We love appetizers! Very often, too, we find that, looking back on a restaurant meal, the first course was the best. It’s like the chef gave it his all at the beginning and then simply gave up after that. Maybe that’s why the Spanish invented tapas: they wanted to have a lot of small tasty dishes without bothering with the main meal. I’m frequently searching for something other than the traditional American dip and chips or cheese and crackers to start off meals, especially for dinner parties. Here are a few of my favorite new and old hors d'oeuvres.

Just last week I discovered a simple dish called “eggs and anchovies” prepared by Jacques Pépin on his PBS television show. But before you run screaming from the room, let me say that variations could easily be made for those who don’t enjoy the taste of the small, salty fish! Inspired by his mother, who originated the recipe at her restaurant in Lyon, France, Pépin prepared it as follows. He took several boiled eggs (approximately one per person), cut them in half, and inverted them on a serving dish. Then he made a pretty pink sauce using about 1/3 cup of mayonnaise, a tablespoon or so of ketchup, about a tablespoon of water, and several shakes of Tabasco. After whisking the sauce to remove any lumps, he poured it over the eggs. He then topped it all with one anchovy per egg, some chopped red onion, and a sprinkling of capers. An alternative, in my mind, would be to replace the anchovies with bacon and even change the ketchup to curry powder and Worcestershire to make a nice yellow sauce. Any way that you do it, it should be quite elegant and easy to prepare. By the way, our children gave us a handy egg cooker made by Krups which produces perfectly cooked soft- or hard-boiled eggs every time.

Another new dish we tried recently was Mussels Saganaki. Despite the rather Japanese sounding name, it is a Greek invention which combines fresh herbs and feta cheese with the mussels. You start out softening a few chopped garlic cloves in moderately hot oil in the bottom of a large pan. Add a couple of tablespoons of Dijon mustard, cooking for just a half-minute. Then pour in about two pounds of cleaned mussels and cook until steam rises. Meanwhile chop about ¼ cup of fresh dill and an equal amount of fresh parsley and add to the pot with ½ cup of white wine and some kind of mild chili pepper (I used about ½ cup of chopped poblano). After this cooks for a few minutes, add in ½ cup of cubed feta and one cup of heavy cream. Serve with crusty bread. Yum!

One tried-and-true recipe, created by one of my friends, is always a big hit. Crabmeat, which is the basis of this dish, comes in many forms. I’ve used canned crab, as well as the kind that you find in the refrigerated section. Get the best you can find and combine it with some grated onion, a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce, and lots of grated, sharp cheddar or gruyère. Thinly slice a French baguette and top each piece with a small mound of the crab mixture and sprinkle with cayenne pepper, if desired. Then broil for about 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly and serve immediately.

Sixteenth century French philosopher Michel de Montaigne once wrote: “L’appétit me vient en mangeant”—“My appetite comes from eating.” I hope that the appetizers described here will serve to get your salivary glands working.

To be honest, Italian restaurants in this country have never held much attraction for me. I suppose it’s because of the preponderance of pizza/meatballs-and-spaghetti types of places where the quality is minimal. This was not the case at Bellini’s in Clifton Park Friday night. But, as you have to expect, the prices are naturally higher than at the run-of-the-mill Italian eating place. Located in a strip mall across from the side of Clifton Park Center, the restaurant has a warm, lovely décor with booths all around and a wood-burning pizza oven at the entrance. The menus for both food and wine are quite lengthy, so you might want to give yourself extra time to look them over.

The waiter Joseph started us out with a warm, yet average, small loaf of bread served with a very good pesto dipping sauce. We chose to share a bottle of nice, woodsy J. Lohr merlot to accompany our meal. The main courses our party chose proved to be one better than another. Mine was a perfectly cooked Saltimbocca. The two chicken cutlets were served on a bed of fingerling potatoes, spinach, and mushrooms in a dark, perfectly seasoned gravy. One of my friends had her Bellini’s favorite: Cavatelli. This dish, which had hunks of sweet Italian sausage, spinach, tomato, and peppers on pasta, was indeed delicious. Our other friend went for the Papardelle, which included seared pieces of chicken with artichokes, asparagus, and sun-dried tomato in a garlic cream sauce. The portions are quite large, so we did the most logical thing: saved half of our meals and ordered dessert! Believe me when I say that one piece of the award-winning chocolate cake was plenty for the three of us! I would describe it as a rich chocolate cake topped with hazelnut mousse. How can you go wrong with that combination? The total bill was just over one hundred dollars before tip.

