Easy Fresh Basil Sauce for Appetizers or Pasta Salad

While Pesto, the classic basil sauce from the Genoa region of Italy, is basically a sauce for pasta, it is also a convenient topping to add flavor and color to canapés, marinated cheese, sandwiches and pasta salad, and even pizza. Commercially made pesto is available in small jars the US, as it is in Italy. It tends to be expensive.

Pesto is somewhat complicated to make, requiring in addition to fresh basil leaves, pine nuts and pecorino or Parmigiano cheese. Because I’ve been making appetizer dishes for our restaurant’s catering, I’ve often needed a basil-based condiment for highlights or marinade. So I make a much simplified basil sauce that serves our needs.

Here’s a recipe for this simple sauce. It makes a small quantity, since not much is needed for most things. But the recipe can easily be multiplied if needed. Use it for lightly topping sliced fresh mozzarella for a side dish, or put a little on thinly sliced Toscano or Asiago cheese on a cracker (and add a couple drops of honey!). Or marinate fresh mozzarella balls or chunks with it for Caprese skewer appetizers. It can be mixed, in limited quantities, into pasta salad or drizzled onto sandwiches or other dishes where fresh basil highlights would be exciting. Mix some of it into a little more olive oil for a wonderful dip for crusty bread.

12 medium-large fresh basil leaves

Basil Sauce served with Fresh Mozzarella

2 to 3 drops vinegar

A pinch of sea salt

A pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Rinse and drain the basil leaves. On a cutting board mince them very finely, almost to a paste, with a chef’s knife. Place basil in a small dish from which the sauce can be served. Gently stir in the remaining ingredients. Allow to season at least 10 minutes, then stir again.

The sauce tastes best when used within an hour or two of making it, but it will store for a day or two refrigerated.

Prussian Meatballs Echo from a Vanished World

The historic and cultured East Prussian capital, Königsberg, is gone.

KFounded in the 13th century by Teutonic Knights as a Germanic outpost on the Baltic Sea, Königsberg ("king’s mountain") grew rich in the Middle Ages as a Hanseatic League port, and was the ancestral home and continued coronation place of the Prusssian kings. The city boasted a major university, cathedral, and opera house.

Severely bombed by the Allies in World War II, Königsberg was overrun by the Soviet Army. The German population was forceably expelled, the historic buildings were  destroyed, and the city was annexed and repopulated as Kaliningrad, part of Russia.

But one specialty of the imperial Prussian city lingers. “Königsberger Klopse” [KERH-nigs-ber-ger KLOP-zeh], the city’s celebrated namesake meatballs, still survive in North German cuisine.

I first had this luscious treat, as a teenager, at the home of a European couple my mother knew. Edy, the wife, who grew up in pre-war Germany, added exotic touches of curry to her otherwise very German caper sauce. This recipe, which took me considerable trial and error to develop, reproduces what I experienced at their home.

The recipe serves six plentifully -- in the German manner. Accompany the meatballs and their sauce with buttered boiled potatoes or noodles .

Meatballs:
6 tablespoons finely minced onion
2 tablespoons sunflower or canola oil
6 tablespoons quick-cooking oatmeal
1 (2-ounce) can anchovy fillets, including their oil
6 tablespoons unseasoned breadcrumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3/8 teaspoon allspice
2 eggs

2 tablespoons water
2 pounds ground beef chuck or 1 pound each ground chuck and ground pork

Sauce:
4 cups low-salt chicken broth or water
3 (1/4 inch) slices of onion
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons flour mixed with 1 teaspoon sunflower or canola oil
2 tablespoons capers, drained
Minced parsley for garnish

Gently fry onion in oil until softened. Transfer to mixing bowl.

With chef's knife on a cutting board, coarsely chop oatmeal. Add to the bowl. Pour oil from anchovies into the bowl. Mince anchovies finely, and add to the bowl. Add crumbs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, the nutmeg, pepper, allspice, eggs and water. Beat everything together lightly. Add meat and mix thoroughly, kneading with your hands.

Shape into 6 large evenly sized meatballs, packing them firmly. Wet your hands with water for the final shaping. Set meatballs on waxed paper.

In a wide pot, simmer chicken broth or water, onion slices, bay leaves, and salt. Gently place meatballs in the water. Cover pan and steam meatballs 10 minutes over medium-low heat. Carefully turn them with a large spoon. Steam them 10 more minutes. Turn once more, and steam a final 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let them rest, covered, another 5 minutes.

