Spaghetti Birds' Nests

These adorable, elegant little appetizers made a great addition to the birthday party we threw for our daughter. Not only are they fairly inexpensive to make - one box of spaghetti yields nearly 45 little birds' nests - they have widespread appeal and keep well on a buffet. I found this recipe when Proud Italian Cook posted about appetizers she served at a party. The original can be found at , Foodalogue .

I followed the original recipe but made a few changes. Here is my version of the recipe below. I omitted the bacon and peas in the original, and instead added chopped fresh basil and topped each nest with a roasted tomato half. I thought it just looked prettier than slopping tomato sauce on top. These were a hit at the party and I will definitely be making them again for future gatherings! Enjoy!


Tomato-Basil Spaghetti Birds' Nests


3 cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 lbs. mozzarella shredded
8 eggs beaten
1/2c parmigiano reggiano (or locatelli, whatever you use)
1/2c provolone
freshly chopped basil
1 large crate of grape tomatoes
olive oil
s+p
nonstick cooking spray
1 lb. spaghetti

Saute garlic in olive oil until soft. Reserve to side.
Preheat oven to 350. Cut each of your grape tomatoes in half and then place in a small baking dish. Toss with olive oil to coat and season with salt and pepper. Roast until they begin to soften and the skins blister, about 25 minutes. Remove and let cool.
Crack spaghetti in thirds, boil to al dente and drain.
Mix beaten eggs with cheeses, s+p, and fold in garlic and chopped basil.
Add drained spaghetti and mix.
Fill greased mini muffin tins with the spaghetti mixture and top each one with a tomato half.
Bake in 350-375 oven for 10 minutes or until egg has cooked and the cheese has melted. Remove and serve warm. These can be made a day in advance and then reheated to room temperature or warmer for serving. Makes about 45 pieces.

Artichoke and Tomato Bruschetta

The heat has been insane lately in Maryland. It's almost too hot to eat anything these days! However, if you're looking for a light, tasty and fresh appetizer that will hold up in this oppressive heat this is it. I saw this post on Proud Italian Cook that included a recipe idea for Artichoke Salsa .

It sounded so good and since I love artichokes I knew it would be a hit. Plus, there is no need to warm up the oven and you don't even have to light the grill if you don't want to! Just cut up some nice French bread to serve this salsa-style artichoke mixture on. I did serve it on grilled flatbread squares, but if you can't stand the heat that extra step is not needed.
This dish is a bit labor intensive - interpreted to mean LOTS of chopping. I chopped everything by hand so it takes a while. But it's worth it. So stay cool and enjoy this yummy bruschetta!

Artichoke and Tomato Bruschetta
Adapted from Proud Italian Cook's blog

1 12 oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1 8 oz jar of pitted kalamata olives, chopped
2 to 3 ripe tomatoes, diced
1/2 of a red onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 fresh Cubanelle or Banana pepper, diced
a handful of basil, chiffonaded
1/2 of a lemon juiced
3 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
a loaf of French bread, sliced or pitas cut into triangles

After chopping and dicing your ingredients, combine them all in a bowl. Toss with the fresh squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, basil and salt and pepper. Season to taste - go easy on the salt because the olives will add salt as well as the marinated artichokes.

Grill your French bread or sliced pitas over hot coals until grill marks are formed. Serve artichoke mixture over pieces of grilled bread. Top with more basil leaves if desired.
(It also tastes great topped with a little shredded pecorino Romano cheese)

White Bean and Pancetta Bruschetta

This little starter really exemplifies how simple, fresh and delicious Italian food can be. I've been making these as an appetizer for family gatherings for a while. They are easy to prepare, healthy and just downright delicious.
Basically, you grill fresh French bread and top with a warm bean and bacon mixture that has been flavored with garlic and rosemary. It doesn't get much better than that! There is an alternative way to make the bread portion that isn't as healthy - and I do opt for it when I have the time and don't mind making a mess. You can fry the slices of French bread in a shallow pan filled with olive oil and crushed whole cloves of garlic. The fried bread is...well, as you can imagine, really delicious. But it's greasier, heavier and messier than simple grilling the bread over hot coals. So in the summer I opt for grilling the bread. Try it both ways and see which you prefer! Enjoy!

