appetizers and bites Archive

Zucchini Roundup: Grilled, Pickled, & Pancaked.

There’s a saying that goes something like this: “If you plant zucchini, be sure you have a lot of friends.”

I’ve heard it said before, but it wasn’t until this year that I truly understood what these words meant. This year I planted not one, but two zucchini plants. We aren’t even at the height of zucchini season and I feel like I can barely keep up with the abundance of zucchini!. Every time I turn around, there are magically five (or more!) ripe zucchini that are just begging to be eaten. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. I’m not tired of zucchini, yet. And thankfully, it is still early in the season I have friends who are willingly allowing me to pawn off some of my zukes on them. We’ll see how long that lasts…

Really, though, I am thrilled to be harvesting (and enjoying) my very first crop of zucchini. This year, I planted two heirloom varietals: Black zucchini and a lovely striped Cocozelle zucchini (pictured above). These squash are colorful, firm and flavorful and I’m having a great time coming up with new and exciting ways to prepare them! As much as I love a good zucchini bread, I knew I needed to branch out and find interesting recipes to highlight these tasty squash.

So, for this post I’m including 3 zucchini recipes that I’ve tried recently and loved! Each preparation is unique in its own way, and each recipe highlights the zucchini in a different way. In addition, at the end of the post I’ll include a few links for more fantastic zucchini recipes. Because, let’s face it: zucchini season is far from being over. If you’re like me, you’ll need more than 3 recipes to get you through the season…

Grilled Zucchini Bruschetta

I saw variations of the recipe online and just created my own version, using simple ingredients and fresh basil from the garden. The key is to quickly grill the zucchini over high heat, so that it gets good char marks but doesn’t get mushy or soggy. To me, this tastes like summer on a piece of bread. The flavors are simple, elegant, and summery.

Ingredients
3-4 small to medium sized zucchini, sliced in 1/4 or 1/2 inch rounds
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of olive oil (plus a little more for grilling)
3/4 cup (or a generous handful) of fresh basil, sliced thinly
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar
Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 baguette, sliced

Method:
Toss zucchini rounds with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and half of the minced garlic. Let the zucchini set in the mixture for 15-20 minutes, to fully absorb the flavors.

Grill zucchini: If using a gas grill, turn on the grill and set to ‘hot’. If using a charcoal grill, ensure coals are good and hot before you begin to grill. Place zucchini rounds on grill, and grill each side for 2-3 minutes or until you see grill marks. Be sure not to overcook the zucchini, as you want to retain some of the original texture. Remove zucchini to a plate and allow to cool. Once cool enough to handle, cut zucchini into small cubes (an 1/8 inch dice).

Toss zucchini cubes with basil, the rest of the garlic, lemon zest, and balsamic vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve immediately atop a piece of grilled baguette, crostini, or bread of your choice. This is best served warm, straight off the grill!

Korean Zucchini and Carrot Pancakes
(Adapted from Kitchen Wench)

I’m not sure how I originally stumbled upon this recipe, but when I saw it and it called out to me. I’m a sucker for Asian flavors and thought that these savory ‘pancakes’ would be the perfect way to use up some zucchini. Turns out, they were! Other than the 30 minutes you’ll need to allow the zucchini to drain (so you don’t have soggy pancakes), this comes together quickly and make for a great easy weeknight meal option.

Ingredients:
2-3 small to medium sized zucchini
2 teaspoons salt
2 small carrots, grated
1 small yellow onion, grated
2 cups all purpose white flour
2 large eggs
2 – 3 cups water
Salt and pepper, to taste

Dipping sauce:
4 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Ponzu
1 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce

Slice zucchini into very thin julienned strips (could use a grater or mandoline, I just used a knife). Toss zucchini strips with 2 teaspoons of salt and allow to drain in a colander for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat together the eggs. Add in flour and whisk until incorporated. Add in the water gradually, whisking after the addition of each cup. Add water until the batter is the consistency of a slightly runny pancake batter (thin, but not too watery). Once the batter is mixed, add strained zucchini, grated carrots, and grated onion. Stir until combined.

Grease a medium sized non-stick frying pan with oil, and heat pan over medium heat. Once the pan is heated, pour a thin layer of the batter into the pan (about 1/2 cup, depending on the size of your pan). Working quickly, use a spatula to spread the vegetables in the batter into an even layer to ensure the pancake cooks evenly.

