This is a straight forward and very easy recipe. I strongly suggest using a deep fryer rather then a pot of oil on the stove top, because it is safer and far simpler.

For our Tapas Party I made deep-fried green chilies and then the next night I made deep-fried Thai red chilies, Jalapenos and green chilies. They were all delicious.

The following recipe was adapted from Tapas. It’s out of print, but here’s the funny thing – Belle and I own TWO copies of this book. One is a regular sized cookbook, and the other looks like one of those small, chunky cookbooks. Fortunately, we bought both at bargain book prices – they look completely different but have the exact same recipes.

Belle’s note: I didn’t dare brave these deep-fried chilies, but some of the other guests just loved them! I’ve learned that when Ward says, “It’s not that hot,” it means it’s too hot for me. It’s only when he says, “This doesn’t taste spicy at all” that I will brave it, because that means it’s just hot enough for me!

Deep-Fried Chilies

vegetable oil
green chilies, red chilies or jalapenos

Special equipment: Electric deep fryer.

1. Place the oil in the deep fryer according the manufacturers instructions.
2. Heat the oil to 360 degrees F.
3. Place the chilies in the basket and deep fry for 1-2 minutes , depending on the size of the chilies.
4. Remove and place on paper towels to drain.
5. Serve.

Scallop Ceviche

Belle was in the mood for scallops the other night, but not the usual grilled or seared way. She wanted a ceviche.

I had made one when we were in Nova Scotia this past summer on holidays but couldn’t remember exactly what was in it. We looked at a picture we took of it back then (thank goodness we had one!) and I figured out what I’d put in it.

The ceviche I made in Nova Scotia

When I made it in Nova Scotia, Belle loved the flavours but the scallops were just too big for her. They had been fresh and large. This time I decided to slice the scallops into coins and then marinate them in the lime juice. This met with far more approval.

We thought the recipe I’d made in Nova Scotia had come from Occasions, the Nova Scotia Liquor Store’s magazine but we searched for it on its website and couldn’t find it. I had, unfortunately, lost the copy of the recipe I had used. I searched around online a bit, and found this recipe from Delicious Wisdom, which I then adapted a bit.

The scallops must be marinated overnight so Belle had to wait until the next day for her ceviche.

Belle’s note: This ceviche was delicious, but still not quite the same as the one I had in Nova Scotia. I was very happy that Ward decided to cut the scallops into thinner coins this time around – the flavours really soaked into them and they were very tasty.

Scallop Ceviche

6 large scallops sliced into thin coins
organic lime juice (enough to cover the scallops)
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp tequila

1. Place the scallops in a re-sealable freezer bag and cover with lime juice. Refrigerate over night (4 hours minimum).
2. The next day (or four hours later or any time in between), drain off most of the lime juice. Place the scallops in a medium-sized bowl.
3. Add pepper, onion,  jalapeno and cilantro and mix.
4. In a small bowl combine the oil, salt, black pepper and tequila. Pour the oil-tequila mixture over the scallops, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for another hour.
5. Spoon out the ceviche into a serving bowl or wine glass and serve.

This was one of the dishes Belle chose for our November Saturday Open House dinner (okay I think she chose all the menu items). I love to cook but I don’t like deciding what to cook. Tell me beef, poultry, fish, vegetarian, Mexican, Italian, Thai, Japanese – whatever it is you feel like – and I can go from there, but I need an idea to start with.

I adapted this recipe from Small Bites, a nice little book that comes in handy when you’re entertaining. There were no leftovers with this one – and I tripled the recipe! For some reason I have no pictures of this – oh, yes I remember why. I was still cooking while the appetizers were being served.

Belle’s note: It’s too bad we didn’t get a picture of this. It was a very nice dip – different enough but not too different that people didn’t want to give it a try. The original recipe called for just mixing everything together, but we found this much too awkward to work as a dip, so Ward threw everything into the food processor – the result? A very delicious, slightly chunky dip that everyone loved.

Spinach and Yogurt Dip with caramelized onion

350g (12 oz) spinach, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 cup full-fat yogurt
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
pita bread, cut into quarters for serving

1. Place spinach and salt in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat for 2 minutes or until wilted. Drain, rinse with cold water, and squeeze out the water.
2. Put oil, onions and garlic in a frying pan and sauté for 20 minutes or more, until the onions are caramelized and golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. In a large bowl mix the onions, yogurt and spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Place in food processor and process until slightly chunky.
4. Refrigerate.
5. Heat pita bread in toaster oven or regular oven.
6. Serve with the warmed pita bread.

