Hors d’oeuvre – Aubrey About Town http://aubreyabouttown.com The going-ons of SF party host & chef, bon vivant, homme du monde, & man-about-town Sat, 09 Jan 2021 05:32:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.3 https://i0.wp.com/aubreyabouttown.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/cropped-43DD7C41-CD23-44CF-9EC7-C1D81E967BB4.png?fit=32%2C32 Hors d’oeuvre – Aubrey About Town http://aubreyabouttown.com 32 32 58900657 KEFTE (kofta) http://aubreyabouttown.com/recipe/kefte-kofta/ http://aubreyabouttown.com/recipe/kefte-kofta/#respond Sat, 09 Jan 2021 05:27:05 +0000 http://aubreyabouttown.com/?post_type=recipe&p=3477 These delicious ‘meatballs’ are easily customizable; traditionally made of minced lamb, a combination of lamb & beef, just beef, and even chicken, this delightfully spiced meaty appetizer (meza) is always welcome. Try accompanied by Tzatziki Dip or Classic Hummus, sliced onions, crumbled feta, and lots of fresh pita! Make them a main dish, and serve over Lebanese Rice Pilaf.

  • Kefte (kofta) ingredients
  • Shaped kefte ‘meatballs’
  • Kefte Pita Sandwich served with Tabbouleh
KEFTE (kofta)
Try serving kefte in toasted pita pockets lined with hummus, and stuffed with your favorite fillings like sliced cucumber & tomato, kalamata olives, feta, sliced red onion, alfalfa sprouts, and avocado topped with tzatziki or your favorite Italian vinaigrette.
Servings27 pieces
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time8 mins
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Line a 1/2 sheet pan with aluminum foil, fit with a rack.
  3. Peel and chop 2 cloves of garlic, top with 1 teaspoon salt. In a back and forth motion against the flat side of a kitchen knife, rub garlic and salt into a paste.
  4. On a box grater, grate one small onion, retain with juice.
  5. In a large bowl, combine ground beef (and/or ground lamb), tahini, grated onion, lemon juice, garlic-salt paste, cinnamon, and cumin.
  6. With impeccably-clean hands, knead meat and spice mixture together until thoroughly combined.
  7. Divide meat mixture into 27 one ounce balls. Roll balls into a 2-1/2 inch “cigars” and place on rack.
  8. Bake in preheated 400 degrees oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until just pink in the center when pierced with a small knife. (Or desired doneness)
]]> http://aubreyabouttown.com/recipe/kefte-kofta/feed/ 0 3477 Curried Beef Meatballs & Ginger Couscous http://aubreyabouttown.com/recipe/curried-beef-meatballs-ginger-couscous/ http://aubreyabouttown.com/recipe/curried-beef-meatballs-ginger-couscous/#respond Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:46:18 +0000 http://aubreyabouttown.com/?post_type=recipe&p=3063 This crowd-pleasing dish has great flavour and versatility. Serve as a quick midweek supper, an easy do-ahead for a special occasion buffet, or omit the pearl onions, peas, peppers, and couscous all-together for an addicting mouth-popping ‘Curried Meatballs & Mushrooms’ hors d’oeuvres at your next cocktail party.

