An Evening of Appetizers

An Evening of Appetizers

by | Jun 2, 2010 | Compatriot Wednesday

Luscious dollops of sunshine seeped through the dark rain clouds Monday night, delighting my heart as I drove to CEC for a delectable evening of dear friends and delicious food.

We had a jolly crowd this week, everyone relaxed and happy to be together, sipping French wine and Belgian beer from Jonathon as we discussed camping, work foibles, dreamed of travel destinations, and our favorite toys as kids. Lego seemed to be the dominant favorite, followed closely by Lincoln Logs and other hands on things that once gave free reign to our youthful flights of fancy.

With only appetizers to prepare, we were soon loading our plates and heading out to the deck where we ate under the glow of mason jars filled with tea lights.

Darren shared cheese finds procured at the Seattle Cheese Festival last month: smoky cheddar and soft cheeses flavored with garlic and herbs.

I made Bosnian Cevapi (beef and pork sausages) with a Hot Pepper Jelly Sauce.

Selwyn stirred a bubbling pot of Cranberry Chili Smokies.

Jon and Janelle brought even more lovely cheeses: chevre blue, sharp cheddar, drunken goat and a few others I can’t remember the names of, all paired with a chewy loaf of rosemary bread.

Don and Jen served beautifully herbed salmon.

Deb made savory and sweet Pineapple Chicken Tenders that, alas, I wasn’t able to photograph because they were snatched up before I had a chance.

Toby finished things off with crispy Zucchini and Feta patties. I just love that bright green color!

What is your favorite appetizer? 🙂

This is my contribution to Wanderfood Wednesday, kindly hosted by Wanderlust and Lipstick.

Toby’s Zucchini Patties with Feta
(From Epicurious)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups coarsely grated zucchini (from about 3 medium)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup (or more) all purpose flour
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup (about) olive oil
1/2 cup (about) corn oil

Directions:

  1. Toss zucchini and 1/2 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes.
  2. Transfer to sieve. Press out excess liquid; place zucchini in dry bowl.
  3. Mix in egg, yolk, 1/2 cup flour, cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
  4. Mix in parsley, onions, and dill. If batter is very wet, add more flour by spoonfuls.
  5. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons corn oil in large skillet over medium heat.
  6. Working in batches, drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls into skillet. Fry patties until golden, 5 minutes per side, adding more olive oil and corn oil as needed. Transfer to paper towels. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead.
  7. Place on baking sheet, cover, and chill.
  8. Rewarm uncovered in 350°F oven 12 minutes. Serve with plain Greek yogurt.

Deborah’s Pineapple Chicken Tenders
(From All Recipes)

Ingredients:

1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup light soy sauce
2 pounds chicken breast tenderloins or strips
skewers

Directions:

  1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix pineapple juice, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Remove from heat just before the mixture comes to a boil.
  2. Place chicken tenders in a medium bowl. Cover with the pineapple marinade, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Preheat grill for medium heat. Thread chicken lengthwise onto wooden skewers.
  4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill chicken tenders 5 minutes per side, or until juices run clear. They cook quickly, so watch them closely.

Selwyn’s Cranberry Chili Smokies

Ingredients:

1 bottle chili sauce
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
2 packages smokies

Directions:

  1. Brown smokies in frying pan or oven.
  2. While smokies brown, combine chili sauce and cranberry sauce in saucepan.
  3. When smokies are browned, add to sauce and simmer 10-15 minutes until ready to serve.

Krista’s Bosnian Cevapi with Hot Pepper Jelly Sauce

Ingredients:

1 recipe Bosnian Cevapi
1 jar hot pepper jelly
2-3 Tbsp water

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Place cevapi side by side in baking dish.
  3. In saucepan combine hot pepper jelly and water over medium heat, stir until mixture begins to simmer. Add more water if necessary.
  4. Pour sauce over cevapi.
  5. Cover baking dish with foil, and bake for 15-20 minutes until heated through.

Bullets in Bosnia

Bullets in Bosnia

by | Jun 1, 2010 | Gulliver Tuesday

Before traversing the gorgeous, fairytale Bosnian countryside, my imaginings of Bosnia consisted of the horrific images of burning buildings and massacres flickering across television screens in the early 90’s. Thus far we had seen little evidence of those tragedies, but as we drew closer to the city of Mostar the pristine mountains and clear rivers gave way to bullet-ridden churches, crumbling ruins of bombed homes, store fronts marred with scars from mortar rounds.

One three story home caught my eye. The bottom and top floors were completely gutted, shattered by artillery of some kind, but the middle floor was mostly intact and there was laundry billowing in the warm spring winds.

What horrors had these people lived through? Where do you go when your homes, offices and churches are being fired on? How do you start rebuilding when the war finally ends after four long years? What manner of person comes home to a bombed out house and immediately sets about making it homey again by stringing laundry, cooking dinner? I fuss when my power goes out or the hot water is gone, yet this person had an entire wall missing and used it as the ideal place to catch a breeze to dry their laundry.

I am grateful for my intact walls today.

We entered Mostar mid-afternoon, wending our way towards the Old Town when we turned a corner and saw the remains of a synagogue. The walls were riddled with pockmarks left by thousands of bullets. It is closed now, the windows bricked up, the courtyard overgrown with weeds. I wished I could see laundry billowing from a balcony.

Here and there were signs of hope, life, and renewal as Bosnians mended broken houses of worship, restored shattered homes, and raised new buildings where old ones could not be redeemed. It was peaceful, calm, but I felt anxious somehow, wondering if that same mending and restoration could heal the families and communities shattered by that devastating conflict. I hope so.

Next week I’ll take you to wonderful Old Town Mostar with the delightful self-appointed guide we found in a parking lot. 🙂

Threads BlueSky