Artichoke Tarts

I hosted Bunco on Friday night, we had a fantastic time, but the foods were the highlight. I made artichoke tarts and need to add some of the fantastic recipes I had to my repertoire. There were amazing potato puffs coated in crushed cornflakes, shrimp wrapped in phyllo and chicken quesadillas. I stuffed myself silly. We also enjoyed some challah, apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah. It was a lovely evening spent with even more lovely friends, new and old.

I use a mini ice cream disher to fill the wontons, it's really easy.



Artichoke Tarts

32 (3 1/4-inch square) won ton wrappers
4 ounces (1 cup ) Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
Fresh parsley sprigs, if desired

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 32 miniature muffin cups with no-stick cooking spray. Gently press 1 won ton wrapper into each muffin cup, allowing ends to extend above cups. Spray edges of wrappers with no-stick cooking spray. Set aside.Combine cheese, cream cheese, ground red pepper and mustard in medium bowl; mix well. Stir in bell pepper and artichoke hearts. Spoon about 1 tablespoon cheese mixture into each cup. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until cheese mixture is set and edges of wrappers are lightly browned. Garnish with parsley, if desired. Serve warm.

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Ribeyes with Chimichurri and Maduros

One of my favorite restaurants is Americas. I love the fried plantain chips and the chimichurri. C was all excited thinking I was frying up plantain chips, so he was disappointed when it turned out to be maduros instead. This recipe makes a lot, so I am going to pick up so plantain chips tomorrow. He also picked all the chimichurri off his steak, he said he only likes it with the chips. I thought it was really flavorful.

For the plantains, just get ones that are starting to turn black. Peel the plantains and bias cut them. Fry them in about 1/4" of oil over medium high heat. Fry for five minutes on each side, drain on a wire rack over a baking sheet. You can keep the maduros in a warm oven while you finish them up. Miss F adored the fried plantains, I think they are going to be a favorite.

Chimichurri Sauce

1 large bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley
8 cloves of garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons minced onion
5 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
5 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Chop up the parsley a bit. This will make processing easier. Add parsley and garlic to food processor and hit the pulse button a few times to mince. Add remaining ingredients and pulse some more. Stir in the oil.

If you like the fresh crisp flavor of parsley, use immediately. Letting it rest overnight will balance out the flavors.

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Chocolate Chip Pancakes

After making two batches of chocolate chip cookies in one week, I was still craving chocolate chips. Thankfully I have the giant bag of chips from Costco. When I was in Paris as a kid, they served chocolate chip cookies along with the chocolate croissants for breakfast. How good is that? Maybe next Sunday I should just bake up a batch of cookies instead of pancakes. Miss F loved these pancakes and she made herself quite the chocolate-y mess. I even snuck her a plain chip or two, which she adored. These are great on a lazy Sunday morning...and I bet cookies would be even better.




Chocolate Chip Pancakes

1 egg
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4- 1/3 cupchocolate chips

shortening (for cooking)

Whisk the egg in a large bowl, adding the buttermilk, butter and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Fold in chocolate chips and let batter set for a few minutes. Heat the griddle over medium heat. Using a paper towel, spread shortening over the griddle. Pour ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle. Cook on the first side until bubbles that form start to pop. Flip the pancake over with a spatula and cook until golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is gone.

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