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Nancy’s Fiery Fare:
Fiery Appetizers
by Nancy Gerlach, Fiery-Foods.com Food Editor
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Recipes in this Issue: |
Just about everyone enjoys eating finger foods. All the world over, from the Americas to Asia, little snack foods, or appetizers, are served in bars, at parties and elegant gatherings, or sold by vendors on the street. They’re called hors d’oeuvres, meaning "outside the main meal," in France, tapas in Spain, zakuski in Russia, smorgasbord in Sweden, dim sum in China, and south of the border they call them antojitos. Regardless of the name, they have been an integral part of meals for ages.
Thankfully the days are gone when appetizers were limited to bite-sized pieces of food on crackers or little sandwiches with the crusts removed, served only with cocktails. Now they run the gamut from canapes to pates, from relishes to pastries, and from dips to brochettes and kabobs. Almost any food small enough to be picked up and eaten by hand can be called an appetizer. These days, appetizers are not only being served as an addition to a meal, but also as a main meal. Serve a variety of them with a salad and vegetable for an interesting, light meal; your own imagination is the only limitation.
Several rules that do apply, however, are that the food should be as appealing to the eye as to the palate, it must stimulate the appetite, and if served before a meal, it should compliment the meal to come. Because they stimulate the appetite and are visually appealing, chiles are a natural choice for an appetizer ingredient. I include them in nearly every appetizer that I serve.
The following is a collection of appetizer recipes for varied tastes, from a variety of places, that is guaranteed to open the eyes of your family or your party guests. So heat up your next meal or party with some of the following hot appetizers.
Hot and Cheesy Artichoke Dip with Toasted Pita Triangles
Even people who don’t like artichokes will like this dish. Although it tastes like it requires a lot of preparation, it is very easy to make. It takes no time to put together and can be made in advance and refrigerated to save time before a party. Then it just needs to be brought to room temperature before baking. Serve with the pita triangles or substitute crisp tortilla or corn chips; they all taste good with this dip. To increase the heat, sprinkle minced jalapeno or serrano chiles on top.
Dip:
3/4 cup chopped green New Mexico chiles, which have been roasted and peeled
1 6-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 8 ½½-oz. jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
8 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Pita Triangles:
8 large rounds pita bread
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
Salt
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
To make the pita triangles, cut the pita breads in half and then cut each half into triangles. Separate the triangle layers and then arrange the triangles, rough side up, on a baking pan. Brush with the butter and season lightly with salt.
Bake until crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.
Combine the chiles and artichoke hearts. Lightly oil a shallow baking dish and spread the mixture over the bottom. Spread the mayonnaise over the mixture and top with the grated cheese.
Reduce the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake the dip in the oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese melts and the dip is hot.
Serve the dip with the pita triangles.
Yield: 2 ½ cups
Heat Scale: Medium
Malaysian Pork Satay Sticks with Fiery Peanut Sauce
Satay are a popular street food in Indonesia, and all of Malaysia, where they are made out of lamb, beef, or chicken. Basically these are small cubes of meat that are marinated in a spicy sauce and grilled over charcoal. They make great appetizers for any party, especially for one held outdoors. The peanut sauce is also good by itself, served with crisp, fresh vegetables.
Lamb:
1 ½ pounds boneless lamb, cut in 1-inch cubes
Marinade:
2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon crushed red chiles, such as piquin
Peanut Sauce:
2 tablespoons crushed dried red New Mexico chile
1 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon lime juice, fresh preferred
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 ½ teaspoon grated ginger
½ cup chicken broth
Garnish: Thinly sliced green onions, including the green tops
8 to 10 wooden or metal skewers
To make the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes stirring constantly, remove and allow to cool.
Combine the pork and marinade in a non-reactive bowl or large plastic bag. Marinate for 2 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
Prepare the sauce by combining all the ingredients, except the broth in a bowl. Thin the sauce with the broth, adding additional broth if needed. Allow to sit at room temperature for an hour to blend the flavors. If using wooden skewers, soak in water for ½ hour.
Remove the pork cubes from the marinade and thread 4 to 5 pieces on each of the skewers.
Cook the satays on a gas or charcoal grill or under the broiler until browned and done to taste.
To serve, arrange the satays on a platter. Garnish the sauce with the chopped onions and serve with the satays.
