Recipes

Grilled Eggplant Appetizers

Grilled Eggplant Appetizers

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Ingredients

Makes 40 appetizers

Prep: 30 min.Prep: 30 min. Broil: 3 min., Stand: 30 min., Grill: 20 min., Chill: 8 hrs.

Instructions

  • Sprinkle eggplant with salt, and let stand 30 minutes.
  • Combine basil, garlic, and olive oil; set aside.
  • Rinse eggplant slices, and pat dry.
  • Coat food rack with cooking spray, and place rack on grill over medium coals (300° to 350°).
  • Place eggplant slices on rack in a single layer.
  • Cook, without grill lid, 8 to 10 minutes on each side.
  • Place half of eggplant slices in an airtight container, and sprinkle with basil mixture; top with remaining eggplant slices.
  • Cover and chill 8 hours.
  • Position knife blade in food processor bowl; add eggplant mixture and red pepper.
  • Process until smooth, stopping once to scrape down sides.
  • Spread about 1½ teaspoons eggplant mixture on each of 40 baguette slices, and top each with a tomato slice.
  • Sprinkle tomato slices evenly with cheese.
  • Broil 5½ inches from heat 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese melts.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve immediately.
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Course; Appetizer

Avocado-and-Leek-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Avocado-and-Leek-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

If you can’t find baby portobellos, use 6 large or 8 medium-size portobello mushrooms.
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Ingredients

Makes 12 appetizer servings (about 2 per serving)

Prep: 25 min., Bake: 10 min.

Instructions

  • Remove brown gills from the undersides of mushrooms using a spoon; discard gills.
  • Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add leeks and garlic, and sauté until tender.
  • Remove from heat, and let cool.
  • Stir together avocados and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl; stir in leek mixture.
  • Divide and press goat cheese evenly into mushroom caps; top evenly with avocado mixture.
  • Sprinkle evenly with chopped walnuts, and drizzle with olive oil.
  • Place on a rack in a broiler pan.
  • Bake mushrooms at 400° for 5 minutes; cover loosely with aluminum foil, and bake 5 more minutes or until walnuts are golden brown and mushrooms are tender.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve immediately.
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Course; Appetizer / Side Dish
Diets; Vegetarian

Chunky Black-eyed Pea Salsa

Chunky Black-eyed Pea Salsa

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Ingredients

Makes 2 cups

Prep: 20 min., Broil: 10 min., Stand: 10 min.

Instructions

  • Broil poblano pepper on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet 5 inches from heat about 5 minutes on each side or until pepper looks blistered.
  • Place pepper in a zip-top plastic bag; seal and let stand 10 minutes to loosen skin.
  • Peel pepper; remove and discard seeds.
  • Chop pepper.
  • Stir together pepper, peas, and next 9 ingredients.
  • Cover and chill.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve with tortilla chips.
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Course; Sauce
Diets; Vegetarian

Grilled Tomatillo ’n’ Green Tomato Salsa

Grilled Tomatillo ’n’ Green Tomato Salsa

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Ingredients

Makes about 5 cups

Prep: 20 min., Grill: 20 min., Cool: 10 min., Chill: 2 hrs.

Instructions

  • Spray cold grill cooking grate with cooking spray; place grate on grill over high heat (400° to 500°).
  • Place tomatillos and next 3 ingredients on cooking grate; grill, covered with grill lid, 10 to 15 minutes or until tomatillos look charred, turning often.
  • Remove tomatillos and jalapeño pepper.
  • Grill tomatoes and onion 5 more minutes or until tomatoes look charred and blistered and onion is tender, turning often.
  • Cool 10 minutes.
  • Slice jalapeño; discard seeds, if desired.
  • Combine jalapeño slices, tomatillo, tomatoes, and onion.
  • Process grilled tomatillo mixture, cilantro leaves, and next 5 ingredients in a food processor 10 seconds or until mixture is coarsely chopped, stopping to scrape down sides.
  • Cover salsa, and chill at least 2 hours.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve with tortilla chips and lime wedges.
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Course; Sauce

Fruit Salsa With Cinnamon Crisps

Fruit Salsa With Cinnamon Crisps

Flour tortillas toasted with cinnamon and sugar on them make great dippers for this sweet fruit salsa. Serve it for an appetizer or a dessert.
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Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

Prep: 35 min., Chill: 1 hr., Bake: 8 min.

