Vivo O Sonho

 Hubby and I were invited to an evening of glass creation at a friend’s home art studio. He has all the tools, molds, a kiln, and oodles of gorgeous pieces of glass in all colors and sizes. (Plus an amazing collection of fabulous wine to stimulate the creative juices!)

I offered to bring dinner and decided on several small bite dishes. I was limited to about 45 minutes of prep at home, then assembled the plates in his kitchen. In the future, I’d make the poke about an hour earlier so the fish could sit in the marinade a bit longer and I’d make homemade meatballs. I shot for an array of flavors and a combination that would be substantial for a full meal, and all but one were served cold. It made for a casual meal with good conversation and friends, and I didn’t spend much time in the kitchen. The menu: Hawaiian-style poke with rice crackers, peppadews stuffed with shrimp, blue cheese/pear/walnut boats, watermelon with mint, chilled edamame with sea salt, and meatballs. (The meatballs were store-bought and I simply baked them in the oven at 350 degrees for 12 minutes, then poured a good jar of warm pasta sauce and a heap of mozzarella on top.)

Hawaiian-Style Poke

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of sushi-grade tuna, cut into one-inch cubes
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
• 3 tablespoons of light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon of chili oil
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon of wasabi paste
• 1 tablespoon of white sesame seeds
• Optional: a sprinkling of extra sliced green onions on top

Directions:

• Combine soy sauce, sesame and chili oils, lemon juice and wasabi paste in a small bowl and whisk until combined.
• Pour over tuna, add green onions and garlic and gently toss until well mixed.
• Refrigerate for an hour.
• Sprinkle with sesame seeds and toss gently before serving cold or at room temperature.

Serves 6 – 8 as an appetizer or 4 as a side dish.

Variations: You can experiment with more or less of the soy, oils and wasabi in the poke. This version has just a bit of heat from the chili oil and wasabi and if I’m making it just for hubby and I, I double the wasabi. It’s also really yummy served on a bed of seaweed salad (which will be in a future recipe) as a stand-alone lunch.

Peppadews Stuffed with Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 20 marinated peppadews or cherry peppers (seeds removed, oil drained)
• 1/2 lb cooked cocktail shrimp
• 1 Roma or plum tomato, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon finely diced shallots
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 8 leaves of Italian parsley finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Drain peppers and place open side down on a paper towel.
• Rinse and drain shrimp and removed excess moisture by patting with a paper towel or gently squeezing in cheesecloth.
• Gently mix shrimp, tomatoes, shallots, mayo and parsley.
• Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Place peppers open side up on a platter and fill with shrimp mixture.

Makes 20; Serves 6 – 10, depending on amount of other appetizers served.

Notes: I found the peppadews in the deli section of our local grocery store, in the serve-yourself area with the marinated olives and mushrooms. You can also find them in the condiment aisle in jars, but these tend to be smooshed and hard to fill. I like handpicking each one so they are uniform in size. They have a sweet taste with a light crunch and are also lovely when stuffed with a goat cheese and herb mixture.

Blue Cheese/Pear/Walnut Boats

Ingredients:

• 12 salad leaves: red or white endive, bibb, little gem, romaine hearts
• 1 medium ripe pair, cored and diced into small cubes (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped candied walnuts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

• Separate leaves, wash and pat dry with paper towels
• Gently mix pear cubes, blue cheese, walnuts, oil oil, lemon juice and sea salt.
• Spoon into leaves.

Serves 4 – 5.

Notes: I wanted endive leaves but neither local grocery store had them available so I ended up with romaine hearts. The endive would have added a nice bitterness and I prefer the shape for serving, but the romaine was a sort of blank canvas to the savory/sweet mixture and worked well.

Watermelon-Mint Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cold cubed watermelon chunks (cut into 1 inch cubes)
• 1/2 cup finely julienned mint leaves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• Optional: mint leaves for garnish

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients and toss gently.
• Serve immediately.

Serve 4.

Notes: This doesn’t sit well as the juice drains out of the watermelon and pools in the bottom of the bowl. So make what you’re going to eat; it won’t be good the next day.