Yield: 8 to 10 skewers
Heat Scale: Hot
Sizzling Spinach Tortilla Roll-Ups
Spinach never tasted so good or so hot! This is a very versatile filling that can be used as a dip with chips or a sandwich spread on a hearty bread such as a dark rye. It’s important to tightly roll and refrigerate the rolls or they won’t stay rolled up after they are sliced.
4 slices bacon
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
4 jalapeno chiles, stems and seeds removed, minced
1 ½ cups cooked spinach, squeezed dry, finely chopped
1 small onion, minced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 to 4 tablespoons milk or light cream
3 to 4 flour tortillas
Cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Remove, drain on paper towel and crumble.
Allow the cream cheese to sit at room temperature to soften.
Combine all the ingredients, except the cream and tortillas, and mix well. Thin with the milk or cream to a spreadable consistency.
Spread the spinach mixture on each of the tortillas. Roll the tortilla in a jelly-roll fashion and tightly wrap in plastic wrap.
Place the tortillas in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours or overnight. Just before serving, unwrap the tortilla rolls and slice into 6 to 8 pieces.
Yield: 50 to 60
Heat Scale: Hot
Don't wait for a party to serve this spicy shrimp. After grilling the shrimp, simmer the marinade for 15 minutes and add a small amount of cornstarch to thicken. Serve the shrimp with the sauce over rice for a terrific entree.
6 serrano or jalapeno chiles, stems and seeds removed, minced
2/3 cup orange juice, fresh preferred
½ cup beer (the remainder of the can is for the cook)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
½ green bell pepper, cut in wedges
½ small onion, cut in wedges and separated
8 wooden or metal skewers
Combine all the ingredients, except for the shrimp, in a large bowl. Add the shrimp, and toss to coat. Marinate the shrimp in the mixture for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes.
Remove the shrimp from the marinade and thread on the skewers alternating with the pepper and onion wedges.
Grill over charcoal or under the broiler until the shrimp is done, basting frequently with the marinade.
Yield: 6 to 8 skewers
Heat Scale: Medium
This recipe is the Caribbean answer to Buffalo wings. Although it calls for the chicken to be grilled, the drumsticks can also be broiled, baked, or even deep-fried before being dipped in the sauce. To deep fry the drumsticks, heat the oil to 375 degrees and fry until golden, remove and drain. To bake, place some all-purpose flour in a paper bag, drop in the drumsticks and toss to coat. Shake off any excess flour, and place on a baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven until done. If you don’’t want to mess with making the drumsticks, just use chicken wings.
Sauce:
½ cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup catsup
1 to 2 habanero chiles, stems and seeds removed, chopped
2 bay leaves
6 allspice berries
5 juniper berries (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 pounds chicken wings
In a saucepan, saute the onion, ginger, and garlic in the oil until soft. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the sauce is reduced and thickened. Remove the bay leaves and place the sauce in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
To form the drumsticks, cut off the wing tips, remove the skin, and cut apart the two bones. Twist and remove the smaller bone. Cut the meat from one half the bone, keeping the meat in one piece. Turn the loosened meat over the attached meat for a mock drumstick.
Brush either the drumsticks or the grill lightly with vegetable oil to keep from sticking to the grill. Cook over a slow fire, turning frequently for 20 to 30 minutes.
Remove, dip the ends of the drumsticks in the sauce, and serve.
Yield: 24
Heat Scale: Hot
Southwestern Green Chile Cheese Log
Although it’s easy to prepare and extremely tasty, believe me, this ain’t your grandmother’s cheese ball. Although this type of appetizer has graced party tables for years, this one will soon become a new favorite. I use pecans because they are so plentiful here, but substitute walnuts or almonds if you prefer.
½ cup chopped green New Mexico chile, which has been roasted and peeled
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons ground red New Mexico chile
3/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
Combine the chile and the cheeses in a bowl and mix well. Refrigerate until firm.
Toss the pecans in the ground chile until well coated.
Roll the cheese between 2 pieces of wax paper to form a log. Then roll the log in the crushed nuts and chill for 8 hours before serving.
To serve, place the cheese log on a platter and arrange crackers around the cheese and place a knife on the platter for spreading.
Yield: 1 log
Heat Scale: Medium