Once the bottom of the pancake is nicely browned, and the top is set, carefully flip it over and cook the other side until it is browned and the pancake is cooked all the way through. Once finished, remove from pan and allow to cool on a paper towel. Repeat process until all the batter is cooked. (I got 4 large-ish pancakes out this recipe). Serve warm with dipping sauce.

Bread & Butter Zucchini Pickles
(Adapted from The Oregonian)

It was the week after I made these tasty pickles that I saw an article on the Best Burgers in the USA from Saveur Magazine. In the article, they mentioned one burger in particular that stood out from the rest that was topped with house-made zucchini pickles. I’ve been thinking about burgers with zucchini pickles ever since (it sounds SO good) and I simply cannot wait to try it. I just haven’t gotten around to it yet, as I’ve been too busy snacking on these pickles straight out of the jar.

Ingredients:
1 pound zucchini, trimmed and very thinly sliced (preferably using a mandoline)
1 medium yellow onion, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard (*I was all out of mustard powder, so I just used extra mustard seeds)
1 1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground turmeric

Method:
Combine zucchini and onion in a large shallow bowl. Add salt; toss to combine. Add a few ice cubes and enough cold water to cover. Allow to sit until zucchini are slightly salty and softened (about 1 hour).

Drain the zucchini and onion mixture (discard any remaining ice cubes) and dry thoroughly between two towels or in a salad spinner (excess water will thin the flavor and spoil the pickle). Rinse and dry the bowl. Return the zucchini and onion to the dry bowl.

In a saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, dry mustard, mustard seeds and turmeric over medium heat; simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand until just warm to the touch.

Pack zucchini and onion into sterilized jars (I fit mine in 3 8oz jars). Pour the brine over the zucchini until it is covered, and allow 1/4 of room left at the top. Cap with sterilized lids. Refrigerate and allow to sit for at least 2 days before eating. The zucchini pickles should keep for up to 3 months in the fridge.

***

And now, as I’ve promised, here are a few wonderful zucchini recipes that I plan to make this summer. Enjoy!

ZUCCHINI RECIPE ROUNDUP

Cornbread with Real Corn and Fresh Zucchini from Brooklyn Supper

Zucchini Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting from Tasty Kitchen

Zucchini Salsa Verde from Pearl and Pine

Zucchini Thyme Butter from Kitchen Confidence

Zucchini Crudo from Kiss My Spatula

Life’s Simple Pleasures: Salted Molasses Butter

This isn’t really a recipe post, it’s more of a revelation. It’s a post about the simple pleasures in life, and about taking the time to enjoy them.

Last night, Nich was working late and I was home by myself. I had a lot of things to get done and I was generally feeling overwhelmed by life. As I stared at the sink full of dirty dishes before me, I made a choice to stop for a moment. I actually took time to sit down and eat a proper dinner. I turned off the TV, poured myself a glass of bubbly, and ate one of the best meals I’ve had in awhile. It was just what I needed.

For those curious, my dinner consisted of a baguette with salted molasses butter and a roasted beet salad. I’ll write more about salad in a few days (it was really good), but today I’m going to keep it simple. I’m just going to tell you that you need to make some salted molasses butter. Whip up a batch this weekend, spread it on a crusty baguette, and eat to your heart’s content. You’ll thank me for it.

And in case you’re wondering…salted molasses butter is every bit as simple as it sounds. Mix together softened (unsalted) butter, molasses, and kosher salt. That’s really all there is to it. (Oh, and a big thank you to Jennifer Perillo at Simple Scratch Cooking for the idea in the first place.)

So, here’s to a lovely weekend full of simple pleasures. I’m going to do my best to take the time to enjoy them, and hope you all can do the same. Happy Friday!

(p.s. I didn’t realize until just now that the salted molasses butter looks strangely like peanut butter?)

Spicy Pickled Carrots

As I mentioned earlier, I recently traveled to San Francisco to visit an old friend. We did some sightseeing – and of course, we did some eating – and I think my favorite stop on the whole trip was at Tartine Bakery.

Everything we ordered at Tartine was spot on. The bread pudding was moist, but not soggy. The asparagus monsieur was the happiest of marriages: melty cheese, crunchy bread, and roasted asparagus. My Americano was a thing of perfection.

