Claudina's Kitchen Catering & Classes

Pachini e Ceci (Cherry Tomato & Chickpea) Dip

This is a fun, satisfying dip that was inspired by the sweet and flavorful cherry tomatoes available at the farmer's market this time of year.  While you can make this dip year-round from grocery store tomatoes, it's an entirely different -- and delicious -- experience made with local summer tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 t. salt
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, ideally brandywine (or other sweeter varietal)
• 1-11oz can chickpeas, drained, or 1 1/2 cups rehydrated, cooked chickpeas
• 1 T. sherry vinegar
• 1 t. cumin
• 1 t. smoked paprika
• 3 T. fruity olive oil
• 4 T. shallot, diced small
• 1 T. basil, chopped
• 1 T. mint, chopped

Preparation

• With a mortar and pestle, grind garlic cloves with salt to a paste.
• Place garlic paste in food processor along with cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, vinegar, cumin, paprika, and olive oil.
• Pulse until combined but still a somewhat coarse consistency with chunks of tomatoes still visible.
• Place tomato mixture in a medium mixing bowl and fold in shallots, basil and mint.  Allow to sit for at least 1/2 hour for flavors to meld. 
• Adjust seasonings and serve with pita chips and cucumber wedges.

Thai Shrimp & Pluots on Lemongrass Skewers

Ingredients

• ¼ c. lime juice
• 1 T. fish sauce
• ¼ c. fresh mint
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ t. salt
• ¼ t. red pepper flakes
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined with tail on
• 3 pluots (choose varied flesh colors if available), cut into 8 wedges each

 

Preparation

• Shape the root end of each lemongrass skewer into a point.  Soak lemongrass skewers in water for at least 30 minutes. Drain.
• Combine lime juice, fish sauce, mint, garlic, salt, and pepper flakes to make marinade.  Toss shrimp and pluots with marinade and allow to sit for about 15 minutes (but no longer).
• Thread pluots and shrimp alternating onto skewers.  Grill at medium-high heat , 3-4 minutes per side.  Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Serves: 8 as appetizer, 4 as main course

Kumquat, Sweet Pea and Ricotta Dip

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 c. fresh peas, cooked in boiling water for 5 minutes and blanched in ice water (or 1 c. frozen peas, thawed)
  
• 1 c. edamame beans
• 6 kumquats, sliced thinly, seeds removed
• ½ c. ricotta
• 1 t. cumin, toasted and ground
• ½ t. kosher salt
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 T. olive oil
• ¼-1/2 c. water
• Pepper and additional salt to taste

 

Preparation

• In food processor, pulse garlic to mince.
• Add  peas, beans, kumquat slices, ricotta, cumin, salt, lemon, olive oil. 
• Blend to smooth consistency, adding water until medium-thick consistency for dipping.
• Add ground pepper and additional salt to taste.

Serve with cumin-scented pita chips and crudité.

Related Posts: Kumquats: Gems of the Citrus Family?

Grilled Figs Stuffed with Gorgonzola

Ingredients

• 12 black or white figs, stemmed and sliced lengthwise
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 T. honey
• 2 oz gorgonzola cheese
• 2 T. toasted walnuts, chopped

Preparation

• Mix lemon and honey and marinate figs cut side down for 20 minutes.
• Mix gorgonzola and walnuts.
• Gently push about 1 to 1 1/2 t. cheese mixture into center of figs.
• Grill on medium heat with cut side up, covered, for about 5 minutes
• Ready when softened but still firm enough to hold and cheese is softened/slightly melted
• Plate and serve.

Serves: 4 people, 3 each

Related Posts: Fall is for Figs!

Walnut, Lemon, & Goat Cheese Tartlets with Honey-Thyme Fig Compote

These savory-sweet little bites truly celebrate fig season in both presentation and flavor.  They are a labor of love to make and enjoy for special occasions, but you can shorten the prep time by buying ready-made tartlet shells.

