starters – Simply Sundays

Gorgonzola Cheese Bites

These buttery, creamy cheese bites have a slight woodsy flavor from rosemary and a welcome crunch from toasted pecans

I’ve used gorgonzola for this particular recipe, but you can just as easily substitute blue cheese

Our son Mike and I are blue cheese buddies. I’m not sure who loves it more! I’ll order something in a restaurant just because it has either gorgonzola or blue cheese in it

What’s the difference between gorgonzola and blue cheese?

Gorgonzola is produced in Northern Italy is made primarily from cow’s milk. It’s milder in taste and softer in texture than its blue cheese cousin

Blue cheese can be made from cow’s, sheep’s, or goat’s milk. It has a sharper bite and is more hard and crumbly than gorgonzola.

Measure out 8 ounces each of room temperature gorgonzola and cream cheese. Combine in the bowl of a mixer with 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary, 2 tablespoons of dry white wine, a dash of worcestershire, and a pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper

Mix on medium until the ingredients are well combined and creamy

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm for at least an hour. If prepping ahead, you can keep the mix in the fridge overnight and then scoop out into balls before serving

No need to be this particular, but I like to weigh each ball to make sure they are all uniform. I’ve done the math for you… 3/4 ounce will give you 20 gorgonzola cheese bites

I scoop the cheese mixture out onto a sheet pan lined with parchment and roll into balls

Once they’re all rolled, put back in the fridge for another 15-20 minutes so they firm up

Final step is to roll each ball in chopped toasted pecans. You can buy the pecans chopped and just heat them in a frying pan over low heat for a few minutes until fragrant. This brings out the nutty flavor

Once the nuts are cooled, place in a small bowl and roll one cheese bite at a time until coated and place them back on the sheet pan

Serve either chilled or at room temperature and garnish with a sprig or two of fresh rosemary

Enjoy!

Simply Sundays ~ Gorgonzola Cheese Bites

Servings: 20
Time: 20 minutes prep, 20 minutes chill
Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients

8 ounces room temperature gorgonzola

8 ounces cream cheese

2 tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary + fresh rosemary for serving

2 tablespoons of dry white wine

a dash of worcestershire

A pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper

1 1/2 cups of toasted chopped pecans

Directions

Measure out 8 ounces each of room temperature gorgonzola and cream cheese and combine in the bowl of a mixer with 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary, 2 tablespoons of dry white wine, a dash of worcestershire, and a pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper

Mix on medium until the ingredients are well combined and creamy

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm for at least an hour. If prepping ahead, you can keep the mix in the fridge overnight and then scoop out into balls before serving

Scoop the cheese mixture out onto a sheet pan lined with parchment and roll into balls

Once they’re all rolled, put back in the fridge for another 15-20 minutes so they firm up

Heat the chopped pecans in a frying pan over low heat for a few minutes until fragrant

Once the nuts are cooled, place in a small bowl and roll one cheese bite at a time until coated and place them back on the sheet pan

Serve either chilled or at room temperature and garnish with a sprig or two of fresh rosemary

Tools used to make this recipe

<br />

Mini Prep Glass Bowl

Reynolds Kitchens Parchment Paper

Wilton Recipe Right Non-stick Cookie Sheet Set, 2-Piece

OXO Stainless Steel Food Scale

December 29, 2019

simplysundaysfoodblog2 Comments

Tsukune – Japanese Meatballs

Tsukune which is pronounced ‘sue-koon e’ is a form of Japanese meatball that gets a lot of flavor from ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms, ginger, garlic and soy

We are preparing this dish as an appetizer but these are so good they can definitely be a main

Make them a bit bigger and serve them with some steamed rice and salad and you have a full meal

You can use any protein that you want, beef, pork, even seafood but we are taking a more traditional approach and using ground chicken

So let’s start prepping

First off, we will need 4 ounces of shiitake mushrooms

Shiitake stems are woody so let’s twist them off and give the caps a slice

Discard the stems

Repeat until they are all sliced

Next we will need 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 2 grated garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger and 2 tablespoons of dry sherry

Heat the sesame oil in a pan over medium heat

Add in the mushrooms, garlic and ginger

Cook stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes or until the mushrooms and garlic start to soften

Deglaze the pan with the sherry and cook another 2-3 minutes or until the sherry is mostly absorbed

Remove the mushrooms from the heat and allow to cool

Once cooled you will need 2 teaspoons of red miso which is a fermented soybean paste

Add the mushrooms and miso to a chopper or blender

Pulse until finely chopped

Time to start making some meatballs!

