Appetizers
Try a new appetizer recipe from New England Recipes. Bookmark and return, for additional fresh appetizer recipes from top New England chefs.
Appetizer Serving Dishes
New England Clam Chowder
Ingredients
- 8-10 bacon strips divided
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 2 celery ribs chopped
- 1 leek finely chopped
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves minced
- 3-4 small potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 cup broth chicken or vegetable
- 1 bottle 8 ounces clam juice
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups half-and-half divided
- 3 cans 6-1/2 ounces each of whole clams, chopped into chunky pieces, drained
- Bay leaf
- Chopped fresh chives or green onions for garnish
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain; set aside. Add butter to the drippings (you can spoon out some of the drippings if you don't want to ues that much); saute celery, leek, and onion until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the potatoes, broth, clam juice, salt, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- In a small bowl, combine flour and 1 cup half-and-half until smooth. Gradually stir into the soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.
- Stir in (drained) clams and remaining half-and-half; heat through (do not boil); turn down to low heat; add the bay leaf. Cook for additional 2-3 minutes on low heat. Add in 4 strips of crumbled bacon.
- Crumble the reserved 2 strips of bacon. Garnish chowder with crumbled bacon and fresh chopped chives.
Crispy Potato Skins
Ingredients
- 6 Russett potatoes medium size
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/2 teaspoon parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 slices cooked bacon finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons green onions
- 1 cup Shredded cheese
- sour cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine butter, parsley, salt and garlic powder in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Using a small spoon, scoop out the flesh leaving a 1/4" shell (or more if you'd prefer).
- Brush both the inside and outside of the potatoes with the butter mixture. Place potatoes cut side down in baking dish. Bake 15 minutes.
- Flip potatoes over and bake an additional 5 minutes or until slightly browned and crisp.
- Fill each potato with cheese and bacon. Return to the oven for another 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven, top with onion and serve with sour cream.
Notes
Can be frozen once they are baked. Thaw and fill for a fast easy appetizer or side dish
Lobster Bisque
Ingredients
- 1 Cup chicken stock
- 2 Slices of onion
- 2 Tablespoons of butter or margarine.
- 2 Tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- 2 cups of milk
- 1/2 Teaspoon of salt
- 1 LB lobster meat
- 1/2 Teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- White Pepper
Instructions
- Place 1/4 cup of chicken stock and the onion in a small frying pan.
- Cook over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Melt the butter in a medium size pot over medium heat.
- Slowly whisk in the flour.
- Whisk until a creamy mixture is created.
- Gradually whisk in stock. Whisk in milk, salt, lobster meat, Worcestershire sauce and pepper.
- Heat until almost boiling.
Lobster
Latkes (Potato Pancake)
Ingredients
- 3 lb. potatoes
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 tbs. all-purpose flour or matzah meal
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 onion minced
- Black pepper to taste
- Paprika to taste
- Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Wash and peel the potatoes. Grate the potatoes with a grater or food
- processor. Soak in cold water for 5 mins.
- Drain off all liquid, and squeeze the excess liquid out
- by hand. Beat the eggs and mix with the grated potatoes and other ingredients,
- except the oil.
- Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet over medium
- high heat until very hot. Drop potato mixture by heaping tablespoons
- into oil .
- Use a pancake turner to flatten them
- out. Fry to golden brown on both sides (about 3 minutes per side).
- Drain on paper towels. Serve topped with applesauce or sour cream.
Electric Frying Pan
Fiddle Head Pie
Ingredients
- 1 uncooked 9 inch pie crust
- 2 cups of fiddle heads sautéed and coarsely chopped
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 tablespoon of coarse mustard
- 1 tablespoon of flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Precook pie crust for about 20 minutes.
- Sautee fiddle heads in olive oil until tender. Place fiddle heads in pie crust, place cheese on top pf fiddle heads.
- Blend eggs, mustard, milk, flour, and pour over fiddle heads and cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.
- Pie is cooked when knife comes out clean when inserted into pie.
- Let set for 5 minutes or so before cutting.
Egg Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped hard boiled eggs about 4 large eggs
- ½ cup chopped green onions
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ½ teaspoon dried mustard
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until well mixed. Use immediately or cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
An alternative to this recipe is to add 1/8 cup green olives with pimientos or black olives finely chopped; If using olives, beware of adding salt as most olives are salty.
Dijon Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- Cayenne pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients and heat until butter melts. Stir to blend. Pour over hot vegatables, use as a sauce for open faced sandwiches, cooked chichen or dip for pretzels
Winnie's Wings
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 clove garlic mashed
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Combine above ingrdients.
- Pour this marinate over chicken wings. Refrigerate overnight
- Bake @ 350 degrees farenheit for 45 minutes to 1 hour
New England Crab Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 lb. crab meat canned crab meat can be substituted
- 1 egg
- 1 slice bread crumbled
- 1 tbsp. mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp. mustard
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tbsp. milk
- 1/2 tsp. parsley
- 1 tbsp. old bay seasoning
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Crumble bread in crab meat, beat egg, mustard, mayonnaise and milk. Add baking powder and seasoning.
- Beat. Add to crab meat, mix well and make into cakes.
- Fry in butter until golden brown.
Notes
Can be served with cocktail or mustard sauce.
Italian Zucchini Squares
Ingredients
- 3 cups thinly shredded unpeeled zucchini
- 1 cup Original Bisquick Mix
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1 - 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs slightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease the bottom and sides of a 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan.
