Continental Appetizers: These appetizers are delicious, simple and attractive, above all easy to make.
The top picture is open grilled toast with tomatoes herbs and sour cream.
Brochette Appetizer, & & Mediterranean Falafel Pockets.
Mediterranean Pita Pockets with Falafels
Ingredients:
For the falafels
1C black gram flour
1C boiled potatoes mashed
2-3 chopped green chilies or to taste
1tsp garlic paste
1tsp ginger paste
1tbsp chopped green coriander leaves
1tsp salt
½tsp powdered anardana powder (pomegranate powder)
½tsp garam masala
¼ to ½tsp red chili powder
1tbsp oil
Oil for frying
To assemble and garnish:
Red chili and tomato chutney: Ingredients- 2 ripe tomatoes; 2-3 green chilies or dry red chilies; 1-2 tsp red- chili sauce; 1tsp chili garlic paste; 1tsp level salt
Blend all these ingredients in a blender and form a smooth chutney. Keep aside till needed.
Yogurt Chutney: Ingredients – 1C yogurt; ½ C Vege Mayonnaise; salt and pepper to taste
Whip the mixture to form a smooth spread. Add salt and pepper. Keep aside till needed.
Hummus: Prepared with Garbanzo beans, blended with canola/olive oil, lemon juice, tahini-sesame paste, salt, garlic and spices.
Garnished with roasted pepper pureed with lime juice, cilantro and salt
Salad: A mixture of chopped onions, tomatoes and salad leaves.
Method:
Falafels: 1. Mix all the falafel ingredients thoroughly and make a soft dough-like texture to form the Falafel balls.
2. Divide the mixture into 24 balls and make flat tikkis.
3. Deep fry the balls to light brown. Drain on a strainer.
4. To assemble: Take a full Pita bread, warm it up lightly, cut it into 2.
Take one half of the bread, and assemble the falafels in the pocket.
5. Open the pocket and spread the hummus inside the pocket. Then arrange 3 falafels in a layer in the pocket. Pour 1tsp red sauce on the falafels. Spread the salad liberally over the red sauce, then spread yogurt dressing over the salad.
Serve it with extra salad and the sauces.
Assemble the pita pockets immediately, so you can enjoy the hot falafels in the pita pockets.
Appetizers / Snacks:
Celery Cheesy pumpkin snack
Canapés: Canape' is French for small bite-sized appetizers.
Canapés’ are small, attractive savory appetizers which can be picked up with the fingers
and eaten in a few bites.
They consist of a base, mostly bread or salted crackers, on which a savory butter or spread is applied together with suitable garnish. Many imaginative combinations re possible, particularly as regards shapes, colors and garnishing.
Canapé Bases:
If using a savory crackers base, use either plain or after brushing with melted butter and toasting lightly in a moderate oven.
A bread base enable creation of a wide variety of shapes (round, square, diamond, fingers etc.) with design. First cut the bread (one day old is preferable) into slices about 12mm (1”) thick and remove the crust. Next cut out the desired shapes using either a cookie cutter or, if this is not available, with a sharp knife.
The bread base can be untoasted; or it can be toasted or sautéed (in a little butter over low heat) on one side only. The topping is always to be applied on the untoasted side.
Canapé Butter:
Blend softened butter thoroughly with savory ingredients e.g. mustard powder or paprika or curry powder with lemon juice etc. Store butter in a covered container, in the refrigerator. When you wish to use, cream the mixture to spreading consistency, spread thinly on canapé bases and serve after garnishing.
Canapé Spreads:
These are not as soft as the butters and can be piled more generously on the bases. Use any of the following spreads or others which you like, but do not forget that proper garnishing makes all the difference to the appearance.
Cheese spread:
Blend ½tcup grated processed cheese with ½tcup softened butter. You can also add ½tcup finely chopped olives. Season spread to taste with salt, pepper and a dash of tabasco sauce.
Chili Cheese Spread- Blend grated cheese with chili sauce to taste and add softened butter if you like.
Mushroom spread- Wash mushrooms, chop very fine and sauté in butter for 5 minutes. Add cheese, salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.
Potato Canapé
Potato Canapé: Makes 4 Canapé’s.
Make the potato filling: Ingredients:
Boil 1 medium potato, roughly mash it.
1tbsp finely chopped onion
1tbsp chopped tomatoes
1tsp crushed ginger root
½green chili chopped.
½tsp salt
½tsp red chili flakes
¼tsp anardana powder
1chopped curry patta
¼tsp cumin seeds
For Batter;
¼C Besan, ¼tsp each salt, and pepper
1tbsp buttermilk
2 White slices (one day old), cut into 4 rectangles each
Oil for cooking
Method:
Make the filling:
1. Heat 1tbsp oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, when seeds stop cracking add onion, ginger, chili, curry patta.
2. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onions are light brown.
3. Add tomatoes continue to cook till the tomatoes are mushy and oil separates. Now mix in the mashed potatoes, with all the spices and salt. Stir cook until the potatoes are coated with the masala and are slightly brown. Take from heat and keep aside.
4. In the meantime mix the batter ingredients and form a smooth, coating consistency batter.
5. Take 2 bread rectangles Spread 1tsp of the filling on it. Cover it with the other square press the sides to cover filling completely.
