Category: Appetizers

Cabbage Hash Brown Waffles

Autumn is a great time for certain vegetables and the vegetable stands are full. One of my favourite fall vegetables is cabbage. My Cabbage Hash Brown Waffles are crunch and sweet. You can’t get enough of them and the kids will gobble them up. What a great way to get more vegetables on the table. I serve these as an appetizer, but they are great as a main. Top them with yogurt for extra flavour.

Growing up the house smelled like cabbage many times, especially in the fall. Nonna Emilia loved stewed cabbage with various beans. We would add pasta to eat for our “primo piatto” and then it was followed by meat or fish with some salad. As a kid though, I remember not liking the smell because it lingered. However, the taste was delicious and I always liked the leftovers even cold. now i experiment with different ways to keep us healthy.

If you want to make nonna’s cabbage soup it is on the blog https://recipesatmytable.com/nonnas-cabbage-soup/

There are many benefits to eating cabbage and it is packed with nutrients. This is a good article with quick facts https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-cabbage

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup semola ( you can substitute all purpose flour)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped)
  • 1/2 teaspoon  salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
  • 3 cups shredded cabbage ( shredded like for coleslaw)
  • 1/4 cup water (for steaming cabbage)
  • 1 small yellow onion (thinly sliced)
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil

Garnish

  • yogurt and apple sauce

Process

Shred the cabbage and place it in a microwave safe bowl. Add 1/4 cup water and  Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Remove, drain and let it cool. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and Parmesan cheese.

Pulse the onion, garlic and parsley in a food processor.

When the cabbage cools add all the spices in including the maple syrup.

Next add the semola and stir. This will absorb any extra water. Now pour in the eggs and mix.

Warm up a waffle iron and brush on some oil. Put 1 cup of mixture into the waffle iron and cook. I like to portion it and use 1/4 cup per little section. Flatten it down.

Serve as an appetizer with yogurt and apple sauce or as a vegetarian main.

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Savoury Pumpkin Croquettes

Savoury Pumpkin Croquettes

Savoury Pumpkin Croquettes came to mind when looking at my leftover pumpkin.  I often make savoury balls out of eggplant and other vegetable.  This was an experiment, but they were delicious.  I used some cheese in the middle and these were like potato croquettes.

I wanted to use the pumpkin to enhance the flavour and bring colour to the potatoes.  This recipe lends itself well as an appetizer or a side.  The nutmeg adds that subtle extra layer of flavour and takes me back to my Sicilian roots.  I feel my ancestors all around the kitchen as I make these.  The Calabrese ones saying that you don’t put pumpkin in the potatoes and my Sicilian ones saying to be bold in cooking.  LOL  I love the party in my kitchen.  I laugh as I think of how Italians sometimes bicker about how to cook.

One thing I learned traveling the world is that food brings us all together.  My father always says that our basic needs include a roof over our heads, enough to eat and the gift of having family and friends to share the with.  This is what we truly need and is his definition of “happy”.  Wishing you all this happiness and more.  So today, cook something, set a table and even through these tough times, celebrate with those in your bubble around the table.  Don’t forget our traditional potato croquettes:  https://recipesatmytable.com/polpette-di-patate/

Ingredients

  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup potato flakes
  • 1/ 4cup water
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • cubed strips of mozzarella cheese ( about 14)
  • 1 garlic minced ( put through a press)
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 3 tbsp canola oil for frying

Process

CLICK ON THE VIDEO LINK AT THE END OF THE PAGE TO WATCH STEP BY STEP

Put the pumpkin into a coffee filter and place in a sieve.  Allow for any fluid to drain.  I usually keep this in the refrigerator overnight. 

Put a cup of potato flakes into a bowl and add one cup of boiling water.  Mix and let cool.

Add the pumpkin to the bowl of potatoes. Follow with the eggs, parmesan cheese,  garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix with your hands or spatula. 

