Muhammara roasted red pepper spread

Everybody needs one of those pantry-ready appetizers -- a snap to fix with what's on hand. Once you've bought the pomegranate molasses and made this once, this falls into that category. Plus, it's scrumptious, whether served with pitas or crackers. And any leftovers make a great pizza sauce base or pasta sauce. So yummy.

Muhammara

Adapted from Bon Appetit, Nov. 2008

Ingredients

12 ounce-jar of roasted red peppers, drained

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup panko

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Method

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until it forms a coarse paste. Season to taste with salt and serve with pita or pita chips.

3 bean dips: white bean spread, cowboy hummus and coriander-chile bean dip

I love a good bean dip, and even though I have two very nice recipes, I was tempted to try this white bean spread recipe recently.

White bean spread

Adapted from “Super Natural Every Day” by Heidi Swanson

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 garlic clove, diced

2 cups cooked white beans

¾ cup sliced almonds, toasted, divided

½ teaspoon coarse salt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Hot water

Zest of ½ lemon

Method

Heat oil in small saucepan. Add rosemary and garlic. Cook until fragrant. Set aside and cool 10 minutes. Strain, reserving solids.

Combine two-thirds of the oil, beans and two-thirds of the almonds, salt and lemon juice. Pulse together. Add hot water, a tablespoon at a time, to desired texture. Stir in reserved rosemary and garlic. Serve in a bowl sprinkled with remaining almonds and lemon zest. Drizzle with remaining oil mixture.

Rating: Originally the recipe called for discarding the rosemary and garlic after infusing the oil. It was surprisingly bland, but I'd reserved the rosemary and garlic for another use so I served the leftovers with it stirred in and that helped. But it still doesn't measure up to these next two recipes, which belong in the keeper pile.  

 

Cowboy hummus

I'm no longer sure of the source for this recipe; I suspect it was the Star Tribune Taste section but I can't find it in the online archives.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked red kidney beans

3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 green onions, minced

3 tablespoons minced cilantro

½ teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup broth, approximately

Method

Combine beans, 3 tablespoons lime juice, garlic, green onion, cumin and olive oil in a food processor. Add enough broth to make a soft puree. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more lime juice if needed. Serve with pitas or pita chips.

Coriander-chile pinto bean dip

From Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 garlic clove, chopped

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon paprika, plus more for garnish

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons water

Method

Combine beans, vinegar, oil, garlic, coriander, paprika, cayenne and water in a food processor until very smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika.

Both of these last two recipes are very tasty served with pitas or as veggie dips. 

Curry dip

This week in an app wrap month I'll dip into dips and spreads. First up, a curry dip that converts even non-curry fans. 

Creamy curried dip

The cookbook falls open the page that contains this super simple, surefire recipe from “The Classic PartyFare Cookbook,” by Martha Rose Shulman

Ingredients

¾ cup plain or nonfat yogurt

¾ cup mayonnaise

1½ teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Combine everything in a bowl except salt and pepper. Season to taste. 

Make ahead: Can be made several days in advance. And the proportions of mayo to yogurt are flexible depending on what you have on hand.

Cheese olives

Cheese olives are apparently a thing in the South, something that shows up in their church-compendium cookbooks instead of our hot dishes. At least that was what the source of this recipe said, but the lone Southern transplant at the party where I tried these out said he’d never heard of them.

I was drawn to them because they’re bite-size, which makes good party food, and they can bake straight from the freezer, which makes them even better hostess food. I made a double batch and baked about half of them for the party. We had an embarrassment of riches, since these are foodies who contribute -- Parmesan biscotti, curried chicken balls, the oddball but delightful Grinch kebabs, and the ultimate capper: Bernie’s crème brulee, which is what all other crème brulee wants to be when it grows up.

But despite the excess, these cheesy olives still disappeared, I suspect partly because they’re so darn easy to pop in your mouth.

Cheddar olives

Adapted from the Kitchn.com. The dough-to-olive ratio was off; this is a lot closer.

Ingredients

4 to 5 ounces pitted green olives, either stuffed with pimentos or plain

1½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup flour

4 tablespoons softened butter

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or smoked paprika

Water, maybe

Method

Drain olives very well and pat dry. Do not be tempted to skip this step.

Combine cheese, flour, butter and spices in a bowl and knead in the bowl until it forms a dough. Add a tiny amount of water if needed to bring it together. (I needed a few teaspoons.)

Pinch off an olive-size bit of dough. Form into a ball and then flatten between your hands until it’s as thin as you can get and can surround an olive. Wrap the dough around the olive, pressing it together to cover entirely. Roll in your hands until smooth. Repeat, a zillion times.