Curried Beef Meatballs & Ginger Couscous
Full of flavour, and as the curry, garlic, onions, and ginger simmer away, it’s an absolutely sure-fire way to fill the house with warm exotic scents, exciting guests for the meal to come.
Servings4 servings
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time45 mins
Passive Time1 hour
Ingredients
Beef Meatballs
Curried Beef Meatballs
Ginger Couscous
Instructions
To Prepare Meatballs
  1. Peel garlic cloves, and rough chop. Top with kosher salt. Using the side of a kitchen knife, press salt into garlic, rubbing knife back & forth to make a salty garlic paste. Divide the salty garlic paste into two, set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, with a box grater, grate shallots to a watery paste-like consistency.
  3. Add ground beef, pecorino, Worcestershire, steak sauce, ground black pepper, and half of the divided salty garlic paste.
  4. With impeccably clean hands, knead meatball mixture until well combined (about two mins.)
  5. Using a 1-ounce ice cream scoop, form mixture into 20 small meatballs, roll each ball in the palm of your hands to round them out.
  6. Place formed meatballs on to a plate, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour.
  7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  8. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil, fit with a rack.
  9. Line-up meatballs on rack.
  10. Bake for 20 minutes or until they’ve shrunk in size, and have browned.
  11. Flip each meatball. (Flipping the meatballs will keep them from sticking to the rack as they cool.)
  12. Set aside to cool. Prepare Curried Beef Meatballs.
To Prepare Curried Beef Meatballs
  1. In a large mixing bowl, stir to dissolve corn starch in to 1-quart chicken stock, set aside.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over MED-HIGH heat.
  3. Add diced onion and sauté until translucent, and the edges just begin to golden.
  4. Add the other half of the salty garlic paste, curry powder, turmeric, and black pepper and stir until the garlic paste and spices begin to melt into the sautéed onions.
  5. While slowly whisking, pour the chicken stock mixture into sautéed onions.
  6. Whisk until sauce begins to thicken, lower heat to MED-LOW, simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  7. Transfer sauce to the pitcher of a blender, cover, and blend until smooth.
  8. Transfer back to the skillet, add whole mushrooms, increase heat to MEDIUM, and stirring occasionally, simmer sauce until mushrooms have shrunken a bit, and the sauce has thickened.
  9. To thickened sauce, add meatballs, julienned red peppers, pearl onions, and peas.
  10. Simmer 8 minutes longer, or until red peppers have softened slightly, and everything has heated through. Cover with lid, and keep hot on LOW heat while you Prepare the Ginger Couscous.
To Prepare Ginger Couscous
  1. Cut one 2-inch finger from a hand of ginger.
  2. Using the tip of a teaspoon or a vegetable peeler, scrape out skin from ginger.
  3. Against a microplane or ginger root grater, grate ginger into a tablespoon of paste.
  4. In a small saucepan, over MED-HIGH heat, bring chicken stock, butter, salt, and grated ginger just to a boil.
  5. Stir in couscous and parsley, cover with a lid and remove from heat. Let sit covered and undisturbed for 5 minutes.
  6. Gently fluff with a fork.
To Serve
  1. For family or buffet service, arrange fluffed couscous into a layer mound onto a large pasta bowl or platter.
  2. Arrange meatballs atop couscous, spoon sauce & vegetables over top.
  3. Top with fresh chopped cilantro (optional).
  4. Or plate in the same fashion on individual shallow pasta bowls, with 5 meatballs per serving (as pictured).
  5. Serves 4.
Recipe Notes

For a marvelous hot hors d’oeuvres, follow the steps above, omitting the pearl onions, red peppers, and peas (and couscous). Serve in a candle-warming chafer with fun cocktail picks. Watch guests make a ‘B-line’ from across the room!

Curry Powder

I use “S & B Oriental Curry Powder” from Japan. It’s available at fine food grocers, or online.

S & B Oriental Curry Powder

]]> http://aubreyabouttown.com/recipe/curried-beef-meatballs-ginger-couscous/feed/ 0 3063 Classic Hummus http://aubreyabouttown.com/recipe/classic-hummus/ http://aubreyabouttown.com/recipe/classic-hummus/#respond Sat, 18 May 2019 01:43:00 +0000 http://aubreyabouttown.com/?post_type=recipe&p=2271
  • Reducing canning brine
  • Grind to a smooth consistency
Classic Hummus
This classic Middle-Eastern dip & condiment.
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Open cans of garbanzo beans, drain and discard liquids from one, reserve the other.
  2. Add garbanzo beans and reserved liquid to a small saucepan, bring to a simmer.
  3. Stirring occasionally, simmer until liquids has evaporated. Remove from heat.
  4. In the bowl of a food processor (or blender) add garbanzo beans, lemon juice, 1/3 cup of the olive oil, tahini, and salt.
  5. Process to combine. With the food processor running, slowly stream in the remaining 1/3 cup olive, process until smooth. With a rubber spatula, scrape down sides of bowl (or blender). Continue to process until silky-smooth in texture.
  6. Transfer to a serving bowl or storage container, drizzle top with 1 tbsp olive oil, dust with smoked paprika.
  7. Let cool completely. Serve with fresh pita bread or as a dip for crudités.
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