Smoked Salmon Pâté
This fresh-and-bright spread is wonderful served on this week’s Jewish rye bread—or mixed into your morning egg scramble.
Ingredients:
8 ounces smoked salmon
4 ounces F&L herbed cream cheese
4 ounces crème fraîche
Zest of 1 lemon, plus juice from ½ of the lemon
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until a pâté forms, which still has some texture to it and is not a purée.
2. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed, and chill until ready to serve.
Crispy Parsnip Chips
These lightly-salted baked chips are a wonderful afternoon snack.
Ingredients:
½ pound parsnips, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 300°.
2. Using a vegetable peeler, peel parsnips into long, very thin strips. Place strips in a bowl and toss with olive oil and salt. Lay parsnip strips on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until parsnip strips are crispy and golden brown. Allow strips to cool on baking sheets before removing.
Roasted Ratatouille Toasts
A delightful spin on the classic stew, this time slathered on toasted bread as a starter!
Ingredients:
1 heirloom tomato, roughly chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, some sliced in half, others left whole
1/2 Italian eggplant, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 zucchini or summer squash, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 sweet pepper, such as Bull’s Horn, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
⅓ cup olive oil
2½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 loaf Pomodoro bread, sliced into ½-inch-thick slices
8 ounces crème fraîche
½ cup basil, thinly sliced
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large roasting pan, toss the tomatoes, eggplant, squash or zucchini, pepper, onion and garlic with red pepper flakes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a healthy pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned and the tomatoes have released their juices. Stir the vegetables halfway through cooking.
2. Remove the vegetables from the oven and increase the temperatures to a broil. Lightly brush each slice of bread with olive oil. Place them on the upper rack of the oven and toast until lightly browned, 1-2 minutes.
3. Divide the crème fraîche among the toasts and top with a generous portion of the ratatouille. Garnish with the basil and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Pickled Peppers
These addictive peppers are wonderful for snacking, or served with burgers, tacos and sandwiches.
Ingredients:
4 cups assorted Corno di Torno peppers
1½ cups distilled white vinegar
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
Method:
1. Stem peppers and, leaving seeds, cut into ¼-inch rings, then pack in a clean 1 quart jar.
2. Bring vinegar, all remaining ingredients, and 1½ cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour hot brine over peppers; seal jar. Let cool, then refrigerate. Serve within 1 month.
