Appetizer
10 recipes found
Chicken Tenders
These chicken tenders pack a punch, thanks to a generous helping of a savory homemade spice blend, revved up with Cajun seasoning. A spoonful of mustard in the marinade helps the spices adhere, serves as a tenderizer, and lends a slight tanginess. Adding a bit of that marinade to the flour mixture helps create a crust that fries up shaggy and crackly. For a crispy exterior and juicy interior with less oil, this recipe calls for pan-frying rather than deep frying. Pair these tenders with your favorite dipping sauces, and they’re sure to be a hit.
Zucchini Salad With Sizzled Pistachios
In this clever salad, fresh raw zucchini is bathed in a nutty oil accented with big bursts of jewel-like lemon; each bite is equal parts rich and bright. Warming the oil with the pistachios until they sizzle infuses it with their flavor. Whole lemons, peeled down to the flesh and then sliced, are then stirred into the pistachio oil. A little black pepper, spicy red pepper flakes and feta cheese (which is optional) turn this into a salad equally ready to grace a summer spread or pack ahead for lunch. It can also be a great side for hot-mustard grilled chicken, roasted salmon, sheet-pan feta or even just a bowl of hummus and some thick-cut toast.
Tangy Tzatziki
Inspired by the tzatziki served at Sto Kastro, a Greek restaurant in Germersheim, Germany, this thicker, fluffier iteration of the sauce lets the pairing of cucumber and yogurt shine. The main technique here is to really squeeze the liquid out of both the cucumbers and the yogurt, which results in tzatziki that’s both creamy and almost fluffy. A second trick, from the cookbook author Suzy Karadsheh, is to use distilled white vinegar instead of lemon juice. The vinegar’s straightforward acidity delivers the best of the cucumber and yogurt. This cool, creamy mix tastes fantastic when spread on warm pita bread and crackers or used as a dip for chips and fresh crunchy vegetables.
Corn Soup
This simple corn soup tastes like sweet, buttery popcorn, though its richness comes more from the corn than the half-and-half. Blended silky smooth and studded with whole kernels for texture, this soup is an excellent canvas for almost anything. Serve as recommended with a sprinkle of minced chives, or round out the sweetness by adding minced tarragon instead. A dollop of sour cream or Mexican crema, a sprinkle of cayenne and a squeeze of lime will drum up the flavor of Mexican street corn. Bulk it up by serving whatever roasted protein or vegetables you're craving in a pool of it.
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The Crispy, Cheesy Zucchini Fritters I Make Every Summer
Have more zucchini than you know what to do with? Start with these fritters, which are packed with fresh dill and salty, tangy feta.
Roasted Pepper, White Bean and Mozzarella Salad
Sweet, fruity jarred roasted peppers power this hearty cannellini bean salad that comes together with almost no preparation. Like many jarred vegetables, store-bought roasted peppers are a timesaver without any sacrifice in flavor; opt for fire-roasted ones, if available, for smokier notes. Here, the succulent texture and vibrant hue of roasted peppers pair beautifully with tender cannellini beans and creamy mozzarella. You can put down that knife: As there’s no chopping required, you’ll create a range of textures by simply tearing the peppers, mozzarella and herbs. If you’ve got a glut of fresh summer bell peppers available, you can take advantage of them at their prime by roasting them for this salad, using any color or variety; check the Tip for instructions.
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When I’m Drowning in Zucchini, I Make These
These crisp, savory pancakes are the perfect way to use up your zucchini haul.
Shrimp Aguachile
Aguachile, the bright and punchy seafood dish from coastal Sinaloa, Mexico, gets its name (which translates to “chile water”) from the vibrant blend of chiles, lime juice and salt that transform the sweet flesh of raw shrimp into tender, tart flavor bombs. Unlike ceviche, where seafood marinates in citrus until it's fully “cooked,” aguachile hits the table soon after the shrimp meets the zesty chile water. While the aguachile is on your plate, the lime juice continues its work on the sweet, delicate shrimp, so each bite offers a slightly different texture without ever turning rubbery. Use as many serranos as your heart desires and your palate can handle.
Pesto alla Trapanese (Pasta With Tomatoes, Almonds and Mint)
There’s an inspiring casualness to the best Italian cooking: Combine a handful of high-quality, local ingredients, season them simply and let them be. A great example is pesto Trapanese, a simple sauce that digs deeply into the Sicilian soil it comes from. Rich almonds and fruity olive oil mingle with fragrant herbs while tangy tomatoes make it brighter and sweeter than green pesto, its more famous cousin from Genoa. This mint version, adapted from “Made in Sicily” (Ecco, 2012) by Giorgio Locatelli, the London-based chef and restaurateur, swaps out the traditional mortar and pestle for a food processor but keeps the earthy soul of the dish intact. Besides tossing this pesto with pasta, try spooning some over fish, shrimp or roasted potatoes.
Sheet-Pan Socca (Savory Chickpea Pancake)
Crispy on the outside and creamy at their core, socca are thin, olive-oil-rich chickpea pancakes. In Provence they’re often made on wide, flat copper skillets, but a screamingly hot sheet pan works extremely well, too — and makes an extra-large chickpea cake that can serve as a light dinner or an easy appetizer. Socca are usually not topped with anything more than black pepper; they are delicate and can’t support more than minimalist additions. However, a light scattering of toppings — like anchovies, pecorino and scallions here — makes socca qualify as a simple and delicious meal. A handful of chopped olives added before baking would also work, as would a garnish of torn slivers of prosciutto, draped on top just before serving.