Eggplant Antipasto Cake

The first time I made this recipe we had guests coming over and I realized I had no time for grocery shopping. So I came up with this cake using something I already had in the fridge: eggplant antipasto. With a few ingredients you can turn something that looks ordinary into something delightful and that will dazzle your guests.

The eggplant antipasto can be substituted with other toppings, like sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and oregano, roasted red peppers, etc. 

Eggplant Antipasto Cake

Batter

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canola oil
1 egg
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Topping

10 oz (300 g - about 1 cup) antipasto eggplant (recipe here)
3 oz (100 g) of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C).

1) In a medium bowl combine milk, oil and egg until well blended. Add flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until smooth. Batter must be thick.

2) Spread the batter into a greased 11" x 2" round pie plate or pan. Top with the eggplant antipasto and  then the cheese. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Say cheese!

For an easy appetizer, I season thick provolone slices with red pepper, dried oregano and olive oil, then I wrap each round of cheese in plastic wrap for a couple of hours. When guests arrive, I place the provolone rounds on a cheese board and scatter a few cheese knives around it so they can help themselves!

I love kitchen gadgets and I don't mind receiving them as gifts on my birthday and other special dates. The cheese board and the cheese knives were all given to me a long time ago.

Gruyere Gougères - Savory Cheese Puffs

Gougères are savory puffs or cheese balls (Pâte à choux) made with gruyere or any kind of cheese that melts and stretches... These are easy, fast and great starters for parties. That's why I am submitting this recipe for the Monthly Mingle event that Mansi at Food and Fun is hosting this month with Appetizers & Hors'Doeuvres. It is an event that Meeta of What's For Lunch Honey? started.

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/3 cup butter
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
3/4 cup grated gruyere
4 tablespoons chopped onion
Italian seasoning to taste (or any kind of dried herbs - parsley, oregano, thyme, etc.)

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220 ºC). Grease or line two cookie sheets (no need to grease if using non-stick sheets).

2) Place the water and butter into a saucepan and bring to a boil. On low heat add the salt and flour at once, stirring with a wooden spoon until it forms a ball.

3) Remove from heat. Transfer the mixture into a mixing bowl and let cool for a bit. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until the mixture is creamy. Add the cheese, the onion and the seasonings.

4) Drop the balls of the mixture onto a greased or lined cookie sheet using a small cookie scoop or one tablespoon, 2 inches apart.

• You can also pipe the mixture, but I prefer the cookie scoop.

5) Bake at 425ºF (220 ºC) for 15 to 20 minutes until puffs are golden brown. Serve them hot, plain or with any kind of filling, I had some eggplant antipasto and it was a great combination!

Recipe from the kitchen of: Luna

Courgette Salsa - Grow Your Own #9

¡Viva Cinco de Mayo!

This tasty salsa can be used as an appetizer, spooned over a steak or as salad dressing.

I used organic zucchinis (or courgettes) from the family farm located about 150 miles (about 250 km) from where we live. We go there once a month and that's when I have plenty of time to experiment with home grown ingredients.

This is my entry for Grow Your Own event that promotes the use of ingredients we grow or raise ourselves and also the dishes we make using our homegrown products. To view other entries and participating blogs, please visit Andrea's blog!

Courgette Salsa
From Woman and Home magazine

2 ripe tomatoes, core removed, finely chopped
1 medium courgette, finely chopped
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
finely grated zest and juice 1 lime
handful fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
3 tsp sweet chilli sauce (optional) - I used 1 tsp chilli powder
1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1) Mix the chopped tomatoes and courgette with the rest of the ingredients, plus a pinch of sugar if not using the chilli sauce. Set the salsa aside at room temperature. Serve as appetizer.

Zucchini plants

Mixed Pepper Vinaigrette - Grow Your Own # 8

While visiting the family farm I picked different types of pepper and made this vinaigrette that goes so well as an appetizer, with any side dish or as a dressing for grilled vegetables.

Straight from the farm

This is my entry for March's Grow Your Own event at Andrea's Recipes. Click the badge to view all events listed on the page and get to know some wonderful blogs that participate and share their passion for homegrown ingredients.

Ingredients: (quantities may vary, pick assorted colors)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 fresh hot peppers, seeded and diced (chili, malagueta or Aji)
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar or lime juice
1/4 teaspoon italian seasoning or oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup anchovies, sliced (aliche) - optional

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Serve over sliced italian bread as an appetizer or with any kind of grilled vegetables.

With anchovies and extra parsley.

Roasted Red Pepper Homus - Grow Your Own #2

Hummus or homus is a dip made basically of chickpeas and sesame tahini. It is a popular spread in various countries in the Middle Eastern world that we borrowed. This recipe has been on my waiting list for so long... One of the reasons it took me so long is that I live close to a restaurant with a drive-thru that sells this type of food, and it is so easy to order it from my car... So, this time, I planned this meal, went to the market and bought both chickpeas and tahini. And I combined two recipes, one from Technicolor Kitchen and another one from the kitchen of The Budding Cook, because the red pepper adds a fascinating color to this dip!

Ingredients
15 oz (about 400g) drained canned chickpeas
2 big pieces of roasted red pepper
3 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon cumin
2 cloves garlic (I baked them for a minute in the microwave)
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

1) Combine all ingredients, except olive oil, in a food processor and blend well. With the processor running, gradually pour the olive oil processing until just smooth.

2) Transfer to a bowl and decorate with mint leaves and green onions (these herbs are both from my tiny garden).

3) Serve with pita bread, vegetables or other Middle Eastern dishes.

Here's how I roast peppers
- Directly on the burner, over the gas flame of my stovetop, I blacken the pepper. I remove them from the fire and place in a food grade plastic bag so the steam that forms will help to remove the skin. Let cool for about fifteen minutes, remove from bag and with a knife I peel off the skins.