Apparently Bellini’s is well-appreciated by its diners as evidenced by their expanding business. Other locales include the Bellini’s in Slingerlands--just outside of Albany--and another in South Windsor, Connecticut. They also run Jacob & Anthony’s American Grille in Saratoga. If you like fine Italian food, and don’t mind the price, give it a try.

Physicians in this country, besides deploring the way most Americans eat, often extol the benefits of the so-called “Mediterranean diet.” We could all probably cite certain elements of this heart-healthy fare such as olive oil, fruits, vegetables, small amounts of meat, and so on. But, one might ask, what specific countries does it center on? One article I found recently suggests Italy, Spain, France, Morocco, Greece, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and Israel as sources for this type of cooking, so woohoo ! I believe we could all live with cuisine from those areas without feeling deprived. Hummus, pita bread, grape leaves, paella, and Greek salad, for example, would add up to a pretty tasty meal.

Last night we visited a pleasant medium-sized, Lebanese restaurant on Remsen Street in Cohoes called Al-Baraki. Originally situated on River Street across the Hudson in Troy, this family-run establishment is the total package: good service and good food at reasonable prices. The friendly staff from waitress, daughter Maya right up to chef Paul and his wife, all seem to want to make sure that you’re enjoying your meal. We had eaten at their Troy restaurant a couple of times and noticed the new location while on a walk through downtown Cohoes in November. Finally, we remembered to try out their new place this weekend.

After perusing the menu, we started out sharing their mezza sampler, a combination of hummus, baba ghannouj, a grape leaf with their own yummy garlic dressing, two falafel, tabouli, and some pickled radish. It was all very fresh tasting. I especially appreciated the tabouli—the best I’ve ever had, full of fresh herbs and lemon. For my main dish I took Maya’s suggestion about their oven pies. Although it was hard to pass on the one with goat cheese and mozzarella, I selected the lower-cal, lower-cholesterol spinach version. I was not at all disappointed in the small crusty pizza and highly recommend it. In fact, this total vegetarian meal did not leave me, the ultimate carnivore, wanting for meat at all. Now I really want a Lebanese cookbook! Our only splurge, calorie-wise, was the homemade baklawa for dessert, a version of what most of us consider the Greek classic which has the same combo of nuts, cinnamon, and phyllo dough.

All in all, this experience has taught me that there is a way to find and cook very healthy, delicious meals without going vegan—not that there’s anything wrong with that, if you're into it. Mediterranean cuisine does exactly what doctors and author Michael Pollan recommend: treat meat as a side; eat real food, not too much, mostly plants; don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. And, I would add, enjoy yourself while you’re eating it! Try Al-Baraki; you'll like it.

We eat a very healthy diet in our house: mostly lean meats, vegetables, some vegetarian meals, and few snacks. From time to time, being human after all, we get a craving for that all-American favorite: pizza. Since the restaurant chains we’ve tried seem to offer varieties which we find too salty and greasy, often overdoing it on cheese, making our own pizza suits us just fine. You can really get creative, too, in the version you make at home—which I hope this posting will encourage you to do.

The first thing to decide on is the type of crust you want to have. I know that there are many options out there, including packaged mixes and pre-made, ready-to-use crust. If I’m feeling lazy, I go to the supermarket or the bakery and pick up a bag of frozen dough, which naturally has to thaw before use. But it really isn’t difficult to make your own, though it is time-consuming. Here is a recipe for a delicious, homemade pizza crust that I’ve had for years. Dissolve a teaspoon of sugar and one package of instant yeast in one cup of lukewarm water. (The trick here is that the water cannot be cold, but cannot be hot or else it will kill the yeast.) Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes; it should have grown considerably in volume by that time or else you may think of starting over. Then add in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 2 cups of flour. Gradually incorporate another cup and a half of flour, then put the mixture into a bowl which has a tablespoon or so of oil in it, turning the dough so that it’s coated with the oil on all sides. Now cover the bowl with a dishtowel and let the dough rise for about 2 hours. Often, in winter at least, I place the bowl in a 200 degree oven (which has been turned off) so that the dough has a warm place to double in size. When the time is up, punch the dough down with your fist and start stretching it to fit the size of your pizza pan; there is no need to throw the dough up in the air, but please try it if you’re feeling extra-confident that day. (You could also cover the bottom of the pan with cornmeal, if you want.) I usually cook the dough at 425 degrees for 5 or 6 minutes before adding the sauce and toppings.

