appetizer – Page 8

Carrot Soup with Coriander Seed and Cilantro

March 10, 2010August 4, 2014by Lynda Balslev7 Comments

Carrots share a love affair with coriander in this rich yet light soup. Carrots are cooked with onion and dried coriander, then blitzed with fresh cilantro leaves. The sweetness of the carrot is tempered by the spice of coriander and cayenne, while the strength of fresh cilantro is mellowed as it mingles with the sweet and savory flavors of the stock. All in all, a lovely match.

Carrot Soup with Coriander Seed and Cilantro
Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound carrots, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup cilantro sprigs
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, 3 minutes. Add carrots, ground coriander and cayenne. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until carrots are very soft, about 45 minutes. Carefully transfer soup to bowl of food processor or blender. Add cilantro sprigs. Purée until smooth. Return soup to pot. Stir in brown sugar, salt and pepper. Gently rewarm over medium heat. Serve soup warm garnished with fresh cilantro sprigs.

Appetizers, Vegetarian

Grilled Feta with Blood Orange, Red Pepper and Mint Salsa

March 3, 2010August 4, 2014by Lynda Balslev4 Comments

This recipe for grilled feta is a perfect contrast in textures and temperatures. Thick feta slices are grilled in a bath of olive oil until golden brown, then served warm with a cool, crunchy, citrus-y salsa. The dish can be served straight from the oven, or if you wish, arrange the feta on a serving plate and spoon the olive oil around it. This rustic appetizer is meant to be eaten family style, so plop the plate in the middle of the table and pass everyone a spoon. Scoop out chunks of feta, spread it on a slice of rustic bread and top with salsa and a dribble of olive oil.Grilled Feta with Blood Orange, Red Pepper and Mint Salsa

Feta cheese lends itself well to grilling; it browns nicely and softens somewhat, but doesn’t lose it’s shape. Serves 4 as an appetizer.

For the salsa:

1 blood orange, skin, seeds and membrane removed, cut in 1/4″ pieces
1 small sweet red pepper, stemmed and seeded, finely dinced
1 small red onion, finely diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix well to combine.

For the feta:

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 pound block of feta cheese
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Fresh whole mint leaves for garnish

Toast cumin and coriander seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a mortar with pestle. Add peppercorns. Grind until fine.
Preheat oven broiler. Drain feta and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Pat spices on all sides of feta. Cut in 1/2″ slices. Arrange feta slices in a baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Grill in oven until edges turn golden.
Arrange slices on a serving plate. (I like to try and return it to its original block shape.) Spoon olive oil around feta. Top feta with salsa. Garnish with mint leaves. Serve immediately with pita bread, crostini or peasant bread.

Appetizers, Fish and Shellfish, Vegetables and Salads

Fiesta Shrimp Salsa

January 2, 2010July 31, 2014by Lynda Balslev

Post holidays, I crave bright and spicy food with an exotic flare. Asian or Mexican inspired dishes flavored and spiced which cilantro and chile or ginger and citrus are a great way to jazz up the palate, waking it from its winter slumber. Here is a recipe that is quick, easy and a crowd pleaser. Sautéed shrimp marinate in a homemade citrus-y salsa and are served with tortilla chips. It’s a confetti of color and an explosion of tastes and textures. Light and festive with a bite, this salsa is a guaranteed pick-me-up and a perfect way to ring in the New Year.

Fiesta Shrimp Salsa

Serve in a bowl with chips on the side as an appetizer, or arrange on a bed of greens and serve as a salad.

Serves 6-8

1 lb. (500 grams) medium shrimp, deveined
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tomatoes, seeded, diced
1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded, minced
1 medium red onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of one lime
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander/cilantro leaves
Fresh coriander/cilantro leaves for garnish
Tortilla chips

Prepare:
Remove shells from shrimp, leaving tails intact on 6 shrimp for garnish. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Sauté shrimp in batches in one layer in skillet. Cook turning once, until pink and cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to plate and repeat with remaining shrimp. Set shrimp aside to cool. Slice shrimp in half lengthwise down the middle of the back, except for the 6 with tails intact.

