It is a universal fact, appetizers are the best part of most meals. It's the reason that tapas are amazing and the appetizer page of most menus is longer than the rest (and why I’ve been known to just order combos of apps as dinner). Chrissy Teigen seems to understand this important issue - a large percentage of her first cookbook, Cravings, is devoted to these scrumptious little bites. This is a cookbook that has never made its way back to the shelf, I use it that much!
Having one of my best friends from childhood over for the 4th who simultaneously loves to cook and loves Chrissy, it seemed like a good plan to pick several fun recipes to try out and create the multi-cultural appetizer platter of our dreams - satay chicken with peanut sauce, shrimp summer rolls, and spinach artichoke buffalo chicken dip with spiced pitas. Apologies, but we left the cleavage shots and saucy poses to the master, Chrissy!
Ingredients:
Chicken/Marinade:
1 14oz can full fat coconut milk (do NOT use light)
8 cloves garlic, minced
¼ c. chopped fresh cilantro
2 TB light brown sugar
4 tsp kosher salt
1 TB ground turmeric
1 TB finely grated fresh ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 lb chicken tenders [I used 2.25 lbs and there was plenty of marinade for more]
Peanut Sauce:
½ c. creamy peanut butter (not natural style)
¼ c. (packed) light brown sugar
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp finely grated ginger
3 TB light soy sauce [We used more]
1.5 TB Sriracha
1 TB rice vinegar
Summer Rolls:
4-6 red leaf lettuce leaves
Kosher salt
8 medium shrimp, peeled [I would have used more]
1 oz thin Asian rice noodles (vermicelli)
8 large (16 small) basil leaves
1 medium carrot, cut into 3 inch long, thin, julienne strips
1 avocado, thinly sliced
8 large (16 medium) mint leaves
8 (8 inch) round rice paper wrappers
Thai sweet chili sauce and hoisin sauce, for serving
Dip:
2 (10oz) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 (14.5oz) cans water packed artichoke hearts, drained and squeezed dry
1 c. mayonnaise
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
¾ c. finely grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 TB finely chopped fresh oregano (or 1.5 tsp dried)
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper
½ c. blue cheese crumbles
2 c. shredded rotisserie chicken**
¼ c. Frank’s Buffalo Sauce (not hot sauce)**
Pita Chips:
3TB melted butter
2 TB olive oil
½ tsp each: cayenne pepper [I used just a sprinkle], cumin, paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper
4 pitas, cut into 8 wedges each
**Juliet shortcut
I've color coded the instructions, in case you don't want to make all three tonight! Note: some steps don't have pics, Cayenne is not a pro food blogger like myself - I had 17 unique visitors last month...it's like I'm Pioneer Woman!
2-12 hours before you want to enjoy, combine the marinade ingredients and the chicken.
Make the peanut sauce sauce ahead of time. Combine the peanut sauce ingredients with ¼ c. warm water (more if you’re a weirdo and like thin sauce). Taste and adjust - we added more soy.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat a 2 qt baking dish with cooking spray or butter. Squeeze the spinach and artichokes in a dish towel until most/all liquid has been removed. Mix together the spinach, artichokes, mayo, mozzarella, Parm, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix together the chicken and Buffalo sauce and add to the rest of the ingredients. Spread into the baking dish and dot with blue cheese. Bake until golden and bubbly - about 35-40 minutes. Toss the pitas with the spices and butter/oil - bake for the last 10-15 minutes with the dip.
Rinse the lettuce leaves, remove/discard the center ribs, and cut leaves until 3x1 inch rectangles.
If you didn’t buy precooked shrimp, boil for 2 minutes in salted boiling water. Scoop out with a slotted spoon, rinse with cold water, and slice lengthwise into halves. Place rice noodles into the hot water for 10 minutes, drain in a colander, and rinse with cold water.
Clear a large work area and line up summer roll fillings. Now, we’re going to diverge from Chrissy’s teachings as Cayenne learned this technique in Vietnam. Wet 3 kitchen towels. Stack two together - you’ll put your finished rolls between these to keep them pliable. Take the third and place a rice paper wrapper on it. Dribble warm water on it and smear it around for 30 seconds. Flip and repeat on the other side. The rice paper should be pliable and stretchy, but not too wet to make them gooey. Don't worry if it takes you a few tries to get the right consistency! Once softened and pliable, start the delicate rolling process.
Time to layer the ingredients! Add shrimp, pink side down (so the color will show through the top of the roll) on the center line, about 2.5 inches from the edge of the wrapper. Arrange 2 large basil leaves, then 2 lettuce pieces on top, then top with 2 TB rice noodles, some carrots, cucumber and red pepper (if using), and an avocado slice. Top with 1 large or 2 medium mint leaves. Gently pull the bottom of the wrapper over the filling, fold in the sides, roll up tight (like a burrito), and place between the two damp towels.
Cook the chicken by threading it onto skewers and throw it on a grill (high heat) for 2-3 minutes per side. I closed the grill lid which incinerated most of my skewers (either from the heat or from not soaking long enough - you decide).
Well, cooking with my bestie on a beautiful, temperate 4th of July was pretty amazing. The satay was our favorite - the chicken ends up "the m-word" (that means not dry), super flavorful, and even tasty cold. The sauce was delicious on both the satay and the summer rolls. The summer rolls were crunchy and fresh tasting. Next time, I'd probably add mango instead of the carrot, but I'm not a super crunchy summer roll fan like Cayenne. Either way, they are an excellent summer meal (like a salad in a convenient package!). The dip was probably our least favorite. Without the standard cream cheese in an artichoke/spinach dip, the dip was kind of dry and had too much going on. The flavoring on the chips didn't add much to the party. I'd go back to my standard recipe and add spinach next time.
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