Appetizer
3523 recipes found
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How to Perfect Sticky and Sweet Filipino Barbecue Skewers
Satisfy your appetite for Filipino barbecue with these sweet, sticky glistening skewers of grilled pork or chicken.
Herby Asparagus Salad With Beets and Prosciutto
Asparagus is absolutely a symbol of spring, so what better way to celebrate the season than by centering them in a salad. A platter of green spears, bathed in a mustard-tinged vinaigrette, would be perfectly fine, but for something more celebratory, it’s nice to dress things up, with finely slivered raw beets, a shower of dill, parsley and mint leaves, and chopped (or quartered) soft-cooked egg. A few slices of prosciutto complete the colorful assembly. For the best flavor, look for the freshest firm, shiny asparagus available, whether pencil thin, medium or hefty.
Roasted Cabbage With Capers and Garlic
It sounds so simple — roasted cabbage with a garlicky caper oil — but the resulting dish is anything but plain. Sharp from briny capers and unapologetically pungent from the garlic, with a bold kick of zesty lemon, the flavored oil serves as both a marinade for the cabbage and a finishing glaze. As the cabbage roasts, it turns savory and caramelized while the capers develop a crunch. Make this dish heartier by roasting chickpeas alongside the cabbage, serve alongside a protein like quinoa or pan-fried tofu, toss through pasta, or simply serve with bread to mop up every last drop.
Loaded Oven Fries
Roasting thick wedges of well-seasoned potatoes skin-side down on a sheet pan delivers the crispness of fries while maintaining the soft, pillowy insides of a perfectly baked potato. Top them with crispy bacon, melted sharp Cheddar, chopped scallions and sour cream for a crowd-pleasing game-day snack or hearty appetizer.
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Chilean Beef Empanadas
These big baked empanadas filled with a spiced beef and onion stew called pino are popular throughout Chile.
Simple Whole Artichokes
An artichoke, which is actually the flower bud of a thistle, is a beguiling thing to eat, with its prickly outer leaves, purple inner leaves and a hidden, tender heart. This cooking method is as straightforward as they come, with minimal preparation and a luxurious sauce of melted butter for dipping. Spike the butter with the same ingredients used to season the boiling water; that could be lemon, black pepper and bay leaves, as written, or switch it up with dried chile, garlic, sage leaves or coriander seeds. Just keep the lemon, which adds brightness and keeps the artichokes from browning as they cook.
Miso Matzo Ball Soup
This is a delightful, comforting soup to start your Passover Seder (see Tip) or to serve any time of year. The matzo balls add a festive crosscultural touch to miso soup, a dish so beloved in Japan it’s consumed at almost every meal. Vary the vegetables and tofu as you wish, adding potatoes, onion, carrots, cabbage or really any thinly cut vegetable that you fancy. Fresh ginger and a bit of ichimi togarashi give the matzo balls some punch. Finish the soup with a sprinkle of Japanese shiso leaves, a member of the mint family. For a large crowd, you can prepare both the soup and the matzo balls ahead of time and heat them up separately, combining them just before serving.
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Ohio Sauerkraut Balls
These crunchy, little sauerkraut balls are a beloved appetizer in Akron, Ohio. Savory pork loin, salty ham, and zingy sauerkraut are blended together, shaped into spheres and deep fried until creamy inside and crunchy outside.
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3-Ingredient Taquero-Style Guacamole
This taquero-style guacamole is pourable, creamy, and spicy with a fresh kick of cilantro. It’s closer to an avocado sauce than to a classic chunky guac. Spoon it over tacos, quesadillas, burritos, nachos, and more.
Sweet Potato Cornbread
Old-school Southern cornbread is good anytime and anywhere, but make it a bit more surprising with sweet potato. This cornbread is seasoned with caramelized sweet potatoes and warm spices, then smeared with a delicious sweet potato-brown sugar butter that’s reminiscent of classic sweet potato pie. To save time and energy, a can of sweet potato stands in for fresh ones that require roasting. When jazzed up by caramelizing in a skillet, its flavor instantly changes from back-up dancer to star.