Combine tomatoes, serrano chile, jalapeno, red onion, garlic, lime and lemon juice, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Drizzle with one tablespoon olive oil. Add shrimp halves, and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 hours before serving.

Before serving, add chopped parsley and cilantro, stirring to combine. Serve in a bowl or on greens on a platter. Arrange whole shrimp with tails on top. Garnish with additional parsley and cilantro leaves. Serve with tortilla chips.

Appetizers, Curing, Denmark, Fish and Shellfish, holiday

Gravlax and Christmas

December 26, 2009July 31, 2014by Lynda Balslev4 Comments

The Danish Christmas season would not be complete without many Christmas Lunches. Christmas Lunch is the ubiquitous term for a multi-coursed feast punctuated by multiple toasts with schnaps, beer and wine. The season for these festive lunches spans the weeks of advent to several days following Christmas day. “Lunch” is actually a misnomer, since these smorgasbords can take place either during the day or evening.

A traditional Danish Christmas Lunch begins with a fish course, followed by meat, cheese and dessert. To me, the fish course sums up the beauty of nordic cuisine: Fresh, minimalist and refined. Herring, fjord shrimp and salmon are served open-faced on various breads (smørrebrød) with garnishes. There are many herring preparations: marinated with dill, folded in curried cream, spiced with wine and cloves. Every family has their own recipe which they think is best. Fjord shrimp are another Nordic delicacy: tiny shrimp the size of a fingernail, painstakingly peeled and artfully arranged in a towering piles on soft white french bread, and crowned with a dollop of creme fraiche and a squeeze of lemon.

My favorite fish is gravlax. It’s preparation and presentation are the essence of Nordic cuisine in simplicity and taste.Salmon is cured over days until it is meltingly soft with a clean taste of the sea. It’s edges are flecked with pepper and dill and tinged with salt, adding a restrained flavor that doesn’t overpower the fish.

Every Christmas I make my own Gravlax which we enjoy on Christmas day or New Years Eve. It’s very easy to prepare. Pay attention to the quality of the fish: It must be very fresh with a good consistency, not too mushy and preferably an Atlantic fish, such as Loch Duart Salmon. To serve, fold a slice of Gravlax on toasted brioche bread. Squeeze a few drops of fresh lemon juice and smear a spoonful of Honey Dill Mustard on the fish. Garnish with a dill sprigs.

Gravlax

Gravlax (gravlaks in Danish and Norwegian or gravad lax in Swedish) literally means salmon in a grave or hole. During the middle ages fisherman would salt salmon and let it ferment by burying it in a hole above high-tide line. Nowadays (unelss you wish to connect with your inner-viking) it’s not necessary to bury salmon in sand, but, rather in salt and sugar and let it sit in the refrigerator. The salmon will cure over several days, during which the salt and sugar will turn into liquid, creating a brine.

Serves a party

One side of salmon, about 3 lbs. (1.5 kg.), with skin, pin bones removed
1 tablespoon white peppercorns
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
10 oz. (350 g.) sea salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup fresh dill sprigs
1/4 cup Akavit or vodka

Finely grind peppercorns with a mortar and pestle. Mix pepper, salt, and sugars together in a medium bowl. Rub fish all over with salt mixture. Line a long baking pan or dish with plastic wrap. Place half the dill sprigs over plastic wrap. Arrange salmon, skin-side down on dill. Sprinkle Akavit over salmon. Top with remaining dill. Cover with additional plastic wrap, sealing the fish. Place a heavy pan or tray on fish. Weigh down pan with cans or bottles. Refrigerate for 3 days.

To serve, remove fish from refrigerate. Remove plastic wrap. Pour off collected juices and wipe off excess brine and dill. Slice diagonally from one corner of the salmon towards the center of the fillet. Serve with french bread or toasted brioche. Garnish with fresh dill sprigs and honey dill mustard.

Honey Dill Mustard

1/4 cup honey mustard
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup chopped dill sprigs
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk mustard and vinegar together in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in oil to emulsify. Stir in dill, pepper and salt.

