Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates

I know that we’re in the Thanksgiving home stretch!  But I just had to tell you about this elegant and impossibly easy appetizer that would make your guests swoon with delight this holiday season.  You may decide to squeeze it in on the already over-packed Thanksgiving menu for tomorrow or wait until Christmas or New Year’s or a relaxed Saturday afternoon with friends.  It’s up to you.  And if you do choose to whip it up for the big dinner tomorrow, rest assured those ravenous appetites will be kept in check before the bird is ready!   

As you can see, it only took me a few postings to come up with another great recipe that has goat cheese at its core.  I recently made these super-tasty Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates for a tapas themed party for the iconic El Clásico, the most watched soccer game in the world.  I also made them for a dinner party, a birthday celebration, and I’m making them again for Thanksgiving.  As you can imagine, everyone was smitten at first bite, gobbled them down in no time, and then demanded seconds! 

Simply put, these dates are a breeze to throw together and are wonderfully meaty and chewy, sweet and salty, creamy and fragrant all in one mouthful.  You can wrap them in prosciutto (or Serrano ham if you opt for a Spanish kick) and freely snack on them before the main courses make it to the table.  Pair the dates with a cold, crisp white wine and they will bewitch you.  And a little side note – you may want to bump up the quantities – the crowd will ask for more!

Last year, I was in charge of the entire Thanksgiving menu, and although it was only for three people, it was daunting and uplifting at the same time.  This year, I’m back to being a contributor to the mighty feast by bringing these amazing Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates, these irresistible Sweet and Spicy Roasted Nuts, and my favorite Cranberry-Orange Sauce that I’ve made religiously for the past few years.  So, here you have it…  Enjoy the recipe and I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving filled with delicious food and delightful company! 

Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates with Prosciutto

Adapted slightly from Giada at Home by Giada de Laurentiis

Makes: 16 stuffed dates

Ingredients:

·         ¼ cup (2 ounces) goat cheese, at room temperature

·         ¼ cup (2 ounces) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

·         ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves (or dill)

·         Salt and freshly ground black pepper

·         16 Medjool dates

·         8 thin slices prosciutto, halved lengthwise

·         16 toothpicks or cocktail picks

Instructions:

In a small bowl, mix together the cheeses and basil (or dill).  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Using a paring knife, make a lengthwise incision in each date.  Gently open the dates slightly and remove the pits.  (Make sure you don’t cut the dates in half when making the incision!) 

Spoon about ½ teaspoon of the cheese and basil mixture inside each one.  Close the dates around the filling.  Wrap a piece of prosciutto around each date and secure with a toothpick. 

Arrange the stuffed dates on a platter and serve. 

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)

Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

I’m continuing the goat cheese theme, this week.  That’s because I just can’t get enough of the creaminess and deliciousness of my favorite cheese, and I also figured that I should probably embrace tomatoes, the season’s most valued ingredient.  Truth be told, I simply can’t ignore an obvious thing these days – tomatoes are overflowing!  And now they’re in my kitchen, too!   

Tomatoes play an important role in Romanian cuisine, but merely as supporting actors.  They often constitute the cozy, saucy, piping hot pool for stuffed cabbage, pork goulash and stuffed peppers stew, or are found amid many other chopped ingredients in rich sour soups.  But, on occasion, we love to thoroughly stuff them!  Everything from bread to baba ganoush; rice, meat, mushrooms, meat and mushrooms, liver, pork scraps, fish, and of course cheese.  Anything known to man just shove it down inside the beautiful and mostly unmolested fresh tomatoes!  And just like that, tomatoes become the centerpiece! 

Although tomatoes are not my favorites among summer’s delights, they are simply splendid when partnered with smooth and tangy goat cheese speckled with delicate dill in this wonderful Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes recipe.  In Romania, cheese stuffed tomatoes are more often than not a quintessential component on cold appetizer platters next to a diverse array of cold cuts, meatballs, olives and cheeses.  But they could easily represent a dazzling and delightful appetizer all on their own, a light snack or a quick lunch.  

        

There’s no cooking or baking involved in this recipe, which makes it even more accessible, appealing, and perfect for the blazing hot season.  The tomatoes are firm and juicy, crisp and sweet, while the soft cheese filling is rich and packed with flavor and green freshness.  Suffice it to say – they are beautiful and very, very tasty!

Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

By Simply Romanesco inspired by my Grandma Vicki

Makes: 8 stuffed tomatoes

Ingredients:

·         8 medium, ripe but still firm tomatoes 
·         12 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature 
·         6 ounces sour cream 
·         2 Tablespoons mayonnaise 
·         1 small yellow onion, finely chopped 
·         ¼ cup dill, chopped 
·         ½ teaspoon salt 
·         Optional: a few leaves of parsley
 

Instructions:

Using a small sharp knife, cut off the top (where the stem used to be) of each tomato.  Using a small spoon, gently scrape out the pulp and seeds and discard them.  Place the tomatoes, cut side down, on a paper towel to allow the extra juices to drain out, about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, combine the goat cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, onion, dill and salt in a large bowl.  Mix together well until it becomes smooth and creamy.  Adjust the seasoning, adding more salt if necessary.

Place the tomatoes, cut side up, on a platter.  (If they tend to fall over, cut a tiny sliver off the bottom to allow them to stay still.)  Spoon 1-2 Tablespoons of the cheese mixture inside each tomato; I used a dessert decorator with the star tip for an extra decorative touch.  Decorate them with parsley leaves on top.  

Note:  If you have a bit of cheese mixture leftover, don’t throw it away; it’s simply superb smeared on a slice of crusty bread!          

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Nuts

I’m in a confessional mood again: I have no self-control when it comes to eating nuts.  That means – I can’t stop munching them if they are in less than a mile radius from me.  They are dangerous!  They’re so dangerous I usually don’t keep them in the house because I would eat them all day, every day, and they’d be gone… They’re what I call the forbidden food in our home.  But then it happens to have company over, which implies the perfect excuse to stock up on as many pounds of nuts as possible and make these crazy irresistible Sweet and Spicy Roasted Nuts and totally impress my guests and show that I’m a great hostess.

I’m a firm believer that the old custom of tipping over some dreary salted peanuts in a colorful bowl and serve them to your guests is overdone and should just go extinct.  And this recipe will help you abandon that boring behavior for good and opt for something more sophisticated and exciting.  Simply put, this unpretentious mixture of crunchy, sweet, salty, a tad spicy, and a smidge unctuous equals the perfect appetizer, snack, gift or… downright addiction!  Your guests will be chomping them by the fistful in no time!   

I dig any recipe that doesn’t require you to slave an entire day in the kitchen.  And this Sweet and Spicy Roasted Nuts recipe is right up there; it’s a breeze to whip up and uses a mere four basic ingredients to create an utterly indulgent result.  On top of that, I love any kind of nuts and chief among them, cashews.  In this recipe, though, I decided to pair them with almonds for some variety.  But feel free to use any kind of nuts you prefer – almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, and the list goes on.  Then, all you have to do is roast, mix, toss and serve.  No fancy ingredients, no fancy equipment, no fancy procedures but a very fancy and infinitely delicious snack that will keep your guests happily nibbling on until the main players make it to the table.  And now, though with no company around, I’m ready to dive head first into a bowl of these Sweet and Spicy Roasted Nuts.  That’s right!  No guests?  No problem!  The bowl is all yours!

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Nuts

Adapted from Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis

Makes: 2 cups

Ingredients for the Chili-Infused Oil:

·         ½ cup olive oil

·         1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes

Ingredients for the Roasted Nuts:

·         2 Tablespoons Chili-Infused Oil

·         1 cup raw unsalted whole almonds

·         1 cup raw unsalted whole cashews

·         1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

·         1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions for the Chili-Infused Oil:

In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil and crushed red pepper flakes over low heat, stirring occasionally, until a thermometer inserted into the oil registers 180°F, about 4-5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature, about 30-45 minutes.  Transfer the oil and red pepper flakes to a 4-ounce bottle or other small container and seal the lid.  Refrigerate up to 1 month. 

Instructions for the Roasted Nuts:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Place the almonds and cashews on a large baking sheet and roast in the oven for 15 minutes.  Take them out of the oven and allow the nuts to cool completely.   

Transfer the nuts to a medium bowl.  In a small bowl, stir 2 Tablespoons of Chili-Infused Oil, 1 Tablespoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt to blend.  Pour the mixture over the nuts and toss to coat.  And serve!  

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)