Supper Club VII: Warm Appetizers
The cold appetizers were mostly small flavor bites. The warm appetizers followed them and were rather more substantial.
Scotch Egg
Jamie Oliver
Makes 8 eggs
10 large free-range eggs , 2 beaten
28oz / 800g quality sausage meat
1 small bunch fresh chives , finely chopped
1 small bunch fresh parsley , leaves picked and finely chopped
1 whole nutmeg
1 tablespoon English mustard
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
plain flour , for dusting
5 1/2 oz / 150 g good-quality white breadcrumbs
vegetable oil for frying
3 tablespoons vegetable or corn oil
1. Put the first 8 eggs into a pan of cold water and bring to the boil.
2. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of cold water. Once cooled, carefully peel them.
3. Put the sausage meat into another bowl with the herbs, a good grating of nutmeg, the mustard and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Give it all a good mix together then divide into one ball per egg.
4. Take there plates. Put a small handful of flour on one of them, one with the beaten eggs, and a third with the breadcrumbs.
5. In the palm of one hand, flatten one of the sausage balls into an oval-shaped pattie. Roll a peeled egg in flour, then pop it in the middle of the pattie. Gently shape the meat evenly around the egg, moulding it with your hands.
6. Roll the meat-wrapped egg in the flour, shake off any excess, then dip into the beaten egg, followed by the breadcrumbs. Roll in the egg and breadcrumbs again for a really good coating.
7. Heat the oil in a deep pan or deep fat fryer to about 150ºC/300ºF. Carefully lower the eggs into the pan and cook for about 4 minutes, turning them every so often, until golden.
8. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. If you’re worried about the meat being under-cooked, deep-fry the scotch eggs until they’re golden and crispy, then pop them in a hot oven for a couple of minutes.
Last October a number of my fraternity brothers were in town for a wedding. The night before we gathered at an area bar, and I noticed that something called a "scotch egg" was on the menu. It was delicious. As I knew gieves owned a deep fryer, so I suggested that we make them for supper club. One of us found the recipe via Google and away we went.
These have a lot of steps, but each individual step was easy enough. We had a moment of panic when we realized that the power cord for the deep fryer had been left behind somewhere, but darlox rode to the rescue. He also gave us deep fryer guidance.
These are big and filling in a way that suggests that they are more than just an appetizer, but I didn't notice that anybody had trouble finishing them. One of our people couldn't eat eggs, so we made them a giant deep fried meatball.
Mediterranean Baked Feta with Tomatoes
Smitten Kitchen
Servings Unspecified
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup chopped, pitted Kalmata olives
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion (oops, I forgot this)
2 tablespoons finely-chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 8- to 10-ounce block feta
1. In a bowl, mix the tomatoes, olives, onion, garlic, 1 tablespoon of the parsley, oregano, olive oil and a few grinds of pepper.
2. Heat oven to 400°F. Place the block of feta in the middle of your dish. Pile the tomato mixture on top of the feta. Bake for 15 minutes.
This recipe, like so many others in recent supper clubs, came from Smitten Kitchen. We served it with chunks of French bread. As it cooled off, it got a little harder to scoop up, so if you make this either put it on a warming tray or expect to reheat it in the oven occasionally.
With the appetizers served, it was time to plate the salad course.
Scotch Egg
Jamie Oliver
Makes 8 eggs
10 large free-range eggs , 2 beaten
28oz / 800g quality sausage meat
1 small bunch fresh chives , finely chopped
1 small bunch fresh parsley , leaves picked and finely chopped
1 whole nutmeg
1 tablespoon English mustard
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
plain flour , for dusting
5 1/2 oz / 150 g good-quality white breadcrumbs
vegetable oil for frying
3 tablespoons vegetable or corn oil
1. Put the first 8 eggs into a pan of cold water and bring to the boil.
2. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of cold water. Once cooled, carefully peel them.
3. Put the sausage meat into another bowl with the herbs, a good grating of nutmeg, the mustard and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Give it all a good mix together then divide into one ball per egg.
4. Take there plates. Put a small handful of flour on one of them, one with the beaten eggs, and a third with the breadcrumbs.
5. In the palm of one hand, flatten one of the sausage balls into an oval-shaped pattie. Roll a peeled egg in flour, then pop it in the middle of the pattie. Gently shape the meat evenly around the egg, moulding it with your hands.
6. Roll the meat-wrapped egg in the flour, shake off any excess, then dip into the beaten egg, followed by the breadcrumbs. Roll in the egg and breadcrumbs again for a really good coating.
7. Heat the oil in a deep pan or deep fat fryer to about 150ºC/300ºF. Carefully lower the eggs into the pan and cook for about 4 minutes, turning them every so often, until golden.
8. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. If you’re worried about the meat being under-cooked, deep-fry the scotch eggs until they’re golden and crispy, then pop them in a hot oven for a couple of minutes.
Last October a number of my fraternity brothers were in town for a wedding. The night before we gathered at an area bar, and I noticed that something called a "scotch egg" was on the menu. It was delicious. As I knew gieves owned a deep fryer, so I suggested that we make them for supper club. One of us found the recipe via Google and away we went.
These have a lot of steps, but each individual step was easy enough. We had a moment of panic when we realized that the power cord for the deep fryer had been left behind somewhere, but darlox rode to the rescue. He also gave us deep fryer guidance.
These are big and filling in a way that suggests that they are more than just an appetizer, but I didn't notice that anybody had trouble finishing them. One of our people couldn't eat eggs, so we made them a giant deep fried meatball.
Mediterranean Baked Feta with Tomatoes
Smitten Kitchen
Servings Unspecified
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup chopped, pitted Kalmata olives
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion (oops, I forgot this)
2 tablespoons finely-chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 8- to 10-ounce block feta
1. In a bowl, mix the tomatoes, olives, onion, garlic, 1 tablespoon of the parsley, oregano, olive oil and a few grinds of pepper.
2. Heat oven to 400°F. Place the block of feta in the middle of your dish. Pile the tomato mixture on top of the feta. Bake for 15 minutes.
This recipe, like so many others in recent supper clubs, came from Smitten Kitchen. We served it with chunks of French bread. As it cooled off, it got a little harder to scoop up, so if you make this either put it on a warming tray or expect to reheat it in the oven occasionally.
With the appetizers served, it was time to plate the salad course.