Chawanmushi
This creamy yet delicate half-custard, half-flan is an elegant start to a meal. Zaiyu Hasegawa, the chef of Den in Tokyo, beats the eggs — just half an egg per person — with dashi, a stock of kombu (kelp) and katsuobushi (bonito flakes) that brings a mellow brine and a tinge of smoke. The eggs and dashi, now one, are run through a sieve for smoothness, and seasoned with usukuchi, a lighter-bodied and slightly saltier soy sauce with a tart finish. Pour the mixture into teacups or ramekins and let it steam on the stovetop. While some recipes call for a higher ratio of liquid to egg, here the egg, the richest ingredient, comes to the fore. As a grace note, Mr. Hasegawa suggests a purée of celery root melted down with butter, earthy-sweet. Spoon it on top once the custard has set. With the first bite, the faint chewiness of the celery root gives way to silk and surrender.
French Onion White Bean Soup
French onion soup gets a hearty makeover in this vegetarian recipe thanks to the addition of creamy white beans. While the classic version usually involves a long and slow caramelization of onions, this recipe uses a few simple techniques to shorten the cook time without sacrificing flavor. The onions are cooked with the lid on, which traps the heat, encouraging the onions to cook faster and concentrating all the flavors. (Do make sure to use a pot that is wide and large; the onions will steam rather than caramelize if overcrowded.) While this recipe is vegetarian and alcohol-free, it is no less rich than the original; the pan gets deglazed with soy sauce (or tamari) and balsamic vinegar, which lifts off all the sweet, charred flavors. No white beans? Substitute with chickpeas or lentils. Taking a cue from the original, the soup is crowned with Gruyère croutons — and, veering from tradition, accented by mustard — to bring a big textural finish.
Kuku Sabzi (Herb and Scallion Frittata)
Packed with an abundance of fresh herbs, kuku is a frittata-like Persian dish with many regional and household variations. This version, kuku sabzi, is the most herb-forward, allowing the greens to take center stage. While kuku is often flipped to brown on both sides, this version skips that step and allows the egg on top to set under the broiler, which helps retain its vibrant green color. Some families mix in walnuts or tart dried barberries for added texture and flavor, but this rendition keeps it simple, letting the herbs shine. Kuku is traditionally served with flatbread and can be enjoyed warm, at room temperature or even cold. For a perfect bite, wrap it in lavash with a dollop of yogurt, slices of salty feta and crisp radishes, which balance the richness with bright, fresh flavors.
Curried Coconut and Red Lentil Soup
In this quick-cooking and restorative soup, the key to building flavor fast is curry powder. While the spice blends vary from brand to brand, most include at least coriander, cumin, turmeric, fenugreek and black pepper. Madras curry powder, used here, is a spicier variant featuring chile powder. In the time it takes for the vegetables and aromatics to soften, the red lentils cook through, creating a creamy, velvety texture when the soup is blended. The optional addition of coconut water reinforces the flavor of the coconut milk and balances the aromatic savoriness with a hint of sweetness. The extra hydration this soup provides is especially welcome during Ramadan.
Ash Reshteh (Greens, Beans and Noodle Soup)
Among ash, a beloved category of thick soups in Iranian cuisine, ash reshteh is the most famous. Packed with legumes, a mountain of greens and reshteh, thin, flat noodles similar to linguine, it’s a hearty dish traditionally eaten on Chaharshanbe Suri, the Festival of Fire that falls on the Wednesday before Nowruz, the Persian New Year. The soup is finished with sizzled mint, crispy onions and kashk, an Iranian dairy product akin to a funkier sour cream. Kashk has a bold, umami-rich salty-sour flavor that’s unlike anything else. It’s worth trying to buy at a Middle Eastern market, but since it can be hard to find, a mix of lemon juice and sour cream or Greek yogurt makes a great substitute.
Baked Sweet Potato With Blue Cheese and Bacon
Give sweet potatoes the steakhouse wedge salad treatment in this comforting dinner for one. Sweet potato halves roast until silky and caramelized alongside strips of bacon, whose crisp texture and smoky flavor accentuate a creamy blue cheese butter. Chopped walnuts provide additional crunch, while lemon and chives brighten it all up. This recipe can easily be scaled up to feed a crowd, or even popped into a toaster oven for a party of one.