Its been a few weeks since my trip to SF, and I still catch myself daydreaming about the late afternoon “snack” we had a Tartine.

But you want to know something funny? The one thing that really stuck with me were the side of pickled carrots.

There was just something special about them. I think that part of the reason I loved them so much was the fact that they were unexpected. I didn’t know that when you ordered bready cheesy goodness that it came with a side of house made pickles. Let alone, spicy carrot pickles. They were crunchy and briny – with just the right amount of spice – and were the perfect compliment to an ooey gooey cheesy sandwich. I was in love. Which brings me to the subject of pickles…

If you don’t recall from last summer, I really love pickles. I love eating them, making them, blogging about them, etc. (See exhibits: A, B, C, D). I went a bit pickle crazy last summer, but I finally stopped posting pickle recipes after my sisters begged me to knock it off. Not every shares my obsession for pickles, I suppose.

But, the spicy pickled carrots at Tartine were amazing and they reminded me of how much I love all things pickled. So, then, when I got back home to Portland and saw a bunches of small carrots for sale at the farmer’s market – it seemed like fate. I snatched up bunches of the cute little carrots and took them home to make my very own spicy pickled carrots.

I have no idea how Tartine actually makes their carrot pickles, but I stumbled across Thomas Keller’s recipe for them and figured it would work nicely. I love that Keller adds a bit of curry powder into his pickle brine as it gives the brine a vibrant color, and adds an interesting flavor element. While Keller calls for a fresh jalapeno, I opted to use red pepper flakes as I like the color contrast and how the red pepper flakes stick to the carrot pickles to give an extra punch of spice.

Now, please, I beg of you: come to my house and help me eat some of these carrot pickles. I’ve been eating them like a crazy person and could use a little help. Please and thanks. :)

Spicy Pickled Carrots
(Adapted from Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc At Home)

10-15 small carrots (or larger carrots, cut into carrot sticks)
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Wash and trim carrots. If using small whole carrots, scrub, but leave whole.

In a small saucepan, bring vinegar, water, sugar, curry poweder and bay leaf to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and discard bay leaf.

Meanwhile, pack as many carrots (or carrot sticks) as you can into a sterilized jar. Pour chili flakes and mustard seeds into the jar. Pour hot pickling liquid over the carrots, until the jar is full. Seal and refrigerate. Should keep in the fridge for 1 month (or more).

Foodbuzz 24×24: Cheese, Wine and Swine.

24×24: “Showcasing posts from 24 Foodbuzz Featured Publisher bloggers, the monthly Foodbuzz 24 highlights unique meals occurring around the globe during a 24-hour period. “- Foodbuzz

A few months ago I had one of the best meals of my life. The only problem with the meal was that I happened to eat it all by myself, 1000 miles away from home.

I was in Chicago on business. I’d been told by a number of people that I had to eat at The Purple Pig. When I saw that the restaurant’s motto was ‘Cheese, Wine, and Swine, my mind was made up. I had to go.

Let me just say that I was not disappointed. I did dine at The Purple Pig and I enjoyed every morsel of my meal. There was cheese! There was swine! And, of course, there was wine. It was glorious. The menu was simple, yet unique. Every single dish was spot on. I loved it.

But with every bite came a twinge of sadness: I kept thinking how much my husband would have loved it. Don’t get me wrong – I thoroughly enjoyed the meal – but there is something so special about a great meal that is shared with loved ones. For me, dining is about the shared experience.

But when I got home from Chicago, I was struck with a brilliant idea. I knew that I couldn’t whisk all my friends and family away to the windy city, so I decided to make my own Purple Pig inspired meal (with a twist!). You see, the Northwest happens to have amazing wine, cheese, and pork. And thus, this little dinner party was born. I invited a few friends over and made a meal that paid tribute to The Purple Pig, while showcasing the cheese, wine, and pork (and charcuterie) of the Northwest.

I dreamed up the menu, which was loosely based on the original meal I had at the Purple Pig. I added a few courses, and used local pork, cheese, and (mostly) Northwest wines. I asked a few friends to come over and enjoy the feast – all of whom are wine savvy – and gave them the task of selecting wine pairings. We ended up with a beautiful selection of wines (mostly from the Northwest, but a few French wines snuck in there! :) )

I did a lot of my shopping for this meal at the Portland Farmer’s Market. I must say, I owe all the success of my meal to the fantastic offerings that Portland has to offer. If I’m being honest, my meal began as a tribute to the Purple Pig, but really…I think it ended up being more of tribute to the Pacific Northwest. I had absolutely beautiful products to work it, so it wasn’t hard to make them sing.

