Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club
Explore Recipes Appetizers Page 2

Summer on a Skewer

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Want an elegant lunch, first course, or light supper that doesn’t require any complex prep or cooking? Here are twists on two summer salad favorites: feta with watermelon and cantaloupe with prosciutto. When served on skewers, they become the perfect finger food. Make one variety or both, or mix and match the ingredients for a colorful presentation. The sweetness of the melons and the slight saltiness of the cheeses are elevated by a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of balsamic—no need to whisk up a vinaigrette. 

Ingredients

For the feta skewers:

  • 8-ounce block feta, preferably from Greece
  • 1/2 ripe watermelon 
  • Mint leaves
  • 6 long bamboo skewers 

For the mozzarella skewers:

  • 1 large cantaloupe or honeydew
  • 12 mini mozzarella balls 
  • 6 slices of prosciutto, halved and rolled up, or 12 thin slices of your favorite salami
  • Basil leaves
  • 6 long bamboo skewers 

For serving:

Directions

For the feta skewers, cut the feta and the watermelon into similarly sized cubes, 18 of the watermelon and 12 of the feta. Assemble ingredients on each skewer in this order: watermelon, mint, feta; repeat the pattern and then cap each skewer with an extra piece of watermelon.

For the mozzarella skewers, use a melon baller to make 18 melon balls close in size to the mozzarella. Assemble ingredients on each skewer in this order: melon, basil, prosciutto; repeat the pattern and then cap each skewer with an extra piece of melon.

Arrange the skewers on a platter and drizzle liberally with olive oil, splashes of balsamic, and a few twists from your black peppercorn grinder.

Yields 6 servings

Smashed Potato Canapes with Smoked Salmon

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

We’ve all eaten smoked salmon on bagels or toast points, but for something different, try this delicacy on crispy smashed potatoes. In place of smoked salmon, use salmon roe or another domestic caviar. Elegant!

Ingredients

For the potatoes:

  • 12 small Yukon gold potatoes, each about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • Freshly ground black pepper

For serving:

  • Sour cream or crème fraiche
  • Thinly sliced cold-smoked salmon
  • Brined capers, drained
  • Fresh dill sprigs

Directions

Step 1

Bring a large pot of salted water and the potatoes to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. (Check tenderness by piercing a potato with a bamboo skewer or the tip of a paring knife.) Drain the potatoes and pat dry. Working on a rimmed sheet pan, coat the potatoes with olive oil.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Using a potato masher or the bottom of a small cast-iron skillet or large flat-bladed spatula, carefully crush the warm potatoes until each is about 3/4 inch thick but still intact. Drizzle each with a bit more olive oil. Season the tops with salt and pepper.

Step 3

Bake the potatoes for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. (There’s no need to flip.) Arrange the smashed potatoes in a single layer on a platter alongside the suggested serving ingredients. To eat, fold a piece of salmon on a potato, then top with a spoonful of sour cream. Garnish with capers and dill sprigs.

Serves 4 as an appetizer

Bell Pepper “Empanadas”

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This take on empanadas de queso is perfect when you want melted cheesy goodness but would rather skip the dough. Preferred in Chile is the very buttery queso chanco, a cheese that’s close in taste and texture to our Muenster. Though not traditional in empanadas, merquén adds a nice zest (you can substitute pimentón if it’s already on your spice shelf). To make this more of a meal, toss the shredded cheese with 1 cup of cooked brown rice or quinoa before stuffing into the peppers. Eat them with a knife and fork or with your hands, empanada style.

Ingredients

  • 8-ounce block Muenster cheese
  • 4 medium red, orange, or yellow bell peppers, about 5 ounces each
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon merquén, or more to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Shred the cheese on a box grater or with the shredding blade of a food processor. Use a grapefruit or paring knife to carefully cut around and remove the stem of each bell pepper. To avoid cutting into the flesh, use an iced tea or grapefruit spoon to scrape out the ribs and any seeds. Generously drizzle each pepper inside and out with olive oil. Sprinkle a pinch of merquén inside each pepper, then fill with equal amounts of the shredded cheese. Bake upright on a parchment-lined rimmed sheet pan or, if they won’t stand upright, in a muffin tin for 30 minutes or until the peppers are tender and the cheese is bubbly. Let cool slightly. Drizzle with olive oil right before eating.

Serves 4

Bikini Sandwiches

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Back in the 1950s, the Barcelona nightclub La Sala Bikini started serving croque monsieur, the French grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Because the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco didn’t allow French (or English) words in the lexicon, it was simply called the home sandwich, but patrons soon referred to it as the Bikini. Delicious when made with quintessential Spanish foods, it can also be personalized with other ingredients you have on hand.

Ingredients

  • 4 large slices of crusty bread
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 ounces Manchego, Ibérico cheese, or provolone, very thinly sliced
  • 4 ounces Ibérico chorizo or jamón, thinly sliced
  • jarred piquillo peppers, drained, seeded, and slivered
  • Spanish orange blossom honey

Directions

Brush one side of each bread slice with olive oil and build the sandwiches on two of the slices, layering on half the cheese, the meat, the peppers, and the rest of the cheese. Drizzle on some honey and then top with the remaining bread slices. Brush the outsides of the bread liberally with olive oil. Grill the sandwiches in a panini press or on a heated griddle until the cheese melts. If using a griddle, press down the sandwiches with a cast iron pan or other heavy pan for 5 minutes, flip and repeat. Transfer the sandwiches to a cutting board and cut into slices.

Serves 2 (4 as tapas)