Appetizers, entertaining, Fish and Shellfish, Parties

More Easy Holiday Party Food: Smoked Salmon Tartare

December 18, 2009July 31, 2014by Lynda Balslev2 Comments

Smoked salmon tartare is another easy holiday recipe for entertaining. Finely diced smoked salmon is tumbled with rich crème fraîche and moistened with fresh citrus juice. Red onion adds sweetness and crunch while chopped dill and chives brighten and freshen the tartare. If you are feeling extra-fancy, garnish the tartare with salmon roe and serve with champagne, and watch how this easy appetizer morphs into an elegant black-tie hors-d’oeuvre.

Smoked Salmon Tartare

Try to resist the urge to use a food processor for the salmon. The salmon should be small individual pieces rather than a puréed mixture.

Makes about 2 cups

1 pound smoked salmon
2 tablespoons finely minced red onion
1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon crème fraîche or sour cream
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill sprigs
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chive ends
Baguette slices
Endive leaves
Fresh dill

Finely chop the smoked salmon in 1/8 inch dice and transfer to a medium-sized bowl. Add red onion, lemon and lime juice, lemon zest and black pepper. Fold in crème fraîche. (The tartare should be moist, but not soupy.)
Tartare may be made up to 8 hours in advance to this point. Cover and refrigerate.
Before serving, gently stir in chopped dill and chives.
Serve tartare with baguette slices or endive leaves. Garnish with snipped dill sprigs.

Appetizers, Fish and Shellfish, Main Course

Smoked Salmon Fish Cakes with Yogurt-Cilantro Sauce

December 4, 2009April 8, 2020by Lynda Balslev1 Comment

It’s not a good sign, when it’s early December and I am ready for a time-out. It feels like we are on a holiday train with no stopping until 2010. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for a good celebration, but right now I welcome a cozy night in with no plans, no cocktails and no make-up. On a night like this, I like to make savory, comfort food. One family favorite is Smoked Salmon Fish Cakes. Now to some, this may not be the first comfort food choice to leap to mind, but to me, a salty, crispy, smoky fish cake is the perfect RX for too many holiday engagements.

In my eternal search for the perfect fish cake, I found the best way to get the results I craved was to create my own recipe which had all of the right elements. This ideal fishcake is packed with fish, has little filler and is not mushy. It’s salty and piquant with just a little onion sweetness, bursting with fresh herbs and studded with bits of chile. Dipped in a garlicky Yogurt-Cilantro Sauce spiked with harissa, this dish falls in the addictive category with everyone reaching for more.

Smoked Salmon Fish Cakes

Makes about 16 2-inch diameter cakes

1 1/2 pounds salmon filets, skinned, pin bones removed
1/4 pounds smoked salmon
1 3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
One small onion grated with juices, about 1/4 cup
2 scallions, ends trimmed, minced
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
2 tablespoons Greek-style whole milk yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Tabasco, to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Yogurt-Cilantro Sauce (see below)

Prepare:
Combine salmon filets and smoked salmon in bowl of food processor. Pulse to chop without over processing. The consistency should be finely chopped without becoming mushy.
Transfer salmon to a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs, onion with juices, scallions, parsley and cilantro. Mix with a fork to combine. Add yogurt, lemon juice, tabasco, pepper. Stir to combine.
Pour remaining 1 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. Using a soup spoon scoop out a generous amount of salmon mixture. Carefully form it into a plump 2″ patty with your hands. Roll cake in Panko to cover. Place on platter. Repeat with remaining salmon. Add more Panko to bowl if necessary. (Patties can be formed up to 3 hours before cooking. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)

Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish cakes in one layer. Fry until browned, turning once, about 3 minutes per side. Use a spatter guard to prevent oil from spattering. Transfer cakes to a plate lined with paper towel to drain. Repeat with remaining salmon mixture.
Transfer cakes to pre-warmed serving platter. Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley leaves. Serve with Yogurt-Cilantro Sauce.

Yogurt-Cilantro Sauce:

1 cup Greek-style whole milk yogurt
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-2 teaspoons Harissa sauce, to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro/coriander

Combine all the ingredients, except cilantro, in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. (Sauce can be made up to 4 hours before serving. Cover and refrigerate.) Before serving, stir in fresh cilantro.

