Recipe: Appetizer Recipes

SPANAKOPITA - Greek spinach and feta cheese pie
This recipe is from a greek cookbook, with modifications.

(about 20 pieces)
500 g fillo dough
120 ml olive oil
1.5 kg spinach (5 packages, if you use frozen spinach)
100 g unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped.
3 leeks, washed and chopped.
500 g feta cheese
5 eggs
100 g breadcrumbs
250 ml milk
5 ml salt
pepper

If you are using fresh spinach, wash it, dip it for a minute or two in boiling water to blanch it, and then chop it. Drain the spinach and squeeze most of the water out of it. Wash thoroughly and chop the white part of the leeks. Peel and chop the onion. Saute the chopped leeks and onion in the butter. Add the spinach, salt and pepper. Mix everything together and simmer for 20 minutes. While the spinach is cooking, grate the feta cheese (I use a food processor). Alternatively, you can crumble it into small chunks. Remove the spinach from heat and add the cheese, eggs (beaten), breadcrumbs and milk. Mix every- thing together and set aside. Grease a square baking pan with a little olive oil. Take one sheet of dough and place it on the bottom of the pan towards one of the corners, in such a way that the dough sticks out a little from two of the sides of the pan. Brush the sheet with olive oil. Repeat this step until you have used about two thirds of the dough, alternating corners and always brushing each sheet of dough with olive oil. Pour the spinach mixture into the pan. Level it, and fold in the sides of the assembled crust. Brush the dough with olive oil. Take one sheet of dough and place it on top of the pie, this time without any bias towards any of the corners. Brush the sheet with olive oil. Repeat this step until you have used all the remaining dough, always brushing each sheet with olive oil. Gently tuck the edges of the top sheets of dough under the sides of the pie. Brush the top with olive oil. Using a sharp knife cut the top of the pie as if you were cutting it to serve it, but don't go all the way to the bottom. Sprinkle the pie with of water and bake it at 175 deg. C for 45 minutes. Let the pie cool, and serve.

LUSCIOUS CHICKEN STRIPS

3/4 C. buttermilk
1 T. chicken flavor instant bouillon
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 lb. skinned boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. paprika
Vegetable oil

In a large bowl, combine buttermilk, bouillon and oregano; let stand 10 minutes. Stir in chicken. Let stand 30 minutes to blend flavors.

In a plastic bag, combine flour and paprika. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time; shake to coat. Dip in buttermilk mixture again; coat with flour again. In a large skillet, fry chicken strips in hot oil until golden on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Serve with Peach Dipping Sauce.

Peach Dipping Sauce
1 (16 oz.) jar peach preserves
1/4 C. Dijon mustard
2 T. lemon juiceIn a blender, combine peach preserves, Dijon mustard and lemon juice; blend until smooth.

PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS WITH BLUE CHEESE AND WALNUTS

3 large portobello mushroom caps
2 oz. blue cheese, crumpled
1/2 C. walnuts, coarsely chopped
Vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Wipe caps clean and gently brush them with a little oil. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and evenly fill the caps with the walnuts then the blue cheese. Bake for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Serve as an appetizer with knives and forks, or cut into quarters and pass as an hors d'oeuvre to be picked up by hand.

EGGPLANT DIP

1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
2 medium green bell peppers
1/2 C. olive oil
8 C. diced eggplant
1 1/2 (10 oz.) cans Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained
1 T. sugar
1/2 C. catsup
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 1/2 tsp. salt
3 T. dry white wine
1 (2 1/4 oz.) bottle small capers, drained

Peel onion and garlic. Remove seeds and tough white part of green peppers. Mince onion, garlic and green peppers. In very large, heavy skillet, cook these in olive oil over medium heat until onion is golden, stirring constantly. Peel and dice eggplants. Add eggplants to onion mixture and cook for 20 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add Ro-Tel tomatoes, sugar, catsup, Worcestershire sauce, salt and wine. Allow mixture to cook slowly until fairly thick and eggplant is tender. Cooking time is about 30 to 40 minutes longer. Stir occasionally. Taste and add more salt if needed. Cool and add well-drained capers.

Refrigerate or freeze until used. Yields 3 pints, making about 65 to 70 servings. Serve warm from a chafing dish or at room temperature on toasted rye rounds.

FRIED RAVIOLI

1 (1 lb.) pkg. frozen ravioli, thawed
2 eggs beaten
2 T. milk
2 C. bread crumbs
Corn oil

Beat the eggs with the milk. Fill a Dutch oven with two inches of corn oil. Dip ravioli into eggs and then coat with breadcrumbs. Bring oil to about 300 F and fry about 4 to 6 ravioli at a time. Serve with marinara sauce.

WOOZY DOGS

1 1/2 C. ketchup
1/4 C. bourbon
1/2 C. brown sugar
1 T. minced onion
2 lb. all-beef hot dogs, cut into pieces

Cook ketchup, bourbon, brown sugar and onion until smooth. Add hot dogs.