Tidewater Kitchen - Tiny Bits: Pamela Meredith

Tiny Bites

Don’t skip the appetizer! Your first thought may be to pass on appetizers and save the calories. It seems that the concept of an appetizer as a food or beverage that stimulates the appetite is enough to frighten most people.

In fact, though, an appetizer can actually help you eat less. Warm soups and beverages start the digestive juices flowing and can reduce the intake of dinner food. If you do choose to serve an appetizer, consider what will be served at

the following meal and try to select complementary foods. Make the job easier by choosing tasty bitesize pieces you can prepare ahead and serve easily.

A good rule of thumb for a dinner party is to allow for 6 appetizers per person. For a cocktail party, consider making 12 appetizers per person.

Veggies, crackers and chips are inexpensive fill-ins, as they fill people up and keep well if not used. If you want something easy but a little fancier, consider oven-baked zucchini chips.

A meat and cheese tray is one of the easiest to put together. People will eat less if they have to assemble their own appetizers. Chunks of cheese, cheese balls and makeit-yourself sandwiches disappear more slowly than cubes of cheese and pre-made sandwiches. But, who doesn’t love garlic bread with mozzarella, basil, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar?

Except for a few highly desirable items such as shrimp, roast beef and caviar, the more selections you add, the less amount of each item you will need. Deviled eggs, smoked salmon or oysters are easy and appealing. Another favorite for casual entertaining is homemade mac and cheese bites. To make them more appealing, decorate your plates and platters attrac-

tively with green leaf lettuce, kale, parsley and edible flowers.

Since a majority of these tiny bites can be made ahead of time, call up some friends this spring or summer and enjoy an easy backyard gathering. Food is something that always brings everyone together!

Are you having a dinner party? Here are some crowd-pleasers that my friends and family love. These delicious treats can also be a tasty bite-size before-dinner snack.

GARLIC TOMATO

MOZZARELLA BREAD

Who doesn’t love garlic bread? It is always a welcome delicacy, and this savory and light garlic bread invokes all the flavors of a Caprese pizza with garlic, mozzarella, balsamic, basil and tomatoes.

1 loaf ciabatta bread, cut in half horizontally 4 T. salted butter 3 cloves garlic, smashed 12 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 2 medium tomatoes, sliced (shop at your farmers market for the freshest tomatoes) Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil, from your farmers market

Preheat oven to 400°. Place both halves of the ciabatta loaf on a jelly roll pan.

Melt butter in a small bowl and add garlic. Spread evenly on bread halves. Place the mozzarella cheese slices on top of the bread, making sure the cheese covers the bread completely. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

While the bread is in the oven,

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Tidewater Kitchen These low-fat, oven-baked veggie chips are made from zucchini make the balsamic reduction. Place that you can get from your local the balsamic vinegar in a small farmers market. Add Parmesan saucepan. Bring to a boil, decrease cheese for a delicious touch of saltthe heat to low and simmer, stir- iness. ring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced by about half. This should only take about 5 minutes. Take off the heat and set aside.

Remove the bread from oven. Top with tomato slices and add salt and pepper to taste. Add the fresh basil and drizzle with balsamic reduction. Cut into slices and serve. Enjoy the fresh flavors ~ you’ll never call for pizza again!

OVEN-BAKED ZUCCHINI CHIPS

1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs, storebought or homemade, GF if you want 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, or dairyfree Parmesan 1/4 t. garlic, smashed 1/8 t. pepper 1/4 cup milk or unsweetened nondairy milk 2-1/2 cups zucchini, sliced into 1/8-inch-thick rounds 1 t. olive oil

Preheat oven to 425°. Grease the top of a wire cooling rack with the olive oil and place on a jelly roll pan. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl and stirwith a whisk. Add milk to a small bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk and then dredge in the breadcrumb/ parmesan mixture to lightly coat both sides.

Place coated slices on the wire rack. Bake for 30 minutes or until browned and crisped, watching closely to make sure the chips don’t burn! Enjoy immediately and dip in your favorite marinara sauce, I love Rao’s!

GRUYERE MUSHROOM CARAMELIZED ONION BITES

The sharp flavors of gruyere pair perfectly with the savory mellow flavor of mushrooms. Puff pastry is surprisingly easy to work with, and it always offers a stunning presentation. These are so satisfying, have a great gourmet flavor without all the fuss, a must-add to your list.

2 T. vegetable oil 1 large onion, thinly sliced 4 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced 2 T. unsalted butter 1-1/2 Granny Smith apples, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1 t. granulated sugar 1-1/2 oz. grated gruyere cheese 2 T. chives, minced 1/2 t. dried thyme 1 1-pound package of frozen puff pastry, thawed 1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400°. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats. Set aside.

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In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil and cook the onions (with 1 t. of salt) until they’re golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove and set aside in a large bowl.

In the same skillet, sauté mushrooms until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside in the bowl with the onions. In the same skillet, melt the butter and add in the apples with the sugar. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes.

Remove from pan and add to the large bowl with onions and mushrooms. Add the cheese, chives and thyme to the bowl and stir to combine the mixture well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

With a pizza cutter, cut the puff pastry into 2-inch squares and place them on the lined baking sheets. Using a pastry brush, brush beaten egg on the squares. Using a tablespoon, place filling in the middle of each puff pastry square.

Bake for 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through and switching the baking sheet on the top rack to the bottom and the bottom to the top, until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. Let the tarts cool a bit before serving, you don’t want people to burn the roofs of their mouths.

