Eat First

Guacamole with Central New York flavor

 

Avocados…Mmmm! So green. So luscious. So rich. So delicious.

So… not from Central New York!

Most of the Hass avocados you see in grocery stores are from California, Mexico and Central and South America. A fruit that once was considered foreign is now available 365 days a year, and they travel a long way to get here.

Even at two for $5, we can’t resist ‘em every now and then to add to sandwiches and salads – or to just slice and eat on their own. We also like to mash them into guacamole -- always a hit at parties.

Here’s a guacamole treatment with ties to Central New York.

The recipe is adapted from the Guacamole a la Mission recipe that Steve Morrison, owner of The Mission Restaurant on East Onondaga Street in downtown Syracuse, shared with former Post-Standard restaurant reviewer and food writer Yolanda Wright some years back.

Pick up some Terrell’s deli-style tortilla chips (the hometown brand!!) and watch the guac disappear.

Mission Guacamole a la Margaret

4 ripe Hass avocados

¼ cup finely diced red onion

1 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted and ground

½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

Juice of half a lime, or to taste

¼ cup minced cilantro leaves

Slice avocados in half, top to bottom. Remove pit and skins and place avocado “meat’’ in a large bowl. Mash the meat using a potato masher or fork until desired consistency – we like guacamole slightly chunky.

To the bowl add red onion, cumin seed and salt and stir well. Add the lime juice, starting with juice of half a lime. Stir and taste for seasonings. Add more lime juice and salt, if desired, and stir again. Add cilantro and blend well.

 

Transfer guacamole to a smaller bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap into the guacamole. Don’t make guacamole too far in advance of serving it. It will oxidize, turning a brownish green. If this happens, stir again before serving.

Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy! 

 

 

Holiday happenings on the horizon: Part 2

The Spicy Cheese Balls from A.J. Rathbun's "Party Snacks'' were spicy, indeed, but they were gobbled up nonetheless at Friday night's holiday open house at Metro Home Style, at the Regional Market Commons.

The same can be said for the Pretty Party Pinwheels, a recipe from the same book. And since some of you (OK, one of you!) asked for photos and a recipe, here goes.

Making the pinwheels got me thinking about the endless possibilities for delicious appetizers made with the array of flavored wraps available these days at grocery stores. Like: Party pinwheels made with sundried tomato wraps and filled with salami, provolone and roasted red peppers from Lombardi's, for example.

 

The Pretty Party Pinwheels, made with flour tortillas, seasoned cream cheese, baby spinach and thinly sliced tomatoes, are shown in their carrying case. With their festive filling in Christmas colors of red and green, they made a pretty presentation on a large white platter. The recipe makes about 70 bite-size wraps, another plus for holiday parties.

You will need:

10 medium flour tortillas (8 inch)

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and sliced

4 scallions, white part only, chopped

Half a packet of Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix (dry)

Salt and black pepper to taste

5 cups baby spinach, washed and dried

5 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

Place the cream cheese, jalapenos, scallions, ranch dressing mix and salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine; mixture should be very smooth.

Spread one side of each tortilla with cream cheese. Be fairly generous, as the mixture is used as a sort of "glue" when rolling up the tortillas. Place half a cup of spinach and a few tomato slices on top.

Roll tortilla up tightly and place seam-side down on a cookie sheet (or crowd the roll-ups in a baking dish). Repeat with remaining 9 tortillas. 

Refrigerate the roll-ups for an hour or more, for easier slicing. At serving time, slice the pinwheels, arrange on a platter and serve with a little salsa on the side for dipping, if you like. Makes about 70 pinwheels.

Holiday happenings on the horizon

 

Holiday spread at a Post-Standard party, December 2008.

I know. You don't want to think about it. Neither do I. But it's November and the holidays are around the corner.

I'm keenly aware of this because a) I'm not working full-time at the moment and watching my spending like never before; b) I started a seasonal part-time job at Williams-Sonoma this week and c) I'm attending a holiday open house at Metro Home Style, a great little home decor shop at the Regional Market Commons, this evening. The event is co-hosted by neighbor business Bohemian Beans Cafe.

And I know the odds are good, dear reader, that you will either be hosting a holiday party in the weeks ahead or invited to a party (or two or three) where you're asked to bring something to the table, like your favorite hors d'oeuvre.

The beauty of hors d'oeuvres is that they are easier to make than they are to spell, and they go down easy, too, especially in a party situation, where one hand inevitably holds a glass of wine or (insert your favorite adult beverage here).

Blanched asparagus wrapped in prosciutto; dinner group, Jan. 2009

I volunteered to make a couple of appetizers for Metro Home Style owner Linda O'Boyle, and she happily accepted. We settled on two "apps" that wouldn't require any heating from "Party Snacks,'' a book Linda is selling at the store. It features  "50 simple, stylish recipes to make you a popular party host.''

Spicy Cheese Balls, and the book.

I don't know about that, but I do know that the recipe on the book's cover, Pretty Party Pinwheels, and the Spicy Cheese Balls (page 29) were pretty much a snap to make.

If I tell you how to make both of these right now, I'm not going to have enough time to clean up the kitchen, slice the party pinwheels and pack them in a portable container, figure out which platters to bring and, most importantly, take a shower.

But I'll tell you real quickly how to make the Spicy Cheese Balls. These are a bite-size alternative to the ubiquitous hulking cheese ball covered with nuts you often see at parties.

You will need:

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup grated sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese (orange)

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less, depending on your taste)

1 teaspoon black pepper

Half a teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons or more Italian parsley, finely chopped

1 cup chopped, toasted nuts (walnuts or pecans)

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT the nuts in the bowl of a food processor, blending and scraping the bowl down a couple of times. Transfer the cheese mixture to a bowl and refrigerate for an hour or more. Toast nuts and place in a shallow dish.

Line a large baking sheet or dish with waxed paper. Using a teaspoon measure or a cookie scoop if you have one, roll the cheese mixture into small balls, then roll in nuts to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Rolling a cheese ball in nuts to coat.

Take cheese balls out of the fridge about a half-hour before serving. Place a party pick in each cheese ball and serve with your favorite crackers. Makes 30 to 35 cheese balls, depending on size.