Take about 2 tablespoons of mixture, form an oblong shape and put mozzarella in the middle.Pinch together and roll.Continue until you finish all the dough.  You should get about 14.  

Put about 3 tbsp of canola oil into a frying pan. Make sure oil is nice and hot.Fry to golden brown.

Watch the video and see how this all comes together in a step-by-step way!! Click on the red link: Pumpkin Croquettes Video

 

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Savoury Pumpkin Croquettes

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup potato flakes
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • cubed strips of mozzarella cheese about 14
  • 1 garlic minced put through a press
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 3 tbsp canola oil for frying

Instructions

  1. Put the pumpkin into a coffee filter and place in a sieve.  Allow for any fluid to drain.  I usually keep this in the refrigerator overnight.
  2. Put a cup of potato flakes into a bowl and add one cup of boiling water.  Mix and let cool.
  3. Add the pumpkin to the bowl of potatoes. Follow with the eggs, parmesan cheese,  garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix with your hands or spatula.
  4. Take about 2 tablespoons of mixture, form an oblong shape and put mozzarella in the middle.Pinch together and roll.Continue until you finish all the dough.  You should get about 14.
  5. Put about 3 tbsp of canola oil into a frying pan. Make sure oil is nice and hot.Fry to golden brown.
  6. Watch the video and see how this all comes together in a step-by-step way!!

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Pesto Cheese Braid Recipes at My Table

Pesto Cheese Braid

Pesto Cheese Braid

Pesto Cheese Braid brings the warmth of fresh made bread to your home anytime of the year.  The ingredients are simple, but the flavours are big.  Serve this bread as an appetizer or a side to soups and pasta dishes.

Growing up with my nonna was an amazing adventure.  She was a very resourceful woman who could use bread dough in a 1000 ways.  The bread we made together was labour intensive; it included making the dough rise twice.  I loved making it with her, but as I got older I didn’t have the time to bake from scratch when my children were small.

Pesto Cheese Braid uses my forgiving and easy dough that I use for pizza and many things.  The dough comes together in a food processor and I wrap it in plastic wrap for 10 minutes and then I let it sit another ten minutes when I make the braid.

The dry ingredients go into the blender.

The yeast bubbles and we know it is ready.

This dough is soft and pliable.

After a little kneading it forms a smooth round ball.

Wrapped in plastic and with a little oil, the dough sits for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into three equal parts.

The cheese and pesto for the filling.

Stretch out the dough and then roll it out a bit.

I put the pesto down the centre.

The cheese follows. Then we pinch and fold the rectangles.

Now it’s time to braid.

All ready for the oven.

Pesto Cheese Braid Recipes at My Table
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Pesto Cheese Braid

Pesto Cheese Braid brings the warmth of homemade bread to your table any time of the year. 

Course Side Dish
Cuisine Home Cooking in Canada, Italian
Keyword Pesto Cheese Braid
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 8
Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The dough

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 1 tbsp quick rise yeast
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds extra for sprinkling
  • 1/2 tsp dried basil

The filling

  • 2 tbsp pesto extra for brushing
  • 2 tsp olive oil divide in two
  • 1 cup shredded 4 cheese Italiano
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan or Roman cheese

Instructions

The Dough

  1. In a measuring cup put in the warm water, yeast, sugar and stir.  Set aside.

    Put flour,salt, fennel seeds and dried basil in a food processor.  Pulse.

    As soon as the yeast bubbles add it to the dry mixture and pulse on high until the dough comes away from the blade and forms a ball.

    Put dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times.

    Place dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

    Set aside for 10 minutes.

The filling

  1. Mix the shredded cheese and the parmesan in one bowl.

    In another bowl add the pesto and 1 tbsp of olive oil and stir. 

The Assembly

  1. After 10 minutes the dough will have puffed a bit.

    Put it onto a flour surfaced and cut into 3 equal pieces.

    Stretch each piece as far as you can with your hands to form long rectangles.