With slotted spoon, transfer meatballs to shallow serving bowl. Cover loosely with waxed paper or a lid, and keep them warm.

Remove bay leaf and onion from broth. Add curry powder. Boil broth down to about 2 cups. Reduce heat. Whisk in flour-oil mixture. Simmer 2 minutes, whisking often. Remove from heat. Stir in capers. Taste sauce, and add salt if needed.

Spoon sauce (do not pour from pan) over meat balls. Dust with minced parsley. Serve with boiled, buttered potatoes or buttered and dilled egg noodles.

Deviled Egg Salad – for Appetizer or Sandwiches

At the risk of blasphemy, I’m starting to write about Deviled egg salad on Easter Sunday. Worse yet, I made it today, on Easter, as part of dinner.

For many centuries, for Christians the egg has symbolized Christ emerging victorious from death and the tomb after his crucifixion, as a baby bird emerges living from inside its seemingly dead shell. But while Christians have long venerated the egg at Easter, it actually goes back much further to pre-Christian pagan traditions as a symbol of new life, rebirth, and springtime, when nature reemerges from the dead of winter. All of that was captured by early Christians.

Given the positive religious veneration of the egg, it’s ironic that Deviled Eggs are quite popular. This even includes at church receptions and pot luck socials. Of course some church traditions, especially in the South, delicately refer to these questionably named treats as “Stuffed Eggs.”

The Devil has, to my knowledge, little to do with dishes named after him. It’s a fun theme used by cooks in recent centuries to indicate that mustard is a prominent ingredient in the dish. Mustard, being hot and sulfurous, suggests the fumes emanating from a smoldering volcano with its fire and brimstone, which is supposed to be the Devil’s lair. Early people almost certainly assigned the active volcano pit metaphor to their sense of what Hell must be like.

After all that, I’m not actually making Deviled Eggs (which I like) at Easter, but rather an egg salad influenced by seasonings in Deviled Eggs. This egg salad can be an appetizer or dip, or can in the traditional way be a sandwich filling.

The recipe makes sufficient egg salad for appetizers for six people or can make two to three hearty sandwiches.

4 eggs, hard-boiled 13-15 minutes and cooled

1 tablespoon Dijon or spicy brown mustard

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon cider or wine vinegar

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Large squirt of hot sauce or large pinch cayenne

Paprika for garnish

Shell and rinse the hard-boiled eggs and put them in a mixing bowl. With a fork break uo the white and yolks thoroughly, so the white is in tiny pieces. Add all the remaining ingredients except the paprika  Mix thoroughly. Let rest ten minutes, mix again and then taste it. Add a little salt, if needed.

The egg salad can be stored, cold, until serving time, up to a day. If serving as an appetizer, spoon into an attractive serving bowl and sprinkle with paprika. Accompany with crackers or crudités for dipping or spreading. Otherwise, use as a sandwich filling.

Caprese Skewers, a Summertime Appetizer

Recently at the restaurant we’ve been catering a number of events serving “finger-foods,” small appetizers and baked goods. Such events are typically receptions with light, but colorful, nibbling foods to accompany drinks. A very frequent dish right now, in addition to the inevitable mini-sandwiches, is skewered fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil kebabs based on Caprese “salad.”  That’s the Italian classic appetizer or starter course that’s usually served on a platter rather than bamboo skewers.

As I am generally the one who prepares this particular appetizer, I’ve developed a fairly simple method and refined it with practice. The fresh mozzarella is easiest to work with if it’s the small balls called “ciliegine,” meaning “cherries.” But blocks can be cut into half-inch cubes, as well. And small “grape” tomatoes are easiest too. But sometimes they are large enough to need cutting in half. Short (4-5-inch) bamboo skewers work well, and do not need soaking before using.

For the basil I generally mince up fresh leaves very finely on a cutting board and mix them with a little salt, pepper and olive oil for marinating the mozzarella. Depending on the amount of basil, the specks on the mozzarella will be lighter or greener, but the basil flavor penetrates the mozzarella, even if the surface doesn’t look really green. I used to use small pieces of basil leaf skewered between the tomato and cheese, but I think the basil-marinated cheese works best.

Several of our recent catering customers, when returning the platters, have told me how much the guests liked our Caprese skewers.

