beat the egg in a large bowl. Add the
meat, then add the bread, mashing it
with your fingers. Add the onion, garlic,
parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.
Work with your hands into a soft, well-
mixed paste. Shape into balls the size
of large walnuts and dredge in plenty
of flour.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed
baking sheet with parchment and
arrange the meatballs on the sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Transfer the meatballs to a baking
dish. Add all sauce ingredients to the
baking dish and turn the meatballs
with a spatula to coat. Cook for 20 min-
utes more.
CARROT, COCONUT AND GINGER
SOUP SHOOTER
Onions and carrots are both naturally
sweet, so this creamy soup pairs nicely
with ginger. And since there is barely
any fat and no meat (unless you add
chicken broth), it’s both vegan and
gluten-free.
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onions, any
variety
½ cup chopped celery
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 cups water (or chicken broth)
1 cup coconut milk
1 pound carrots, unpeeled and sliced
into 1-inch rounds
2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
½ cup white wine
Sea salt and white pepper, to taste
Fresh chopped cilantro leaves, garnish
Heat oil in saucepan over medium-
high heat. Add the onions, celery and
garlic and saute until the onions are
translucent. Add the water, coconut
milk, carrots and ginger and bring to a
boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover the
pot and cook for about 30 minutes,
until the carrots are very soft.
Remove from heat and cool until
the soup is warm.
Transfer the mixture to the pitcher
of a blender or bowl of a food pro-
cessor and blend or process until
smooth (you may need to do this in
batches). When the soup is blended,
pour it back into the pot. Add wine
and seasonings (start with 1 tsp. salt
and ½-tsp. pepper) and bring to a boil
again. Reduce heat to simmer and
cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes more.
Adjust seasonings to taste.
Serve as is or sprinkle with parsley,
cilantro and drizzle with half-and-half,
if desired. Makes 12 shooter servings.
ASPARAGUS GRUYERE TARTE
Cut this into squares and serve — the
trick is to leave it looking whole, so
don’t disassemble to serve.
Flour, for work surface
egg whites. Add the salmon and capers
and beat well with electric mixer. Fold
in the sour cream and pour into a 4-cup
oiled fish mold or a mold of your choice.
Chill until solid. Unmold and serve with
crackers or black breads. Makes 20
appetizer servings.
GARLIC-MUSHROOM TAPAS
Asparagus Gruyere Tarte
1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry
(about 17-18 ounces)
3 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded
1½-2 pounds medium fresh asparagus
(tough stem ends trimmed)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with
parchment, place the 2 sheets of puff
pastry on the baking sheet and press
together to cover the baking sheet (up
the edges of the pan, if possible).
Using a fork, pierce the pastry all over
(about 24 times). Bake until golden,
about 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with
2/3 of the Gruyere. Arrange the aspara-
gus over the cheese. Brush with oil and
season with salt and pepper to taste.
Bake again for 10 minutes. Raise the
heat to a low broil and cook 4-6 min-
utes more. Cool to warm and serve (cut
into pieces).
Roll out one pie crust to ⅛-inch thick-
ness. Cut into rounds. Put 1 tablespoon
of filling on half of the round. Fold the
other half of the round over and using
a fork, press down on the edge of the
dough to seal. Prepare all the empana-
das and place on a rimmed, parchment-
lined baking sheet.
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Make an egg wash — combine the
water and egg and beat well with a fork.
Brush the empanadas with the wash
and bake for 20 minutes until the empa-
nadas are golden.
Or — deep fry or pan fry in vegetable
oil, without the egg wash.
BLUE-CHEESE WALNUT SPREAD
So simple and delicious, served with
gourmet crackers and a sliced fresh
French baguette.
8-ounce cream cheese, room
temperature
1 cup walnuts, chopped
Salt and ground pepper
8 ounces crumbled blue cheese
BEEF EMPANADAS
These small turnovers, baked until
golden, are traditional South American
street-food appetizers.
Filling:
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound lean ground beef
2 Tbsp. raisins
2 Tbsp. chopped pimiento-stuffed olives
1 hardboiled egg, chopped
Dough:
2 pre-made pie crusts (or 24 empanada
wrappers)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp. water
Cook onion in olive oil in a heavy
medium skillet over medium heat, stir-
ring frequently, until softened. Add
garlic, cumin and oregano and cook,
stirring, 1 minute. Stir in beef and cook,
breaking up lumps with a fork, until no
longer pink, about 4 minutes.
Add raisins, olives, salt and pepper
to taste. Cool and stir in the egg. Brush
empanadas with oil and bake on an
oiled baking sheet in a 375°F oven until
golden, 15-20 minutes.
Combine all ingredients and mash
well. Makes 3 cups of spread.
BUNNY’S SALMON MOUSSE
My catering client Bunny Kratchman
is a fabulous cook. She “gifted” me this
recipe many years ago and it’s always
a winner. Serve it with your thin-sliced
black pumpernickel breads or cucum-
ber rounds.
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
¼ cup cold water
½ cup boiling water
½ cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. grated onion
½ tsp. hot pepper sauce
(such as Tabasco)
¼ tsp. ground paprika
1 tsp. salt
2 cups cooked salmon
(boneless and skinless)
1 Tbsp. drained capers
½ cup whipping cream or sour cream
Dissolve the gelatin in ¼ cup cold
water. Add boiling water and stir until
dissolved.
In one hour, add mayo, lemon juice,
onion, tabasco, pepper and salt and stir
well. Chill to consistency of unbeaten
In Spain, a classic tapas dish like these
are sautéed in butter. This lighter, short-
cut version uses healthier olive oil and
baking to limit the mess. Serve these
on small toasts or in a baking dish with
French bread on the side.
1½ pound mushrooms, stems removed
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. fresh minced garlic
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
Fresh juice from ½ lemon or lemon
wedges, garnish
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Remove stems
from mushrooms by snapping them off.
If mushroom caps are very large, halve
or quarter them
Toss mushrooms with olive oil, garlic,
salt, pepper and parsley. Transfer to a
baking dish and bake, uncovered for
15 minutes. Use a large spoon to toss
the mushrooms and bake again for 15
minutes more. Toss with lemon juice
and serve in the baking dish or serve on
individual French bread rounds. Makes
12 servings.
BAKED FRUITED BRIE
This is the easiest appetizer because
you don’t even have to wrap the brie in
pastry — just bake and serve.
1 large brie (about 2 pounds)
½ cup Dijon mustard
1 cup apricot preserves
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup chopped pecans
Freeze the brie for 1 hour or until
very cold. Use a sharp knife or grater to
remove the white outer rind from the
cheese.
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place the brie
in an attractive baking dish. Spread
the mustard over the brie. Warm the
apricot preserves in the microwave so
that they’re easier to spread. Spread the
preserves over the mustard. Sprinkle
the cherries, raisins, almonds and
pecans over the brie. Cover the baking
dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for 10-15 min-
utes more. Serve hot with sliced French
breads and assorted crackers. •
All recipes ©Annabel Cohen 2017
annabelonthemenu@gmail.com.
jn
December 21 • 2017
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