Feta Olive Pesto Spread

We're about to embark on that time of year when snowflakes fall on nose and eyelashes, bells jingle, and family and friends come home for the holidays! All of this means more parties, get togethers and nights filled with the angst of trying to decide what to feed all of these people!

This spreadable feta-olive pesto spread is perfect - if you take some shortcuts, it's super easy and fast to put together and if you take the long way it's still not that hard. It will definitely impress your guests if you serve it like we did - in individual serving cups (sake cups) with little bread sticks!

I use Macedonian feta - it is soft, creamy and mild tasting.When I'm not interested in making it from scratch, I head to my local Greek grocery store and buy some of their delicious olive pesto. I only need about 2 tablespoons of olive pesto per cup of feta. I throw the pesto and feta in a food processor and pulse until it comes together. If you don't like olives you could add traditional pesto instead. A mild goat cheese would work too!

If you want to make it from scratch, you can make the pesto ahead of time. It's also good on pasta!

Olive Pesto

Ingredients

1 tbsp sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
1/2 c kalamata olives, no pits

Instructions

1. Add tomatoes, cheese, garlic and pine nuts to food processor. Pulse until combined but chunky.
2. Add olives and olive oil.
3. Pulse until combined. You want it to have texture - that is, not too smooth.

Refrigerate.

Feta-olive pesto spread

Ingredients

1 c Macedonian feta
2 tbsp olive pesto

Instructions

Combine and pulse feta and pesto until combined.

Pastry wrapped Brie stuffed with caramelized onions

This appetizer gets me more compliments than anything I have ever made. EVER. It's that good. But more importantly, it's easy. Well, ok, caramelizing the onions taking a bit of time but it's not complicated. Check out how to caramelize onions here. The great thing about brie and puff pastry is that you can add pretty much anything and it will be delicious. Jams, sauces, nuts, fruit will all work. You can serve it with bread, like I did here, or use crackers - heck a spoon will work too! In the pictures I added more onions and I love baking it in a cast iron pan because I can serve it in the pan. Let the cheese sit once once you take it out of the oven so it gets ooey and gooey.

Ingredients

1 egg

1 tbsp water 

All-purpose flour to cover work surface

1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package puff pastry, thawed 

1 cup carmelized onions

1 (13- to 16-ounce) Brie cheese round

1 crusty baguette
clove of garlic, peeled (optional)
olive oil spray (optional)

Instructions

1. Defrost the puff pastry according to directions.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
3. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl.
4. Sprinkle the flour on the work surface. 
5. Roll the pastry sheet into an approximately 14-inch square. 
6. Gently take the brie and place in centre of pastry. Push gently and remove brie– you just want to see the indentation of the brie.
7. Spread the onions on the pastry within the impression you just made. 
8. Place brie on top of onions.
9. Spread more onions on top.
10. Fold the pastry up and over the cheese to cover. Trim the excess pastry and press to seal. 
11. Brush the seam with some of the egg mixture.
12. Place seam-side down onto a baking sheet.
13. Brush all of pastry with the egg mixture.
14. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Let stand for 45 minutes (yes, 45 minutes).
15. Serve with thinly cut bread. To take it up a notch, cut the bread into 1 cm slices, rub with a clove of garlic, spray with a bit of olive oil and grill on medium heat until slightly charred. 

Vietnamese Chicken Salad Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Whenever I want a lunch that is quick, fresh and healthy I head over to the Food Fair at a mall close to where I work. Once there, I go straight to the Vietnamese kiosk to order a  prawn salad roll or two or gỏi cuốn. The rolls are filling and the peanut dipping sauce is fantastic.

I also, occasionally, make them at home. I'd by lying  if I said these were easy to make. The rice paper wrappers are delicate and will take a few tries to get right and tight. But the effort is worth. I usually make only a peanut-hoisin sauce to go with them but as you can see in the top photo I also made a sweet chili sauce this time. BUT I didn't like it - too much fish sauce in it - which is why I am not including that sauce in the recipe below!

This version is filled with chicken, mango, basil, carrots, peppers and noodles. But you could add or sub any ingredient that suits your fancy - prawn, pork, etc. Just have a little patience if this is your first time making it. Words of advice - have everything chopped, sliced and diced before you begin. Place ingredients on separate plates and have your pie plate of warm water ready to go. It's like wrapping a burrito - tuck in the ends and roll gently yet firmly. Ready? Go!

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ready time: 40 minutes

Servings: Makes 12 rolls

Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

4 tbsp hoisin sauce
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1-2 tsp hot sauce (I use sriracha)
1/3 cup warm water
1 tsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Juice of 2 limes

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Pour into individual dishes for dipping or into a bigger bowl if everyone is sharing the same bowl.
3. Set aside. You can refrigerate if making ahead.

Chicken & Mango Wraps

Ingredients

100g (4 oz) thin rice vermicelli

12 8-inch rice papers

2 cups shredded or sliced cooked chicken breast

4 carrots, shredded or cut into matchsticks (I use precut matchstick carrots)

2 red peppers, julienned

2 mangoes, peeled and sliced thin

1 large bunch of basil and/or cilantro

24 chives

Instructions

1. Cook vermicelli according to package directions. Rinse under cool water, drain and put aside.
2. Fill a pie plate or bowl large enough to fit entire rice paper with very warm water.
3. Take one rice paper and carefully submerge into water. Soak until it is soft and pliable but not disintegrating. About 1 minute.
4. Place paper on a damp tea towel.
5. Leaving 1-1/2 inches on each side of the rice paper and working length-wise, place about 2 or 3 tbsp noodles, 2 or 3 slices of chicken, mango, red pepper, a few carrots sticks and basil/cilantro about 2 inches from one edge of rice paper.
6. Fold in the two (1-1/2 inch) sides of the rice paper.
7. Tightly yet gently roll the rice paper into a burrito like roll. Just before you finish rolling it add a chive or two so that it sticks out of the final roll.
8. Place on another damp towel and cover with another damp towel.
9. Repeat with remaining rice papers.
10. Serve with sauce.

Best if served fresh but can be refrigerated for a few hours.

Makes 12.