Browsing Tag

appetizers

Appetizers/Starters, Savory Snacks

Braised Beef Short Rib Arancini with Marinara + Pesto Aioli dips

Up next in the foodie department: New Year’s Eve! Even though it will only be a few of us, I’ve decided to bring a few things for snacks and appetizer/starter type things. The first of these are these are Braised Beef Short Rib Arancini with Marinara + Pesto Aioli dips. Now arancini aren’t a quick thing — I braised the beef (of which I will only use some) and made the risotto myself as well so I actually started this endeavor yesterday. I find it easier to do over two days because you have to cool things completely between steps. They are time intensive, but well worth it. Consider it a “full weekend activity”. These do freeze extremely well, so I often make huge batches to last a few months.

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Appetizers/Starters, Savory Snacks

Pantry-Friendly Nacho Skillet Dip

Sometimes you just need to pull something together for a BBQ, potluck or having friends over to watch a game or movie. Enter this Pantry-Friendly Nacho Skillet Dip. I’m guessing many of you may already have some, if not all, of these ingredients in the house, and many of them are canned so shelf-stable and easy to keep on hand. Simple, and I mean super-simple, to pull together and stays hot for quite a while in the cast iron skillet. If you have leftover, they heat up really well in the oven as well.

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Appetizers/Starters, Lunch, Savory Snacks, Sides

Brie, Asparagus and Prosciutto Pastries

Here’s a quick little savory snack, appetizer or side dish for lunch or crunch: Brie, Asparagus and Prosciutto Pastries. They use store-bought frozen puff pastry and can be ready in just about 30-45 minutes, and can also be eaten hot or at room temperature. Pretty and have an “early summer” vibe with the asparagus. Don’t like brie? You can sub out swiss cheese too!

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Breads

Wild Garlic Artisan Sourdough Loaf (“Bärlauchbrot”)

It’s Wild Garlic (aka Ramps, aka Ransom, aka deliciousness to forage) season, and while I found some “fresh” (ok, fresh at the farmer’s market this time; I haven’t had my usual opportunities to walk in the woods), I also made quite a bit of pesto last year already that I then froze to use this year. I love ramps (German: Bärlauch) and because it has such as short season, it feels like a treat to manage to have made this bread. Great for dipping in some good olive oil and salt, it also made a mighty fine panini last night.

Don’t have Wild Garlic pesto? This recipe will work best as well with basil and garlic pesto or garlic scape pesto.

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Appetizers/Starters, Savory Snacks

Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Crackers

Well, here’s something different. I’m still on my “summer tomato kick” (because if you aren’t getting good tomatoes now, when will you get good tomatoes?!?), but these Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Crackers can actually be made year round because you’re using the dried variety. I know that these may not look like much, but they are packed with flavor and would go great with cheese or dip or as an addition to a rustic charcuterie platter. You won’t be disappointed!

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