All that to say: I had a lovely time dreaming up, planning, prepping, cooking, and eating this meal. I am so glad I was able to be part of the Foodbuzz 24×24 for April!

Please see below for a full description and photos of the cheese, wine and swine dinner party. I will post recipes for these dishes throughout the week!

The Dinner Table.

Playing ‘Chef’ for a night:

And now, the meal! In five acts.

Act 1. Melon skewers with home-cured duck breast prosciutto, Juniper Grove Redmondo aged goat’s milk cheese. Paired with The Babushka (A beet vodka & Prosecco cocktail).

Just for fun, I also decided to serve a Country Paté from Chop that I picked up at the farmer’s market that morning:

Act 2. Roasted Beet and Fennel Salad with Pistachio Vinaigrette and Whipped Goat Cheese (from Juniper Grove Goat Cheeses, Redmond, OR). Wine Pairing: Terrisey Gaillac 2009 Rosé

Roasted Beet Salad

Juniper Grove Goat Cheese

Act 3. Moules Frites. Mussels in Pancetta, Shallot and White Wine (Erath Pinot Blanc) sauce. Served with Belgian style twice fried fries and cremé fraiche. Wine pairing(s): Anne Amie Pinot Gris and a 2009 Domaine du Pas Saint Martin Saumur

Act 4. Potted Pork Rillettes (Basque Farms & Carlton Farms pork) served on crusty bread with Apricot Mostarda. Served with a shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with pine nuts and lemon. Wine pairing(s): Anne Amie (Willamette Valley) Cuvée A Pinot Noir and Laura Volkman Vineyards St. James Estate 2008 Oregon Pinot Noir.

Pictured: Potted Pork Rillettes

Apricot Mostarda

Act 5. Poached Pears with Raw Wildflower Honey and Rogue Creamery Oregon Blue Cheese Wine pairing: Erath 2009 Sweet Harvest Pinot Noir

Poached pears

Rogue Creamery Oregon Blue

As you can see: THIS MEAL WAS AWESOME.

Finally, I must thank my husband for all the work he put into the creation of this meal. He cured the duck breast prosciutto (which was fan-tastic). He cleaned and prepped the mussels. He made the twice fried Belgian fries. I love him for so many different reasons, but he is an amazing cook and his culinary perspective is so unique. He helps me think out of the box and he helps keep me sane in the kitchen. I couldn’t have done it without him. (Oh, and he did ALL the dishes. All of them! Best husband ever!)

Thanks to Mari, Dan, Noelle, Blake and Nicole for being the guests of honor. It was my pleasure to cook for you all.

And now I’ll leave you with photo of our tiny living room, transformed into a ‘formal’ dining room. (With my cat, Penelope, in the window):

Photo credits: Mari Yeckel & Lindsay Strannigan

Lemon Polenta “Fries” with Hazelnut Romesco

There are certain recipes that just speak to me.

These recipes jump off the page and say: “Lindsay! Make me.” And I say, “Well, OK then.”

This was one of those recipes. I was making my usual blog rounds, and noticed that my friend and fellow Portland blogger, Adrien (of Her Hungry Heart), had posted a recipe for Lemon Polenta Fries with Hazelnut Pesto. It all looked and sounded so delicious. Imagine my excitement when I discovered that the recipe could be easily altered to fit within my Lenten diet. Score!

Adrien’s use of hazelnuts in her pesto sauce reminded me that I, too, had a bag of hazelnuts that I’d been wanting to use. But, rather than stick with the pesto sauce, I decided to go in a slightly different direction. I set out to make a hazelnut romesco.

The idea came from a trio of hazelnut recipes written by famed local chef, Naomi Pomeroy (For those unfamiliar, Naomi has a fabulous restaurant in Portland called Beast, she’s been a competitor on Iron Chef America, and is rumored to be a contestant in the next season of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters). A friend had printed out Pomeroy’s hazelnut recipes for me a few months ago, and ever since I’d been wanting to make her hazelnut romesco. For whatever reason, I just hadn’t gotten around to it! So, then, when I saw Adrien’s recipe, the pieces all fell into place. I knew exactly what had to be done: polenta fries with hazelnut romesco.

