Appetizers
Smoked Cheese
When the weather gets cooler I like to smoke cheese. It only takes a couple hours and it is so good on crackers. Here’s how I do it.
Ingredients:
- Several blocks of cheese (we’re partial to Monterey Jack and Colby/Jack)
- Hickory or other wood dust
I use the ColdQ smoke generator from MacsBBQ.
Just fill it up with wood dust.
Then put in a tea light until it starts smoking..
Put the cold smoker and the cheese blocks into a container. I use my cold cabinet smoker with the vent wide open to hold it. The smoker is well insulated so I keep an eye on it and if it gets too warm I crack the door as well.
Allow it to smoke for 2 – 3 hours. Remove, wrap in plastic or a plastic bag, and place in refrigerator for a day or two.
Serve.
This should only be done when the weather is cooler so the cheese doesn’t get too warm.
Clams Casino
This is a great appetizer and really has a lot of flavor.
Ingredients:
- 24 medium littleneck clams, shucked into bottom shell
- 2 oz bacon or pancetta, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 4 tbs Parmesan
- Salt and pepper
I haven’t been able to figure out how to shuck clams so I just steam them until they open. It takes about 15 minutes. After they have opened scoop the clam into the bottom of each shell and discard the top shell.
While the clams are steaming fry the bacon until crisp, add the bell pepper, shallots, garlic, and oregano and cook about 5 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it is almost evaporated. Remove the skillet from the heat and cool. Stir in 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
Arrange the clams on a baking sheet. Spoon the vegetable mixture onto the clams.
Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan.
Bake at 500° until the clams are just cooked through and the top is golden, about 10 minutes.
Pork & Shrimp Egg Rolls
I like to make these and keep them in the freezer They are quick and easy to pop into the fryer when we feel like having a snack.
Ingredients:
- 14 oz cooked peeled shrimp
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/2 bundle bean thread noodles (optional)
- 6 tbs (3 oz) water chestnut
- 6 tbs (3 oz) carrots
- 4 tbs (2 oz) celery
- 4 tbs (2 oz) onion
- 1 pkg (30) egg roll wrappers
I measure this using a kitchen scale so the tablespoon measurement is an approximate.
Cook the ground pork. Chop the shrimp, vegetables, and bean noodles. You can also combine everything and grind it in a meat grinder. Drain everything after grinding or chopping.
Lay down one wrapper on your work surface with the point towards you. Place about 2 tbs filling on the wrapper. Mine is closer to 3 tbs because there were only 20 wrappers in the package I purchased.
Combine 1 tbs flour and 2 tbs water for sealing the rolls. Starting with the point closest to you roll it over one time. Fold the right and left points in. Brush the point furthest away from you with the flour mixture. Finish rolling and press the point down to seal. Place roll with sealed edge down on a plate. Place them in the freezer if you are not having them right away.
To cook, heat enough oil to cover them to 325°. Cook 3 or 4 at a time. The fresh ones float so you should hold them down with the basket or turn them half way through. For fresh ones cook for 3 minutes. For frozen ones add another 30 – 60 seconds.
Drain on a paper towel and serve hot with soy sauce.
Stuffed Mushrooms
I love mushrooms and the stuffing sounded so good that I had to try them.
Ingredients:
- 2lb whole white mushrooms (30 – 40)
- 2 tbs pine nuts or walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 shallot
- 5 oz fresh spinach
- 1/2 tsp herb blend
- 2 oz feta cheese
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 2 tbs parmesan cheese
- 1 (15 oz) can artichoke hearts, well-drained
Toast the pine nuts lightly.
For the filling you will add ingredients and pulse in between each addition to lightly chop. First, drop the garlic and shallot into a running food processor. Then add the spinach and herbs (I used a bouquet garni blend). Then add the feta and cream cheese. Last add the bread crumbs, parmesan, pine nuts, and artichokes.
Remove and discard the stems from the mushrooms.
Rinse and lay out your mushrooms.
Fill each mushroom with 1 tbs filling. I bought 2lb which was 31 mushrooms. I filled them and had enough filling leftover for 8 – 10 more.
Place the mushrooms on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake the mushrooms for 20 – 25 minutes at 425°.
Salt Block Beef Spirals and Shrimp with Dipping Sauces
I make this on a 8″ Himalayan salt block. There are a few places on the internet where you can purchase them. It sounds a little crazy to cook things on a big block of salt, but it always comes out nicely seasoned (not too salty). You do have to be careful with shrimp and seafood since the water content seems to make it saltier. When I do shrimp I strain it well and keep the block as dry as possible.
I have served this as an appetizer several times and everyone always seems to enjoy them.
Ingredients:
- thin sliced round steak (approximately 1/4lb per person)
- shrimp (I use precooked, jumbo)
- skewers and toothpicks
Blue Cheese-Garlic Sauce:
- 5 oz blue cheese
- 3/4 cup cream
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp pepper
Ginger-Soy Sauce:
- 6 tbs soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tbs fresh ginger, grated
Mayonnaise-Mustard Sauce:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp capers, chopped
- 1/2 tsp tarragon
- 1/2 tsp parsley
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Miso Sauce:
- 2 tbs 1/4 tsp miso
- 1 1/8 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
- 3/4 tsp garlic
- 2 tbs green apple, grated
Mustard Sauce:
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbs sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp garlic
- 2 tbs dry mustard
- 5 tbs milk
- 2 tbs cream
For each sauce just combine the ingredients. The Miso Sauce may need to be microwaved for a few seconds to melt it. I make them the day before so the flavors have a good chance to combine. Ginger-Soy is always a favorite, but my personal favorite is the Mustard.
For the beef, cut it into thin, bite-sized strips.
Roll each strip and skewer with a toothpick. This is about 1lb.
To cook the beef I heat my salt block on a wok stand on the stove. I start with the temperature on 1. Then I increase the temperature 2 notches every 10 minutes until it reaches 9. It takes about an hour. If you don’t have a salt block you can use a hot griddle or grill.
Grill for several minutes on each side. I like cooking them in small batches so there are hot ones that keep coming off the grill.
Serve warm with the sauces.
I have started precooking the beef sous vide for an hour at 131° and chilling before putting them on the salt block.
Before cleaning the salt block let it cool completely. Put a small amount of water on it, scrub with a brush and repeat until most of the food has been removed.
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