White Bean and Pancetta Bruschetta


1 can of white cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
1 6 oz package of pancetta (usually sliced thin)
3 cloves garlic (You can use less if you aren't a big garlic fan), chopped
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
grated Romano cheese for topping toasts.
1 French baguette, sliced

In a skillet, brown your pancetta. Once crispy remove from the pan and set aside. To the skillet, add in the garlic and a tablespoon of olive oil and cook until the garlic is tender. Once tender, add the rosemary and cannelini beans along with the crispy pancetta. Cook until the beans are well coated and the rosemary has softened up a bit (about 3 minutes). Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, preheat a grill or a grill pan. Coat your baguette slices on both side with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on the grill and watch carefully as they toast up. Flip after about a minute to two minutes on each side. Bread will be slightly charred with grill marks. Remove from grill and top each slice with your bean mixture. Drizzle the toasts with the additional tablespoon of olive oil (or more if needed) and then top each toast with grated Romano cheese. Serve warm.

Blue Cheese and Honey Bruschetta

Some things just go together. Cookies and milk, pb and j, hot chocolate and marshmallows and among those famous pairings should be blue cheese and honey. Sweet honey mingles with tangy blue cheese to reveal a smooth, sultry and surprising combination.

This is an easy appetizer to whip up for a crowd or just for two. I think it works best with a semi-sweet bread. I found a walnut raisin sourdough bread at my local grocery store and it worked perfectly with the toppings. Slice, toast up and enjoy! It's easy yet fancy and will leave you wanting more. What else can you ask for from a bruschetta?

Blue Cheese and Honey Bruschetta

1 loaf of raisin walnut bread (Or any fruit/nut bread will do), sliced into 1 in thick slices
1 8 oz package of blue cheese
1 stick of butter, slightly softened so it's spreadable
1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place your sliced bread on a baking sheet and let it crisp up. Once slightly toasted, remove and spread a pat of butter on each slice. Then crumble a small handful of blue cheese over top of the buttered bread.
Place the toasts back in the oven for about 3 to 5 minutes to slightly melt the cheese. Remove and drizzle each slice with your honey. Serve warm.

Savory Spinach Palmiers and Bacon-Wrapped Dates

These were two of the star appetizers for my dinner party. Here's a snapshot of the table in progress:
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Once the party started though I didn't have time to take any photos unfortunately so I never got one of the full table or the main dishes. Oh well. Anyway...
I got the inspiration for the spinach palmiers from Michele over at My Italian Grandmother , as well as the well-known Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten. I made some substitutions, but overall this recipe is fairly simple - egg, spinach, cheese, puff pastry, mix, roll and bake. You end up with a very impressive little snack! Enjoy!

Savory Spinach Palmiers

1 box of puff pastry (two sheets), defrosted
1 egg and 1 tbsp of water, beaten
1 cup cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated romano cheese
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced or grated
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1 10 oz box of frozen spinach, defrosted and drained well
pinch of nutmeg
Directions:

1. Saute onion and garlic in oil until onions are tender and translucent. Remove. Let cool.

2. In a mixing bowl, mix the cheeses and spinach, taste and season with salt and pepper and nutmeg. Add in your cooled onion and garlic mixture.

3. Lay out one sheet of puff pastry on a flat surface that has been dusted with flour.

4. Spread half of the mixture onto the dough.

5. From the short ends, fold each side of the puff pastry in halfway to the middle, and then fold it in halfway again so that the folds are touching in the middle. At this point you can wrap and refrigerate the pastry for 45 minutes or overnight.

6. When ready to serve, remove the pastry from the fridge and slice in 1/2 inch thick slices. Lay them out on a non-stick, or greased, cookie sheet.

7. Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes or until golden. I found that I had to flip these once halfway through the baking to make sure they cooked evenly on both sides.

8. Remove and serve warm.

Bacon-Wrapped Dates with Gorgonzola Cheese

These were very simple. I've seen them done before so didn't really follow a recipe, just kind of mimicked the method.

1 package of medjool dates (pitted or unpitted)
1 package of bacon
1 package of gorgonzola cheese

If you bought pitted dates, it's very easy to pit these. Simply slice a slit down the belly of the date to make it a pouch, then squeeze the date open by pushing on both ends and reach in and pull out the pit.
Then you can cube your gorgonzola cheese to about 1/2 in thick cubes and shove them into the pouch of the date.
I also like to cook my bacon slightly before wrapping the dates so that I can ensure it crisps up completely in the oven. I bake it for about 5 to 10 minutes in the oven on 400 degrees first, let it cool and then wrap it around my dates.
Then I place the bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with the gorgonzola cheese back in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 to 15 minutes. You don't want the dates or bacon to burn so just keep your eye on them. Remove and serve.

I can't tell you how many people balked when they first saw these little wrinkled numbers sitting on the table. But one taste and they were hooked! The salty, sweet, pungent combo of cheese, bacon and dates is out of this world. Try it!