HOMEMADE

MAC & CHEESE BITES

These are sure to satisfy the little kid in us, yet they look grown up

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Tidewater Kitchen in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minand are perfectly appropriate for ute. Whisk in the salt, pepper and your next dinner party. The cheese flour until the flour is smooth. bites are a real crowd-pleaser. Af- Slowly whisk in the milk and ter all, is there a better comfort heat until just boiling, then refood than macaroni and cheese? move from heat and stir in the It’s everyone’s favorite! cheddar cheese. Once the pasta is done cooking, 8 oz. elbow macaroni drain well and gently stir into the 4 T. butter cheese sauce. 2 cloves garlic, smashed Divide the pasta among the 1/2 t. salt muffin cups. Top evenly with the 1/8 t. ground black pepper breadcrumbs. 4 T. all-purpose flour Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until 1 cup milk the tops are just starting to brown. 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese Let cool completely before re1/4 cup breadcrumbs moving from the pan. You may need to loosen the cups with a

Butter mini-size muffin tins butter knife before gently removand set aside. Set a pot of water ing them from the pan. over high heat on the stovetop to boil. Preheat oven to 350°. GRILLED SALMON

Cook the pasta according to LEMON KABOBS the package directions or until al Salmon is well liked in my dente. While the pasta is cook- household, yet when we think of ing, melt 4 tablespoons of butter kabobs, we often think of proteins like chicken or beef. Seasoned with fresh herbs, lemon and spices and then grilled to perfection, these kabobs are a delicious and healthy alternative.

2 T. chopped fresh dill 2 t. sesame seeds 1-1/2 pounds skinless wild salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces 2 lemons, very thinly sliced into rounds olive oil cooking spray

Tidewater Kitchen spice mixture aside. Beginning and ending with 1 t. kosher salt & pepper to taste salmon, thread salmon and folded 16 bamboo skewers soaked in wa- lemon slices onto 8 pairs of paralter 1 hour lel skewers to make 8 kabobs total. Spray the fish lightly with oil

Heat the grill on medium-heat and season with spice mixture. and spray the grates with oil. Mix Grill the kabobs, turning occasiondill, sesame seeds, salt and pep- ally, until fish is opaque throughper in a small bowl to combine; set out, about 8 to 10 minutes total.

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Serves 6-8 1 quart shucked clams with liquid reserved 3 slices salt pork or bacon, diced 2 small onions, minced 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced 1 bay leaf ~ remove after 5 minutes

1 cup water 3 cups milk, scalded 1-1/2 cups half-and-half 1/4 cup butter Sea salt and freshly ground pepper and thyme to taste

Drain the clams, reserving the liquid, then chop coarsely.

Fry the salt pork or bacon slowly in a soup pot until all the fat is rendered. Add the onions and sauté until golden. Add potatoes, bay leaf and water. Remove bay leaf after five minutes. Simmer until the potatoes are tender.

Strain the reserved clam liquid, then stir into the potato mixture with the milk, cream, butter and chopped clams. Add seasonings, and then simmer for 5 minutes or more. Add more seasonings, if needed.

POTATO SKINS

Topped with bacon, green onions and plenty of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, these potato skins are easy to prepare

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Tidewater Kitchen Preheat oven to 375°. Scrub and dry the potatoes, then and so delicious! They are one of poke each one 10 times with a fork. our family favorites and are a great Using your hands, rub the potatoes go-to appetizer for any sports sea- with a little olive oil and sprinkle son or for having people over. generously with salt. Place them on a baking sheet. Bake for 50 6 small to medium russet potatoes, minutes or until they are cooked (russets produce the crispest skins) through. Let them sit until cool 1-1/2 T. olive oil, this also helps enough to handle. with crispy skins Preheat oven to 450°. Cut poSea salt tatoes in half lengthwise. Using a 3 T. butter spoon, scoop out the flesh, leaving 1 garlic clove, smashed 1/4 to 1/2 inch around the inside of 1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar the skin. Use the filling for mashed 1/2 cup finely shredded Monterey potato cakes. Jack Melt butter on top of the stove. 4 slices crispy cooked bacon, Whisk in garlic. Brush over the chopped tops and bottoms of the potato 1 green onion, thinly sliced skins. Return the potatoes to the Sour cream (optional) baking sheet and place in oven for 10 minutes. Flip and bake for another 10 minutes. Top evenly with both cheeses and bacon. Return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with green onions. I love to pipe sour cream on top for a beautiful presentation. Enjoy!

BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS

14 chicken wings 1/2 stick of unsalted butter 4 t. Frank’s Hot Sauce 1/2 t. kosher salt

Homemade Dipping Sauce: 1-1/2 cups crumbled blue cheese 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 cup sour cream

3 T. milk 1 t. Worcestershire sauce Carrot and celery sticks to serve along with the wings.

Preheat the broiler. Cutting between the bones, cut the chicken wings into thirds and discard the wing tips. Melt the butter and add hot sauce and salt. Put the wings on a jellyroll pan and brush them with the melted butter. Broil them about 3 inches below the heat for 7 minutes. Turn the wings, brush again with butter and broil for 3 more minutes, or until cooked.

For the homemade sauce, combine the blue cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, milk and Worcestershire and mix with a mixer until well blended and creamy. Serve the chicken wings at room temperature or hot with the blue cheese sauce, carrots and celery sticks.

I love to make homemade dipping sauce, but if you are in a hurry you can buy blue cheese dressing.

A longtime resident of Oxford, Pamela Meredith, formerly Denver’s NBC Channel 9 Children’s Chef, now teaches both adult and children’s cooking classes on the south shore of Massachusetts.

For more of Pam’s recipes, visit the Story Archive tab at tidewatertimes.com.

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