A Little Something

Story by Deborah Hornblow | Photographs by Julie Bidwell

‘Tis the season to entertain. Family and friends drop by. Relatives come to stay. You might even host a party.

Whether you’re entertaining a handful of guests or a horde, it’s nice to have on hand an arsenal of delicious, fail-safe recipes.

To beef up our collection, we asked a number of local chefs and restaurateurs to provide recipes for popular dishes on their menus or to invent something special for a crowd.

We specifically requested dishes that can be served as “small plates” — hors d’oeuvres, snacks, tapas, or appetizers. The resulting recipe collection has the makings of a scrumptious sampler ranging from beef empanadas to chicken satay, crab cakes to small cups of butternut squash soup, and prosciutto-wrapped scallops to baba gnoush.

When feeding any guests, “Make as many things ahead as possible,” says Ryan Jones, chef and co-owner of the Mill at 2T restaurant in Tariffville.

“Keep it simple,” says Adam Greenberg, chef at Barcelona Restaurant & Wine Bar in West Hartford. “Don’t do a lot of hot food, and don’t get stuck cooking to order.” If you “shop smart,” as he suggests, you can round out a menu with no-cook and no-fuss offerings like smoked salmon on cucumber wheels or brown bread, tuna tartare, assorted olives, and wine biscuits and cheese. “There are so many things that are simple and easy.”

“People at home have got to be realistic,” Greenberg continues. “Don’t go out of your realm and do all these things you can’t do. A party should be fun.” The aim is “to be a guest at your own party,” he says. “You don’t want to get all dressed up in your holiday clothes then get stuck standing at the stove getting stains all over yourself.”

RECIPES

C
hicken satay is “one of the most popular dishes at both Char Koon and Forbidden City,” says Eric Leong, co-owner of both restaurants, the latter in Middletown.

Satay, which combines peanut paste, curry, lemongrass and a bit of sugar, is a traditional dish in Malaysia. Leong recommends using dark meat chicken “for the texture, [and because] it’s not too dry and more tasty.” Marinate the meat overnight, if possible.
For the sauce, choose an all-natural, unsweetened peanut butter (or reduce the amount of sugar called for accordingly).

Char Koon’s sauce recipe makes enough for about 4 pounds of chicken. It’s more than you’ll need here, but the extra can be used to create other dishes or served as a snack. “Customers buy the sauce from us,” Leong says. “They eat it like jam.” It’s also great on pasta and meats.

CHAR KOON’S CHICKEN SATAY

Peanut sauce:
3 tablespoons curry powder
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons ground lemongrass paste*
1 tablespoon shallot, mashed to a paste
2 cups unsweetened, all-natural peanut butter
2 cups sugar
3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt

Chicken:
Approximately 16 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes
1 pound chicken meat, preferably dark meat
1 tablespoon chopped lemongrass**
1 tablespoon mashed shallot
1 tablespoon curry powder
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water

*Lemongrass paste can be purchased in cans at specialty markets including A Dong in West Hartford.

**When using fresh lemongrass, peel away and discard tough outer layers. Trim away root end. Chop and use the low end of the remaining stalks.

Make the satay sauce: Add a little bit of water to the curry powder, just enough to form a paste, and set it aside.

Pour the oil into a sauté pan set over medium heat, add lemongrass paste and mashed shallot and heat until aromatic. Add curry paste and continue to cook until mixture is brown. If it becomes too dry, add a bit more oil.

Add remaining ingredients to the sauté pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Sauce can be made up to 1 week ahead and kept in the refrigerator. To serve, reheat until sauce is of good consistency for dipping. (Sauce recipe makes enough for roughly 40 satay sticks.)

Marinate the chicken: Cut the chicken meat into pieces measuring approximately ½-inch long by ¼-inch wide. Lay pieces out in a nonreactive dish. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, whisking to avoid lumps. Pour mixture over the chicken, cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or, preferably, overnight.

Soak bamboos skewers in water for at least 30 minutes (this will
prevent them from burning on the grill). Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers. Brush chicken with oil and set aside. Preheat a grill to medium-high. Grill skewered pieces until well done, approximately 5 minutes, flipping them once.
Remove from grill and serve with satay sauce.

Makes approximately 16 satay sticks.

t Apricots Restaurant in Farmington, the crab cakes combine jumbo lump crabmeat with red pepper and green scallion, making a delicious appetizer. The cakes are deep-fried to create a crispy coating then baked to finish. Home cooks may use that technique or pan-sear the cakes instead.

The crab cakes at Apricots are made with little filler, so the quantity of breadcrumbs in the recipe is small.

The cakes can be made in whatever size best suits the occasion – larger ones make a terrific first course or even a light dinner, minis are a favorite hors d’oeuvres.