6. In a frying pan, heat oil on medium heat. Dip the prepared bread squares in batter and fry the squares, 2 at a time.
7. When they are light brown on both sides, drain on kitchen paper towel and serve with ketchup.
Poha Pea Kebabs
Poha Kabab: (Prepared with Beaten Rice):
Ingredients:
200gm Poha- beaten rice
1C boiled, diced vegetables (carrots, beans, cauliflower, potatoes, peas)
½C chopped onion
1tsp ginger chopped
1tsp black mustard seeds
1-2 green chili, chopped
¼C tomato, chopped
½tsp haldi
1tsp salt
½tsp garam masala
1tbsp coriander leaves
2tbsp Lemon juice
Green chutney and Mehthi chutney
1tbsp roasted peanuts (optional)
1tbsp oil
Method:
1. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, when they start to flutter add onion and ginger, cook for 2 minutes until onion becomes limp.
2. Add the boiled, diced vegetables, salt, chili flakes, haldi and stir-cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except the lemon juice, coriander leaves and chutneys.
3. Soak the Poha in water for 1-2 minutes just to soften it. Add the poha to the cooking pan. Cook stirring to mix it with the cooked ingredients.
4. Mix and take from heat. Transfer in a big serving bowl, mix the chutneys according to taste. Sprinkle lemon juice and mix.
5. Garnish with coriander leaves and peanuts.
Serve immediately.
Eggplant & Bottle Gourd Kabab Delicacy
Individual serving of Kabab
Eggplant & Bottle Gourd Kabab Delicacy
Ingredients:
1(300gm) Eggplant, cut in ¼” thick and 2 ½” diameter round, sprinkle salt on them and keep aside for15 minutes.
1 (300gm) bottle gourd-gheya (Gourd), cut in ¼” thick rounds
¼ to ½C besan (Gram flour) season with ¼tsp each salt and red chili powder
2tbsp all- purpose flour made into thin paste with water
Oil for frying
10 rounds of cucumber
10 rounds of tomatoes and few bites of chopped tomato
10 bread rounds of 2 ½”diameter
Green mint chutney
½ spring of green onion cut finely
10-12 fresh leaves of coriander or shredded lettuce
Method:
1. Heat 2tbsp oil on a skillet. Cook the kebabs separately in batches on a skillet.
2. Dip the rounds in the flour paste and roll them in the besan to coat all over. Place them on the skillet in a single row and stir-fry on both sides to light brown.
Keep them aside separately.
3. To assemble the snack:
Warm up the bread round spread some chutney on it then place the eggplant round over it. Put tomato round and the gheya round over it.
Now decorate the top with the coriander leave, tomato bites and spring onion.
Serve in individual serving small bowls with green chutney.
Kasta Kachories Serves 10
Ingredients
250gm flour
200gm (1C) moong dal or urad dal
50gm rawa
4tsp (20gm) coriander leaves, chopped fine
2tsp (10gm) chili powder
2tsp (10gm) amchur powder
1tsp (5gm) black cumin seeds
5 green chilies and 2.5cm ginger, grind to paste
1/2tsp (2gm) garam masala powder
a little lukewarm water for kneading the dough
salt to taste
300 ml (20 tbsp) oil for sautéing the grinded dal
oil for deep frying.
Method:
1. Wash the dal in 4-5 waters and soak it for a few hours. Drain and grind it into a coarse paste without adding any water.
2. Heat 12 tbsp oil in a heavy bottom pan add cumin seeds, when they start spluttering add the grind dal
3. Cook on low heat, continuously stirring so as not to let the dal stick to the bottom of the pan.
4. Add the chili-ginger paste with chili powder, garam masala, amchur and salt. Continue to cook until the dal turns golden brown.
5. Now add coriander leaves. mix well and keep it aside to cool. Then divide it into as many parts as the balls of the dough.
6. Mix flour, rawa, salt and 8 tbsp oil. Mix well and add sufficient water to make a soft dough. Divide the dough into lemon sized balls.
7. Flatten each ball and fill it with one part of the dal filling, close the ball round the filling. Roll it into a puri on a floured surface. Make all the puri in the same manner.
8. Deep fry the kachoris on medium heat, till they are golden brown on both sides.
Serve with aloo ke sabzi.
250gm flour
200gm (1C) moong dal or urad dal
50gm rawa
4tsp (20gm) coriander leaves, chopped fine
2tsp (10gm) chili powder
2tsp (10gm) amchur powder
1tsp (5gm) black cumin seeds
5 green chilies and 2.5cm ginger, grind to paste
1/2tsp (2gm) garam masala powder
a little lukewarm water for kneading the dough
salt to taste
300 ml (20 tbsp) oil for sautéing the grinded dal
oil for deep frying.
Method:
1. Wash the dal in 4-5 waters and soak it for a few hours. Drain and grind it into a coarse paste without adding any water.
2. Heat 12 tbsp oil in a heavy bottom pan add cumin seeds, when they start spluttering add the grind dal
3. Cook on low heat, continuously stirring so as not to let the dal stick to the bottom of the pan.
4. Add the chili-ginger paste with chili powder, garam masala, amchur and salt. Continue to cook until the dal turns golden brown.
5. Now add coriander leaves. mix well and keep it aside to cool. Then divide it into as many parts as the balls of the dough.
6. Mix flour, rawa, salt and 8 tbsp oil. Mix well and add sufficient water to make a soft dough. Divide the dough into lemon sized balls.
7. Flatten each ball and fill it with one part of the dal filling, close the ball round the filling. Roll it into a puri on a floured surface. Make all the puri in the same manner.
8. Deep fry the kachoris on medium heat, till they are golden brown on both sides.
Serve with aloo ke sabzi.