Now, all I needed was an excuse to make this delicious dinner.

The excuse ended up being a random Thursday night. There was a Blazer game on TV and my friend Mari came over to watch the game. That was all the excuse I needed! Delicious dinner + friends + Blazers = a perfect Thursday night.

Everything turned out splendidly. I made a vegan caesar salad to go along with the meal, which rounded everything out so nicely. The polenta fries were crisp, with just a hint of lemon. The romesco sauce was packed with flavor – it was rich, sweet, smoky, and spicy. (Nich has since declared that he could eat romesco every day. I guess this is one of those recipes that we’ll be making often.) Overall, we had a fantastic night. We ate like kings and the Blazers won. What more can you want? ;)

I will mention that while the meal wasn’t difficult to make, it did take a bit of prep time. You could easily make some of the elements ahead of time (i.e. make the romesco sauce the night before), but overall I felt the meal came together relatively easily.

Lemon Polenta “Fries” with Hazelnut Romesco
(Polenta fries adapted from the lovely Adrien at Her Hungry Heart, Hazelnut romesco adapted from Naomi Pomeroy of Beast.)

For the polenta:
1 cup polenta (aka corn grits)
3 1/4 cups cold water
zest of 1 lemon
Dash of cayennne
Dash of paprika
Salt & pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons butter (or vegan butter substitute, such as Earth Balance)

Lightly great an 8″ square baking dish with olive oil.

Mix cold water & polenta in a small pot. Whisk often, over high heat, until the mixture comes to a boil. Once the mixture has reached a boil, turn the heat down to low and stir the polenta continuously with a wooden spoon. When the polenta starts to pull away from the side of the pan (about 10 minutes), stir in lemon zest and butter/butter substitute. Season with salt, pepper, and a dash of cayenne pepper and paprika.

Pour the polenta into the prepared baking dish, and spread into an even layer. Chill, uncovered, for 45 minutes to an hour (until cool & firm). When set, unmold the polenta and cut into slim sticks. (Note: I cut some of the polenta into rectangles to make grit cakes, and the rest I cut into slim sticks to make ‘fries’. Both Nich and I agree that the fries cooked more evenly and had a better texture.)

Place polenta ‘fries’ on a lightly greased baking sheet and broil until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Turn the fries over and broil the other side until golden, about 8 minutes more.

Hazelnut Romesco
(Adapted from Naomi Pomeroy)

**Romesco sauce is a roasted red pepper spread that is usually made with almonds, stale bread, and a variety of spices. This particular version uses hazelnuts, which I think give it a unique and wonderful flavor.

2 red bell peppers
2 dried red Mexican chilies or 1 tsp red chili flakes (Note: original recipe calls for 2 dried ancho chilies, which you then reconstitute and make into an ancho chili paste. I didn’t have ancho chilies and used whatever dried red chilies I had on hand. Personally, I’m of the opinion that you could probably just use red chili flakes and skip making the chili paste altogether.)
3/4 cups roasted hazelnuts (skins removed, preferably)
1.5 tsps smoke paprika
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 large piece of crusty white bread
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tablespoon tomato paste
salt & pepper, to taste

Method:
*If you decided to make/use ancho chili paste as opposed to chili flakes do the followingg: To make paste, add boiling water to 2 dried ancho chili pods. Allow to soak in hot water for 15-20 minutes. Remove pods from water and puree, adding a little extra water to make a paste.

Cut crust off bread and brush with olive oil. Either toast in the oven or in a skillet until golden brown and crisp.

In a food processor, combine hazelnuts, garlic, toasted bread, salt, and spices. Mix until a dry paste forms. Add chili paste, roasted red peppers, tomato paste, vinegar, and olive oil until a smooth paste forms. Add extra olive oil if you would like a thinner consistency. Taste and adjust spices as needed.

*Romesco also works wonderfully as a dip with rustic bread, or as an accompaniment to various proteins, such as pork or chicken. We actually made romesco sandwiches with the leftovers!

A Trio of Quail Eggs.

What do you do when a friend gives 3 dozen quail eggs?

Before I answer that, let me set the stage.