We will need 2 pounds of ground chicken

We’ll need the miso mushroom mixture, 3/4 cups of panko (Japanese bread crumbs), 2 scallions chopped, 1 egg white, 2 grated garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch

Add all of these ingredients to the ground chicken

Sprinkle with kosher salt and ground black pepper

Using your hands, gently mix the ingredients all together

Since we are using these as starters, I’m going to use a 1/8 cup as a scoop, you can the increase the size of the scoop and change the size of the meatball

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and give it a light spray of oil

Start scooping the meat, we will come back and roll them later

Once they are all scooped, start rolling

I find that wetting my hands a bit makes rolling easier

We actually made a perfect 30 meatballs out of this mixture

Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow them to meld and solidify

You can also do these a day ahead

Preheat the oven to 350 F

You can also grill or pan fry these

Place in the oven and cook 18-20 minutes or until lightly brown and firm to the touch

While the meatballs are in the oven doing their thing, we are going to make a sauce

To start we will need 1/3 cup of mirin, 1/3 cup of soy, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar

Place these four ingredients into a sauce pan and whisk together

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook 6-8 minutes or until slightly reduced and thickened

Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly

To finish the sauce we will need the juice and zest of 1 lime, 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger and 1 serrano pepper sliced thinly

We will also need a tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds for a garnish

Add the lime, ginger and pepper to the sauce

Mix to combine

I believe in full transparency… I’m going to admit to a blog blooper

Remember those toasted sesame seeds from a couple pictures back?

The ones I labored to toast perfectly myself, the ones that would have added some extra flavor and texture to these meatballs?

Well, they remained in their bowl behind a roll of paper towels on my counter after we completed our photo shoot!

That’s right folks, I left a basket ingredient off the plate

I guess I’m chopped!

You, however, don’t have to be chopped so feel free to add some toasted sesame seeds as a garnish!

To serve, we are using flat skewers with 2 meatballs on each

Place the meatballs on a serving platter and spread the sauce over them

We also served this with extra serrano peppers and slices of lime!

Enjoy!!!

Simply Sundays! ~ Tsukune - Japanese Meatball

Servings: 30 Meatballs
Time: Prep 20 Min, Chill 30 Min, Cook 18-20 Min
Difficulty: Medium
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Ingredients

For the mushroom mixture

4 ounces of shiitake mushrooms

2 tablespoons of sesame oil

2 grated garlic cloves

1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons of dry sherry

2 teaspoons of red miso paste

For the meatballs

2 pounds of ground chicken

mushroom mixture (see above)

3/4 cup of panko (japanese bread crumb)

2 scallions chopped

1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger

2 grated garlic cloves

1 egg white

2 teaspoons of cornstarch

kosher salt

ground black pepper

For the sauce

1/3 cup of mirin

1/3 cup of soy sauce

2 tablespoons of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar

1 lime zested and juiced

1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger

1 thinly sliced serrano pepper

For garnish

1 lime sliced

sliced serrano

toasted sesame seeds (apparently optional, see above)

Directions

For the mushroom mixture

Remove the stems from 4 ounces of shiitake mushrooms and slice the caps. Heat 2 tablespoon of sesame oil over medium heat and add in the sliced mushroom caps along with 2 grated garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger

Cook stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes or until the mushrooms and garlic start to soften. Deglaze the pan with the sherry and cook another 2-3 minutes or until the sherry is mostly absorbed

Remove the mushrooms from the heat and allow to cool. Add the mushrooms and 2 teaspoons of miso to a chopper or blender. Pulse until finely chopped

For the meatballs

Place 2 pounds of ground chicken in a large mixing bowl. Add the miso mushroom mixture, 3/4 cups of panko (Japanese bread crumbs), 2 scallions chopped, 1 egg white, 2 grated garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, then sprinkle with kosher salt a ground black pepper

