The Iterated Chef: Appetizers

 

Mango Guacamole


This is supposed to be healthy. Luckily it doesn't taste like it.

1/8 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup chopped peeled avocado
1 c peeled mango
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
4 tsp lime juice
cilantro sprigs

Chop, serve w/ chips

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Mushroom/Stilton recipe

This is hands down my favorite appetizer EVER. This may look an awful lot like a recipe on a rival website, but there’s no reason to get the lawyers into this, is there?

1/2 pound mushrooms
1/2 pound Stilton cheese
2 large garlic cloves
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/3 cup heavy cream
Accompaniment: chunks of crusty whole-grain bread


Preheat oven to 425°F.
Trim mushrooms and halve if small or quarter if large. Crumble enough Stilton, not including rind, to measure about 1 cup. Force garlic through a garlic press.
In a 9-inch heavy skillet heat butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides and sauté mushrooms, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and cream and gently boil until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Season mixture with salt and pepper and divide between 2 shallow 1-cup gratin dishes. Mushroom mixture may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
Top mushroom mixture with Stilton and on a baking sheet bake in middle of oven until cheese is melted and bubbling, 5 to 10 minutes.
Serve mushrooms with bread for sopping up sauce.
Serves 2.

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Claudia Salad

Professors are good for many things. I stole this recipe from one of our new bigbrains, Claudia. According to her email, now “You know all !” I didn’t realize it was that easy!

Mix: green beans, tomatoes, avocados, indian corn, chick-peas, olives, mango, green salad,
white mushrooms (always add mushrooms), endives (chicory?), with a sauce composed of balsamic vinegar, oil, and bruschetta sauce (bought in Traders Joes : garlic, basilic, tomatoes and oil).

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Stuffed mushrooms

1 lb large mushrooms
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Salt, pepper, oregano, other Eye Talian Spices
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 325
Remove the stems from the mushrooms, chop the stems finely. Mix with the crumbs and spices.
Put the crumby spice stem mixture in the empty mushroom caps.
On a cookie sheet drizzle olive oil in as many pools as are stuffed mushrooms. Place the shrooms on the sheet, drizzle with more oil.
Bake 10 minutes or until soft.

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Bean Salad


This was submitted by everyone's favorite Canable, Eleanor (cf Dinners: Thai Peanut Sauce), who describes the meal thusly:
It looks a little like a deli 3 bean salad, but it tastes much nicer and is almost as easy.

Dressing:
Mix these ingredients in a measuring cup:
zest of a lime
juice of the same lime
2 cloves garlic
enough olive oil and vinegar to make the whole mixture measure about ½ cup
a generous dash of ground cumin
ditto ground coriander
salt and pepper to taste

Solids:
1 can each; black beans, red beans, chickpeas, corn (non-creamed)
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into small strips
½ a red onion, chopped fine

- drain and rinse the contents of the cans well- bean goo is yucky!
- combine everything in a big bowl, and toss in the dressing.

 

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Charred Tomatillo Guacamole


You want the skinny on thin Tiffany? Check out Dinner: Patrice’s Carne Asada. Here's what she says about this uberfantastic recipe. I can attest she's no liar:

And here's that guacamole recipe. I'm 100% addicted, as evidenced by
the fact that I've made it 4 times in the last 1.5 weeks. No joke.

6 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
2 large avocados
1/2 small red onion, chopped
4 serrano chillies, finely chopped (for mild: discard all seeds; for
hot: discard half of the seeds)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
lime juice to taste (for me, I squeeze half of a lime over it for a few seconds)

1. Char the tomatillos in the broiler. Char 1 side for 7 minutes,
then flip and repeat
2. Once you can touch the tomatillos without burning your fingers
off, chop them up a bit. They'll be mushy, so you might be tearing
them more than chopping them
3. Put the onions, chilies, cilantro, tomatillos, salt, pepper in a
bowl and mix until everything is covered with tomatillo goo
4. Add cut-up avocados and stir
5. Add lime juice to taste

I've kept this for 3 days, and it just gets better each day

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