Here’s a recipe based on 8-ounces of fresh mozzarella, that will make enough appetizer skewers for 6-8 people. For bigger groups, multiply the recipe. Allow 2 skewers, or more, for each diner. The skewers can be assembled up to several hours before they’re served. Store them refrigerated and covered with plastic wrap until needed.

10-12 fresh basil leaves, medium-large

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

8 ounces  “cherry” sized (“ciliegne”) fresh mozzarella balls, or 8 ounces of a block

8 ounces small grape tomatoes

4-5 inch bamboo skewers

On a cutting board and using a large knife, very finely mince the basil leaves. Transfer to a bowl and add the salt, pepper and olive oil. Drain the mozzarella balls or cut the block or log into 1/2-inch pieces. Mix these carefully into the basil mix to coat well.

Rinse the tomatoes. If small (grape-sized), use whole. If they’re longer, cut them in half, Thread about three pieces of mozzarella alternating with two pieces of tomato.. Arrange the skewers on a serving platter. Cover with plastic wrap and store refrigerated until served. 

Irish Colcannon for St. Patrick’s Day

Thinking about Irish food for St. Paddy’s Day required sipping some Jameson, neat. It’s silky and elegant, more like cognac than whiskey. It shimmers across your palate. Now where was I? Oh yes, a dish for St. Patrick’s Day.

I propose colcannon, the savory combination of lightly caramelized cabbage, or braised kale, with mashed potatoes.

While not specifically a St. Patrick’s Day treat, it’s solid winter fare and will pair nicely with salmon and watercress-cream sauce or with lamb chops and mint. It’s also ideal with boiled ham or corned beef for a classic Irish dinner.

The name derives from the Gaelic words for white-headed cabbage. “Cál” is the Irish version of “cole,” an Old-English and Germanic word, though of Latin origin, for cabbage (think coleslaw, kohlrabi, cauliflower). Either cabbage or kale combines heartily with potatoes – and plenty of butter, of course -- to make an amazing dish.

Irish fare is infrequently considered a gourmet offering. But in fact, some dishes are extremely tasty. Well-seasoned mashed potatoes, which my New England-Irish mother served nearly every day of my childhood, is one of those, as chefs at classy restaurants now recognize. The greens in colcannon makes mashed potatoes even richer.

Since this is a side dish, I’m not recommending specific accompanying drinks. Those would depend on the meat or fish in the dinner. But if having beer, please not Guinness stout, as good as it is, especially if serving salmon. A low-hop lager beer would be preferable.

Actually, as my Irish informants inform me, wine or beer is uncommon with dinner there. Men are more likely to drink stout or porter after dinner, while the ladies take sherry.

My recommendation is sipping neat Jameson while you’re cooking. 

Irish Colcannon

1 small cabbage or large bunch kale, cut in 1-inch pieces

1 very small onion, diced

6 tablespoons butter, split

3 tablespoons canola oil

Salt

2 pounds potatoes, baking type or Yukon Gold type

1 clove garlic, peeled

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Large pinch cayenne or 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish (optional)

1/2 cup half-and-half or whole milk

About 1/2 cup water reserved from boiling the potatoes

Gently fry onion and cabbage or kale in 3 tablespoons butter, the oil plus 1/2 teaspoon salt in covered pan, stirring frequently. Add a tablespoon of water from time to time to keep vegetables from sticking. Fry until tender and color is becoming pale golden in places. Taste and add salt, if necessary.

Meanwhile, peel potatoes (or keep skins if not too thick or spotted: if not peeling, scrub potatoes and remove any bad spots). Cut into 2-inch chunks. Place in cold water to prevent browning.

In a pot boil potatoes in just enough water to cover them, adding garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Boil until quite tender and beginning to flake on the edges (10 -12 minutes). Test for doneness with a tooth pick.

Drain potatoes, saving part of the water in a bowl. Return potatoes to pot. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, the pepper, cayenne or hot sauce, horseradish, if used, and 3 tablespoons butter. Mash well to break up lumps. Add half-and-half or milk and continue to mash and mix. With the masher, beat in enough reserved boiling water to obtain a soft fluffy consistency. Taste and add salt if necessary.

Add cooked cabbage or kale. Mix thoroughly with spoon. Taste again and adjust any seasonings necessary. Cover and keep warm until served.

Chicken Braised with Black Beans “Veracruz”

All right, this richly flavored dish is something I created, not a specialty of Veracruz, that Mexican city and state bordering the Caribbean. But it employs a number of ingredients used in Veracruzana cooking, and highlights their favorite black bean.