Using your hands gently mix the ingredients all together. Use 1/8 cup as a scoop for the meatballs. You can use larger scoops for larger meatballs

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and give it a light spray of oil. Start scooping the meat. Lightly wet the palms of your hands and start rolling the meatballs. I find that wetting my hands a bit makes rolling easier

We actually made a perfect 30 meatballs out of this mixture. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow them to meld and solidify. You can also do these a day ahead. Preheat your oven to 350 F. You can also grill or pan fry these. Place in the oven and cook 18-20 minutes or until lightly brown and firm to the touch

For the sauce

In a saucepan add 1/3 cup of mirin, 1/3 cup of soy, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar and whisk together

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook 6-8 minutes or until slightly reduced and thickened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly

To the sauce add the juice and zest of 1 lime, 1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger and 1 thinly sliced serrano pepper. Mix to combine

Serve the meatballs covered in the sauce and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Garnish with more serrano peppers and slices of lime

Tools used to make this recipe

<br />

Cuisinart Boxed Grater

Architec Carving Board, Gripperwood

Mini Prep Glass Bowl

NuWave Flex Precision Induction Cooktop

Pyrex Mixing Bowl

Reynolds Kitchens Parchment Paper

Royal Classique 10 Piece Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons Set with Silicone Handles

Wilton Recipe Right Non-stick Cookie Sheet Set, 2-Piece

ZELITE INFINITY Chef Knife 8 inch

OXO Good Grips Balloon Whisk

August 11, 2019

simplysundaysfoodblogLeave a comment

Rustic Asparagus & Prosciutto Tart

Fresh Spring asparagus, smoky gouda and crispy prosciutto come together on a decadent puff pastry to form this rustic and delicious tart

This is one of our favorites to serve at parties because it’s so easy to put together and everyone raves about it!

Funny story… we made 2 of these tarts to serve as a starter last year for a get-together. My hubby and I we’re talking, cooking, drinking cocktails… reached for a square of tart and they were ALL gone!

Sheesh. They could have saved us as least one to share

In the kitchen flurry, we left the second tray in the lower oven and didn’t realize it until hours after everyone left! Oh my, what a post party snack that was!

Enough chatter, let’s get cooking!

Assemble 12 ounces of asparagus, woody ends trimmed, 5 ounces of shredded smoked gouda and 2 ounces of thinly sliced prosciutto and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

On a floured surface, roll out 1 sheet of defrosted puff pastry to roughly the size of a sheet pan

It doesn’t have to be exact… that’s why we’re calling it rustic!

Prepare a sheet pan with parchment sprayed with cooking oil and carefully place the dough on the pan

Lightly poke the dough with a fork, leaving about a 1 1/2 inch border

This will help the tart to stay flat and not puff up while baking

Add the shredded cheese leaving a border of dough that will puff up and form the crust

Next, add the asparagus in a layer and top with the sliced prosciutto

Two last steps before we bake this tasty tart

Brush the border of the dough with a beaten egg. This will give a nice, browned color to the tart

Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper to taste. Hold off on adding any salt – the prosciutto is salty on its own and we’ve used salted butter to brush the crust. This should give enough seasoning without having to add more

Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes until the edges of the tart are lightly browned and the asparagus is fork tender

Let the tart sit for about 5 minutes to set before you cut

Oooohhh… the cheese is all melty and the prosciutto is nice and crispy… yum!!

Perfect for a side or a starter. Just make sure you get to taste it!!

Enjoy!

Simply Sunday's ~ Rustic Asparagus & Prosciutto Tart

Servings: 16 squares
Time: 10 minutes prep, 15 minutes bake
Difficulty: Easy
Print

Ingredients

12 ounces of asparagus, woody ends trimmed

5 ounces of shredded smoked gouda

2 ounces of thinly sliced prosciutto

1 sheet of defrosted puff pastry

1 beaten egg

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

Assemble 12 ounces of asparagus, woody ends trimmed, 5 ounces of shredded smoked gouda and 2 ounces of thinly sliced prosciutto

On a floured surface, roll out 1 sheet of defrosted puff pastry to roughly the size of a sheet pan

