May Day, Mother's Day, Graduation Day, Memorial Day...May is the month of festivities. So here are some quick, seasonally appropriate, easy but glamorous ways to celebrate. It's all finger food so you can get a crowd festive fast. Just remember the great secret of success is creating a sense of no-worries abundance. Food is love (it keeps people alive so feeding them means you care) so spread it on thick. You can use farm fresh food itself to fill out a spread.
Some of the simplest--and sometimes best--ways to go are:
1) buy French breakfast radishes, these are pink and white cylinder shaped and they should not be wider than 1/2" to be sweet. The French traditionally roll these is soft butter but nowadays they use soft goat cheese and I up the ante by using mascarpone, the rich Italian cream cheese. Once coated they are rolled in coarse salt. This makes for such a snappy bite everyone adores these. BTW: either you can put the three ingredients out together as pictured here or you can do all the rolling yourself first.
2) Buy Genoa or another peppery salami, Boursin cheese with garlic or your favorite goat cheese and some gherkin pickles.. Slice the salami very thin. Using a small metal spatula, coat it with a layer of cheese as though it is paste. Place a thin gherkin or half gherkin in the center. Roll the salami up and use the cheese to seal the ends. Arrange like daisy petals on a platter with more gherkins or olives or cherry tomatoes in the center.
3) Here is hummus with many veggies to dip into it with (you can substitute roasted baby potatoes for the shoes, hands and eyes.
4) a bowl of mixed olives, a bowl of spiced nuts, a plate of cheeses.
5) Wrap pitted dates and prunes with strips of good quality prosciutto.
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them in 2-3 tbsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp salt. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and roast at 425º about 30 minutes (check at 25) until they are crispy. While they roast, in a medium bowl combine another 1 tsp salt with 1/2 tsp chili powder or ground aleppo pepper, a pinch of ground cinnamon, a pinch of smoked paprika if you have it, and 1/2 tsp ground cumin. You can add freshly ground black pepper if you like. Put the chickpeas straight from the oven in the bowl and stir to coat with the spices. Taste and adjust spces to your preference. Eat away! Hot or room temp. This is especially welcome if you have guests allergic to nuts.
8) Roasted baby potatoes with salmon dip
Buy a net bag of mixed baby potatoes and lay them out on a baking sheet in one layer. Sprinkle with olive oil and salt and roast at 450º 12-15 minutes until they are very crunchy on the outside. (The inside will be meltingly soft.) While they roast, combine in a food processor or blender: 8 oz sour cream, 1 tbsp horseradish, 2 peeled garlic cloves, juice of 1/2 lg lemon, pinch of salt, grind of fresh black pepper,1/4 cup chopped dill, 1/2 c whipped cream cheese with chives and either 1 lg can of boned salmon or 1 1/2 lbs freshly poached salmon. Blend into a smooth paste/dip. Put into a bowl and garnish with fresh dill. Put the potatoes (warm or cold) on a large rimmed serving platter with the bowl of dip in the center.
If you want to go one step further, here are suggestions keeping kids in mind:
Hot Cheese Pennies
This is an old fashioned '50s recipe that still brings delight and it's easy enough for kids to make with you. Maybe that's why it's having a comeback. You can start them the night before.
8 oz cheddar cheese
4 oz unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 drops Tabasco sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1 c all-purpose unbleached flour
Combine the cheese and butter in a food processor into coarse then smooth pieces. Add the remaining ingredients, processing very quickly, just until the flour disappears. Remove and form the dough into a ball. Wrap in waxed paper and chill at least 1 hr.
Divide dough into 3 parts. Roll each between your hand into a 1 1/8" inch wide snake/cylinder. Wrap each one in cling or waxed paper and freeze 10 minutes. The point is these have to be very cold when they go into a very hot oven. Heat the oven to 400º.
When the oven is at 400º, butter a cookie sheet or two. Unwrap the cylinders and cut the dough into 1/8" thin slices (pennies). Place on the buttered baking sheets 1 1/2" apart as they will spread. Bake 10 minutes. They should puff but not brown. Serve hot in a basket lined with a napkin.
Shrimp Balls
This is one of those old fashioned recipes that prove you don't have to be trendy to be tasty. They will look original and thus clever and thus even more delicious. Plus everybody loves shrimp.
Makes about 40
15 water chestnuts, drained from a can is fine
1 lb raw, shelled deveined shrimp
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1 lg egg
2 tbsp sherryoptional: pinch of crushed red chili flakes
Peanut oil for frying (if you have allergic guests use corn oil)
In a food processor, combine the water chestnuts, shrimp, cornstarch and salt into a chunky paste, on and off pulse about 15 seconds. Add egg and sherry. Process to a smooth mixture. Remove from the processor and roll 1" balls. You can set them on up waxed paper. Fill a high sided pot about 2 1/2" deep with oil. Heat the oil on high until it sizzles. Carefully put in as many shrimp balls as will fit without touching. Lower heat to medium/low and fry until brown all over, 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spatula or spoon to drain on paper towels and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve plain or with hot mustard.
Greek Cauliflower Dip
And finally, for now, a low cal, healthy recipe for an under appreciated vegetable.
2 lg heads cauliflower, cut into florets ( if you want to use the colorful ones go for it)
6 lg garlic cloves, peeled
3 c chicken broth
3-4 oz fresh feta cheese
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
pinch ground cinnamon
3 pitted kalamata olives
salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
Combine the cauliflower, garlic and chicken broth in a deep enough pot with a lid. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook about 50 minutes until cauliflower is very soft. Drain.
Put the cauliflower, garlic, feta, spices and olives into a food processor. Blend into a smooth dip. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with minced fresh flat leaf parsley and serve with triangles of pita bread.
If you need more ideas, look back at recent posts and you will find fresh pea "hummus", smoked salmon deviled eggs, Greek minted meatballs that can be served room temperature and other simple tasty treats.
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