Ingredients

Tartlets

• 1 package phyllo dough sheets
• 1/2 c. butter melted
• 1/2 c. olive oil

Filling

• 3/4 c. walnuts, toasted
• 8 oz goat cheese
• 8 oz neufchatel cheese
• 1 t. lemon zest
• 1/2 t. honey
• dash salt
• 2-4 T. milk

Compote

• 10 white figs, small dice
• 10 black figs, small dice
• 2 t. honey
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 t. lemon thyme, minced

Preparation

Compote

• Combine figs honey, lemon, and thyme.

Filling

• Finely chop walnuts by hand or in food processor. 
• Combine walnuts and all ingredients including 2 T. milk in mixer beating on low speed.  Add additional milk until mixture is well blended and soft enough to squeeze through a pastry bag.

Tartlets

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Melt butter and mix with olive oil in bowl
• Spread one sheet of phyllo dough, brush with butter/oil mixture.  Top with second sheet. Brush again.  Fold dough in thirds across the length of the sheets.  Brush again.
• Using a 3" circular cookie cutter, cut four circles out out of dough.  Push into 1 inch-sized mini muffin tin.  Repeat to fill all 24 muffin openings.
• Squeeze filling into tartlet shells, about 1 to 1 1/2 T.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes until tartlet shells are golden in color. 
• If serving right away, top with 1 t. compote and serve immediately.
• If serving later:
  • within 4 hours: refrigerate tartlets. When ready to serve, bake for 6-8, top with 1 t. compote and serve.
  • more than 4 hours: freeze tartlets.  When ready to serve, bake for 10-12 minutes, top with 1 t. compote and serve.

Serves: 24 tartlets

Related Posts: Fall is for Figs!

Fresh Spring Pea & Mint Hummus

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 cups fresh spring peas
• 1 12 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained or 3/4 cup dry beans re-hydrated, cooked, and drained (should be about 1 ½ cups)
• 2 T. tahini
• 1 t. cumin (ideally toasted and freshly ground)
• 1 t. salt + to taste
• ¼ t. pepper
• 1 t. lemon zest
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ½ c. mint
• ½ c. cilantro or basil
• 2 T. olive oil
• 2-4 T. water

Preparation

• Fill small saucepan half full with water and bring to boil.  Boil peas for 5 minutes, blanch in ice water, and drain.
• In food processor, mince two cloves garlic.
• Add peas, garbanzo beans, salt, cumin, lemon zest, lemon juice, and herbs. Pulse until combined.
• With food processor running add olive oil in a stream.
• Add water until mixture reaches desired consistency.
• Add addition salt to taste. 

Serve: With pita chips or bagel chips, and fresh crudite. Garnish with pea greens or pea flowers if available.

Candied Chestnut, Apricot & Brie Crostini

A delicious and interesting winter hors-d'oeuvre to delight your friends...

Ingredients

• Sixteen 1/4-inch-thick baguette slices
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 garlic clove
• 1/2 c. apricot jam
• 12 ounces Brie cheese, sliced into thin slices (16 slices)
• 1 cup candied chestnuts (see recipe)

Preparation

• Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place bread on baking sheet, brush with oil and rub with garlic.
• Bake until golden, about 5 minutes on the first side, then turn and bake and additional 2-3 minutes on second side
• Spread 1-2 t. apricot jam onto each crostini.  Top with a slice of brie to each crostini and a tablespoon of chestnuts.
• Broil for an additional 1-2 minutes until brie begins to soften.  Serve immediately.

Related Posts: Chestnuts Roasting...

Grilled Persimmon & Proscuitto Wraps

This season I've discovered the tastiness of grilled persimmons -- I've added them to salads, pastas, and now appetizers in this little recipe.  I have found that the larger Hachiya persimmons can only by used for grilling when they are very very firm (before they go through their chalky phase) so it is usually safest to use the smaller Fuyu persimmons.

Just perfect for a holiday event, these little wraps are a wonderful and unique combination of sweet, savory, and salty flavors (and look cute and colorful too!)

