Tag Archives: appetizer

Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Feta and Nectarine

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Summertime, and a warm day just cries out for a cool, cool, treat. Especially here in São João do Estoril, Portugal, where it’s supposed to be 33°C (or 92°F) tomorrow.

It’s tomato season, and stone fruit season, and the two fit together in a tangy yin-yang, especially with a little cheese to bind them. I have to admit I stumbled across the idea by accident, when I was slicing a nectarine with a knife I’d previously used for Feta (kids, don’t try this at home; I should have used a fresh knife to avoid cross-contamination). The salt of the cheese and the sweet of the fruit reminded me of kissing Kim Wilson sometime back in the Pleistocene. Wherever that taste came from, I wanted more.

I’m guessing that this could work equally well with apricot or plum or peach, and bleu cheese or Roquefort or Gorgonzola (though they are more pungent than Feta, so you might have to adjust the ratio). Why nectarine? In the words of my pal Mel Brooks, “Half a peach, half a plum, it’s a helluva fruit!”

This is easy to make, unless you wanna get all super fancy. Mix the cheese and fruit in a food processor, chill it, pipe it into the tomato, chill until serving. I could have blanched and peeled the nectarine, but firstly, you will want to use a ripe nectarine, and secondly, did I mention it was summer? Too darn hot to be boiling water if you don’t have to.

The recipe is simple: two parts nectarine to one part Feta. I used two sizeable nectarines totalling about 300 grams, and one 150g package of Feta (drained). Blend in a food processor. Scoop out the guts of your cherry tomatoes (this will fill a couple dozen easily), and pipe in the mix. Because I was only making a dozen, I just spooned in the mix with a demitasse spoon, so the final product didn’t look quite as elegant as it could have. Our guests were kind enough to pretend not to notice.

PRO TIP: Slice a little bit off the bottom of each tomato first, so they will sit up on the plate.

INGREDIENTS (makes about two dozen tomatoes)

1 package cherry tomatoes (the larger the tomato, the better, as far as ease of stuffing goes)
2 nectarines, ripe (a little over 300g / 10 oz.)
150g / 5 oz. Feta cheese

Curried Chickpea Smash [Vegan]

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It takes all my will to keep from eating it directly from the bowl.

Total dishes dirtied in the course of making this recipe: 1. [Plus five utensils: the can opener, potato masher, knife, fork, and measuring spoon. Oh, and I had to clean off the cutting board that lives on top of the right-hand sink.] That in itself gives this recipe a warm place in my heart.

Big ups to Jessica Prescott, from whose book Vegan Goodness: Delicious Plant-Based Recipes That Can Be Enjoyed Everyday this recipe was adapted. Further thanks to Deb Lindsey and Joe Yonan of the Washington Post, the former for making it look appetizing enough to try, and the latter for testing the recipe so I could goof with it in my own kitchen.

This takes literally about 10 minutes to pull together, even if your knife skills are as poor as mine, and it packs a wallop, taste-wise. Also, if you prefer to make this with garbanzo beans rather than chickpeas, they are an acceptable substitute.*

Curried Chickpea Smash
makes four sandwiches

INGREDIENTS

    1½ cups (one 15-ounce / 425 g can) chickpeas, drained (save the aquafaba!) and rinsed
    Flesh of 1 large ripe avocado, mashed
    2 tsp. / 10 ml extra-virgin olive oil
    2 tablespoons / 30 ml fresh lemon juice, or more as needed
    ¼-½ cup / 40-75 g finely minced red onion
    4 baby dill pickles, finely chopped (about ½ cup / 71.5 g)
    ¼-½ cup / 15-25 g finely chopped fresh cilantro/coriander (or fresh parsley)
    2 tablespoons / 13 g curry powder
    ½ tsp. / 3 g kosher or sea salt, or more to taste
    ½ tsp. / 1 g finely ground black pepper, or more to taste
    About ½ cup / 115 g lightly packed baby spinach leaves
    4 hamburger-bun-size rolls (or 8 slices of bread), toasted; or several slices of pita bread, cut into wedges for dipping

[NOTE: The amount of onion and/or coriander can vary widely according to taste. I like mine with a little more kick, which is why I go to the high end of the recommendation. Also, I use twice as much curry powder as was in the original recipe, I think partly due to my palate and the fact that my jar of curry powder has a little age on it and may have mellowed. To me, the main bar to clear is finding the right bread-to-filling ratio. If the bun is too big relative to its surface area (like a slider bun), you’ll have too much bread. On the other hand, if you toast regular sandwich bread, you need to go a little light on the filling for structure’s sake. Believe me, it’s a fun problem to have to work out.]

Next time, homemade bread.

DIRECTIONS

Combine the chickpeas, oil, and lemon juice in a medium bowl or flat bottomed storage container such as the one pictured at top. Smash with a potato masher or fork until fairly chunky (try to leave no chickpea whole). Stir in the avocado, minced onion, pickles, cilantro/coriander, curry powder, salt, and pepper. [If you are using this as a dip for pita, chop the spinach and mix it in; otherwise, reserve it for the sandwich building, directions to follow.] Taste, and adjust spices as needed (I often add more lemon juice and/or olive oil to keep it from being too dry, especially if I’m using it as a dip rather than a sandwich filling).

If you’re not using this as a dip for pita bread, place a few baby spinach leaves on the bottom halves of the toasted rolls (or bread) and top with the chickpea salad. Top with the remaining halves of the rolls/bread, and slice in half if the resulting sandwich seems unwieldy.

*Chickpeas and garbanzo beans are the same thing. That was a joke.