If baking immediately, bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Or flash freeze the olives separately on a baking sheet and then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap inside a freezer container. Bake straight from the freezer for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm.

Rating: I thought they were fine at the party, but they sort of disappeared into the background (and into people's mouths) amid all the array of choices. But we baked off a few more tonight by themselves just to see what we thought of them as a standalone and I'm much more impressed now. They’re crunchy on the outside like baked grated cheese crisps and salty-tangy on the inside. That hint of heat comes through. Only downside: You're going to be at this for a fair amount of time at the assembly stage if you want enough for a large group. I'd say a batch easily serves a party of eight. It's not difficult, but make sure you allow yourself plenty of assembly time.

Make ahead: The convenience is hard to beat.These are going to have to live in my freezer next holiday season. You're invincible against drop-ins with these things on hand.

Parmesan-rosemary and Gruyere-thyme crackers

When guests threaten to descend on short notice at Christmas time, it's good to be able to reach for the moons and stars, even while shouting to the heavens. At least it is if you've got these little bits of goodness tucked in your freezer, ready to thaw quickly and bake.

These are from the domestic goddess who paved the way for all future domestic minor dieties, and made homekeeping both vaguely cool and profitable. Martha Stewart's icebox slice-and-bake crackers are a foolproof hit. I always keep a few logs of these in the freezer, ready to bake off as needed for guests or for an extra bag to tuck in a gift basket.

While they're a wower if prepared as originally called for, with a sprig of fresh herbs topping each one, flavorwise they're fine without that extra touch, so if you're pressed for time, don't bother. (Although they look very impressive with it.)

At some point I hit upon the idea of rolling them out flat and cutting them into shapes. I then freeze the pre-cut crackers between layers of waxed paper in a freezer storage box. Since they're pre-cut, they thaw quickly, and I can bake them about an hour after removing them from the freezer and thawing them at room temperature. With their cute little shapes, they look special and they're just the right size to pop in the mouth. I happen to have a multi-pack of different shapes of small cookie cutters, because of course I would, but you could just cut them into diamonds and they'd still be fancy. Make lots; they go fast.

Parmesan-rosemary icebox crackers

From “Martha Stewart’s Hors d’Oeuvres Handbook”

Ingredients

¾ cup flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Pinch of white pepper

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus lots of sprigs for garnish if desired

3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

5 tablespoons sour cream

1 egg white, beaten, if garnishing with herbs

Method

Pulse flour, salt, pepper and rosemary in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until it forms a coarse meal. Add cheese and pulse to combine. Add sour cream a tablespoon at a time, whirring in between each addition until it’s all added and the dough has come together.

For slice-and-bake: Slice logs into ¼-inch thick slices. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. If desired, dip a small sprig of rosemary into egg white and then place in center of cracker, pushing in ever so slightly. Repeat with remaining crackers. Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 25 to 35 minutes, turning the pan once if your oven is uneven. Watch carefully so they don’t burn. Bake until golden brown and firm in the center. Transfer to a rack to cool.

For cut-out crackers: Cut into desired shapes. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes in a preheated 325-degree oven. Your cooking time will vary based on the size of the crackers. Remove when golden brown and set in the centers. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Gruyere-thyme icebox crackers

From “Martha Stewart’s Hors d’Oeuvres Handbook”

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (plus oodles of sprigs for garnish if desired)

3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

1 beaten egg white if garnishing with herbs

Method

Combine flour, salt, pepper and thyme in food processor. Pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture looks like coarse meal. Add cheese and pulse to combine. With machine running, add milk. Process until dough comes together.

If forming into slice-and-bake crackers: Shape dough into a 2-inch wide log. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill at least a day. If you opt for cut-out crackers, roll dough out to about 3/8-inch thickness between two pieces of plastic wrap. Chill at least a day.

For slice-and-bake: Slice logs into ¼-inch thick slices. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. If desired, dip a small sprig of thyme into egg white and then place in center of cracker, pushing in ever so slightly. Repeat with remaining crackers. Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 25 to 35 minutes, turning the pan once if your oven is uneven. Watch carefully so they don’t burn. Bake until golden brown and firm in the center. Transfer to a rack to cool.

For cut-out crackers: Cut into desired shapes. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes in a preheated 325-degree oven. Your cooking time will vary based on the size of the crackers. Remove when golden brown and set in the centers. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Note: This book also contains two other variations, one for cheddar-cornmeal crackers and one for blue cheese-pecan icebox crackers. Over the years, I've found these are less popular, partly because the cheddar variety contains cayenne pepper, which surprises people in a bad way, and the blue cheese variety has a somewhat unappetizing color when baked compared with their golden brown cousins.