Sauces for the pizza can be varied to suit your mood. Recently, I sliced some fresh garlic (2 or 3 cloves) into a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and let it sit for a half-hour or so before slathering it on the partially cooked dough. This was great topped with goat cheese and grilled red peppers and onions. A quick red sauce that I regularly make starts with a can of tomato paste. I doctor it up with minced herbs, garlic, and parmesan, and dilute it to the desired consistency with chicken broth. You can then put the sauce, grated mozzarella and parmesan, as well as your favorite toppings onto the crust. The pizza then goes back into the oven for another ten minutes or so before it’s done.

Years ago, on a trip to The Purple Pub in nearby Watervliet, our family tried their Mexican Pizza. Ever since, I’ve been making my version of this very tasty cross-cultural meal. I use a cup or so of Mexican salsa as the sauce and cheddar cheese. I brown about a ½ pound of ground beef for the topping, adding in sliced green onions, sliced black olives, chopped jalapeños, as well as cumin and chili powder to taste. This, according to my husband, is the best homemade pizza ever! If you like Mexican food, you just might agree!

For the second time this month, we visited a mansion which has now been turned into a museum. And, once again, it was the husband who provided the wealth made from the timber industry and the lady of the house who in large part spearheaded the art collection. On this occasion it was The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, New York that was the object of our outing. Located about forty-five minutes north of the Capital Region on the Hudson River, the home of Louis and Charlotte Hyde contains family furniture and works of art by such famous painters as Rembrandt, Rubens, Botticelli, Renoir, Picasso, Winslow Homer, and many others. The Italian Renaissance style residence is small by twenty-first-century standards but is built around a lovely two-story courtyard. We figure that the view onto a monstrous extension of the paper mill was nowhere in sight when the couple occupied the building from 1912 until 1963. Among the paintings hanging in the house, I particularly admired Willard Metcalf’s Blossoming Maple which seems to capture the bright leaves and buds of early spring. Another work, this one by American impressionist Childe Hassam, shows a cascade of red geraniums in a summer garden.

Afterwards we took a guided tour of Objects of Wonder and Delight in the museum's exhibition hall. The touring show, produced from works in the Norton Museum of West Palm Beach, Florida, contains mainly paintings but also photographs, a doll house, and, of all things, a felt suit. Our guide, Pat, did a nice job of describing the works of art and engaging the group in the discussion as well. She began the tour by telling us that royal art academies in Europe set rules for artists, including a hierarchy of preferred themes. At the top of the list were Biblical subjects, followed by mythological, then political/historical topics, portraits, landscapes, animals, plants, and still lifes. The only subject matter considered lower than the still life was in the area of man-made objects. That being said, the still life has been in existence since the time of ancient Egyptian funerary paintings and really became popular in Dutch painting of the seventeenth century. The fifty plus works in this exhibit are devoted to four centuries of still life in art.

Pat’s first choice was to look at Banquet of Holofernes by Dutch artist Kaspar (or Gaspar) van den Hoecke. This complex painting portrays the Biblical tale of Judith who, in order to dispose of Holofernes, an invading general, plies him with food and drink and then beheads him. There is a wide array of typical still life items such as glassware and food on the painting’s right which are bathed in candlelight. On the left our guide pointed out a rectangle containing action from another time period when Judith later slips into Holofernes’s room with a sword. The intricate and beautiful style displays the skill of the artist and supports the complexities of the story.

Next, the group discussed three works dealing with fruit in very different ways. The first by nineteenth century Frenchman Gustave Courbet accurately portrayed a tray full of fruit. Then there was a joyous, if not realistic, 1924 Walt Kuhn painting of Dancing Pears. Rounding out the trio was Canadian Edward Manigault’s Still Life with Pears, Bananas, and Grapes (1918). The lush coloring of this exotic work serves to celebrate life and to remind us to reflect on where our food comes from.

It was a very enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.

We had the opportunity to spend a few days in north Florida last week. Jacksonville and its lovely San Marco area do not at all exemplify the Florida we’ve known in the past. There is no Hispanic culture, nor wealthy jet-setting northerners anywhere in sight. In fact, with its Spanish moss-laden trees and the sweet drawl of its people, Jacksonville seems more like Georgia whose border is a mere forty miles away. The weather, too, did not remind us of south Florida. The temperature was in the fifties while we were there, but after leaving a mere twelve degrees at home, it felt pretty nice to us.