This is a great appetizer. Everybody likes smoked salmon – well, almost everyone – and this is so fast and easy to make.

I picked this one up from Jacques Pépin’s DVD  series More Fast Food My Way. It’s definitely a great dish to make if you’re bringing something to a party.

Pair it with anything people can use to dip with – slices of baguette work well, as do bread sticks, pita wedges, Melba toast crackers and even store-bought tortilla chips (especially the scoop-shaped kind). We brought this dish to Belle’s cousin’s housewarming party a few months ago, and when the Melba toast crackers ran out, people just tore off pieces from a loaf of crusty French bread and slathered the salmon mousse on!

I also made this for our last Saturday Open House dinner; I made two of  these dishes with the one recipe – just cut the recipe in half if you only want to make one.

Belle’s note: Smoked salmon is one of my favorite foods, and this mousse is absolutely delicious. I know not everyone likes capers, but they really enhance the dish. We discovered the other night that people didn’t even realize they were eating capers as they snacked on the mousse! The presentation is also very pretty – you’re sure to get lots of oohs and ahhs as you set this appetizer down in front of everyone.

Smoked Salmon Mousse

350 g (12 oz) smoked salmon, thawed and roughly chopped
475 mL (about 2 cups) ricotta cheese
2 tsp organic lemon juice
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed
1-1/2 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil for for drizzling
1 baguette cut into bite size pieces or crackers and bread sticks

1. Place the smoked salmon and the ricotta cheese in a food processor.
2. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper and blend until smooth (adjust the salt and pepper to taste).
3. Place in a platter that’s about 1/2″ to 1″ deep. Smooth over by covering with plastic wrap and pressing down.
4. Sprinkle the top with the onions, capers and chives.
5. Serve with the bread or bread sticks and crackers.

I like the concept of an Amuse Bouche served before dinner to get the taste buds going and also to get everyone in the mood for dining.

I don’t make them all that often as they usually require a lot of work and result in very tiny portions (which is, after all, the entire concept).

But this Asparagus Mousse was easily made the night before and kept in the fridge until needed. All that was required the next day was to spoon the mousse into the serving vessels.

The recipe calls for serving  it on ceramic Chinese spoons and it would have been perfect as almost everyone at dinner was Chinese! But we didn’t  have enough Chinese spoons. Now this was a good thing since it alerted me to the fact that we need more Chinese spoons. My daughter and her friends almost live on ramen noodles as after school snacks so we really do need more spoons.

So I added Chinese spoons to my shopping list. But in the meantime, I needed to figure out how to serve the Asparagus Mousse. I decided to improvise and use sake cups, which I have way too many of.  Since it was going into a cup and not sitting on a spoon, I made the puree more liquid then originally called for so it could be more easily eaten from cups.

If you are making this ahead of time, stop after step #2 and refrigerate. When ready to serve start at step #3.

Amuse Bouche: Asparagus Mousse in a Sake Cup

1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed
2 green onions roughly chopped
1.5 tbsp Mayonnaise
3/4 tsp fresh lemon juice
large pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
2 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 egg white
12 sake cups (or Chinese spoons)
12 small oregano leaves

1. Boil salted asparagus in water until tender. Drain.
2. Place asparagus and onion in a food processor and puree until smooth. Place puréed mixture into large bowl.
3. Place egg white in another bowl with 1/4 tsp salt and whip until you get stiff peaks.
4. Fold heavy cream and egg whites into  asparagus purée.
5. Spoon into sake cups and top each with oregano leaf. Serve.

You’ll have to make up a large batch of the seasoning blend, but it keeps in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

The following recipe was adapted from FoodNetwork.com.

Crab Stuffed Mushroom Caps

3 x 120g cans white crab meat (or 12 oz in total)
1 cup cream cheese
1 cup green onions chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
seasoning blend (recipe follows)
30-40 large white button mushrooms, stems removed and reserved for another dish
1 cup bread crumbs
non-stick cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Combine crab meat, cream cheese, parsley, green onions and Parmesan cheese.
3. Season with seasoning blend, to taste.
4. Stuff mushroom caps with mixture and top with bread crumbs.
5. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and bake for 20 minutes or until hot and melted.

Seasoning blend:
1/4 cup salt
1/8 cup black Pepper
1/8 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together. Store in airtight container. Should last up to 6 months.