Ingredients

• 2 Fuyu persimmons, each cut into 8 equal slices (16 segments total)
• 8 strips of proscuitto, sliced lengthwise in half (16 strips)
• 1/2 c. aged balsamic vinegar

Preparation

• Slice persimmons and marinate in non-reactive bowl for 2-4 hours at room temperature or overnight in refrigerator
• Wrap persimmons in proscuitto strips
• Grill on medium heat, 3-5 minutes on each side, until golden grill marks appear
• Serve immediately

Servings: 16 bite-sized appetizers

Roasted Eggplant Hummus

Claudina's Kitchen Roasted Eggplant Hummus

This is a refreshing cross between hummus (chickpea and tahini dip) and baba gannoush (eggplant dip).  It combines the health benefits of chickpeas, also knows as garbanzo beans (fiber, protein), eggplant (fiber, antioxidants), and tahini (copper, magnesium, and calcium).

Ingredients

• 1/2 medium eggplant
• one can garbanzo beans (rinsed)
• 2-3 T. tahini
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 t. cumin
• 1/2 t. coriander
• 1/8-1/4 t. cayenne
• 1/4 t. kosher salt
• juice of one lemon
• 1/2-3/4 cups chopped cilantro
• 2-3 T. olive oil

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350.  Slice eggplant in half and roast, cut side down, for 25 minutes or until skin is darkened and starting to harden. Let cool to room temp and scoop out insides.
• Put garlic in food processor and pulse to fine mince. Add eggplant and all other ingredients.   Add a few tablespoons of olive oil as it runs until mixture is smooth and desired thickness.  Add 1/2-3/4 cup chopped cilantro and blend again until smooth.
• Taste and season with additional salt (and spices) as needed, to taste.

Serve with pita chips and veggies. Toasted naan bread from TJ's or pita bread (both whole wheat, of course!) are also quite good with it.

NOTE: I sometimes also add a few tablespoons of yogurt, or fresh mint instead/in addition to cilantro.  Both can be a nice refreshing twist.

Muhammara (Roasted Pepper, Walnut & Pomegranate Dip)

I recently discovered Muhammara at a friend's house -- she had a tub of it and I checked out the ingredients and liked what I saw -- walnuts (a great source of Omega-3s and mono-unsaturated fats - I am always looking for new ways to incorporate them into my diet) and pomegranates (great source of anti-oxidants and I love new uses for this fruit when it is in season!).   I re-engineered the dip at home and below is my version. This is one of those easy recipes to throw together from ingredients that you probably usually have in your fridge and can easily store in your pantry (and are all available at Trader Joes).  This dip is originally from Syria and is traditionally served with bread but can also be used with kebabs, grilled meat or fish.

Muhammara Dip from Claudina's Kitchen

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 c. walnuts, toasted
• 1- 11oz. jar roasted peppers or 2 medium red, orange, or yellow bell peppers freshly roasted, seeded and peeled
• 1 piece of whole wheat bread, shredded or 1/2 c. bread crumbs
• juice of one lemon
• 2-3 t. pomegranate extract (NOTE: extract not available at TJ's but you can use 3-4 T. pomegranate juice instead and omit the water and 1 T. of the oil)
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 T. water
  
• 1 t. cumin
• 1/2 t. crushed red pepper
• 1/2-3/4 t. kosher salt to taste

Instructions

• If using jarred peppers, rinse and dry.
• Lightly toast walnuts
• Pulse garlic in food processor until minced. 
• Add peppers, walnuts,  1 T. pomegranate extract or 2-3T. juice, bread pieces/crumbs, cumin, 1/4 t. red pepper, 1/2 t. kosher salt.  Process to a smooth dip. 
• Add additional pomegranate, red pepper, and salt to taste.  Add addition water or olive oil to desired thickness.

Serve with warmed pita bread/pita crackers and veggies (carrots, peppers, cucumbers, cauliflower are all nice with this dip).