Appetizers

Prosciutto, Fig, Arugula and Goat Cheese Roll-ups with Honey

November 9, 2009June 8, 2014by Lynda Balslev

It’s November and there are baskets of figs for sale in our market. As a transplant from northern Europe, I find this positively decadent. I was shopping yesterday for an autumn dinner, thinking of apples, braising meat, a turnip or two. I rounded the corner in the produce department, and there they were: baskets and baskets of plump purpley-green tinged figs And they didn’t even look sad or weary from lengthy storage or intercontinental jet travel. These were the real ripe deal – all perky, fresh and plump. So, of course, I had to have them.

And this is what I made with what I had at home in my refrigerator:

Prosciutto, Fig, Arugula and Goat Cheese Roll-ups with Honey
Makes 16

8 slices prosciutto, cut in half horizontally
8 small figs, halved or 4 large figs, quartered
2 cups arugula leaves, washed and dried
1/3 cup soft mild goat cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
Runny honey

Lay prosciutto slice on work surface. Arrange 1-2 fresh arugula leaves at one end. Place fig on top of arugula. Spoon one teaspoon goat cheese over fig and arugula. Sprinkle with a pinch of pepper. Roll up prosciutto from end with fig. Arrange on serving plate. Repeat with remaining ingredients. (Roll-ups can be prepared 3 hours ahead of serving. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.) Lightly drizzle honey over roll-ups before serving.

Appetizers, Autumn, Fall, gluten-free, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian

Spice-Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

November 3, 2009July 30, 2014by Lynda Balslev

Looking for a healthy diversion from all of the Halloween candy in your house? Pumpkins are not just good for decoration and their sweet nutrient-rich flesh. Their seeds are high in iron, fiber and protein, rich in amino acids and zinc. So when you are carving up pumpkins or squash for decoration or baking, be sure to save your seeds. Clean and dry them before roasting for best results. Then, when you find yourself peeking at your kids’ Halloween stash, reach instead for these pumpkin seeds for a healthy, savory snack.

Spice-Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2 cups pumpkin seeds
2 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or more to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Clean and dry seeds:
Remove most of the pulp from the seeds without washing them. Arrange seeds in one layer on a baking tray and leave them out to dry at least 3-4 hours or overnight.

Roast the seeds:
Preheat oven to 375 F. (190 C.) Toast the cumin seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, one minute. Grind cumin to a fine powder in a mortar with pestle. Whisk cumin, paprika, salt, cayenne and oil together in a medium bowl. Add dried pumpkins seeds and toss to coat well. Arrange in one layer on baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool and store in air-tight container.

Appetizers, Condiment, Guacamole, Kitchen Equipment

My Mortar and Pestle and a Guacamole Recipe

October 5, 2009May 2, 2018by Lynda Balslev9 Comments

My favorite kitchen tool is a stone mortar and pestle. It sits proudly on my kitchen counter, holding its own in a caveman-esque sort of way, flaunting its primal elegance in between the commercial stove and espresso machine. It’s smugly confident in its weight and kitchen hierarchy (deemed decorative) while my food processor and standing mixer are banished behind cabinet doors (deemed clutter.) New kitchen techniques are awe-inspiring and futuristic, yet my mortar is old and wise with a lineage extending as far back as the Old Testament. Evaporators, anti-griddles, gastro-vacs may be cutting edge, favored by professional chefs and avant-garde molecular gastronomy experts, but my mortar has a stellar history as an essential tool to Native Americans, ancient Romans and Greeks, medieval pharmacists and home cooks spanning the ages from the dawn of civilization. It is the embodiment of simplicity and timelessness, pleasingly tactile and massively elemental. And it’s affordable.

What can you do with a mortar and pestle? You can grind, pound and smash to your heart’s content, making pestos, pastes, sauces, dips, dressings and marinades. You can grind seeds into powder. (I assure you the results of lightly toasting cardamon, cumin or coriander seeds and then grinding them to a fine powder in a mortar will yield results unparalleled by the pre-ground versions.) The mortar is also the perfect place to smash garlic with sea salt, adding fresh cut herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage, basil, mint. Crush the garlic first with the salt, then add the herbs and bruise them by giving them a few turns with the pestle to release their juices and flavor. You will be left with a powerful, aromatic paste you can smear on meats and poultry before roasting.

