Health & Fitness
FOOD
Party Time!
These tidbits are quick and satisfying any time.
Annabel Cohen
Special to the Jewish News
N
ew Year's Eve is finally upon_us.
For the most part, most parties
this season have either been
toned down or scaled back. But you can
invite some friends and celebrate, low key.
A buffet of appetizers can be beautiful
and satisfying without excessive expense.
Start with a singular "splurge" item, which
elevates the entire array of offerings. Then
fill-in with crowd-pleasers that won't
scream overindulgence.
While some appetizers can be time
consuming, some are actually quite simple
to make from scratch. Quick turn-around
time for dips make them popular choices.
A wedge or two of your favorite cheese can
be displayed with a small bunch of grapes
as garnish.
The following recipes can be mixed and
matched to create tempting.
Mini Baked and
Stuffed Potatoes
Although it's a little pricier, for this
recipe I choose potatoes individually so
they're small and uniform.
20 small round new or red potatoes,
baked until tender
1 /4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Granulated garlic
1 cup shredded Cheddar or your favor-
ite cheese
1 /4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
1/2 cup light or fat-free sour cream
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Paprika
1 cup chopped scallions, white and
green parts
Preheat oven to 350E
Cut potatoes in half. Use a melon-baller
to scoop out most of the pulp, leaving a
1/4-inch shell (reserve the potato pulp and
place in a medium bowl). Brush the potato
shells inside and out with the olive oil and
season lightly with the granulated garlic.
Place potatoes skin side down on a baking
sheet with sides and bake for 10 minutes.
While the potatoes are baking, use a
fork to mash the reserved potato pulp with
the cheeses, tomatoes and sour cream.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon this mixture into the baked pota-
to shells (use all the filling and mound
B4
January 1 * 2009
them slightly if you can), and sprinkle
them with paprika. You can make the
potatoes up to a day ahead at this point.
Just before serving, bake the shells in a
preheated oven (350F) for about 15 min-
utes, or until very hot. Sprinkle with scal-
lions and serve. Makes 40 appetizers.
Spinach Torta with
Bleu Cheese
1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry
1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spin-
ach, thawed and well drained
1 (8 oz.) package Neufchatel cheese,
softened
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. dried dill
Kosher salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1 cup very thin sliced red or Bermuda
onion
1 cup crumbled bleu cheese, any type
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 400F. Line the baking
sheet with parchment.
Place both sheets of pastry on the bak-
ing sheet, pressing the edges together to
make one sheet (don't worry if the pastry
does not reach to the edges of the baking
sheet — this will be your crust. Bake for
10 minutes, or until puffed and lightly
browned. Remove from oven and cool for
3 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F.
While the pastry is baking, combine the
spinach, Neufchatel cheese, mayonnaise,
garlic and dill in a medium microwave-
safe bowl and mix well by hand or using
a mixer. Microwave the mixture on high
for 30 seconds before spreading it on the
cooked crust. Season with salt and plenty
of fresh ground pepper, to taste. Sprinkle
the onions and bleu cheese over and bake
for about 10-15 minutes more, until the
crust is golden and the toppings hot.
Remove from oven, drizzle with olive
oil and cool for 2 minutes before cutting
the tart into squares. Serve warm or at
room temperature. Makes about 30 to 40
appetizers.
Chunky Ahi Salsa
This is a Japanese-inspired salsa that's
perfect served with tortilla or pita chips.
1 pound sashimi grade tuna steak,
diced into 'i4-inch pieces
1 cup diced cucumber
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped scallions, white
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 /4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 tsp. sesame oil
Salt to taste
Combine all ingredients in a medium
bowl and stir well. Chill immediately until
ready to serve, up to 4 hours. Makes 8-12
servings.
Mustard Pecan Crumb-Coated
Baby Lamb Chops
The trick to this recipe is to cook the
lamb a bit first and then finish the cooking
just before serving.
Two 8-rib racks of lamb (about 3
pounds), bones and meat trimmed of
most of the fat
1 /4 cup Dijon mustard
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 /2 cup finely chopped pecans
1 /4 cup balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 400E Arrange the racks,
bone side up, on a baking sheet and roast
for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and
cool until ready to serve (this may be done
up to a day ahead).
Before cooking to serve, spread the
meaty portions of the rack of lamb with
mustard. Combine the breadcrumb and
nuts and press the mixture over the mus-
tard. Arrange the lamb as before and roast
for 20 minutes, or until a meat thermom-
eter registers 130-140F. Let the rack stand
for a few minutes before slicing into indi-
vidual chops and serving, drizzled with
the balsamic vinegar. Makes 16 appetizer
chops.
Smoked Salmon Pate with
Capers on Pumpernickel
Triangles
1 pound Scottish or Norwegian smoked
salmon, chopped
3 Tbsp. lowfat sour cream
3 Tbsp. fresh minced dill
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp. drained capers
Salt and pepper to taste
16-20 party pumpernickel breads, cut
in half diagonally
Dill sprigs, garnish
Place salmon in a medium bowl. Add
sour cream, dill, lemon juice, capers, salt
and pepper and stir well. Arrange the
salmon on the pumpernickel triangles
(mound it rather than spread it) and
garnish with a small sprig of dill. If you
prefer, you may also serve this as a spread.
Makes 36-40 appetizers.
Eggplant with Olive Oil
and Mint
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 lbs. small eggplant, peeled and cut
into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over
medium-high heat. Add the eggplant and
garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for
15 minutes or until tender. Remove from
heat and let cool to room temperature.
Add remaining ingredients and stir well.
Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill until
ready to serve. Serve with sliced French
baguette rounds or crackers. Makes 8-12
servings. E
Yiddish Limerick
Salute The Year!
Mir vinchn dir a gute yohr*
Mit glik, parnoseh** and much more.
So trink a glezale vine***
And thank God that you're fine,
Und tantz und tantz**** until you're
sore.
* Mir vinchn dir a gute yohr —
we wish you a good year
** Mit glik, parnoseh —
with good fortune, sustanence
*** Trink glezale vine —
drink a little glass of wine
**** Und tantz und tantz-
and dance and dance
Rachel Kapen of West Bloom field
prepared this limerick in memory of
the late Martha Jo Fleischmann,
longtime JN Yiddish limerick writer.