The homemade olive tapenade is a dip or paste made with olives (black or green), anchovies and capers. This appetizer comes from Provence, France and is great with fresh bread or toast. With the help of a food processor, or blender, this hors d’oeuvre is ready within 5 minutes.
Homemade Olive Tapenade
Ingredients
- 200 g black olives pitted
- 1 Tbsp capers (optional)
- 20 g anchovies filets in oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 lemon (juice only)
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in an electric blender. Pulse a few times until finely chopped. The tapenade should have small pieces of olives. Do not over blend!
- Serve with crackers or fresh baguette slices.
Cheese and Garlic Stuffed Tomatoes
You can serve this Cheese and garlic stuffed tomatoes as a starter or as a salad.
Cheese and Garlic Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 18 large cherry tomatoes
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 1 cup grated cheese american, cheddar, etc.
- fresh herbs chives, parsley, basil leaves
- 2-3 Tbs mayonnaise
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut off the top of cherry tomatoes. Keep the tops for presentation.
- Using a small spoon, scoop out the insides of the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes upside-down on a paper towel.
- Remove juice and seeds from the pulp. Mince the pulp.
- Press garlic using a garlic press. Mix the cheese and garlic together.
- Add mayonnaise, finely chopped herbs and tomato pulp. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
- Using a spoon, add cheese filling to the tomatoes and place the tops back on top of your cherry tomatoes.
- Refrigerate tomatoes before serving.
Creamy And Buttery Deviled Eggs
Deviled eggs are the perfect healthy appetizers and always welcome at a party. This is very easy recipe of stuffed eggs with softened butter and a bit of garlic.
Stuffed Eggs
Ingredients
- 10 hard boiled eggs
- 2 tsp softened butter
- 1 1/2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 garlic cloves
- salt to taste
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- fresh dill
Instructions
- Carefully peel the eggs and slice them in half lengthwise. Remove yollk and transfer it to a medium bowl.
- Mash the yolk with a fork until crumbly.
- Add the mayonnaise, butter,garlic, salt and pepper and combine until incorporated.
- Place the mixture in a piping bag fitted with a medium tip (or teaspoon), pipe the yollk mixture into the whites.
- Garnish with fresh dill.
- Refrigerate before serving.
Tomato Rounds With Garlic & Cheese
It’s a super simple and fantastic 10 minutes appetizers, that I could eat a plateful. And when it comes to cheese, you are the boss. You can choose any hard/firm cheese that you like, as long as you’ll be able to grate it.
Tomato Rounds With Garlic & Cheese
Ingredients
- 4-6 tomatoes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to aste
- 1 clove garlic
- 100 g hard cheese
- some olive oil (optional)
- some fresh herbs parsley, green onion, dill,
Instructions
- Wash and cut the tomatoes into circles and layer them on the plater. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper to taste.
- Grate garlic, using microplane, sprinkle it on top of the tomatoes. Using the same microplane shred the cheese. Evenly layer on top of the tomatoes.
- Drizzle with some olive oil and garnish with fresh herbs.
Oven Roasted Eggplant Cubes
It doesn’t take much time to roast an eggplant in the oven, all you have to do is: cut it, salt it, drizzle with some lemon juice and olive oil, toss it and mix it couple of times while it is cooking. You can serve it by itself or as a main dish, with meat or fish. It tastes even better next day: perfect for lunch or picnic.
Oven Roasted Eggplant Cubes
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplant
- 1/2 lemon (juice only)
- 1 bulb garlic
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 6 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley or cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oven to its hottest setting,typically around 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and turn on the broil. Cut the eggplant into 1-2 inch cubes. Transfer them to a baking sheet and spread out into a single layer.
- Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.
- Peel garlic and smash it with a heavy knife.
- Add garlic and pepper, give it a good mix with spatula or your hand.
- Place a rack on top of your oven and cook the eggplant cubes for 10 minutes. Carefully take the eggplant out and stir it with a spatula. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes. Taste the eggplant. Cook for another 5 minutes if needed.
- Remove the eggplant from the oven. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve hot or room temperature.