    Use the rolling pin now to roll out.

    They should be as long as the length of a large cookie sheet.

    Place some pesto down the centre of each strip.

    Divide the cheese equally onto the dough strips.

    Pinch each strip together and then braid. 

    Brush each braid with some olive oil and add pesto if you like.  You can also sprinkle on some extra fennel seeds.  

    Place on parchment paper and put into a 375 F oven for 25 to 30 minute. 

Recipe Notes

If you decide to brush this braid with pesto and fennel, use 1/2 a tsp each of pesto and fennel.

Mix the pesto with 1 tbsp of olive oil and brush onto the braid and then sprinkle with the fennel seeds. 

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recipes at my table

Spicy Sausage Bites

Spicy Sausage Bites

My Spicy Sausage Bites are the perfect little appetizers for anytime.  Made with hot Italian sausage, they are wrapped in egg roll wrappers for added crunchiness.  I serve them with a sweet onion mustard dip or marinara sauce.

The Egg Roll Wrappers are not Italian

The wrappers aren’t an Italian thing, but I notice when I visit Italy that there is this Oriental connection and that Chinese and Asian restaurants are more popular.  Growing up my dad didn’t like Chinese food, he said it didn’t fill him and we would often order Chinese when he worked a 3pm to 11pm shift.

The egg roll wrapper like many foods that we eat in North America, did not originate in China and represents a fusion of two cultures.  It is a creation of Chinese American Restaurants. In my spicy sausage bites Italian meets Chinese American.  The Italian sausage (cooked two ways) is wrapped with cheese and sealed in the dough. When visiting China a few years ago, I realized that authentic Chinese food is not what we eat in North America.

The Sweet Onion Dipping Sauce

This boosts the flavour of the tasting experience. The old-fashioned mustard with the grains adds texture and the brown sugar enhances the sweetness of the onion.  Everything is blended for a smooth rich texture.

Turned once, they are already perfectly golden.Sausage Bites in the Oven

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Spicy Sausage Bites

Hot Italian Sausage and cheese in an egg roll wrapper. 

Course Appetizer
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 57 minutes
Servings 6
Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

Spicy Sausage Bites

  • 6 spicy Italian sausages
  • 6 pieces of mozzarella or any firm cheese
  • 6 egg roll wrappers
  • 3 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning

The sweet onion dipping sauce

  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 2 medium onions
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic sliced
  • 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp old-fashioned grainy dijon mustard
  • 6 egg roll wrappers

Instructions

The sausage

  1. You have two choices here.

    1) You can roast the sausage in the over.  Set your oven to 375. Drizzle some olive oil over your sausage and roast for 30 minutes turning at the half way mark.  Serve this with the sweet onion dip.

    2) Cook your sausage in marinara sauce for about 30 minutes.   Serve this with marinara sauce. 

The sweet onion dipping sauce

  1. Set a small frying pan with 2 tbsp canola oil on the stove.

    Dice the onion and add to to the pan.

    Sautée the onions for a few minutes.

    Add the sliced garlic.

    Let everything brown.

    Add the rice wine vinegar and sugar.

    Take the mixture off the stove and use a blender.

    Add the mustard and stir.  



The Assembly

  1. Take a wonton wrapper and dampen all the edges with water.

    Place a sausage on a cutting board and cut it in half, but not all the way through.

    Put a piece of cheese the same length inside the sausage. You can also add jalapeño peppers here. 

    Everything should be at the one end of the egg roll wrapper and then start rolling towards the other edge. 

    Wet the ends and pinch them together.  

    Mix the canola oil, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. 

    Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  

    Brush both sides of the egg roll with the seasoned oil.

    Set the oven to 425 F.

    Cook for 14 minutes, turning half way.

    Serve with the sweet onion sauce and marinara sauce. 

If you like a lot of my tableware it comes from: https://www.princesshouse.com/ 

 

 

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