Whetting the appetite

Appetizers serve as the prelude to the meal. Often, the flavors are selected to match the flavor of the meal.

Whether they are simple finger foods or elaborate soups, appetizers are considered appetite stimulants and also serve well in many social settings.

Lodi residents were asked to submit their favorite appetizer recipes. They came through with a variety of simple and elegant choices.

Mary Roehrich's appetizers

Crunchy cheese ball
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 cups ground or finely chopped ham, cooked
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon minced onion
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard or regular
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional)
Beat cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in next five ingredients. Chill until stiff enough to form a ball. (It can be put into freezer for half an hour.) Form all of it into ball and roll in chopped peanuts. Serve with crackers.
Hint: For a different snack, use the mixture as a filling for miniature cream puffs.

Veggie bars
2 packages Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1 small fresh broccoli bunch, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped small
1 small can black olives, chopped
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Unroll crescent rolls onto a large cookie sheet. Press together all the seams and arrange dough so that it covers the whole cookie sheet. Bake 15 to 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Crust should be lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool.
Mix cream cheese with dressing mix. Spread on top of cooled crust. (A little milk can be added to cream cheese mixture if it is too stiff to spread.) Then, sprinkle the broccoli, carrots, black olives and cheese on top. Press it down a little so it sticks to the cream cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Cut into squares when ready to serve.

Diana Weisz's appetizers

Stuffed zucchini
1 jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
1 can garbonzo beans, drained
2 large cloves garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
8 ounce container seasoned feta cheese
3 zucchinis
Put all ingredients except zucchini in small blender. Blend well. If thick, add small amount of olive oil. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out center. Fill zucchini with mixture and cut into one inch slices. Place on serving platter.

Chili relleno
2 cans chopped green chilis, drained
2 cans chopped olives
1 pound jack cheese, cubed
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon dry mustard
Grease an 8-by-8 baking dish. Layer chilis, olives and cheese two times. Pour egg, milk and mustard mixture over. Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Cool and cut into one-inch squares. For a bit of spice, add a chopped jalapeno pepper.

Fiesta roll
2 boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 small envelope dry Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix
6 green onions, chopped
1/4-1/2 cup bacon bits, crushed
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 package large flour tortillas
Mix all ingredients, except tortillas, together. Spread over tortilla and roll as a jelly roll. Wrap in plastic wrap tightly. Chill for several hours. Cut into approximately 1/2-inch slices. Arrange on a serving platter.

Smoked almond-stuffed dates
20 whole pitted dates
20 whole smoked almonds
Cut a slit into each date lengthwise. Set a nut into each date.

Kimberly Anger's shrimp dip for artichokes

Boil two artichokes until tender. Chill completely and set aside.
In a blender or food processor mix equal parts mayonnaise and sour cream (1/2 cup each for each artichoke) with fresh or dried basil and cayenne pepper. Salt and pepper. Add 1 pound cooked, peeled small shrimp (for two artichokes) and blend until smooth.
Cut the bottom off the chilled artichokes so they will sit flat. Place on pretty plates and fold open the leaves like a flower. Scoop out the fibrous middle, leaving the heart. Pour your shrimp mixture into the middle of the artichokes and chill for at least one hour.
As guests pull off an artichoke leaf, it comes away with the delicious shrimp mixture. Place a bowl nearby for the discarded leaf tops. When the leaves are gone and just the heart is left, whisk the plates away to the kitchen so you can enjoy the hearts all by yourself.

Susie Calhoun's asparagus wrapped in prosciutto

1/2 pound thin asparagus (ends snapped off)
1/2 the number of prosciutto slices as asparagus spears
Cream cheese — whipped cream cheese is recommended
Microwave or boil asparagus until barely done. Plunge into cold water to arrest further cooking. Drain well and sprinkle lightly with salt.
Marinade:
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt
Pepper
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon minced parsley
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon slivered onion
Shake together
Put asparagus and marinade into a large plastic bag and refrigerate until ready to use. (Not overnight, asparagus will lose its color.)
Cut prosciutto in half. Place a small amount of cream cheese along side each asparagus spear and wrap with prosciutto.

Laura Pickering's lahvosh

1/2 pound fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup moist-packed dried figs, stems trimmed and finely chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion, including white and light green portions
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 pieces soft lahvosh, each cut into a 12-by-6-inch rectangle
4 tender lettuce leaves, such as butter or leaf lettuce
In a large bowl, combine the goat cheese, figs, green onion, walnuts and salt. Mash together with a fork until well blended.
Place a dampened kitchen towel on a work surface. Lay one piece of the lahvosh, with a short side facing you, on the towel. Using a teaspoon, drop half of the cheese mixture at regular intervals on the surface of the bread. Using a spatula, spread the mixture as evenly as possible, making sure to bring it all the way to the edge of the bread farthest from you. Place two lettuce leaves in a single layer on top of the cheese. Starting from the edge nearest you, roll the bread away from you in a tight roll, making sure that the edge is sealed. Using a sharp knife, trim each end of the roll. Immediately wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Repeat with the remaining piece of lahvosh, filling and lettuce.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to eight hours. Cut each roll crosswise into six pieces, each one inch wide. Serve cold.
Serves four.
— Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Essentials of Healthful Cooking, by Mary Abbott Hess, Dana Jacobi and Marie Simmons (Oxmoor House, 2003).

Trudy Roehrich's Philly shrimp cocktail sauce

1 8-ounce package Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened (for healthier use fat-free cream cheese)
3/4 pounds cooked small shrimp
3/4 cup cocktail sauce (easy on the sauce)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (or reduced fat)
2 green onions, sliced
Spread cream cheese onto bottom of 9-inch pie plate or shallow bowl. Toss shrimp with cocktail sauce. Spoon over cream cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese top of with onions sprinkled on top. Use little spreaders and serve with your choice of crackers. Crab can be substituted for the shrimp.
Makes 3 cups or 24 servings, 2 tablespoons each.

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Whetting the appetite

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