There’s something so delicious about reading a book on appetizers: the promise of so much to taste in such tiny bites, the endless possibilities for your next big party, the pretty pictures that make it all seem so doable.
A new one seems to come out every two weeks, but the latest hors d’oeuvre collection, “Party Appetizers: Small Bites, Big Flavors” (Chronicle Books, $14.95), delivers on its claim. Written by Tori Ritchie, host of the Food Network’s “Ultimate Kitchens” show, the book offers a color photo for nearly every recipe, and the tidbits themselves are appealing and pull from a variety of ethnic origins.
– Kyle Wagner
Merguez Meatballs with Yogurt Sauce
Meatballs are a cocktail party standard, but this version, dunked into minty yogurt sauce, is hardly predictable. The spicing takes its cue from merguez, a type of Moroccan sausage. The meat will taste best if blended up to a day in advance, but cooked at the last possible moment or it will dry out. Serves about 20.
Ingredients
Meatballs
1 pound ground lamb or beef (not too lean)
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground pepper
Yogurt sauce
1 cup plain lowfat yogurt
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
Directions
To make the meatballs: Put meat in large bowl and add garlic, cilantro, vinegar, paprika, cumin, coriander, salt and generous grinding of pepper. Mix with your hands until well-blended. Set aside.
To make sauce: Blend yogurt, mint, cilantro in food processor fitted with metal blade or in blender. (Meat mixture and sauce can each be made up to 1 day ahead, covered, and refrigerated separately.)
To serve, preheat broiler and adjust rack so it is about 4 inches from heating element. Form meat mixture into 1-inch meatballs and place on baking sheet with sides (work in batches if necessary). Broil meatballs until no longer pink inside, about 8 minutes, shaking pan once or twice so meatballs cook evenly. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Skewer meatballs with toothpicks and serve immediately on platter with yogurt sauce in small bowl alongside. Offer guests small container or glass for depositing used toothpicks.
Texas Caviar
In Texas, this is served on New Year’s Day to bring good luck. I like it anytime for casual parties as a break from salsa. Plus, my guests crack up when they figure out that what Texans call “caviar” is, in fact, black-eyed peas. Makes 3 cups (about 12 servings).
Ingredients
One 15-ounce can black-eyed peas
8 ounces ripe red tomatoes
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1/4 cup minced red onion
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt
Tabasco sauce
Tortilla chips or pita crisps
Directions
Put black-eyed peas in sieve and rinse well under cold water; shake to get rid of excess water. Place in mixing bowl. Core tomatoes, then cut in half crosswise and squeeze gently over sink to extract seeds. Finely chop tomatoes and add to bowl with peas. Stir in celery, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro (if using), vinegar, oil and cumin. Season mixture to taste with salt and Tabasco sauce. (If made ahead, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.)
Serve the “caviar” in a bowl surrounded with tortilla chips or pita crisps.
Salt-Roasted Prawns with Lemon Pesto
Chef Bibby Gignilliat offers these at her “Gourmet Gatherings” cooking parties in San Francisco. The salt-roasting keeps the prawns moist and tender, and the pesto is the best I’ve ever tasted. Serve the prawns in the baking dish and provide discard bowls for the shells. If it’s a dressier affair, peel off the shells down to the last segment right above the tails. Serves 12.
Ingredients
Lemon Pesto
1 lemon
1 1/2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup (1 ounce) toasted pine nuts
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch freshly ground pepper
About 3 cups rock salt
24 medium prawns or shrimp in shells
Directions
To make pesto: Grate zest from lemon and squeeze 2 tablespoons of juice. Put basil, cheese, oil, pine nuts, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in food processor fitted with metal blade and process until mixture forms smooth paste. (Pesto can be made day ahead, transferred to bowl, covered, and refrigerated for up to 1 day.)
Preheat oven to 550 degrees. Spread rock salt in bottom of 10-inch gratin dish or other shallow decorative ovenproof dish salt should be 3/4-inch thick. Place prawns in single layer on their sides directly in salt, pushing them down slightly to partially bury them. Roast until the prawns are pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the dish and let prawns cool a few minutes. Place pesto in small heatproof bowl and nestle it in center of baking dish with prawns and salt around it; serve immediately. (Or, if desired, remove prawns, cut down backs of shells with sharp kitchen scissors, peel off shells to just above tails. Serve peeled shrimp on platter with pesto.)
