Bacon-wrapped Stuffed Jalapeños with Crabmeat

These are very messy to eat, even though considered finger-food, your hands will be filled with cheese!

A “re-invention” from a recipe I had tried at a friend’s house, these stuffed jalapeños are a huge hit. Make sure to use high quality ingredients especially for the blue cheese, crab meat and bacon. Try to get smoked bacon. Here in Wisconsin I buy Nueske Bacon.

INGREDIENTS

8 jalapeños
6oz crab meat
1/2 cup blue cheese
8oz salmon cream cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
8 slices of smoked bacon

DIRECTIONS

1. Make a longitudinal cut only on one side of each jalapeño.
2. Remove all seeds from the jalapeños.
3. In a bowl mix crab meat, blue cheese, cream cheese and shredded mozzarella.
4. Stuff each jalapeño with the mixture.
5. Wrap each stuffed jalapeño with a slice of bacon and put them in a oven safe deep dish.
6. Put them in the oven at low broil for about 15 minutes.
7. Serve while hot.

Stuffed Celery with Cream Cheese and Green Olives

My husband grew up with this recipe and it is a staple at any party–especially the holidays–of his family’s households. From the very first time I tried it, I knew I would be making it often too, yet.. as usual adding a touch of myself (the smoked paprika).

INGREDIENTS

1 celery stalk / bunch
1 8oz. soften cream cheese
1 cup of green olives stuffed with red pimentos
1 tsp of smoked paprika
salt / pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl mix the cream cheese with paprika, salt and pepper.
2. Chop the olives real small then add to the cream cheese.
3. Use a potato peeler to  softly peel the outsides of the celery sticks (this way you will not feel the strings when biting on it).
4. Cut the celery stick to about 2 inches in length.
5. Fill each stick with the cream cheese mixture and they are ready to serve.

Spicy Garlicky gizzards

Did I say gizzards?

Yes I did and all I can say is that if you actually try them, you may be surprised that you will like them. This is a traditional Portuguese recipe that I grew up with and totally different from any gizzards I have had here in the States.

The trick is to let them boil in low temperature forever, this way they will be nice and tender. The first time I introduced this here in the States, we were living in Iowa. People’s first reaction was: what is this? Of course typical me I would say just try it. Some shun away from them, but most did try it. Surprisingly enough even though spicy, the children were the ones that liked the most (perhaps because they have no pre-conception of what gizzards actually were) and would end up fighting for the hearts!

If this is the first time ever trying them, try one along with some bread and make sure to add some of the juices/stock with it.

INGREDIENTS

1 package of gizzards (chicken or turkey)
water
coarse sea salt

1tbsp olive oil
5 cloves of garlic finely minced
crushed chili peppers

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash the gizzards in cold water and cut them into small pieces.
2. Place them in a pot filled with water and season with salt.
3. Let them cook in low for about 2 hours or until very soft to the fork.
4. Warm the olive oil in a skillet and sautee the garlic and chili peppers.
5. Strain the gizzards (but keep the broth).
6. Sautee the gizzards in the skillet at medium to high.
7. Once they start browning add a little of the broth and serve with toothpicks.

Spicy Wings

Photo taken by Benny Sieu from the Milwaukee Sentinel

Another spicy wing recipe?

Indeed but I must say this is different than the most traditional ones here in the States. This is a recipe everyone usually loves and I guess… I am well known for! You can do this two ways. IF you have some of the Lemon Chutney you can use it for it, or follow the recipe below.

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds of wings
2 sticks of melted butter
6 cloves of minced garlic
a hand full of minced dried red chilly peppers
3 soup spoons of lemon juice
1 soup spoon of kosher sea salt

DIRECTIONS

• Wash the wings and dry them.
• In a bowl mix all other ingredients.
• Spread the wings in an oven-safe dish and brush the sauce over them.
• Put the tray inside the oven at 375° for about 15 minutes (or you can simply grill them for about 20 minutes while continuously basting them).
• Put the oven at low broil until wings are nice and golden – this can take 20 to 30 minutes, depending on each person’s oven.

If you are using the Lemon Chutney, you will only need 1 stick of butter and the garlic. Process as per directions

Goat cheese with olives, lemon zest and thyme

Have you ever learned a new recipe and you like it so very much that you will find every excuse to repeat it over and over again? Meanwhile your family is getting real tired of it, yet you keep on doing it. Well this is it.

This recipe was actually one I decided to test mostly because goat cheese is not my favorite (unless mixed in salad or disguised some other way). Lo and behold… I got hooked, right from the very first bite and could not stope eating it. And since my lack of choice with crackers, the rice ones actually are perfect for such delicacy.

 

Portuguese Meat Croquettes

So you’ve just finished dinner and have some steak leftover, or that huge amount of turkey after the holidays, well… you get the idea. Re-use it! Freeze the leftover meats until you have enough. And make sure to keep all of its juices, gravy or whatever else that was with the meat.

Once you have enough different types of leftover meats, you can finally put them to good use by making these croquettes. As you will see the measurements were from the meats I had in the freezer. The main idea to to create a similar ratio of beef/poultry/pork.

And a big thank you to my Dancer who decorated the plates so beautifully!

INGREDIENTS

3 cups of ground presunto / prosciutto or some type of salt cured meat
4 cups beef leftovers
5 cups of smoked turkey leftovers
4 cups of chicken leftovers
6 cups of pork leftovers
2 large onions
8 cloves garlic
For the Béchamel
2 bars of salted butter
4 cups of all-purpose gluten-free flour
10 cups of milk
For frying
3 to 5 eggs
fine gluten-free breadcrumbs
oil to fry

DIRECTIONS

1. Thaw all of the meats them grind them.
2. Make the Béchamel sauce by first melting the butter in a large pot, then adding the flour and mixing well until attaining a smooth paste. Add the milk a cup at the time so to blend it all nicely, and stir constantly until you create a nice smooth cream.
3. Add the meats and adjust with seasonings to taste.
4. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. Remove it from heat, let it cool then place it in the fridge overnight.
6. Next day in the first bowl beat the eggs, in the second add the breadcrumbs.
7. Create “tubes” with the meat paste, then pass them through eggs then the breadcrumbs and place them neatly in a tray to freeze them for an hour or so.
8. Once frozen, you can immediately fry them, or put them in freezer bags to be fried at a later date.

Fried Smelts

Ever had these little things? I love love them and so does everyone at home. They are real cheap, usually you can find them frozen at supermarkets, fish monger or at Asian markets. I usually buy the whole fish, so head included. I scares people at first to see those tiny eyes, but they are so very fried that you barely notice them anyways.

What do they taste like? Well crunchy fried fish! They are a perfect snack and the best part is that you can do them ahead of time as they are awesome to eat cold. So once your guests arrive the house no longer smells of fried food!

INGREDIENTS

A bunch of smelts (with or without heads!)

Salt

All purpose flour (I used rice flour which is nice and thin, this way it still sticks well to the fish, but is not packed with flour)

DIRECTIONS

1. Run then smelts through water, then place them in a bowl with cold water and some salt for about 1 hour.
2. Remove the water and dry them nicely.
3. Heat your deep fryer to 375 degrees or if making on top of the stove, fill a pan with oil and bring it to the same temperature.
4. Place the smelts in a colander then sprinkle the flour all over them in such a way they are all nicely covered but without clunks of flour.
5. Start frying them in small batches so they do not touch each other for about 5 minutes, or until nice and golden.
6. Place them over some paper towel, or even better re-use those brown paper bags from grocery stores.
7. Place them on a plate and start enjoyed them!