It was a Friday night, and we had friends coming over for a little Sushi dinner party. I was on appetizer duty, Nich was in charge of the sushi-making (as I can’t make a pretty sushi roll to save my life), and friends were bringing drinks and a host of other goodies.

I was originally going to make regular old sushi appetizers: edamame and miso soup. But then, that very day, my co-worker brought me a carton full of beautiful little quail eggs. I was so excited!

Immediately, I began dreaming up teeny tiny appetizers. For any of you that know me well, you know I’m a bit of a deviled egg fanatic. I own not one, but two, vintage deviled egg platters. So, it should come as no surprise to you all that I was thrilled about the prospect of making deviled quail eggs. In fact, I’d been wanting to make them for a long, long time. Since these particular eggs were going to be paired with a sushi dinner, I decided to go with a Wasabi Lemon Deviled Quail Egg:

I quickly whipped up a batch of my darling little deviled quail eggs, and I still had so many eggs left! I had to figure out what to do with the rest of them. So, I began to dream up other appetizers. Since I wanted to keep with the sushi theme (and stick within the realm of Asian flavors), my next thought was to simply fry up the quail eggs and pair them with a soy sauce reduction. But, then, I had a better idea: I was going to recreate Susan Feniger’s Kaya Toast.

For those of you who don’t know her, Susan Feniger is an accomplished chef (also a contestant on Top Chef Masters) who owns a couple of restaurants in Los Angeles — Border Grill and Street. During our last trip to LA we stopped in for lunch at Street, as we were told that we had to try Feniger’s Kaya toast. We were not disappointed…it was deeeeeeelicious! As far as I can remember, Kaya Toast consisted of a large slice of toasted white bread that was slathered with coconut jam, topped with a fried egg, and served with a dark soy sauce reduction. It was the perfect marriage of sweet and savory.

So, back to quail eggs. Once I remembered the magic of Feniger’s Kaya Toasts, I decided that I was going to make my own mini versions. The only problem: we had friends coming over in 3 hours and I had no coconut jam. Since I didn’t have the time to make my own jam, I frantically searched my local specialty grocery store for any exotic jam that might work. And, I was in luck! I happened upon a jar of ginger jam. I knew the ginger would work well with the soy and the egg, and so my own mini versions of the kaya toasts were born:

Lastly, I must credit the almighty Google for my third quail appetizer. By this point, I was dead set on the idea of a trio of quail egg appetizers. I wanted each of my guests to have 3 separate and distinct quail egg bites. Since my own brain wasn’t coming up with a third option, I turned to Google to help me out. After a quick search, I saw that Ping restaurant serves a Bacon Wrapped Quail Egg with a Sriracha Sauce. I didn’t know you could DO that — hardboil an egg, wrap it in bacon, and top it off with the best hot sauce known to man. I looked no further for other ideas: this was the perfect bite to round out my quail egg trio. I hard boiled the eggs, wrapped them in applewood smoked bacon, and topped them with a creamy sriracha sauce.

I will end this post by saying that our Friday night sushi party was the epitome of all that is delicious. These appetizers were only the beginning of a night of good food with good friends. I was grateful to be given such a fantastic ingredient (quail eggs!), which inspired me to make a few fancy little appetizers.

The moral of the story is: When life hands you 3 dozen quail eggs, make some dainty (and delicious) appetizers for your friends. It will be great, I promise.

(Note: I chose not to write out the recipes for the appetizers here, as I wasn’t sure how many of you have regular access to quail eggs. However, I am more than happy to share my recipes! Please leave me a comment or email me at lindsay dot strannigan @ gmail dot com and I’ll gladly send you the recipes!)

Recipe Swap: Sweet Corn & Herb Hush Puppies

Oh, life is funny sometimes. And by funny, I mean this: Life is abolutely, positively never dull. Let me explain…

So, I’ve been thinking about this particular recipe/post for a few weeks now. As you may recall, CM (from Burwell General Store) and I did a recipe swap not too long ago, wherein we made our own interpretations of a recipe from Autumn Spiced Pudding from an old cookbook/hymnal called All Day Singin and Dinner on the Ground. We had such a good time with the swap, that we decided to do another – and this time we invited Toni at Boulder Locavore to join in on the fun. CM selected another recipe from the same cookbook, and we’ve had the last couple weeks to dream up ideas and interpretations.

For this swap, CM selected a very simple recipe: Fern’s Fried Apple Fritters.