Prepare a sheet pan with parchment sprayed with cooking oil and carefully place the dough on the pan

Lightly poke the dough with a fork, leaving about a 1 1/2 inch border

Add the shredded cheese leaving a border of dough that will puff up and form the crust

Next, add the asparagus in a layer and top with the sliced prosciutto

Brush the border of the dough with a beaten; sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes until the edges of the tart are lightly browned and the asparagus is fork tender

Let the tart sit for about 5 minutes to set before you cut

Tools used to make this recipe

Cuisinart Boxed Grater

Architec Carving Board, Gripperwood

Mini Prep Glass Bowl

Reynolds Kitchens Parchment Paper

Good Cook Classic Wood Rolling Pin

Silicone Flexible Rubber Baking Spatula

Wilton Recipe Right Non-stick Cookie Sheet Set, 2-Piece

May 8, 2019September 4, 2019

simplysundaysfoodblog11 Comments

Jalapeño Poppers

So… we get invited to parties. We love parties

“What can I bring?” I say. “Can you make your Jalapeno Poppers??” they say.

Yes, of course I can.

I’ll show you why this 4 ingredient appetizer is so highly requested

I have 8 jalapeno peppers, 8 slices of bacon cut in half, 4 ounces of cream cheese, 4 ounces of pepper jack cheese and a teaspoon of garlic powder

First off, we need to seed these peppers

The seeds and membranes are what make them spicy and while we want some heat, we also want to be able to eat them without calling in the fire department

I generally choose to wear a disposable glove on my pepper-touching-hand. Just a precaution, but I cannot tell you how many times I’ve cut jalapenos and then rubbed my eye with soul burning agony

Maybe a little dramatic, but it’s better to be safe, right?

Slice the peppers lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and membranes

Using a spoon makes de-seeding the peppers an easy job

Let’s mix up our cheese stuffing

Add 4 ounces of room temp cream cheese, 4 ounces of shredded pepper jack cheese and a teaspoon of garlic powder to a bowl and stir to combine

It’s stuffing time. Divide the cheese mixture equally between the 16 pepper halves

I’m sure these jalapenos would be delicious if we cooked them right now

But, uh… bacon

Wrap each pepper with a bacon strip and now we’re ready to rock and roll

I’ve lined a sheet pan with foil for easy clean up. I’m using a wire rack so the bacon cooks evenly and doesn’t sit in it’s own fat

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until the bacon is cooked to your liking. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes to crisp up. Let rest for about 10 minutes (the hardest part of this recipe) and serve!

Enjoy!

Simply Sundays ~ Jalapeño Poppers

Servings: 16 poppers
Time: 10 minutes prep, 27 minutes cook
Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients

8 jalapeño peppers

8 slices of bacon cut in half

4 ounces of cream cheese

4 ounces of pepper jack cheese

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

Directions

Slice the peppers in half lengthwise; scrape out the seeds and membrane

Add 4 ounces of room temp cream cheese, 4 ounces of shredded pepper jack cheese and a teaspoon of garlic powder to a bowl and stir to combine

Divide the cheese mixture equally between the 16 pepper halves; Wrap each pepper with a bacon strip

Line a sheet pan with foil for easy clean up. I’m using a wire rack so the bacon cooks evenly. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until the bacon is cooked to your liking. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes to crisp up. Let rest for about 10 minutes and serve!

Tools used to make this recipe

Architec Carving Board, Gripperwood

Mini Prep Glass Bowl

Pyrex Bakeware Scalloped Pie Plate

Simply Bamboo Maui Bamboo Cutting Board

Wilton Recipe Right Non-stick Cookie Sheet Set, 2-Piece

Spring Chef Baking Rack

ZELITE INFINITY Chef Knife 8 inch

January 25, 2019December 28, 2019

simplysundaysfoodblog12 Comments

Won Tons

Whether your looking for a great starter for a party or an accompaniment to a larger meal, Won Tons are the way to go

Who doesn’t love these little hand held delights of tasty Asian flavored meat in a crispy shell

And the best part is that they are not the hard to make!

Especially when using store bought Won Ton wrappers!