Be careful: If you don't use this type of stove, roast the peppers under a broiler or in the oven.

Eggplant antipasto

I could not believe the beautiful color of this eggplant antepasto. The secret is probably because the eggplant is peeled and then baked in the microwave. A recipe that is ready in just a few minutes! Antipasto is the italian equivalent of hors d’œuvre, also known as appetizers, meaning "before the meal" or before the main course is served.

Eggplant antipasto
10 oz/300 g eggplant peeled and cubed
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup wine vinegar (I used rice vinegar)
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 red bell peppers chopped
1 onion chopped
3 tablespoons torn fresh basil leaves
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup sliced black olives (I did not use)
4 large garlic cloves, sliced

Combine all ingredients in a glass casserole. Place it in the center of the microwave and cook it covered on high for 12-15 minutes. Either serve immediately or cool at room temperature and serve with crackers, crostini, italian bread, cheese eclair, etc.

To slice the garlic for this recipe I used this garlic slicer that I got a while ago and has been very useful in our kitchen. Besides slicing garlic, I use it to slice mushrooms, softer nuts and some other vegetables when cooking.

Recipe adapted from Eliana's kitchen.

Brazilian Cheese Rolls

I got this recipe from a friend. It is very popular here in Brazil. You can have different shapes with the dough, kids love it. We call it "pão de queijo" if cheese balls or "biscoito" when they are rolled. This is a "gluten-free" recipe.

Ingredients

1 pound/500 g tapioca starch
1/3 cup milk
1 cup boiling milk
1 cup canola oil (I used 2/3 cup)
1 tablespoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated cheese (I do not add cheese)

1) In a bowl mix well the tapioca flour and 1/3 cup milk with your hands.

2) In a pan, bring to boil the 1 cup milk, salt and oil and add to the tapioca mixture using a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time and then the grated cheese (or skip the cheese).

3) Make cheese balls or roll them into lines about 2 inches/5cm with your hands and bake them for 20/25 minutes at 400◦C/200◦C. They will be slightly golden on the outside. Cool them on a rack.

Deep Fried Calamaris (Squids)

What to do for happy hour? Calamari rings are so easy to make, they go well with tartar sauce as an appetizer or even as a main dish.

Ingredients
1 pound calamari, cut into 5mm/¼in rings (I used frozen rings)
Salt, pepper, lemon juice, and garlic to taste, let it stand for one hour.
Vegetable oil for deep frying


For the crust:

1 cup plain flour
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk

1) Rinse the rings, under cold running water, pat dry. Add alt, pepper, lemon juice, and garlic to taste, let it stand for one hour.

2) Beat the eggs and milk in a shallow bowl, set aside.

3) In plastic bag combine crust ingredients: flour, pepper, paprika, cornstarch, salt and baking powder. Add a few squids at a time, shake well until well coated. Shake off excess flour (I use a sieve).

4) Dip rings in eggs, then in flour mixture again. Repeat egg and flour steps one more time if necessary. Place in freezer for 10 minutes before frying.

4) Deep fry five pieces at a time until golden brown. Remove from the oil and briefly drain on kitchen paper before serving with tartar sauce, slices of lemon, tzatziki, etc. for dipping.

For the tartar sauce:
200ml/7fl oz mayonnaise
1/4 cup cucumber pickles
Mix all ingredients together and use for dipping fish, shrimp etc.

Stroganoff Beef Cups

Dinner time, after a busy day, nothing works better than a quick recipe. The beef cups take only a few minutes, and you can bake them while kids take a shower!

Elise has a great Beef Stroganoff recipe on her Simply Recipes site. It is such a popular recipe with kids, and I serve over rice and chips. If you do not want to make the Beef Stroganoff, try the substitute I mentioned below.

Stroganoff Beef Cups

12 slices of bread (you can use wholewheat bread)
3 tablespoons softened butter
Beef stroganoff leftovers
¾ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter one side of each slice of bread and press each one butter-side down into the cups of a muffin tin. Fill each bread cup with the stroganoff or the cooked ground beef mixture below. Sprinkle shredded Cheddar cheese over the tops. Bake for 15 minutes.

Substitute stroganoff: cook 1 pound ground beef, 1 small onion. Add one can condensed cream of mushroom soup (or heavy cream), salt and pepper to taste, combine and fill the bread cups, sprinkle cheese on top, and bake 15 minutes. Serve with potato chips on top.

Tzatziki

My favorite magazines are home decorating and cooking, where I get most of my recipes. Also, I like to test recipes from famous chefs, this time, I tried Tzatziki from executive chef Jim Botsacos, of Molyvos, a greek restaurant in New York City, whose recipe was also featured in the September 2004 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine.

Tzatziki

1 large English cucumber (seedless), peeled
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 cups Mediterranean-style yogurt (greek yogurt or may substitute with strained conventional yogurt, method follows)
1 tbsp. mint, chopped
1 tbsp. dill, chopped
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions
Grate cucumbers into a mixing bowl using the medium-sized holes on a box grater. Combine with a pinch of salt, and transfer to a colander lined with cheesecloth. Place colander over a bowl, let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. With hand, squeeze and drain the juices.

Transfer cucumber to a mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and combine well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve with pita bread cut into points.

In place of greek yogurt, prepare your own, using plain yogurt:
Start with 4 cups to yield 2 cups for this recipe. Put the yogurt in cheesecloth-lined sieve over a deep bowl. Let it drain overnight. Discard the liquid and use the strained yogurt as directed.

Note: the bowl should support the strainer so it does not touch the bottom of the bowl.

I used 2 cups of honey-flavored yogurt to make 1 cup and the recipe tasted great!