- Stir all ingredients together; spread into pan evenly.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown all over.
- Cut into squares. Serve hot.
Greek Spinach Pie Recipe (Spanakopita)
An authentic and delicous Greek Spinach Pie aka Spanakopita made with Phyloo dough
Ingredients
- 2 pounds spinach either raw or frozen
- 1 large onion
- ½ cup of olive oil
- 1 pound feta cheese
- 1 cup of milk
- ½ cup of cream
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup of dill
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 package of very thin “filo” pastry
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pan, add the chopped onion and spinach and simmer for around 10 min. For the next 5 minutes gradually start adding the feta cheese, milk, cream, eggs (slightly beaten), dill, pepper and salt.
- Open the filo pastry and place each thin pastry on the tray, oiling each one, using a brush. After you have done about 4-8 filo slices, place the spinach/feta mixture and spread over the entire oven tray, covering the pastry. On top of this, place another 4-6 filo slices, oiling each one of them as well.
- Place in a medium heat oven and cook at medioum heat for around 45 minutes, until brown. Enjoy!
Notes
The above recipe secret is to add “lots” of dill and do not forget the cream! In case you do not like feta cheese it may be replaced by any other cheese of your preference or a combination of both cheese types.
Apple and Cheddar Tart
Ingredients
- Pastry
- 2 cups unbleached flour
- 12 tb chilled butter cut into ¼” dice
- ½ c shredded Vermont sharp cheddar cheese
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 6 tb cold water
- Onions
- 8-10 large yellow onions thickly sliced (16 cups)
- 4 tb butter
- 4 tb olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
- 6 crisp Vermont apples Macoun, Baldwin, Granny Smith peeled, thinly sliced
- 2 cups heavy cream
- Apples
- 6 crisp apples peeled, ¼” sliced
- 2 Tbs butter
- Cheese
- 2 cups grated Vermont sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Directions
- In a Cusinart, combine butter, flour, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Process, by pulsing, until consistency of coarse cornmeal. Slowly add cold water until a ball forms, remove. Knead lightly until smooth, wrap in saran and chill, about 30 to 60 minutes.
- Roll out pastry, on a floured board, to ¼” thick, fit into a 10 inch quiche pan or 8 individual tart pans, prick the bottom and chill again before baking 10-15 minutes in a 425 degree oven until golden brown and crisp.
- Meanwhile sauté onions, salt and pepper in oil and butter in a heavy pan over medium heat until well-coated and beginning to wilt. Cover and sauté until very tender and juicy. Uncover. Add thinly sliced apples and cook over high heat until very brown, soft and tasty, about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Then add heavy cream, continue cooking and stirring until cream is thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Sauté the ¼” thick apples in butter until cooked through but not too soft.
- Assemble the tart. In the pre-baked pastry shell place a thick layer of creamy onions and apples. Arrange apple slices in concentric circles on top. Cover all with a thick layer of the grated cheese.
- You can assemble the tart up to a day ahead of serving. Before serving, heat the tart in 350 oven until the cheese begins to melt and the onions are hot, about 15 minutes in a preheated oven. Just before serving, place the tart under a hot broiler about three minutes or until the top has browned into a delicious crust.
Brew Cheese
Ingredients
- German Beer & Cheese Fondue or Brew Cheese
- 3 ½ Oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1 ½ Oz Gruyere Cheese
- 4 Oz German Beer Pils or Lager
- 1 Tablespoon Flour
- 1 Tablespoon German Sweet Hot mustard or spicy brown mustard
- Dash of Worcestershire Sauce
- Few drops of Tabasco Sauce
Instructions
- Shred Cheeses into a bowl and toss with flour
- Heat beer in heavy bottom sauce pan until it bubbles, reduce to simmer
- Add Cheeses in batches; stir constantly until melted and fully incorporated
- Stirring constantly in a figure-eight pattern with wooden spoon, add in Mustard and Sauces.
- Transfer to a fondue pot or other serving dish
- Meanwhile if you are going to be using the vegetables and Wursts, blanch Cauliflower or Broccoli 2-3 minutes in boiling salted water
- In the same pan, bring the cooking water back to a boil and add the mini franks and pieces of bratwurst. Cook
- uncovered until all the liquid has evaporated. Add 1 Tablespoon butter to the pan to brown brats and franks and serve with fondue and other dipping selections.
- Have a fun time dipping and talking while enjoying your favorite German
- beer
Notes
You can use a variety of breads for dipping; the best are the more sturdy breads like Rye, Dark Wheat, Foccacia or Pumpernickel
Use cut up blanched vegetables like Cauliflower or Broccoli Florets
Pieced of Bratwurst and small party franks
Small pickled onions
Gherkin pickles
Any variety of apples sliced into wedges for dipping
Use cut up blanched vegetables like Cauliflower or Broccoli Florets
Pieced of Bratwurst and small party franks
Small pickled onions
Gherkin pickles
Any variety of apples sliced into wedges for dipping
Crab Meat Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1 pound large mushrooms
- 1 can crab meat or 6 oz fresh crab meat
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon grated onion
- 2 tablespoons minced mushroom stems
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ pound bacon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Clean mushrooms, remove stems, minced, and reserve.
- In a large bowl, mix crabmeat, mayonnaise, lemon juice, onion, minced mushroom stems, salt and black pepper.
- Fill cavities of mushrooms with mixture. Wrap with half a slice of bacon and fasten with a toothpick.
- Place on cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until bacon is crisp. Remove and place on absorbent paper.
- Serve warm.