Warm Olives and Chorizo Sausage Appetizer

We have a few friends who are olive crazy (you know who you are) and this should really tickle their fancy. Okay, that would also include my husband. Try it and you will see for yourself.

 

  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 5 oz. chorizo sausage, sliced thin
  • 1 cup Kalamata olives
  • 1 cup brined black olives
  • 1 cup large pitted green olives
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tsp. hot pepper flakes
  • 1/2 navel orange,  peeled and segmented, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp. julienned sage leaves
  • 1 tbsp. grated lemon zest

In a large frypan, heat the oil over a medium heat and add the sausage, cooking for about a minute, stirring to ensure even cooking.

Add all the ingredients EXCEPT the orange and sage leaves, stirring and cooking for about 4 minutes.

Stir in the orange slices and sage leaves, cooking only until the orange starts to break down and is heated through. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for about 8-10 minutes.

Serve warm with a sprinkling of the lemon zest, cocktail picks and napkins.

Orange, Trout and Avocado Salad

Okay…so you forgot to set your scale back 10 lbs. before Christmas Season began but never mind, this will put you back on track. It is easy and delicious

This salad will serve 4.

  • 2 skinless trout fillets (8 oz. each, 1 inch thick)
  • Sea salt, freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 scallion, trimmed and sliced very thin
  • 2 large oranges, peeled, white pith removed and segmented
  • 1 large, ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
  • 2 cups of baby arugula, spinach, stems removed , break into small pieces if some are too large to be eaten politely.
  • 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
  • zest from lime

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Season lightly with salt and pepper and place in a baking dish large enough to hold both fillets. Drizzle with 1 tbsp. olive oil and sprinkle half of the scallion over the fillets.

Bake until opaque in center (about 10-12 minutes). Transfer to a plate and let cool.

Break the trout into pieces, dividing evenly among the 4 plates. Trop each with the orange segments, avocado and greens. Season with remaining oil, lime juice and a sprinkling of zest.

In a word….yummy!

 

 

Roasted Garden Beets With Orange And Grated Ginger

The addition of oranges to some vegetables just heightens the flavour,and along with this recipe the added grated ginger really awakens your taste buds. Besides the kids will really love these.

The challenge is to try and find some yellow beets as well. This way you get colourful beets to serve. Just ups the ante for being called “the best”.

 

  • 4 medium beets (about 2 lbs) trimmed and scrubbed
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • 1 medium orange
  • 1  tsp. sherry vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp. sherry
  • 1/4 tsp. grated fresh ginger or more if you like ginger
  • 1/4 cup pecan halves, broken lengthwise

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Lay a large piece of  tinfoil on a cookie sheet and place the beets in the center. Drizzle with 1 tbsp. oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the foil around the beets and roast until tender when pierced with a knife. This should take about 1 hour. Let stand until you can handle.

With a zester, remove 1/4 of the orange rind in long thin strips.  Peel the remainder of the peel and white pith with a sharp knife.

Remove segments from half the orange and cut in half crosswise and set aside. Squeeze the juice from the remainder of the orange and place 1 tbsp. in a small bowl and add the vinegar, sherry,  ginger and whisk in the remaining 2 tbsp. of oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Peel the beets, quarter them and toss with the dressing. Mix in the orange pieces, zest and pecans, reserving some to sprinkle on top as a garnish.

Not only will the kids love these so will everyone else. You may have to double the recipe…..everyone will want seconds. Enjoy!

 

Cornish Game Hens With A Madeira Citrus Sauce

I love cornish game hens and, like most people, tend to ignore them for periods of time. Try this and the sauce will make you want to cook this more often.

 

4 frozen cornish game hens, thawed

salt

pinch of pepper

3/4 cup melted butter

 

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Run cold water through the cavity of the hens and pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle cavity of each hen with a pinch of salt and pepper. Tie the legs together and arrange with breast side up in a shallow roasting pan. Brush with butter.

Roast for 15 minutes, uncovered,  then lower the temperature to 400 degrees.

Turn the hens upside down. Pour 1/2 cup water over the hens and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes.

Turn the hens one more time, baste with pan drippings and now, uncovered and basting often, roast a further 30 minutes, until tender.

 

Sauce

 

1/4 cup orange peel

1  1/2 tbsp. lime peel

3/4 cup orange juice

2 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1 cup, red currant jelly

1/2 cup Madeira wine

1 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. ginger

pinch of salt

drop of Tabasco

 

In a small saucepan, combine the orange and lime peels and  juices and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes or until the peels become translucent.

Add the wine, currant jelly, mustard, ginger, salt and Tabasco. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes to reduce to 1 1/4 cups, then cool for 10 minutes.

To serve, plate each one and pour sauce over. Any extra pour into a bowl for everyone to add more if needed. (there won ‘t be any, but I thought I would add it anyway).

Italian Biscotti with Dried Mangoes

I like Biscotti with a cup of freshly brewed coffee but I do not like the commercially prepared cement blocks.  Homemade is better in texture, flavour and taste.  Try it and see if you feel the same.

 

  •  3 cups flour
  • 5 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds (toasted)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp. almond flavouring
  • 4 squares semi-sweet chocolate squares, melted
  • 1 cup dried, chopped mangoes
  • 2 lemons, grated peel
  • 2 lime, grated peel
  • 1 orange, grated peel

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and chopped almonds.  Whisk the remaining ingredients together.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and really mix this well. It will be a very stiff dough.

On a parchment lined cookie sheet, divide the dough into 2 pieces and roll into logs.  They should be about 3 inches wide and as long as your cookie sheet.  Try to square off the ends and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and slice each log on the diagonal.  On a second, parchment lined cookie sheet, lay the slices on their side.  Reduce your oven to 350 degrees and bake another 10 minutes.  Turn them over and bake a further 10 minutes.  Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Now, clean up the kitchen, make a fresh pot of coffee, grab a friend or magazine….put a couple of biscotti on a plate and enjoy!

 

 

 

Silent Panic Martini

This serves 2

  • 1/4 cup white cranberry juice
  • 2 dried figs, chopped fine
  • 2 cloves, cracked
  • 1 fresh fig, cut in wedges
  • 1/4 cup citrus vodka

In a shaker combine all the ingredients except the fresh fig and let stand for twenty minutes (patience required here) and now add:

  • 3 oz. brandy
  • 1 oz. orange flavoured liqueur

Shake vigorously, strain into a martini glass with a fresh fig wedge skewered on a cocktail pick.

A little off the wall, but extremely tasty. May I make you one?

Taste Rating: 9

Prodyne Set of 6 Martini Picks Set of 6 Martini Picks

Fun colorful martini-glass-shaped picks
are perfect to dress up any cocktail.