Appetizer
3523 recipes found
Indian Lamb-And-Eggplant Napoleon
Gougères With Pancetta and Sage
What could be better than warm cheese puffs straight out of the oven? How about warm cheese puffs studded with bacon — or in this case, pancetta — and fresh sage? They are salty, brawny and rich; crisp on the outside and soft within. Gougères are best baked just before serving, but if you like you can make the batter ahead, form it into balls, and freeze them, unbaked. Bake while still frozen, adding 5 to 10 minutes onto the baking time.
Cream Cheese Sandwiches With Dates, Pecans and Rosemary
For these sandwiches, look for soft, juicy dates. It’s also worth seeking out natural cream cheese rather than the gummy commercial kind, or substitute fresh ricotta. The crisp, salty herbed pecans pair very nicely with the slightly sweet spread.
Greek-Style Nachos
Nachos can be fun as a bar food, but they’re usually not much more than that. Here, I'm substituting like mad to create what you might call Greek-style nachos. Mine go like this: pita triangles toasted with olive oil; a sauce of feta and yogurt, spiked with mint and lemon; a topping of ground lamb with onion and cumin; and a garnish of tomatoes, cucumbers and olives. The whole thing takes maybe a half-hour, and it’s all familiar except for the arrangement.
Gruyère-Stuffed Roasted Red Peppers With Raisins and Olives
My usual method for roasting peppers is to sit each pepper on an open flame, letting the skin turn black and ashen in spots. It’s time-consuming, especially if I’m roasting more than four peppers at once (I have a four-burner stove), so I blacken them all together under the broiler. (You could also use a grill.)
Wild Mushroom Tart
This savory tart features a quickly made puff pastry. (You can use store-bought, if you wish, but this dough is easy and fun.) There’s enough for two tarts, so store half in the freezer, rolled out, for later use. Make the dough up to a day or two in advance, and use chanterelles or other pale wild mushrooms, if possible. If using cultivated mushrooms, a combination of sliced shiitake, white button, oyster or king trumpet would be nice, as portobellos or cremini make a dark, somber-looking tart. Serve as a first course or as a light lunch, accompanied by a simple green salad.
Broccoli Stem and Red Pepper Slaw
I never throw out broccoli stems. If I don’t use them for pickles or stir-fries, I’ll shred them and use them in a delicious slaw like this one.
Scallop Carpaccio With Ginger
Lamb and Eggplant Pide
Sometimes referred to as Turkish pizza, pide (pronounced pea-DAY) is made with a simple yeast dough. You can make your own dough, or use two 8-ounce balls of store-bought pizza dough, if you like. Spiced ground lamb is a typical Turkish topping, but we use some diced eggplant and a bit of yogurt and mint as a nod to moussaka. Adding an egg to the yogurt thickens it, so when it’s cooked it becomes an almost-cheesy layer between the meat and dough. If you can’t find ground lamb, you can substitute ground beef, and for a vegetarian version, omit the meat and double up on the eggplant.
Fava Bean Purée
You find variations on this fava bean purée in Southern Italy, the Middle East and Morocco. This one, from Apulia, is the simplest. The purée should have the texture of hummus.
Parmesan Disks
Marinated Cheese Rounds with Whole Spices
Goat cheese is no longer the trendy dairy avatar that it was in the 1980s, but it deserves to be rediscovered. The fresh cheese can be chalky, but in this recipe, the rounds are softened in olive oil for a week, giving them a lush, spreadable texture. Cheese and oil both absorb the taste of bay leaf, black pepper, rosemary and lemon, and the pink peppercorns add crunch, perfume and festive color.
Roasted Lemon Shells
Robert Galano's Artichokes Italian-Grandmother Style
Bean Tostadas
This is by far my most popular tostada, appealing to both vegetarians and meat-eaters. If you don’t have time to cook the black beans, you could use canned beans and refry them with the spices called for in my recipe for refried black beans. You’ll have to moisten them with water.
Seedy Cake
A men’s tea party seemed like a fantasy. But as the snow melted, these boys were happy to gather at Nightwood’s woodworking studio near the Brooklyn Navy Yard for strong, earthy teas and late-afternoon snacks.
Potato and Cheese Patties
Fried Oysters With Salsa
Focaccia Dough
This dough recipe makes enough for three focaccias, so bake one loaf tonight and freeze the remaining dough. This can be topped with sautéed ramps or roasted potatoes, or simply brushed with good salt and olive oil. Baking it in a cake pan will allow for a nice-looking, gently domed loaf. (The New York Times)
Tea-Smoked Duck Breast
Stuffed Peppers (Chiles Rellenos)
Pakistani Potato Samosas
Samosas are popular snacks in Pakistan, India and elsewhere. The delicious fried parcels are often sold on the street, but the best ones are made at home. You can make the flavorful potato filling in advance if you wish. The highly seasoned potatoes can be served on their own as a side dish. Ajwain seed, a spice with a thyme-like flavor, is available from south Asian groceries or online spice merchants.
Smoky Corn And Chili Chowder
Savory Spiced Carrot Cake
This carrot cake is not a dessert, though at first glance it looks like one. Whimsical and festive, it could even be a birthday cake for someone lacking a sweet tooth. Serve it as a first course, or pair it with a salad for a light meal.