She gave us no restrictions for our interpretations – the only stipulation was that our creations had to be somewhere in the fritter family (and that we had to have fun!). As soon as I heard that we were making fritters, I knew that I wanted to make Green Papata Fritters. I got the idea from one of Nich and I’s absolute favorite places to eat – The Whisky Soda Lounge. The WSL is the sister restaurant of the acclaimed Thai restaurant, Pok Pok. Originally created as an overflow space for Pok Pok, the WSL was designed to be a place for diners to get a drink and snack while waiting for a table across the street. However, Nich and I don’t even bother with Pok Pok anymore, we just go to the WSL for the Green Papaya Fritters. They are just so ridiculously good. That being said, I decided that since I love these particular fritters so very much, I would use this opportunity to make my own version of the beloved green papaya fritter.

And then, plans changed. On Friday night I ate some particularly spicy Chinese food…and let’s just say that it didn’t sit well with me. I will spare you the details, but it was a rough weekend. My original plan was to make my papaya fritters on Sunday night with my dear friend Mari, but my stomach had other plans. After a miserable day curled up in a ball on the couch, I couldn’t stomach the thought (no pun intended!) of eating anything remotely related to Asian food. Green Papaya fritters were out of the question.

So, then, I did what any other reasonable person would do when feeling ill: I went ahead and made fritters. I simply made a different kind of fritter. I needed a fritter that would be nice to my angry stomach; a fritter that was decidedly un-complicated; and a fritter that could be classified as ‘comfort food’. For me, that fritter was a classic cornmeal fritter — otherwise known as the “hush puppy“.

Since I didn’t have the energy to go to the store, my hush puppies were limited to what I had on hand. Thankfully, I had an interesting array of ingredients on hand and so I happily went about ‘inventing’ my version of this classic cornmeal fritter. In the end, I made Sweet Corn and Herb Hush Puppies with a Lemon Parsley Yogurt Sauce. They were everything I hoped for: simple to make, delicious to eat, and easy on the stomach. They may not be the fanciest fritters on the planet – but given the circumstances, I think they turned out rather well.

My fellow recipe swappers came up with some remarkable interpretations of the apple fritter. CM (Burwell General Store) made a “Trio of Truffle Fritters”, as she scored an amazing selection of truffles at her local farmers market. Toni (Boulder Locavore) decided to stay true to the apple portion of the original fritter recipe, and reinvented the fritter as Apple Pork Empanadas (and they’re gluten free!). I love that the 3 of us took a simple fritter recipe and ran in such different directions with it. Such is the beauty of a recipe swap!

So here’s to another successful swap. And even though life (aka my stomach) threw me a bit of a curveball this past weekend, I just had to roll with it. Sometimes culinary ‘accidents’ are the best kind! In this case, my haphazard, last-minute, illness-induced fritters were fabulous!

Sweet Corn & Herb Hush Puppies
(Makes 15-20)

1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup white flour
2.5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
Black pepper to taste
Dash of cayenne pepper
1 small shallot, minced
1 baby sweet bell pepper, diced
1 small jalapeno, diced and seeds removed
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
3/4 cup corn kernels (I only had frozen corn on hand, as corn isn’t exactly in season right now. But if making this in the summertime, I could imagine that roasted corn would be delicious in this!)
1 tsp fresh thyme
Canola oil for frying

1. Mix dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, cayenne, sugar, pepper) together in a medium sized bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and the egg. Add corn, herbs, shallot, and peppers to the egg and milk mixture. Using a spatula, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, folding until completely combined. For best results, let this mixture sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before frying.
3. Next, heat 2-3 inches of oil in a heavy bottomed pan or skillet until it reaches 350 degrees.
4. Using a tablespoon to measure, drop spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil (I use a second spoon to scoop out the batter and keep its round shape). Fry until golden brown on all sides, turning every so often. Using a slotted spoon, remove from oil and transfer to paper towels. Let cool slightly, but they are best served warm! Serve with Lemon Parsley Yogurt Sauce.

Lemon Parsley Yogurt Sauce

1 cup Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup parsley leaves
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
A couple mint leaves
The juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt & pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

Method: Combine all ingredients in a food processor until well blended. For best results, chill for 1 hour before serving. Serve with hush puppies (and a dash of hot sauce!).