A Fun Appetizer - Simple, Too!

I can’t believe how long it’s been since I last updated the food blog!  I’ve finally got a few moments tonight while sipping a Plavac Mali on the couch and watching the Yankees and Red Sox, and I think I’ll write about a simple concept I tested this week - a combination of two favorite starter ideas that together, made for something exponentially better.

Anyway, I love gorgeous appetizers at restaurants, but at home, whether it’s a cocktail party or a simple gathering, I think starters should be fairly simple - yet absolutely delicious.  After going through recipes upon recipes of dips, salads, canape, etc., sometimes it’s fun to just put something together that seems like it makes sense.

Bruschetta is one of those timeless appetizers that most people seem to like - at least at Italian American gatherings.  But it’s not quite the same as the basic bruschetta - I made the topping with a simple balsamic dressing and chopped beefsteak tomatoes, finely chopped shallots, and fresh herbs from my garden (basil, parsley, and oregano) - toss it and set it aside and let the flavors marry.  But here’s where it gets a little bit different.

To make it more interesting, I made a sort of low calorie hummus of cannellini beans (Tuscan white beans), olive oil, kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic, parsley, and lemon juice.  Rinse and drain the beans and put them in the food processor, and add the other ingredients, and puree it until it’s completely smooth.  (This can be made the night before.)

I used plain crackers and spread the hummus in a fairly thin coating, and topped with a small amount of the tomato topping, and that’s it, it’s that simple.  I doubt the whole process took me more than 20 minutes to complete.  And it’s perfectly delicious, lots of flavors going on, bite sized, and you can pair most anything with it - cocktails, beer, sparkling wines, and reds and whites.  It’s that easy.