Another huge difference we noticed was that fine dining is to be had in Jacksonville. (Not much of that farther south, at least in our minds.) The first night we found our way to Bistro Aix, a short fifteen minute walk from our hotel. On Sunday through Thursday nights from 5:00 to 7:00 they offer a three-course prix fixe meal. I had the creamy French onion soup, a nice variation which I’ve noticed in cookbooks before. (Though for the life of me, I can’t remember exactly where!) Then for the main dish I chose a half of a roast chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and grilled carrots and small turnips. Very nice. For dessert they had my favorite: classic crème brülée.

The following night we weren’t as hungry and so we decided to try Taverna on San Marco square. For an appetizer we tried the cold, cubed beets, served with crumbled goat cheese, and small pieces of orange—nice, fresh, tasty! We had the pizza of the day as the entrée. It was on a thin crust with a combination of ricotta, fontina, and parmesan cheeses, topped with small strips of prosciutto. We were delighted to find on the menu a wine we’d been searching for and were finally able to taste Au Bon Climat, a California pinot noir from Santa Barbara.

Lest my readers believe that we only live to eat, let me assure you that we did manage to do a few other things on our short trip. For one, we found a great second-hand bookstore, also on the square. I really enjoy finding treasured old books like in the San Marco Bookstore, especially when they are so well-arranged in comfortable surroundings. The owner told me that to make the place more orderly they have eliminated certain sections and expanded others, like fiction and cookbooks. (Oops, there I go again!)

We really walked around a lot, including over the blue bridge to The Jacksonville Landing, Florida’s answer to New York’s South Street Seaport, with shops and restaurants. There’s a handy tourist trolley just outside that took us to the Cummer Museum. The Cummer family, who had moved to Florida from Michigan, made its fortune through saw mills. The patriarch’s son, Arthur, and his wife Ninah began collecting art at the beginning of the twentieth century. Their relatively small collection became the basis for the current museum. Visitors can also enjoy the beautiful gardens that Ninah Cummer had created, such as the Italian garden designed by landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman.

As many of my readers know, I grew up in the south, Arkansas to be exact. Because of that, I have been eating Mexican food (Tex Mex, that is) from as early as I can remember. We used to have a great restaurant in my hometown that originally had a simple dirt floor but served the freshest salsa and the most delicious cheese enchiladas and chili con queso that I have ever tasted. It’s heartening for me to see that south of the border cuisine has caught on and that now even the tiniest towns in our country seem to have one or two Mexican restaurants. I’ve collected a few good recipes over the years and would like to share two of them today, just in time for Super Bowl parties.

The first was given to me by someone I worked with in the language lab at the university. Here’s his recipe for Salsa Picante:

½ cup chopped onion,
1 cup chopped fresh tomato,
½ cup chopped Anaheim chilies (or bell pepper),
1 or 2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped,
2 Tab. cider vinegar (or lime juice),
pinch of salt,
2 Tab. oil,
1 teas. sugar, and
chopped cilantro
Several variations can be made using this basic recipe. Very often I add one or two chopped avocados to the mixture. This dish can then be served as a dip with corn chips, as a topping on tacos or burritos, as a side dish, or even as a salad dressing.

My sons once gave me a Mexican Cooking Class Cookbook which has quite a few good recipes in it. One of our favorites which I have adapted and simplified is called Stacked Enchiladas.









For this dish you first need to make a Red Chili Sauce:
Put 1/4 cup oil in a saucepan and cook about ½ cup of minced onion.
Add 2 Tab. flour and cook about one minute.
Put in 1/4 cup chili powder,
1 8-oz. can of tomato sauce,
1/2 teas. ground or whole cumin,
fresh minced garlic or garlic powder to taste, and
1 1/2 c. water. Cook for about 10 minutes till the flavors blend.

Then it's time to make the filling which could include meat or be vegetarian. I like to have a few cans of no-fat refried beans on hand which makes this a super quick meal.

Cook ½ pound of ground beef (chicken or refried beans) in a saucepan with a tablespoon of oil. Add ½ cup chopped onion, a pinch of salt, 1 clove minced garlic (or garlic powder), and about ¼ cup of the red chili sauce to the mixture. Finally, cook corn tortillas in a small amount of oil until limp. Drain on paper towels.

Now you are ready to assemble the enchiladas. Dip the cooked tortillas into the chili sauce to coat both sides. Place in an over-proof casserole, top with a small amount of the meat or bean mixture, topping with some cheddar cheese and sliced black olives. Then repeat the procedure, stacking each tortilla with one or two more layers. Cover with remaining chili sauce and sprinkle with more shredded cheese. Broil in the oven until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Serve with shredded lettuce.

¡Buen provecho! And, by the way, I couldn't care less who wins the Super Bowl! ;)