Our other son, Franklin, doesn't regard a meal a proper meal unless there are appetizers. So to add to the celebration, I offer three of my favorites. They are all easy-to-make. The tapenade and lavash crisps can be made a day or two ahead. The grilled corn salsa is best made fresh.
All three are addictive so you may find you'll be eating them all summer long.
Grilled Corn Salsa
Adding corn caramelized from light grilling gives
this salsa it’s distinctive sweetness. When you buy corn from the market, look
for plump kernels. Avoid ears with wrinkled or shriveled kernels.
You can use any kind of ripe tomato you enjoy, but
I prefer cherry tomatoes because they are sweet and they hold their shape after
being cut up. For added color, select a basket with a mix of yellow and red
cherry tomatoes.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 ear of corn, husks and silks removed, washed
1 8 oz basket of ripe cherry tomatoes, washed,
quartered
1 large shallot, ends and skin removed, washed and
roughly chopped
½ cup Italian parsley, washed, leaves only, finely
chopped
¼ teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Lemon juice to taste (optional)
Directions
Pre-heat the grill to medium-hot.
Drizzle the olive oil on a large plate and season
with sea salt and black pepper. Roll the ear of corn to coat. Using tongs,
place the corn on the grill. Turn frequently to prevent burning.
Remove the corn when all the sides have light grill marks. Let cool. Cut off
the kernels and place in a large mixing bowl.
Use a rubber or silicone spatula to transfer the
seasoned olive oil from the plate into the mixing bowl with the corn.
Add the quartered cherry tomatoes, shallot and
parsley. Toss well and season with the cayenne. Taste and adjust the flavors
with more sea salt, black pepper, olive oil and lemon juice (optional).
Tapenade with Charred Garlic
A secret weapon in last minute cooking, tapenade
brightens any meal either as an appetizer or a condiment. If you use pitted,
canned olives, making tapenade will take 10-15 minutes.
The taste of your tapenade depends on the quality
of the olives.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 can pitted olives, drained weight 6 oz.,
preferably green or kalamata olives
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves with skins
¼ cup Italian parsley, washed, leaves only, roughly
chopped
¼ teaspoon pepper flakes (optional)
Black pepper to taste
Directions
Skewer the garlic cloves on the end of a knife or a
metal skewer and hold over a gas flame to burn off the outer skins. Let cool,
remove any pieces of charred skin and roughly chop the cloves.
In a small blender or food processer, place the
drained olives, olive oil, garlic, parsley and pepper flakes. Pulse until the
olives are roughly chopped. Taste and adjust the seasoning with the addition of
black pepper, sea salt, pepper flakes and olive oil.
Pulse again until the tapenade achieves the desired
texture. Personally I like a tapenade that has a rustic look with the olives
coarsely chopped rather than puréed.
Refrigerate until ready to use and serve at room
temperature.
Variations
2 anchovies packed in oil, roughly chopped and
added with the olives. If salted, rinse before adding.
1 tablespoon capers added with the olives.
Lavash Crisps
Served in the Middle East, lavash and pita are
commonly used instead of bread. Flat, unleavened lavash has a delicious,
lightly grilled flavor when fresh. Making crisps makes use of lavash that might
otherwise have gotten stale and gone to waste.
Lavash crisps have more flavor and are more flaky
than commercially manufactured chips. Serve them with salsa, tapenade, dips or
thin slices of cheese.
The crisps will last for weeks if kept refrigerated
in an airtight container.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 large or 2 small sheets of lavash
1 cup olive or safflower oil
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
5-6 paper towel sheets
Directions
Cut the lavash sheets into 2” squares by cutting
the sheet in half, placing the halves on top of each other, cutting those in
half and doing that again until the pieces are 2” wide. Cut the 2” wide strips
into 2” squares and set aside. If not cooked immediately, store in an airtight
container.
In a large frying pan or griddle, heat ¼ cup of the
oil. Season with sea salt and black pepper and heat on a medium-low flame. Be
careful not to burn the oil or cause it to smoke.
Lay a paper towel sheet on a large plate or baking
sheet.
Add the lavash squares to the hot oil. Do not
overlap. Using tongs, turn over the lavash when they are lightly browned and
cook the other side. They cook quickly so watch them closely.
Remove the cooked crisps and place them on the paper
towel. Cook another batch. Place a clean paper towel on top of each layer to
absorb excess oil.
Replenish the oil in the frying pan as needed and
season with sea salt and black pepper. Allow the oil to reach the proper
temperature before adding more lavash.
Discard the paper towels when the crisps cool.
Store refrigerated in an airtight container. Serve at room temperature.
