Food

Appetizers

These scrumptious delights
don't take all night to prepare.

White fish with apple

ANNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News

N

eed some quick appetizer inspiration? Want some tasty
meal openers that are different? Need to bring something
to a party that won't keep you in the kitchen for hours?
The holiday season is a time for parties. Whether it's
the New Year, football, office shindigs or just an evening shared with
friends, eating seems to be one raison d'etre at these affairs.
There's a reason appetizers are so often "farmed-out" to others.
They're time consuming. With all the mixing and folding that's
involved, an unsuspecting cook may find that what looks like a sim-
ple recipe can take hours to make from scratch.
Perhaps the quick turn-around time for dips make them a popu-
lar choice.
A few ancillary ingredients and a food processor can turn a can of
chickpeas into hummus in less than 60 seconds. But if you're like
most savvy eaters, hummus has become so ubiquitous, it's hardly
singular or special.
Here's where a little imagination comes into play. Ingredients
found every day in regular supermarkets can be transformed quickly
into tasty appetizers that are quite out of the ordinary. What's more,
with little preparation, these can be equally appealing to the eye.
The following recipes can be mixed and matched to create tempt-
ing tidbits that will be popular enough to eat as main courses.

■

SMOKED WHITEFISH ON
APPLE SLICES
1/2 pound (8 oz.) boneless, skinless
smoked whitefish fillets, mashed
with a fork
3 T. sour cream or mayonnaise
3 T. minced red bell pepper
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1 bunch watercress or spicy sprouts
2 unpeeled Granny Smith apples
cut in half and into 1/4-inch-
thick wedges
2 T. fresh lemon juice
Combine fish, sour cream, bell
pepper and black pepper and stir
well with a fork to combine. Chill
until ready to use.
Sprinkle apple wedges with
lemon juice and toss to coat. To
serve, dollop a teaspoon or more of
whitefish on an apple slice and top
NA/ith a sprig of watercress or a small
amount of sprouts. Makes about 36
appetizers. You may also substitute
cucumber slices for the apple.

BLUE CHEESE, GOAT CHEESE
AND PECAN MOLD
1/2 pound (8 oz.) crumbled blue
cheese
1 5-oz. log goat cheese (chevre)
1/2 pound cream cheese, softened
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. ground black pepper
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup fresh chopped parsley
2 T. olive oil
Combine all ingredients, except
parsley and olive oil, in a bowl and
bear until creamy (or combine all
ingredients in the bowl of a food
processor and pulse until just com-
bined).
Line a four-cup mold or bowl with
plastic wrap, extending the ends over
the mold. Transfer one-third of the
cheese mixture into the mold.
Sprinkle with half the parsley. Spread
another third of the mixture over
parsley and top with remaining cheese
mixture.
Cover the mold with plastic wrap

and chill for several hours.
To serve, remove top wrap from
cheese and turn the mold over on a
serving plate. Remove mold and plas-
tic from the cheese and serve the
cheese drizzled with olive oil.
Accompany with small bread slices
or gourmet crackers. Serves 20.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND
RED PEPPER TOASTS
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium (about 1 pound)
eggplant, cubed
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
2 cups chopped onions
1 T. minced garlic
1 t. ground turmeric
1/2 t. ground cumin
1 t. dried dill
kosher salt and pepper to taste
juice from 1 lemon
Serve with:
toasts made from French bread
rounds
•
chopped Italian parsley, garnish
Preheat oven to 400F. Combine all
ingredients except lemon juice in a
baking dish and toss well to coat with
oil and seasonings. Roast, uncovered,
for 40 or more minutes, stirring the
mixture at 10 minute intervals, until
the vegetables are very soft.
Remove from oven, stir in lemon
juice and cool to room temperature
and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, arrange toasts on a cookie
sheet and place a tablespoonful of
vegetable mixture on top of each
toast. Sprinkle with chopped parsley
and pass. N.lakes about 36 toasts.

SALMON SESAME SKEWERS
WITH SWEET AND PUNGENT
SAUCE
2 pounds salmon fillet, cut into f-
inch chunks
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T. soy sauce
1/2 cup sesame seeds (white
and/or black)
24 5-inch (or longer) bamboo
skewers

12/21
2001

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