Snack that!

I have to tell you right at the outset that until the World Cup gets over, most of my posts are going to revolve around cricket and Team India. So with the India Vs West Indies match right around the corner, and since these matches most often fall on a Sunday, us cricket enthusiasts have decided to get together and watch the match. And since it is my turn to host this round, it is but natural that I will have to take care of the F&B department as well.

I’ve always preferred beer and biryani for these kind of dos, but this time around, have decided to jazz up the proceedings quite a bit. I will be serving three different types of finger foods and a dip, which I intend to make from scratch (no store bought gunk for me), apart for the ubiquitous chips and crackers. And after all that effort, if our boys in blue fail to cinch the game, they definitely have another thing coming. So after much deliberation, here’s what’s on the menu:

Sausage Cheese Balls

·         3 cups breadcrumbs

·         1 pound pork sausage

·         4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

·         1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

·         1/2 cup milk

·         1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed

·         1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley or 1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes

·         Barbecue sauce or chili sauce, if desired

METHOD: Heat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease bottom and sides of jelly roll pan or use parchment paper. Stir together all ingredients, using hands or spoon. If your mixture is too dry add a little more milk. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Place in pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brown. Immediately remove from pan. Serve warm with sauce for dipping.

Goat Cheese and Pancetta Stuffed Mushrooms

·         8 oz. stuffing mushrooms (about 12 mushrooms)

·         2 tsp. olive oil plus additional for drizzling

·         2 oz. pancetta, finely diced

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         4 oz. goat cheese, softened

·         2 oz. cream cheese, softened

·         3 Tbsp. parsley, chopped

·         salt and freshly ground pepper

·         ~1 Tbsp. breadcrumbs

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 400. Remove the stems from the mushrooms.  Dice and reserve about 1/3 of the stems and discard the rest (or save to make some stock!). Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and once hot, add the pancetta.  Cook until crisp and then remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl.  Turn the heat to medium and add the garlic and reserved mushroom stems, cooking until tender.  Add to the bowl with the pancetta and allow to cool for a few minutes. Stir the goat cheese, cream cheese, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste into the pancetta mixture.  Fill each mushroom cap with the mixture, and top with about 1/2 tsp. breadcrumbs per mushroom cap.  Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender.

Olive & Scallion Dip:

·         1 8 oz. brick of Cream Cheese, soft

·         3/4 cup of Mayo, or more to taste

·         3 Scallions, sliced and coarsely chopped

·         3 oz. Spanish Green Olives with Pimentos, roughly chopped

·         A little less than one {6oz dry wt.} can of Black Olives, roughly chopped

·         6 oz. Monterey Jack Cheese, freshly grated

·         Pepper to taste

      METHOD: Add cream cheese, mayo and salt, pepper into a medium bowl and mix until blended. Add in the green onions, olives and cheese and fold in until all are incorporated. Serve with whatever, whenever!


Fried Spiced Chicken
· 1 whole chicken

·         1 cup buttermilk

·         1 large egg

·         1/2 cup peanut butter

·         1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

·         1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

·         salt and freshly ground pepper

·         Vegetable oil for frying

·         2 cups all-purpose flour

·         Honey for serving, optional

METHOD:  Cut chicken breasts in half, making 10 chicken pieces. In a shallow dish, whisk together buttermilk, egg, peanut butter, cinnamon, allspice and cayenne; season generously with salt and pepper. Toss chicken in marinade; cover with plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours, tossing twice. Add oil to a heavy-bottomed pot to reach 2 inches; heat oil over medium to reach 350°F. Remove chicken from marinade, allowing excess to drip off; dredge chicken in flour. Carefully add chicken to hot oil; fry until golden brown and chicken is cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken to paper towels to drain; season with salt.  Serve with honey, if desired.