Posts tagged appetizers
Strawberry sriracha jam

While I'm less of a sweet-heat gal (I'm not usually a fan of hot and spicy things that have sweetness to them, such as wings or sauces), I'm all about sweets that have an added element of heat. In this case, the addition of sriracha chili sauce gives homemade strawberry jam, which is fundamentally delicious on its own, a depth and mystery that takes it to the next level.

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Ricotta toasts with roasted olives and chili oil

There's a winning combination of spicy sweetness that i've experienced a few times recently with pizza. Each time some iteration of cheese, meat, honey, and heat made the experience difficult to quite nail down and yet good enough to want to never stop eating. I thought I'd try something similar with a slightly different cast of characters, substituting in roasted olives as a briny, bitter agent that pairs so well with ricotta cheese, spicy chili oil, honey, and lemon. These little toasts have such a cool balance of flavors going on—I can't get enough...

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Meatball sub crostini

Remember the no-calorie game that I talked about here? There are days when meatball subs would make it on my list. Because there’s no substitute, and when they’re good, they’re unapologetically good. Just the other night, eating at a local favorite called Rocco (restaurant review to come, someday), we had meatballs as an appetizer (meatballs are a suitable appetizer when you are an actual bottomless pit like we are), and they’re my favorite meatballs ever. Perfect sauce, perfect meat wads, and they’re served on top of a thick piece of charred bread that’s covered in sauce. It’s actually heaven. And in the heat of the moment, I went so far as to say they might be my death row meal. Are you familiar?—my last meal on earth, should I ever be on death row and get to choose the very last meal I’d ever eat. This spurred an ongoing craving for meatballs/meatball subs/spaghetti and meatballs that hasn’t left me yet. This, combined with my love of appetizers and bite-sized morsels and finger foods, and the upcoming Super Bowl where these types of foods are expected, and these meatball sub-inspired crostini came to be.

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Crudités with green goddess dip

Done right, this is an appetizer that holds its own among the greats. The green goddess dip is key here with its seriously zesty zip from garlic, green onion, lemon juice, and lots and lots of fresh basil. It is a perfect appetizer to throw together at a moment’s notice during this party-filled time of year. Because it is relatively simple in nature, I really like to focus on a pretty presentation, which is no more work but results in a slightly classier finished product.

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