Category Archives: appetizers

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Corn Chowder

15 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by in appetizers, soups

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Every once in a while I come across a recipe that contains way too much of the bad stuff to eat on a regular basis, but moderation twists my arm. This is one of those recipes. It’s an adaptation of a soup I made a while back as part of a Mustard Madness event by Uncle Jim’s Mustards. If you haven’t tried them, they are the best. I just finished my last jar, time to reorder. And free delivery is nice because I don’t have a retailer near me that carries it.

This is an adaptation of their Corn Chowder with a Kick! I’ve added smoked chicken, left out some of the butter and cheese and tweaked the ingredients a bit. This is a hearty, rich soup with sweet and spicy and texture, all wrapped up in one. Comfort in a bowl!

1 stick butter
1 large onion
4 strips of bacon, chopped
8 ounces frozen corn
1 small can green chiles
1 cup milk
1 cup half and half
1 32 ounce box chicken broth or stock
1 jar Uncle Jim’s Habanero Pepper Mustard
1 cup flour
12 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon chile oil (I use Fiore Green Baklouti oil)
1 tablespoon fresh cracked pepper
2 large chicken breasts, cooked, diced (I used smoked chicken which was the best!)
red bell pepper, diced, for garnish
In large pot, melt butter, add onions and bacon and sauté over medium high heat for about 10 minutes. Stir in corn and chiles and cook another few minutes. Add flour and stir for 2 minutes. Then add broth, milk and half and half and stir until thickened, about 10 minutes. Lower heat to medium low. Add diced chicken, Uncle Jim’s mustard and cheese, stir and cover until fully melted and soup is hot, another 15 minutes. Garnish with diced red pepper. Enjoy!
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A virtual trip to Italy through crusty bread and olive oil? Yes, please!

15 Sunday Mar 2015

Posted by in appetizers, bread, Fiore olive oils & vinegars, food

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If there’s one “meal” I prefer not to miss, it’s the late afternoon snack that often accompanies wine. I’ll skip breakfast or lunch in order to not miss this one (true).

crusty bread and olive oil

From the top left, clockwise:

  • olives, roasted peppers, sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
  • grated parmesan between two of my favorite Fiore oils – garlic (left) and chipotle (right) extra virgin olive oils with cracked black pepper
  • creamy ricotta, shaved Parmesan, cracked black pepper, extra virgin olive oil and a drizzle of 18 month aged Balsamic from Fiore
  • sliced hard salami
  • shaved sharp “Alpine” cheddar from Cabot
  • and the crusty Italian bread

Now, what wine to pair with it?

ricotta, parmesan, balsamic vinegar, olive oil

Tomatoes, ricotta, basil, Parmesan…a fresh and easy appetizer!

21 Saturday Feb 2015

Posted by in appetizers, tomatoes

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dana moos recipes

Slice a large ripe tomato. Top the slices with ricotta and fresh torn basil leaves. Shave Parmesan over the top and then drizzle with a good quality olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Worth noting: if you can’t get fresh ricotta, I love Galbani brand or the extra creamy version by Sorrento.

Bacon, Onion, Fig Jam Anyone?

23 Tuesday Sep 2014

Posted by in appetizers, bacon, events, Fiore olive oils & vinegars, foodporn

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So this past Sunday, I did a food and wine pairing at Cellardoor Winery in Lincolnville, Maine. It’s a gorgeous vineyard with a stunning farmhouse, tasting room and dining area that makes you feel like you must be in California wine country. But we’re in the beautiful state of Maine. With delicious wines. I love this place. I was very excited to be cooking some bites to pair with their wines for their regular pairings on Sundays.

I decided to make three bites: First Bite:

Fresh Lobster, Sriracha Aioli, Red Onion, Lemon Zest and Fresh Dill on Crostini

Second Bite: Creamy Leek, Fontina and Parmesan Fondue on Crostini topped with Lobster and Sherry Butter

Third Bite: Bacon, Onion, Fig Jam with Blue Cheese on Crostini (pictured below in the middle)

Bacon Onion & Fig Jam makes about 1 1/2 cups

1/2 stick butter

3 medium onions

diced 8 slices thick cut slab bacon

diced 4 fresh figs (dried are fine as well) plus 4 dried figs, diced

3-4 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 tablespoons Fiore Fig Balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon Fiore Espresso Balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons whole grain mustard (I used my favorite – Maille)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

Sauté onions with butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat until they begin to brown, about 45 minutes. While the onions are cooking, cook the bacon until it’s just shy of crisp, you want some “bend” to remain (about 80% done). Then add to the onions, adding some of the grease, but not all. Then stir in remaining ingredients and simmer on low for about 20 minutes. Taste after about 10 minutes. If it’s not sweet enough, add sugar.  If it’s not tart enough, add more Balsamic. If you want more mustard for more of a savory kick, add more. This is where you cook to your taste!  Blue Cheese Butter (I used Gorgonzola) 8 ounces of blue or Gorgonzola cheese 1/2 stick of butter Let cheese and butter sit at room temperature to soften. Mix with paddle attachment in stand mixer or food processor (or by hand!) until well combined. Baguette slices (fresh or baked until crisp) Top with blue cheese butter and a spoonful of bacon jam. It’s a perfect couple of sweet-savory bites! But we all agreed, pair it with a nice bold, fruit forward red!

Oh, and by the way, the other two bites were Maine lobster…….stay tuned for those recipes!

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More bacon onion jam, please!

24 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by in appetizers, bacon, Cheese, Fiore olive oils & vinegars

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You all know I love my crusty bread. And cheese. And toppings to go with. Particularly with my cocktails. But this is one of THE absolute best toppings I’ve ever made.

I first caramelized some onions in plenty of butter over medium low heat for almost an hour, until they were caramelized and naturally sweetened by the process, not by adding sugar.

In another sauté pan, I cooked thick cut diced bacon until just before the crispy stage. Then I added the bacon to the onion pan, added maybe a couple tablespoons of a fig Balsamic from Fiore, a couple teaspoons of raw sugar and let that simmer together for about 15 minutes. Let this rest for a few minutes before serving over blue cheese topped crostini. The perfect sweet – savory bite!

Heaven. But I warn you, it’s addictive!

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Looking for an easy appetizer?

29 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in appetizers, food photography, foodporn, recipes, salmon

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  • Salmon, Boursin and Wonton Wrappers
  • Salmon, Boursin and wonton, wrapped up ready to bake

    Salmon and Boursin in crispy wontons

     

Looking for a quick and easy appetizer? Five simple ingredients:

  • fresh salmon
  • boursin
  • wonton wrappers
  • cracked black pepper
  • olive oil

Fill, fold, drizzle with olive oil (or you could use a spray) and bake at 350 until the edges get crispy!

Fresh Pineapple Salsa

05 Saturday Nov 2011

Posted by in appetizers, food photography, fruit, Produce, recipes, vegetarian

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Chop fresh pineapple, red onion (small dice), jalapeño (tiny dice), cilantro, a squeeze of lime, dash of salt and a drop of the juice from the pineapple and let the flavors meld for a few hours. Serve with corn and flour tortilla chips and guacamole and enjoy!