheet pan over the top of the tin and holding tightly turn the tin over. The shrimp cakes should release and drop onto the sheet pan. Alternatively, you can use a knife to loosen the cakes from the cups and remove them individually.

7. Serve with Remoulade sauce or Lemony Cilantro Aioli (see recipe below)

Wine pairing: a dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis, Vermentino, or Albariño are good choices to pair with these delicious appetizers.

Lemony Cilantro Aioli

·   ½ cup of mayonnaise
·   1 tablespoon of olive oil
·   1-2 garlic cloves finely minced or grated and mashed to a paste with a pinch of salt
·    ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
·    1 teaspoon lemon zest
·    3-4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (to taste)
·    1 tablespoon cilantro chopped (fresh lemon balm is a good substitute if you don’t like cilantro)
·    2 teaspoons minced capers
·    2 teaspoons hot sauce (or more to your taste)
·    Freshly ground black pepper

Mix the ingredients and place in the fridge for at least a half-hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

*Note: make the aioli or remoulade ahead and refrigerate before you cook the shrimp cakes.

Roasted Garlic and White Bean Spread →

Here’s an easy healthy flavorful appetizer spread to try. Creamy cannellini beans, sweet roasted garlic, tangy lemon, and fresh rosemary. What’s not to like? Throw in some anchovy umami and kick it up a notch with a pinch of heat and bask in your family’s and guest’s pleasure! Serve it on crackers, crostinis, or toast points with your aperitif of choice. Buon appetito!

Roasted Garlic White Bean Spread with Rosemary and Piquillos
Yield about a cup

Ingredients:

• ½ head of garlic

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 (15-ounce) can of white beans, like cannellini, Great Northern or navy beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh rosemary leaves, plus 1 full sprig

• 2 anchovy fillets (omit for vegan)

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• 1 pinch of cayenne, plus more for garnish (optional)

• extra salt to taste

• chopped bottled roasted Piquillo peppers for garnish (optional; if you can’t find Piquillos you can substitute roasted Pimentos)

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

1. Cut the garlic head in half and peel off most of the outermost skin.

2. Place the garlic half on a sheet of tin foil and drizzle about 1 teaspoon of olive oil over the exposed cloves and close the foil into a pouch.

3. Bake for about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly. The garlic is done when you can squeeze the cloves and they feel soft.

4. While the garlic is roasting heat the olive oil in a skillet and once it is shimmering place the sprig of rosemary in the hot oil turning it over while it browns and infuses the oil with delicious rosemary flavor. Remove the rosemary sprig once it is brown. (Don’t burn it!)

5. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into the bowl of a food processor and add the white beans, rosemary-olive oil, lemon juice, and zest, rosemary leaves, black pepper, cayenne (if using), and anchovy fillets. Purée until smooth, then adjust salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving dish.

6. Serve on crackers or toast points and garnish with chopped Piquillos.

*Note: the bean spread will keep in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Adapted from: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019746-roasted-garlic-and-white-bean-dip-with-rosemary