Lets start with 2 pounds of ground pork

Next we will need 4 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce, 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, 4 tablespoons of honey, 2 tablespoon of fish sauce, 2 tablespoons of chopped green onion (scallions), 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger and 2 teaspoons of sesame oil

Add all the above ingredients to the meat

If the mixture seems loose you can add 1/4 cup of Panko (Japanese breadcrumb) as needed

Using your hands mix the meat gently to incorporate all ingredients

Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld

You can also make the mixture a day ahead and refrigerate overnight

Preheat your oven 350 F

Start with a small bowl of water, Won Ton wrappers and 1/2 tablespoon for measuring out the meat mixture

You will want to place a heaping 1/2 tablespoon of the meat mixture in the center of the Won Ton

Dip your finger tip into the water and wet all four outside edges of the wrapper

Bring the top and bottom points together forming a triangle

Pinch the sides together to form a seal

Wet the tips on the right and left points of the triangle and fold inward and pinch to seal

Now we have a Won Ton!

It will look a bit like a little hat

Now that we have made one it is assembly line time!

You can definitely use some family members here to crank these out!

If there is any meat mixture left over pack it up and hide it immediately, then when no one is around form yourself a delicious little Asian pork burger, fry it up and eat it without anyone ever knowing what happened (insert villainous laugh here)

You can always fry or steam these but we are going to bake them

Spray some cooking oil on a parchment lined sheet pan and add in the Won Tons

Spray the Won Tons with a little cooking oil as well

Place in the oven and cook until lightly browned, 20-25 minutes

Yum!

Now we serve this with a more traditional Duck Sauce, but we also make a sweet and sour sauce out of chili sauce and grape jelly

Yep… you read that right. Grape jelly and chili sauce. You’ve just got to trust me on this one

We will need 1 cup of grape jelly and one cup of chili sauce

Place this over medium heat and cook (while whisking) until the jelly melts down and the flavors meld

Remove and allow to sit until the sauce cools a bit and starts to thicken

And that’s it!!

Delicious and tasty Won Tons!!

We served this with our dipping sauces on the side!!

Enjoy!!!

Simply Sundays! ~ Won Tons

Servings: 6-8
Time: Prep 20 Min, Cook 20-25 Min
Difficulty: Easy
Print

Ingredients

2 pounds of ground pork

4 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce

4 tablespoons of soy sauce

4 tablespoons of honey

2 tablespoons of fish sauce

2 tablespoons of chopped green onion

1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger

2 teaspoons of sesame oil

1/4 of Panko (Japanese breadcrumb)

1- 12 ounce package of Won Ton wrappers

1/4 cup of water

cooking spray

Duck Sauce (optional)

Sweet and sour sauce (optional)

1 cup of grape jelly

1 cup of chili sauce

Directions

Place 2 pounds of ground pork in a bowl and add 4 tablespoons of teriyaki, 4 tablespoons of soy, 4 tablespoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 2 tablespoons of chopped green onion, 1 tablespoon of freshly ground ginger and 2 teaspoons of sesame oil

Add 1/4 cup of Panko (Japanese breadcrumb) and using your hands gently mix in all the ingredients. Place in the refrigerator 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. This can also be done a day in advance

Scoop a heaping 1/2 tablespoon of the meat mixture into the center of a Won Ton wrapper. Dip your finger in water and wet the outer edges of the Won Ton. Bring the top and bottom points together forming a triangle and pinch to seal

Wet the right and left side points of the triangle and bring together, pinch to seal. This will look like a little hat. Repeat with the remaining Won Tons

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Add in the Won Tons and spray with some additional cooking oil. Place into a 350 F preheated oven and bake F for 20-25 minutes or until they are a light golden brown

For the sweet and sour sauce

In a pot over medium heat, whisk together 1 cup of grape jelly and 1 cup of chili sauce and cook until the jelly melts and the flavors meld. Remove and allow to sit until the sauce cools a bit and starts to thicken

Tools used to make this recipe

Architec Carving Board, Gripperwood

Pyrex Mixing Bowl

Wilton Recipe Right Non-stick Cookie Sheet Set, 2-Piece

OXO Good Grips Flat Wire Whisk

Royal Classique 10 Piece Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons Set with Silicone Handles

January 12, 2018January 30, 2019

simplysundaysfoodblog10 Comments