APRICOTS’ CRAB CAKES

1½ pounds lump crabmeat
½ red pepper, cored, deveined, seeded and diced fine
2 scallions, rough green ends trimmed, chopped
¼ to ½ cup mayonnaise
1 to 2 eggs, beaten
¼ to ½ cup breadcrumbs
Dash hot pepper sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Oil for frying or butter and oil for pan-searing

Remoulade:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 to 2 tablespoons capers, finely minced
1 to 2 teaspoons Cajun spices, to taste
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Place first eight ingredients in a large mixing bowl, stirring gently to combine. (Use enough mayonnaise so that mixture binds when pressed into a ball.) Crab cake mixture can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated for up to a day.

Before cooking, allow crab mixture to come to room temperature.

Using an ice cream scoop or spoon, form crab cake batter into rounds of desired size.
If deep-frying, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pour enough oil into a fry-o-later or deep skillet so that cakes will be submerged. When oil is hot but not smoking, drop crab cakes in carefully. (You can test the oil temperature by first putting in a small amount of batter. The oil should bubble gently around it, not spatter or burn.) Fry cakes just until outsides are brown and crisp. Transfer browned cakes to a baking sheet. When all crab cakes are crisp and fried, place baking sheet in oven and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, depending on size of cakes, until done.

If pan-searing, put 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy bottomed skillet set over medium-high heat. When butter-oil mixture is hot, slide in a few crab cakes, do not crowd them, and cook until brown. Flip cakes gently to brown the other side, then transfer browned cakes to a serving platter. (Cakes can also be put in a low oven and kept warm until all are ready.)

Make the remoulade: Combine all remoulade ingredients and blend well. (Sauce can be made up to two days ahead and kept refrigerated until use.)

Serve crab cakes warm or at room temperature with the remoulade on the side.

Makes approximately 8 large crab cakes or 20 bite-size ones.

shot glass or espresso cup full of warm soup is a delicious welcome to guests at any party. “It’s something a little different,” says Ryan Jones, chef and co-owner of the Mill at 2T in Tariffville. The soup can be made a day or two ahead of the party and set over low heat as guests arrive.

MILL AT 2T’S BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
1 cup diced white onion
1 cup chopped carrot
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
½ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup light brown sugar
2 sage leaves
Salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
½ cup heavy cream

For garnish:
½ cup heavy cream (whipped to soft peaks)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. When hot, add squash, onion and carrot and cook until lightly brown. Add stock and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar and sage. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Place in blender or use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Add ½ cup heavy cream and blend for 20 seconds. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if necessary.

Soup can be served immediately or stored in refrigerator for up to 48 hours.

Make garnish: Whip ½ cup heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add ¼ teaspoon cinnamon and beat to combine.

To serve: Ladle soup into serving cups or bowls. Top with a dollop of cream and serve.
Serves 6 as a first course or up to 14 in shot glasses.

his recipe is a favorite small plate at Barcelona. It is featured in the restaurant’s new cookbook, The Barcelona Cookbook, which says, “You can put anything inside an empanada: eggs, lobster, fish, oxtail … This is our staple empanada. We deep-fry them, but they can also be baked in the oven … It is vital that the meat mixture be completely chilled before filling the empanada. It is the retention of the fat until the first bite that makes these so juicy and good.”

Empanadas require some planning ahead. The dough must be made far enough in advance to cool for at least 4 hours before it is filled. The sauce recipe below makes almost twice what you’ll need for the empanadas, but the extra won’t go to waste. It’s delicious served with cooked meats, vegetables and even eggs.

BARCELONA’S EMPANADA OF BEEF WITH SPICY PEPPER PUREE

Dough:
6 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1¼ cups water

Meat mixture:
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 ribs celery, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
1 large Spanish onion, finely diced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 pounds ground beef, preferably with 20 percent fat
1 35-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes
½ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 4-ounce can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

Assembly:
Roughly 2 cups flour, for rolling
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons water
About 5 cups cornmeal, for baking
5 cups soybean or canola oil, for deep-frying

Sauce:
1½ tablespoons olive oil
½ of a large Spanish onion, thinly sliced
1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed
17 ounces canned Italian plum tomatoes
(about half of one 35-ounce can)
1 15-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped
1 to 2 chipotle chiles in adobo plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from the can of chipotles
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Make the dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook or paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder and blend on low speed until well incorporated.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and vinegar. Add the egg mixture and melted butter to the flour and mix for about 1 minute, until blended. Increase the speed to medium and add the water. Mix for about 2 minutes to incorporate fully.
Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide into 3 equal portions. Shape each into a rounded disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 3 days.

Prepare the meat filling: In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium. Add the celery, garlic, carrots, and onion and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for about 7 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and the onion is translucent. Crumble the meat into the pan, season with about ½ teaspoon of salt and some pepper, and cook over low heat, breaking up with a wooden spoon, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until meat is cooked through with no pink showing.

