My Go To Appetizers
I hosted a dinner party for the girls over the weekend and I decided to start the night off with simple but, flavoursome appetizers. My quick and simple crowd pleasing starters are: Tomato & Red Pepper Orzo, Mozzarella Balls with Sundried tomato & pesto, Sundried tomato herb flat bread with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar Herb dip. These dishes are simple yet, delicious and worth trying. The Orzo recipe can also serve as a main course just add meat, fish or vegetables (eggplant /aubergine, zucchini/courgette, wild mushrooms, etc ) for added bulk.
Tomato & Red Pepper Orzo- 1 cup orzo, 10 diced sundried tomatoes, 2 grilled red peppers diced, 1/4 diced sweet onion, 1/2- 1 clove minced smoked garlic, 1/4 cup orzo cooking water , 1 1/2 tsp tomato paste, 1 tbls vinegar, 6 leaves minced fresh basil, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, minced parsley, 1/2 tsp of fleur de sel (sea Salt), 1/4 tsp Pinch of fresh ground black peppercorn, 1 tsp Fehmalee's kitchen flavour enhancer.
Combine tomato paste, vinegar, garlic , oregano, fleur de sel, ground black pepper and flavour enhancer in a bowl and stir. Cook orzo and remove from stove once al dente, take 4 tablespoons of cooking water and add to tomato paste mixture. Strain the remaining water and set orzo aside. Stir mixture then add orzo, onion, grilled peppers, tomatoes, basil and parsley stir to coat then serve.
Mozzarella Balls with Sundried Tomato & Black Olives- 1 tub of Buffalo mozzarella balls, 1 jar of sundried tomatoes, 10 black olives sliced, 1tsp basil pesto, 1/2 - 1 clove minced garlic, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1 tbls oil from sundried tomato, pinch of fleur de sel (sea salt), pinch of fresh ground black peppercorn, 1/4 tsp Fehmalee's kitchen flavour enhancer.
Combine basil pesto, garlic, oregano, oil from sundried tomato, fleur de sel, ground black peppercorn and flavour enhancer in a serving bowl. Add sundried tomatoes and stir. Finally add mozzarella and olives and gently stir to coat. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes -1 hour then serve.
Sundried Tomato herb Flat Bread with Olive Oil Balsamic Vinegar Herb Dip- Artisan tomato herb flat bread, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (Evoo), 2-3tbls good quality balsamic vinegar, pinch of fleur de sel (sea salt), pinch of fresh ground black peppercorn, 1/2 tsp Fehmalee's kitchen flavour enhancer.
Lightly brush bread with garlic infused olive oil and place in a low oven to warm bread (remove from oven when bread reaches desired temperature and slice) . Combine balsamic vinegar, fleur de sel, ground blk peppercorn, flavour enhancer in dip bowl and stir to combine. Gently pour in Evoo into mixture stir slightly and serve.
Dinner parties are fun, I enjoy having good food, wine and making interesting conversations with friends and family. Entertaining highlights for me are my guests asking for seconds or even thirds and seeing empty plates at the end of the night...