The dish is a sort of stew, and is designed to be accompanied by rice. I make it a little on the hot side in terms of peppers, but the people I’m making if for, including my grandchildren, like their food peppery.

The recipe serves 6-8 people, but leftovers are very enjoyable. Serve with rice on the side.

The Chicken:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

The sauce:

2 medium-large onions, finely diced (or chopped in a food processor)

6 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon (or less if preferred) dry crushed red pepper or cayenne

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground annato (sold in Mexican groceries as “Achiote Molido”)

1/2 teaspoon dry oregano

1 1/4 cups chicken broth (low salt)

2 (14-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed well

1/2 cup sour cream or crema

Chopped cilantro for garnish, optional

Prepare and marinate the chicken: Trim off tough or fatty parts from the chicken breasts. Cut flesh into 1-inch cubes. Mix well with the salt, cornstarch, and next three spices. Set aside to marinate.

Prepare the onions, and fry them over medium-low heat in the olive oil in a wide pot, covered when not stirring. Every several minutes, open the pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pot well, until onions are very soft and starting to turn pale golden.

While the onions are frying, prepare the garlic, measure out the seasonings into a small bowl, and drain and rinse the beans.

When onions are done, stir in the garlic, and fry them in for several minutes. Add the chicken broth plus the seasonings. Stir well, then simmer, covered, five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the marinated chicken, raise the heat under the pot, and cook, stirring frequently until the raw color of the chicken is gone. Then cover the pot and simmer 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the drained black beans, and simmer 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste the sauce, and add a little salt to taste. Stir in the sour cream, and bring back just to a boil, then remove from the heat. Taste one last time and if under-salted to your taste, stir in a little more salt.

The dish can be served now, or reheated later. When serving, sprinkle the top with coarsely chopped cilantro, if desired. Accompany with rice.

Louisiana-Style “Dirty Rice” made with Mushrooms

 “Dirty Rice” is a Louisiana-Cajun sort of rice pilaf in which the rice was traditionally cooked with finely chopped chicken livers, ground meat or sausage, plus seasonings. I prefer it made with chopped dark mushrooms rather than chicken giblets. That idea came from having the wonderful Riz Djon-Djon in Haiti, a specialty rice dish enriched as well as colored a rich brown by local hill-side black
mushrooms. I use Basmati or other long-grained rice, but in Louisiana cooking medium-grained rice, from Louisiana or Arkansas, is more typical.

Dirty Rice in Louisiana is frequently served with stewed red beans. It makes a good side for a number of savory braised or stewed dishes.

The recipe serves six to eight as part of dinner.

1 1/2 cups Basmati or other long-grained rice

1 medium-small onion

1/4 large green bell pepper

1/2 stick celery

1/4 pound (4 ounces) baby Bella or Portobello mushrooms

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon tomato ketchup

1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun Seasoning (or 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp celery salt, 1/4 tsp garlic salt, 1/4 tsp cayenne)

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 bay leaves

2 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

Coarsely chopped parsley or thinly cross-cut green onion tops for garnish

Rinse and drain rice twice to remove excess starch, and set aside to dry. Finely chop together in a food processor the onion, bell pepper, celery and mushrooms, or finely mince them on a cutting board with a chef’s knife.

In heavy cooking pot in which the rice will be cooked, fry together the minced vegetables and olive oil. Stir frequently, scraping the bottom of the pot. When the mixture is becoming softer and darker, add the ketchup, dry seasonings, and bay leaves. Add the drained rice and stir well. Add broth and stir briefly. Then do not stir again until cooking is done. Bring pot to the boil, uncovered. When boiling, without stirring, cover tightly and turn heat to lowest setting. Set timer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn off heat and allow to rest without opening the pot for 10 more minutes.

Open pot, remove bay leaves, and fluff gently with a fork. Cover and keep warm until served. When serving, sprinkle lightly with chopped parsley or sliced green onion tops.

An alternative cooking method can be used with a rice cooker. Put drained rice in rice cooker. Fry vegetables and the olive oil in a pan until color has changed. Add this mixture to the rice in the rice cooker. Add the ketchup, dry seasonings, bay leaves and broth. Stir briefly. Cover and cook as usual without opening the cover. When heat goes off, again without uncovering, let rest 10 more minutes. Then remove bay leaves, and fluff the rice with a fork. Keep warm until served. Sprinkle with the parsley or green onion garnish when serving.