You can also create a complete dish and serve it in the mortar. Try making guacamole. Serve with chips, and you have one-stop-shopping in a primitive vessel.

Guacamole

If you don’t have a mortar, then simply combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mash with a fork to achieve a chunky consistency. Makes about 2 cups.

1 red or green jalapeño pepper, stemmed and seeded, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
3 large ripe hass avocados
2 tablespoons coarsely grated yellow onion with juice
Juice of one lime
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco

Prepare:
Combine the jalapeño, garlic, and red onion in a mortar. Press on the ingredients with your pestle, and grind them around the mortar in a circular movement, 3 to 4 times. Add the cilantro and gently bruise the leaves with the pestle. Add the avocados, yellow onion, and lime juice and mash to form a blended but chunky consistency. Stir in the cumin, salt, black pepper, and hot sauce and taste for seasoning.

Appetizers, Crostini, Summer, Vegetables and Salads, Vegetarian

Sweet Pepper Bruschetta with Mozzarella

August 31, 2009June 9, 2019by Lynda Balslev3 Comments

Call it impulse shopping: I couldn’t resist the peppers at the Farmer’s Market. It was my Thursday morning run to the market, nice and early to beat the crowd and avoid the scorching summer sun. I was on an efficient mission to purchase ingredients needed only for dinner and not to spend too much money (my history is dismal in both areas.) I breezed through quickly, authoritatively and with discipline, a few simple sacks of greens for a dinner salad lightly gracing my arm. I was nearly finished, my wallet still in tact. And then I saw the pepper table. Sandwiched between the Asian vegetable ladies and the artisan goat cheese vendor, the pepper table stood out like a psychadelic altar to the produce gods. Stacks and stacks of peppers were on display in a confetti of colors. Gnarly sweet red gypsies, smoky green poblanos, shiny purple bells, lantern-shaped habaneros, perky plump red cherries. It was a pepper smörgasbord. I took some pictures, and then I filled my one remaining bag with all kinds of peppers: Anneheim, Fresno, Hungarian, jalapeno, serrano. When the bag was full, I sheepishly asked for another, discarding any previously displayed discipline. I had no idea what I would use the peppers for – I wasn’t thinking; I just had to have them. Luckily, this wasn’t a shoe store.

So, several days later, after putting the peppers to satisfying decorative use in a bowl on my old Provençal farmer’s table, it’s time to eat them. I think I will simply sauté them, because I’ve become attached to the aesthetic qualities of my peppers, and I think this will help retain their vibrant color and structure the best. For an easy dinner tonight, I will make bruschetta topped with the sautéed peppers and melted cheese. If I have any peppers left over, they can be used tomorrow in a pasta salad, a vegetable tian or as a pizza topping.

Sweet Pepper Bruschetta with Mozzarella
Serves 4 as a starter, 2 as a main course

For the bruschetta:
4 – 1/2″ thick slices of peasant or sourdough bread
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the peppers:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lbs. (800 grams) mixed summer peppers, stemmed, seeded, large peppers cut lengthwise in strips, small peppers sliced horizontally in rings
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 buffalo mozzarella cheese, cut in 4 slices
4 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Garnish:
Extra-virgin olive oil
Fresh basil leaves

Make the bruschetta:
Grill the bread on both sides on a griddle pan or in an oven until toasted golden. Smash each garlic clove with the side of a large kitchen knife. When the bread is grilled, brush each slice with olive oil and rub the smashed garlic over the bread slices. Place on baking sheet.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, and sauté until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
Add peppers and sauté until tender but not too limp, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
Spoon peppers over bread slices. Shred one mozzarella slice over each bruschetta. Sprinkle one tablespoon Parmigiano-Reggiano over bruschetta.
Grill in oven until cheese begins to melt, about 1 minute.
Remove from oven and arrange on serving plates. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Garnish with basil leaves.