Spiced Pea Stew With Yogurt
Inspired by a warmly spiced Persian stew traditionally made with peas and tomatoes, this version allows the sweetness of the peas and the warmth of onions, ginger, cumin and turmeric to lead. It tops the pea stew with a fresh pea topping made from a portion of the just-cooked peas, plus crushed sesame seeds and chopped cilantro, all of which add vibrant color and texture when sprinkled over the stew just before serving. A drizzle of yogurt on top brings a cooling contrast. Serve the stew alongside steamed rice, pita or other fresh warmed flatbreads.
Little Gem Salad With Crispy Halloumi
Meet halloumi crumbs, a best-of-all-worlds garnish for salads, pastas and more. They’re crisp like toasted breadcrumbs, salty like Parmesan and still maintain some of halloumi’s signature chew. To make the crumbs, grate the sturdy cheese on the large holes of a box grater, then sizzle the strands in an oiled skillet. Here, pistachios and whole spices, like fennel or coriander seeds, are also added for a boost of flavor and even more textures. Even the simplest salad of crunchy, lemon-dressed lettuces can wow when these crumbs are showered on top. To make it a meal, serve it with roasted root vegetables, lentil soup or a grilled or roasted protein.
Cauliflower Satay
In this party-friendly appetizer, roasted cauliflower is paired with a shortcut version of the rich, creamy coconut and peanut butter satay sauce often served with chicken. To coax out deep, nutty flavor from the cauliflower, first roast it simply slicked with oil to help it caramelize, then coat it in a blended mixture of coconut milk, shallots, lemongrass and spices to bump up moisture and flavor and roast until tender. While your cauliflower roasts, you’ll prepare a supersimple peanut sauce by simmering coconut milk with red curry paste and peanut butter. (The salt and heat levels in store-bought curry pastes vary widely, so season your satay sauce accordingly.) Intended as an appetizer, this recipe is hearty enough to work as a main course when served with rice, but also pairs well with crispy or grilled tofu, grilled chicken or steamed vegetables, and can dazzle as the centerpiece for a main-course salad.
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Tod Man Khao Pod (Thai Corn Fritters)
With crispy edges and a chewy interior, these sweet and slightly spicy fresh corn fritters are the perfect easy party appetizer.
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Easy, Cheesy Pull-Apart Garlic Knots
Garlicky, cheesy, and slathered in butter, these easy pull-apart garlic knots take just minutes to assemble, and are miles better than most pizzeria versions.
Cheesy Breadsticks
While cheesy breadsticks made with pizza dough are a classic appetizer at pizza chains, making them at home doesn’t require much effort — and guarantees you can enjoy them when the cheese is as ooey-gooey as can be. These are baked in a metal pan to ensure a soft interior with a crisp crust. They’re topped with a swipe of garlic-herb butter and a shower of mozzarella and Parmesan for a thick layer of melted cheese in every bite. For that true pizzeria experience, be sure to dip your breadsticks in marinara, ranch or a combination of the two.
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Taiwanese Braising Liquid
In Taiwan, this flavorful stock of soy sauce, Chinese spices, and sugar is used over and over again to braise meats and vegetables.
Porcini Ragù
As a child living in Tuscany, Ixta Belfrage fell for a pasta rich with dried porcini mushrooms, served at the lone restaurant in the tiny mountain village of Acone. In her cookbook, “Mezcla” (Ten Speed Press, 2022), she pays homage to the power of porcini mushrooms, which are typically gathered from the wild and taste of it, luscious and nutty. They offer a shortcut to glory in this ragù that almost defies the name, because it doesn’t demand hours on the stove and attains a velvety intensity in practically no time at all. Leave the porcini to soak and swell back to life; chop; gently fry with tomato paste, garlic, chile and parsley; rain down black pepper; melt in some Parmesan; swirl with pasta water and porcini broth and let it bubble. A dab of cream, then a slicking and coating of the pasta, and it’s on the table.