Fried Chickpeas

With the holidays coming up and the culmination of major sporting events (i.e. World Series), the next few months are some of the best for those of you who love entertaining as much as I do. One of my favorite nighttime activities is cooking up special little dinners for two or three with a little starter, a main course, and (if I still have the energy) dessert. But there's something so fun about making a big feast for a crowd composed of delicious, little hors d'oeuvres that make up one big meal.

These fried chickpeas are very good for that exact purpose. You can have a batch ready to go in less than five minutes, set them on your counter or bar so that people can snack at will, and feel assured that you've offered your guests something way more impressive than your average potato chips and popcorn bowls. Also (and more to the point), these little guys are addictively good. They're briefly fried so that the skins are crisp, winged, and lightly browned, and the insides are warm and creamy. The final touch is a finishing sprinkle of Pimenton and Maldon sea salt--yum. I could eat a bowl of them to myself. Try them out and let me know how it goes. All photos by Mark Iantosca. Recipe down below. xo

Fried Chickpeas
From The Essential New York Times Cookbook, by Amanda Hesser
Ingredients:
Canola oil for deep frying
One 16-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and patted dry
Maldon sea salt
Spanish smoked paprika (pimenton) 

Directions:
Pour 1 inch of canola oil into a deep saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot enough to toast a bread crumb in 30 seconds, it's ready. Carefully add the chickpeas to the oil and fry until the outer skins form crisp shells but the peas are still creamy inside, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels, and season with Maldon salt and smoked paprika.

Guacamole

The secret to good guacamole, in my humble opinion, is keeping it simple. To me, guacamole is just an especially delicious showcase for really good avocados, and therefore, should be free of as many unnecessary bells and whistles as possible. That means, keep the chunks of tomato out of there (and everyone here knows about my summer love affair with tomatoes). I love my guac relatively unadorned save for a bit of excellent sea salt, onion, cilantro and lime. And of course, some hot, crunchy chips. All photos by Mark Iantosca. xo

Guacamole
Ingredients:
2 ripe avocados
2 tablespoons white onion, minced
3 tablespoons cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1 lime
Maldon sea salt

Directions:
Cut each avocado in half, remove and reserve the pits and score the flesh inside of the shells. Scoop the avocado into a mixing bowl and mash gently with a fork—you don’t want it to be completely smooth. Stir in the onion and cilantro. Cut the lime in half and squeeze in enough juice to taste. Season the guacamole with salt, and either serve immediately or stick the pits in to keep it from browning (remove the pits before serving).

Broiled Baby Zucchini with Parmesan

One of the greatest things about summer is all the zucchini I get to make. It's just one of those foods that feels better with a little sunshine to accompany it. I have some fond memories of eating little rounds of lightly seared zucchini sprinkled with a bit of good sea salt (one of the best ways to prepare it, in my humble opinion). I also love to eat it fried over perfectly al dente spaghetti, lemon and Parmesan cheese a la Gwyneth Paltrow--yum.

This particular preparation is super simple and incredibly tasty, like all zucchini recipes should be. All that's required is a little salt and pepper, some good olive oil, a generous sprinkling of cheese, and minimal oven time to make it all bubble and brown beautifully.

All pictures by Mark Iantosca. Recipe down below. xo

Broiled Baby Zucchini with Parmesan

From Cooking in the Moment, by Andrea Reusing

Ingredients:

1 pound (about 6) very small zucchini, roughly 1 inch in diameter

1 tablespoon olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Wash and dry the zucchini, trimming the blossom and stem ends slightly if necessary. Quarter each zucchini lengthwise; if they are less than 3/4 inch in diameter, cut them in half instead. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Lay them out on a baking sheet, end to end, cut sides up, in a tight row. Roast for about 8 minutes or until they are just starting to color but are still al dente, or half tender. Remove from oven.

Preheat the broiler for several minutes until it is very hot. Sprinkle the zucchini with the cheese and broil until the cheese is golden brown and the zucchini are tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve hot.

Piquillo Pepper Toasts

I put together these tasty little piquillo pepper toasts for an impromptu gathering and they disappeared in about five minutes flat. I always feel gratified when that happens, especially when the dish is a snap to make like these happen to be. It's really just about assembly in this case, plus a good blast in a hot oven to make the baguette slices crisp up and get nicely browned and hot. And of course, the melting cheese doesn't hurt a bit. Try these out for your next gathering--they're completely stress-free, bite-sized, and delicious. The perfect party food, if you ask me. xo

Piquillo Pepper Toasts

From Martha Stewart Living, June 2011

Ingredients: 

1 medium baguette, thinly sliced into 16 rounds

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

16 piquillo peppers (from one 12-ounce jar), drained and patted dry

4 ounces sliced aged provolone cheese, cut into 16 one-inch squares

Garnish: 1 scallion, pale-green part only, thinly sliced on the bias

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush both sides of baguette slices with 2 tablespoons oil. Toast on a rimmed baking sheet until crisp, 7 to 8 minutes.

Stuff each pepper with a cheese square. Place 1 stuffed pepper on each toast. Bake until cheese melts, 8 to 10 minutes. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Garnish with scallion.