“We are in the area and thought we would stop by” these are the words that strike terror to many a hostess. Never fear, with a few simple ingredients you can have Bruschetta Style Broiled Feta ready before they ring the doorbell.
At this time of year friends and family are bound to stop by for an impromptu visit. Those of us who cook feel the need to feed. Keeping cheese on hand can take the stress out of those last minute visits.
In the summer we like nothing better than a bruschetta style snack — garden fresh tomatoes and cheese with crackers or baguettes. But alas it winter and tomatoes are not in season. Never fear grape or cherry tomatoes, especially those on the vine are still sweet and delicious. I have found that purchasing them on the vine gives them a longer shelf life and remember DO NOT put tomatoes in the refrigerator it makes tomatoes grainy and yucky!
Feta is a pickled curd cheese that has a salty and tangy taste enhanced by the brine solution. It is creamy white with small holes, a crumbly texture, in square cakes with no rind. It can also be purchased crumbled and flavored. Keep a block on hand, and you are ready for a quick and easy appetizer.Continue reading “Bruschetta Style Broiled Feta”
Burgers are normally a cookout item. Want to get fancy smancy? Chicken Piccata Burger.
I think chicken piccata is a wonderfully delicious dish. Why couldn’t it be a burger? No reason I can think of!
I have many ground chicken recipes on What the Forks for Dinner? Check some of them out. We have a recipe index, so look around!
Ground beef is always perfect for a burger, but sometimes you want to shake it up or make it a little more upscale…….well as upscale as a burger can be…….
So, Chicken Piccata Burger is born. Ground chicken with cappers, and parsley. Shaped into patties and then given the one…two….three treatment.
Flour, egg, and panko crumbs. Set up a dipping station using three shallow bowls, and the afore mentioned ingredients. Dipping the chicken burger and cooking until golden brown and crunchy.
Herb Lemon Butter makes this dish. A compound butter with fresh herbs, lemon, salt, and pepper. If you have never used compound butter before, try it……its a wonderful topper to steaks, or burger, and makes corn on the cob a taste delight.
A dollop of the butter on top of the burger, with leaf lettuce and sliced tomatoes on a ciabatta bun. Piccata perfect.
Next time you want to switch up a burger, try Chicken Piccata Burger.
Combine ground chicken, capers, and parsley until combine, do not over mix.
Form into 6 patties.
Set up a dipping station with flour, egg, and panko crumbs in shallow dishes.
Heat enough oil in a large skillet to cover the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is hot ,dip each patty into, flour, then the egg, then panko crumbs. Place in hot oil and cook until golden brown and cooked through, turning often.
To serve, put lettuce and tomato, and chicken burger on the bottom of the ciabatta bun. Place a slice of the Herb Lemon butter on top and allow to melt slightly. Place top on bun and enjoy.
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Add salt and ground black pepper to taste. Scoop it all onto the parchment paper and roll the form a cylinder then twist the ends closed. Refrigerate until the butter is firm. May be frozen to use later.
Salmon Cakes or better know in some circles as Salmon Patties, were a staple dinner when we were kids.
You remember, the canned salmon that you had to pick through to try and get rid of the bones and cartilage that was in with the salmon. I always though it was gross, but truth be told I was never a big salmon patty lover as a kid.
Turns out the bones and cartilage are edible and full of calcium……who knew? That still as a kid, would not have swayed me. I ate them, because anyone of a certain age knows, you ate what was in front of you or you went hungry. Beside they weren’t awful just not my fav.
So, fast forward a few years….ok maybe more than a few, but I learned the love of real, honest to goodness salmon. Not from a can, but from the sea……such a big difference. If possible buy wild caught salmon, fresh is best.
Now, when I say fresh, I mean wild caught, not fresh in the meat case at the grocery store. Actually, don’t assume that fresh is always better than frozen fish. Sometimes frozen is better than fresh. Plenty of frozen fish is put on ice on boats right after it’s caught to preserve its freshness. I buy frozen frequently.
It’s easy to like salmon, its tender, mild-tasting, and versatile. It’s even easy to cook—the fatty texture helps keep the fish tender and moist, so the perfect choice for Salmon Cakes. Plus its loaded with those all important Omega’s.
Using fresh salmon for these Salmon Cakes keeps them moist, as using canned can result in dry cakes. Some Miracle Whip, and as I always say…..mayo if you must…….I prefer Miracle Whip, grainy mustard, capers, dill, and green onions, plus panko crumbs ( I love these ) bind the fresh salmon together.
I used my 1/3 cup measure as a measure and a form. The mixture pressed into the 1/3 cup measure makes the perfect cake.
A quick visit to the frying pan to brown them, and then into the oven to finish.The oven time is the perfect time to make the sauce.
Greek yogurt, lemon, juice, dill, green onion, and mustard make a beautiful sauce to slather over the Salmon cakes. Creamy, lemony, dilly = yummy!
The salmon cakes need a bed to lay on and what better than spinach? Just a olive oil, lemon juice, mustard vinaigrette, tossed with the spinach make a pretty little bed for the Salmon Cakes.
To serve, place the dressing spinach on a plate or serving platter, depending if you are serving individual or family style. Then place the salmon cakes on the bed of spinach. Top each cake with the yogurt sauce, and garnish with extra dill and capers if you wish.
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons grainy mustard, divided
2 tablespoons Miracle Whip or mayo
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped and divided
3 green onions, finely chopped, keeping white and green parts separate
2 teaspoons capers
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
2 cups spinach, silvered
Lemon Wedges for serving.
Instructions
Preheat oven ot 400*
Cut salmon into small dice pieces and place in a large bowl. Stir in panko crumbs, 2 tablespoons mustard, Miracle Whip, 1 tablespoon dill, white part of green onions, and capers. Mix until well combined.
Using a 1/3 cup measure scoop patties onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The measuring cup forms a nice patty. You should have 8 patties. Place in refrigerator for 5-10 minutes.
Over medium high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil: cook patties until golden brown. Transfer patties to a clean baking sheet lined with parchment and place in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through..
While patties are in the oven, in a small bowl combine yogurt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard, 1/2 tablespoon dill, and green part of green onion. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
In a small bowl place 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and remain 1/2 teaspoon mustard, whisk to combine well.
Chopped spinach into slivers and place in a large bowl, toss with oil, lemon juice mustard mixture.
To serve place a bed of spinach and two patties on each plate, top with yogurt sauce, and garnish with capers and dill if desired. Serve with extra lemon wedges.
