Monday Night Dinner

SAVORIES

Cucumber Sandwiches
Because what is afternoon tea without a cucumber sandwich?

Recipe previously given: Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Teapots

Roast Beef Sandwiches with Spicy Tomato Jam
There’s a local sandwich shop in Brookline that makes (apparently) the world’s most amazing tomato jam that they slather on a variety of things. My roommate spent several years trying to convince them to just sell it to her in a jar (presumably so that she could bring it home, she’s less likely to eat jam out of the jar with a spoon than I am), but in the end they ended up sharing the recipe online and I have to say it is exactly as good as my roommate said it was, with the added bonus that it’s super easy to make for yourself if you don’t have time/inclination to trek down to Brookline for a sandwich.

Spicy Tomato Jam
1 ½ lb plum tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped*
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 cup sugar
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp kosher salt

Combine tomatoes, lemon juice, ginger, sugar, cumin, black pepper, pepper flakes, and salt in a medium heavy-bottomed sauce pot and cook over medium-high heat until bubbling. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thick and syrupy, about 60-90 minutes. Cool the jam, season with salt and pepper to taste.

* Like most things this is better with ripe flavorful produce, but it works just fine with end of winter imported from who knows where plum tomatoes. Normally I’d sub in canned whole tomatoes, but I suspect you need the pectin in the tomato skins to make this gel so I’d go with fresh in this particular instance.

Open-face Asparagus Sandwiches w/ Lemony White Bean Spread
I refused to serve hummus or any variation thereof as my second vegetarian savory option. Not because I don’t like hummus, or chickpeas, but because I feel like it’s the standard cop out when you need a vegetarian something (and, let me be fair, I’m as guilty of it as anyone else on occasion).

Blanch your asparagus and then cut it into lengths that will fit on your bread, and then in half lengthwise. Thinly slice some baguette (on a diagonal if you’re feeling fancy) and toast. Spread a little of the white bean puree on the bread, top with the asparagus spears, arrange on a plate. If you’re feeling super fancy you could zest a little more lemon over the top of the plate as a pale golden kiss for each sandwich.

Lemony White Bean Spread
1 can white beans, drained, rinsed & dried
1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil
zest & juice of 1 lemon
2-3 cloves garlic (depending on taste*)
Salt/pepper/ground coriander (to taste)

Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet and toast the white beans until they pick up a little crust and turn golden brown. Transfer to a food processor with remaining ingredients and puree until smooth. Add a little chicken stock if necessary to smooth it out. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Deviled Eggs
Deviled eggs and cucumber sandwiches were the requested components of this Birthday Tea, and while they’re distinctly non-traditional for an English tea, I have Southern heritage and I would argue that no occasion is complete without a plate of deviled eggs.

Recipe previously given: The Curse of the Deviled Eggs is Lifted

Coconut Chicken Salad in Wonton Cups
(makes enough filling for 24 cups)

I was looking for different textures, different shapes and different vehicles for finger foods. Wonton cups seemed fun, and this chicken salad has been on my radar to try for a while now. I’d recommend white meat for this, but that’s because I’m a good Southern girl and I think dark meat in your chicken salad is tacky.

Wonton Cups
Lightly oil the cups of a mini muffin pan. Tuck wonton wrappers into cups. Bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes, until browned and crispy. Remove from oven, allow to cool, and then fill with anything you please.

You can bake the wonton cups the day before, but I wouldn’t recommend filling them more than about 1 hour before you plan to serve them to prevent undue sogginess.

Coconut Chicken Salad
Vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed & minced
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2 cups chopped cooked chicken*
1 tsp. – 1 Tbsp. curry paste
½ cup light or regular coconut milk
1/3 cup mango or peach chutney
Juice of ½ a lime (about a tablespoon)
Salt to taste
Chives (or cilantro if you must) for garnish

Heat a little oil in a medium nonstick skillet and cook the onion, garlic and ginger for about 2 minutes, or until just softened and fragrant. Add the chicken, curry paste, coconut milk, chutney, lime juice and salt. Cook, stirring often, until bubbly and thickened. Cool slightly or chill before spooning into wonton cups (about 1 -1 ½ Tbsp per cup). Garnish with chopped chives.

* 2 cups of chopped cooked chicken = about 2 large chicken breasts. You can either use leftover chicken if you have it, or roast 2 bone-in chicken breasts in the oven, or poach 2 boneless-skinless chicken breasts in a pan on the stove. Whatever seems easiest to you.

Cherry Tomatoes stuffed w/ Lemony Pea Puree

I recommend largish cherry tomatoes – not the smaller grape tomatoes – just so that you don’t drive yourself crazy trying to gut them.

Slice off the rounded bottom end of the tomato (so that they’ll sit flat on the stem end) and use a small spoon to clean out the guts of the tomato (I found a wee silver coffee spoon was the perfect size for this). Turn tomatoes upside down on paper towels and allow to drain for at least 1 hour.

Lemony Pea Puree
2 cups (about 10 ounces) cups peas (freshly shelled or frozen)
2/3 cup ricotta cheese (or about ¼ cup plain yogurt if you realize you forgot to buy ricotta)
2 tablespoons olive oil
scant ½ teaspoon salt
1 small shallot, minced (or ¼ of a red onion)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
zest of one large lemon

Cook the peas in boiling salted water for 1-2 minutes, until just tender. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop cooking. Puree with remaining ingredients until mostly smooth, but with a little texture left. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Place in a piping bag (or ziplock bag with the corner cut off) and pipe into hollowed out tomatoes.

Alternatively, you can use this same filling to stuff wontons which you can then, bake, fry, or boil and serve as an appetizer.

Radishes
As a vague nod at a vegetable that didn’t come with cream cheese, filled with a cheesy puree, or on top of bread.  It was only a vague passing nod, more a vague gesture than a really committed statement of anything.