After going out with Tom for drinks and appetizers a few weeks back -- and the appetizer plate not coming as specified on the menu -- I had been wanting to make my own appetizer platter as a fun and different dinner. I wanted to do a set of spreads that I could put over warm slices of a French baguette, and possibly pair with some cured meats. The first couple of recipes that I had in mind were some sort of goat cheese spread and a roasted red pepper spread -- two things that I had had before and liked, but never tried making myself. The Garlic Goat Cheese Spread, was basically taken from a recipe I found on AllRecipes.com -- and included a mixture of goat cheese, plain Greek yogurt, roasted garlic and herbs (I think I used basil and oregano rather than thyme).
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Started with some roasted garlic -- perhaps the second time I've ever done
this...I should roast garlic more often! |
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Mixed goat cheese, yogurt, roasted garlic, green onions, herbs/spices and
olive oil together in a food processor -- very simple! |
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| Roasted Garlic Goat Cheese Spread - ready to serve! |
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| Roasted Garlic Goat Cheese Spread - goes great on bread! |
The next recipe I wanted to make was a Roasted Red Pepper Spread. I ended up finding a great recipe for this on AllRecipes.com, as well. I think I followed all of the directions on this recipe (roasted red peppers, parsley, roasted garlic, Parmesan cheese, cream cheese) -- except that I decided to try roasting my own red peppers. I found some on sale at the store and gave it a shot!
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Very simple - just quartered peppers, roasted in a hot (maybe 500 degree)
oven until skins browned; cool and remove outer skin. Stored in olive oil. |
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| Just mix all of the ingredients in a food processor and voila! |
The final recipe that I wanted to make was a bit more complicated. Mostly because I wasn't sure what to call it, and hence, wasn't sure how to search for a recipe. We had recently had an appetizer that included tomato and eggplant and I wanted to try something similar. After lots of searching, I decided that what I wanted to make is what is called Caponata. From what I could gather, Caponata is basically an eggplant relish, and the recipes varied quite a bit. I decided to take what I liked from several different recipes (some called caponata, and some other similar dishes), and create my own.
Roasted Eggplant Caponata
Ingredients:
- 2 small eggplants
- 6 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 small red onion, minced
- 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
- Olive oil
- 1 roasted red pepper, minced
- 1-2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
- Cayenne pepper
- Paprika
- Salt
Directions:
Dice eggplant into small cubes. Sprinkle with sea salt and toss to coat. Place in a strainer for 20-30 minutes, until eggplant starts to "sweat" (supposedly, this helps take the bitterness out of the eggplant). Rinse eggplant and pat dry. Place eggplant on an oiled baking sheet in a single layer and roast in the oven at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. I was surprised, but the roasted eggplant by itself was delicious!
Heat 1 Tbsp. of olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and onion. Cook until onion is translucent. Add roasted eggplant and tomatoes and stir until warm. Add spices to taste. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Add chopped basil. Chill in the refrigerator. Serve cold or at room temperature.
I thought the caponata turned out great. It was something very different and unique. I am also considering putting in a couple of eggplant plants in my garden this year, and this was a fun way to test out a different use for them.
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The Garlic Goat Cheese Spread & Caponata paired together
nicely to make a DE-licious panini! |
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| Yummy lunch, with the goat cheese/ caponata panini, pears, and salad |
And for my appetizer dinner.. we ended up with quite a nice little assortment!
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| Appetizers for dinner! |
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Caponata, Roasted Red Pepper Spread, Garlic Goat Cheese Spread -
on warm baguette slices |