Meanwhile, empty the tomatoes and their juice into a mixing bowl and, using your hands, crush the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes and their juice to the sauté pan. Add the ketchup and chile powder and stir to mix. Remove chipotle chiles from can and chop well. Add them and the adobo sauce to the meat and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Transfer meat mixture to a shallow pan and set aside to cool. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 3 days, until well chilled.

Make the sauce: In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Meanwhile, empty the tomatoes and their juice into a large mixing bowl, and using your hands, crush the tomatoes. Add tomatoes and their juice to the saucepan along with roasted red peppers, chipotles and adobo sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer sauce for about 30 minutes, stirring constantly, until sauce is slightly thickened and flavors blend. Remove pan from heat and let sauce cool for about 20 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree sauce until smooth (or transfer sauce to a blender and puree). Return sauce to pan and reheat gently until warm, or store sauce in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat gently before using. (Makes approximately 2½ cups.)

To assemble the empanadas: Let dough sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. Dust a work surface and rolling pin with flour and roll 1 piece of dough quite thin (about 1/6-inch thick).

Lightly flour a 4-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter and cut out as many rounds as possible. Gather any scraps, reroll, and cut out more rounds. You should get 8 to 10 from each piece of dough. Continue with the two remaining pieces of dough. You will have 24 to 30 rounds when done.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs with the water. Lay the dough circles on a lightly floured work surface. Brush the edges of each one with the egg wash. Spoon 2½ to 3 tablespoons of the chilled meat mixture into the center of each round of dough.
Fold the dough over the filling to form a semicircle and press the edges together. With a fork that has been dipped in flour, crimp the edges of the empanadas. Put the empanadas on baking sheets generously dusted with cornmeal, and refrigerate them for at least 45 minutes, or until chilled.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

To deep-fry: In a deep, heavy pot, heat the oil over high heat until it registers 385 degrees F on a deep-fat thermometer. When hot, fry 5 or 6 empanadas at a time for 4 to 5 minutes, or until browned and crisp. Lift the empanadas from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Let the oil return to 385 degrees F between batches. Keep the fried empanadas warm in the oven while you fry the remaining batches.
Pile the empanadas on a platter. Pour the warm pepper sauce into a bowl and serve alongside for dipping.

Empanadas can be made up to 1 day ahead and reheated in the oven or microwave. Makes approximately 24 to 30 empanadas.

When you think simple and delicious, it doesn’t get much better than this. Bill Driggs, who owns 2Hopewell with his brother, Adam Driggs, offered up these delectable mouthfuls, which he calls “a simple twist on a classic hors d’oeuvres.” The scallops can be wrapped and skewered hours in advance of company coming and kept refrigerated until 30 minutes before cooking. The pan-searing takes only minutes.

2HOPEWELL’S PAN-SEARED SCALLOPS WRAPPED IN PROSCIUTTO AND BASIL

4 to 6 slices thin-sliced prosciutto
12 medium-size fresh scallops
12 leaves fresh basil
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

Cut the thin slices of prosciutto into strips approximately ½- to 1-inch wide or about as wide as your scallops. Wrap a leaf of basil around each whole scallop, then wrap basil-and-scallop with a slice of prosciutto. Use a toothpick or skewer to hold wraps in place.

Set a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil, enough to coat the bottom of the pan. When oil is fragrant, place the wrapped scallops in skillet and sear for approximately 2 minutes per side, or until browned.
Remove scallops from heat. Remove skewer, if you used one.

Serve immediately.
Makes 12 wrapped scallops.

he Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan restaurant in West Hartford Center recently spawned a new nightclub, the Shish Lounge at 904 Farmington Avenue. The lounge is a popular site for drinking, dancing and late-night snacks including this Middle Eastern classic, baba gnoush. Shish Kebab House and Shish Lounge general manager Aaron Sarwar says it is best fresh but can be made a day or two ahead of a party.

SHISH LOUNGE’S BABA GNOUSH

1 large eggplant
3 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic (or to taste)
3 tablespoons sesame tahini

Garnish:
2 tablespoons olive oil
Olives or chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Prick eggplant all over with a fork. Bake whole eggplant in preheated oven until tender with skin slightly charred, about 30 minutes. (Do not burn eggplant.)

Remove eggplant from oven. Halve it and scoop out flesh.

Chop eggplant flesh in a food processor with remaining ingredients until it reaches desired consistency. (Slightly chunky is best.)

Cool eggplant mixture and serve warm or cold.

Before serving, drizzle with the olive oil, and garnish with parsley or your choice of olives. Serve with pita bread, crostini or crackers.

Makes approximately 1 cup.

Deborah Hornblow is a freelance writer and editor who lives in West Hartford.