L ifestyle /C ulture
Simple Appetizers for New Year’s Eve
F OO D
KERI WHITE | JE FOOD COLUMNIST
I AM NOT a huge fan of this
holiday. But I am a huge fan
of (safe) hosting and gathering
and sharing a convivial meal
with family and friends. New
Year’s Eve presents an oppor-
tunity for all of that if you can
tease out the pressure to drink
too much and stay up too late.

This selection of appetizers
will not overly tax the cook
and can be part of a larger
cocktail buffet if dinner is not
being served. Conversely, if a
full meal is on the menu, these
nibbles can deliver a nice, light
appetizer course that doesn’t
fill up the guests or compro-
mise the main event.

FIRECRACKER SALMON
BITES Serves 4 as an appetizer
This recipe was inspired by a
shrimp dish I saw on a food
blog; I’ve tweaked it to fit a
kosher audience. They can be
served on toothpicks hot or at
room temperature. The version
here is quite spicy thanks to
jalapeno pepper, but if that is
not to your liking, you can
use any marinade you like —
teriyaki sauce, mustard, white
wine vinaigrette or tandoori.

1 pound salmon fillet, skin
removed, cut into bite-
sized pieces
1 teaspoon finely chopped
jalapeno peppers
1 teaspoon finely chopped
garlic ¼ cup olive oil
Pinch of salt
Juice of ½ lemon
Heat oven to 375 degrees
and line a rimmed baking
sheet with parchment paper.

Mix all the ingredients
except for the salmon in a
medium-sized bowl. Add the
salmon to the bowl and toss
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM it gently to coat. Let it sit for
about 30 minutes. Place the
salmon pieces on the baking
sheet and bake them for about
10 minutes or until just done.

Cool the salmon slightly, stab
it with sturdy toothpicks and
serve it as an appetizer.

COLD VEGGIE PIZZA
This is the ultimate cheat: store-
bought dough and bottled
dressing. But it is tasty, pretty
to look at with the colorful
vegetables and a volume
appetizer that you make in a
baking tray and cut in pieces.

It does not involve fussing with
canapes, sealing wontons or
other high-effort action. If you
are so inclined, feel free to make
your own biscuit dough and
ranch dressing.

This pizza can be made
ahead of time but should be
assembled close to serving. You
don’t want the sauce to sit on
the crust for a lengthy spell or
it may become soggy. But you
can bake the crust, mix the
sauce and chop the veggies a
day ahead, then assemble the
pizza an hour or so before your
guests arrive.

1 package crescent roll
dough ¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup ranch dressing
½ pound cream cheese,
softened 2-3 cups finely chopped
assorted raw vegetables,
preferably in varied
colors, such as broccoli,
tomatoes, mushrooms,
carrots, beets, cauliflower,
yellow, red and
green peppers
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Stuffed Mushrooms
Mix the mayonnaise, cream
cheese and dressing until well
blended. Spread this mixture
onto the crust — be sure it
is completely cooled or it will
“melt” the sauce. Top it with
chopped vegetables and a
sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Cut the dough into bite-sized
pieces and serve it chilled or at
room temperature.

Zolotaosen / iStock / Getty Images Plus
parchment paper.

Remove the stems from the
mushrooms and discard or
reserve them for another use
(the veggie pizza, perhaps?).

Coat the mushroom caps
lightly with cooking spray and
bake them on the prepared
cooking tray, hollow side up,
until the mushrooms begin to
sweat, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend the
remaining ingredients.

Let the mushrooms sit
until they are cool enough to
handle. Fill the mushrooms
with the cheese mixture, and
return them to the oven just
to warm the filling, about 5
minutes. l
STUFFED MUSHROOMS
Makes 24
These mushrooms can be
made ahead of time. Save
the last step for the final
5 minutes in the oven to heat
the filling until ready to serve.

2 dozen crimini or white
“button” mushrooms
Cooking spray
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 small red pepper,
finely diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tablespoons chopped
basil or parsley
Roll the crescent dough
onto a cookie sheet and bake
according to package direc-
tions. Set the dough aside to
Heat oven to 425 degrees
cool completely.

and line a baking sheet with
JEWISH EXPONENT
DECEMBER 30, 2021
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