Instructions

  • Combine first 4 ingredients.
  • Stir together lemon juice, ¼ cup sugar, nutmeg, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon; toss with fruit.
  • Chill at least 1 hour.
  • Cut each tortilla into eighths.
  • Arrange pieces on baking sheets.
  • Lightly coat with cooking spray.
  • Combine remaining ¾ teaspoon cinnamon and 2 tablespoons sugar.
  • Sprinkle over tortilla chips.
  • Bake at 350° for 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned.
  • Serve with fruit salsa.
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Course; Fruit / Sauce

Avocado-Mango Salsa

Avocado-Mango Salsa

This fresh-flavored salsa tastes great the minute it’s made. It’s delicious with quesadillas or tortilla chips.
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Ingredients

Makes about 5 cups

Prep: 20 min.

Instructions

  • Whisk together jelly and lime juice in a large bowl.
  • Add mango and remaining ingredients; stir until blended.

Notes & Wine Advice

*2 large peeled and diced mangoes may be substituted.
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Course; Fruit / Sauce

Warm-and-Spicy Salsa

Warm-and-Spicy Salsa

Serve leftover salsa on burgers and taco salads.
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Equipment

  • large saucepan

Ingredients

Makes 3 cups

Prep: 18 min. / Cook: 32 min.

Instructions

  • Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; add tomatoes and green chiles and next 5 ingredients.
  • Return to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Stir in cilantro.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve warm with tortilla chips.
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Course; Sauce / Side Dish

Blue Cheese-Bacon Dip

Blue Cheese-Bacon Dip

This rich, creamy dip can be baked in individual cups or a 1-quart dish.
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Ingredients

Makes 12 to 15 servings

Prep: 20 min., Bake: 15 min.

Garnish:

Instructions

  • Cook chopped bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat 10 minutes or until crisp.
  • Drain bacon, and set aside.
  • Add minced garlic to skillet, and sauté 1 minute.
  • Beat cream cheese at medium speed with electric mixer until smooth.
  • Add half-and-half, beating until combined.
  • Stir in bacon, garlic, blue cheese, and chives.
  • Spoon mixture evenly into 4 (1-cup) individual baking dishes.
  • Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
  • Sprinkle evenly with chopped walnuts, and serve with grape clusters and flatbread or assorted crackers.
  • Garnish, if desired.
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Course; Bacon / Cheese / Sauce / Tapas

Quick Fiesta Dip

Quick Fiesta Dip

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Ingredients

Makes 1½ cups

Prep: 5 min., Cook: 10 min., Stand: 5 min.

  • 1 9-ounce package frozen corn niblets
  • 1 12-ounce jar thick-and-chunky mild salsa
  • 1 cup 4 ounces shredded colby, or Cheddar cheese

Instructions

  • Cook corn according to package directions; drain.
  • Pour salsa into a 9-inch glass pieplate; stir in corn.
  • Cover with plastic wrap, and fold back a small section of wrap to allow steam to escape.
  • Microwave at HIGH 2 minutes or until bubbly.
  • Sprinkle cheese over salsa; cover with plastic wrap.
  • Let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve with chips.
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Course; Appetizer / Sauce / Tapas

Creamy Tomato-Pesto Dip With Tortellini

Creamy Tomato-Pesto Dip With Tortellini

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Ingredients

Makes 20 appetizer servings

Prep: 30 min., Cook: 15 min., Stand: 20 min.

  • 4 quarts water
  • 1 9-ounce package refrigerated mushroom tortellini
  • 1 9-ounce package refrigerated spinach tortellini
  • 1 9-ounce package refrigerated tomato tortellini
  • 12 dried tomatoes
  • 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 7-ounce jar roasted sweet red peppers, drained
  • ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 6 fresh basil leaves
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
  • Green and ripe olives optional

Instructions

  • ring 4 quarts water to a boil in a stockpot.
  • Add pasta, and cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes.
  • Rinse with cold water.
  • Drain and chill, if desired.
  • Place dried tomatoes in a bowl, and cover with boiling water.
  • Let stand 20 minutes.
  • Drain.
  • Process tomatoes, cream cheese, red peppers, and next 7 ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides.
  • Spoon into a bowl, and sprinkle with olives, if desired.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve with tortellini.
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Course; Appetizer / Sauce / Tapas