Time: 15-20 minutes

Serves: 8 as a finger food appetizer

Inspired by: The mother-in-law of one of my closest friends, Judy Sellers. Judy is food and wine savvy as well as being incredibly adventurous, fun and interesting – someone I’m thrilled to know. One thanksgiving when we hosted dinner, she and her husband joined us and brought this as an appetizer. Everyone loved it and I still make it for parties because it’s so yummy. That was my first introduction to Hugh Carpenter and this recipe is from his “Fast Appetizer” cookbook. After that a few of us girls took a “How to Cook Fish” class with him that was really well done.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb raw medium to large shrimp (deveined and peeled, but with the tail still on)
• 2 tablespoons thin or low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons flavorless cooking oil (I use an extra light olive oil)
• ½ – 1 teaspoon Asian chili sauce (I’ve been using Thai Kitchen roasted red chili paste)
• 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger (don’t forget this – it’s a key ingredient)
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil (I substitute with Italian parsley when I can’t get fresh basil)

Preparation:

• Fill a bowl with water and some ice to make very cold.
• Boil water in a large pot and cook shrimp about 1.5 to 2 minutes – until done but don’t overcook.
• Drain shrimp in colander and add to bowl with ice water so they don’t continue cooking.
• When it’s cooled down, drain again.
• Mix the basil Ponzu sauce ingredients together in a shallow glass bowl (this can be made up to 10 hours before serving).
• When ready to serve, toss the shrimp with the sauce – can serve with toothpicks as “finger” food.

Notes: I purchased Hugh’s cookbook so this is the original recipe, but I recommend doubling or tripling the Ponzu Sauce ingredients so it covers the shrimp a bit better, or if you wanted to put some on the side for dipping. The shrimp taste best when they are freshly covered or dipped in the sauce.

Wine Suggestions: Because there is a slight sweetness and spiciness to this sauce, a slightly off-dry wine such as a Riesling is a nice pairing. Depending on what chili you use, if the sweetness and spiciness is only slight, the ginger and other aromatics make it a nice pairing with dry, aromatic whites such as a dry Riesling, Gruner Veltliner or Torrontes.

Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 8

Inspired by: Once I started making quinoa more often, I found out that it tastes good with just about anything in it. I had these ingredients in the refrigerator and threw them in and it was so good with the spicy grilled shrimp I made that night.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups quinoa
• 2 ½ cups water (I always use 1 1/4 cups water for 1 cup quinoa)
• ½ teaspoon salt and a dash of olive oil
• 1 mango chopped in small pieces
• 1/2 – 1 cup chopped mint leaves (typically 1 bunch of mint)
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ cup light olive oil
• Juice of one lime

Preparation:

• Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh sieve – run under cold water until water runs clear.
• Transfer to medium saucepan; add 2 ½ cups water, ½ teaspoon salt and dash of olive oil.
• Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer; cook until water is completely absorbed – about 20 minutes.
• Transfer to a medium bowl and mango, mint and ground pepper.
• Drizzle with lime juice and olive oil and toss until well combined.

Notes: This is good hot or at room temperature so it’s easy to make ahead for dinner parties. It’s great as a leftover and heated up the next day too.

Time: 15-20 minutes

Serves: 8 as an appetizer

Inspired by: A Persian friend of mine made this for a party and I loved all of the flavor nuances in it. I believe this is a combination of her recipe and others I’ve read on the web and then my own refinements. The Persian name for this spread is nan-o panir-o-gerdu.

Ingredients:

• ¼ pound feta cheese
• 2 cups shelled walnuts (Whole Foods or Trader Joes)
• 2 tablespoons fresh scallions – chopped
• 4 tablespoons fresh basil  – chopped
• 4  tablespoons fresh mint – chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Juice of one lime
• 2 – 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Pita bread or lavash (soft or crunchy) or raw veggies

Preparation:

• Chop scallions and basil and mint leaves by hand or in your food processor. Don’t chop too fine. Remove from food processor.
• Don’t clean food processor – toss walnuts in and whirl until finely chopped.
• Add the feta to the nuts and chop/blend the two.
• Then add garlic, pepper, lime juice and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and mix well.
• Taste and then add salt if needed and add additional olive oil for flavor and texture – but if you like the thicker consistency, don’t add too much oil.
• Remove mixture from food processor and hand mix with the scallions and herbs.

Note: I saw an identical recipe recently that also included 2 tablespoons of tarragon.

Serve with: Use as a dip with cut up pita bread or raw vegetables, or as a spread on lavash or crackers.

Wine Suggestions: The herbs in the spread pair well with herbal, aromatic whites such as a Spanish Verdejo or Sauvignon Blanc  – although many Sauv Blancs will be too herbatous or grassy and that could take away from the beautiful delicate flavors in the spread. If you are going for a Sauvignon Blanc, a White Bordeax is probably your best option. A Grüner Veltliner could also be a good option or any light crisp white such as an Albarino, Chablis or a light White Burgundy.

Time: 20-30 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Inspired by: Yummy flavors of ginger-infused meals in so many Asian-style restaurants. I read about ten “ginger-chicken” recipes one day and then used the one I liked the most (by blogger Joey Randall – The Village Voice) because it seemed to be the healthiest. I may have modified it slightly.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 3 tablespoons grated ginger (fresh)
• 1-3 gloves crushed garlic (fresh)
• 3 tablespoons organic soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 – 2 cups thinly sliced carrots
• 1 cup sliced red pepper
• 1 cup sliced yellow pepper
• 1 cup snow peas
• 1 cup broccoli in very small pieces
• 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
• 1 (8 oz) can diced water chestnuts, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
• Butterhead lettuce (like Boston or Bibb) for 4- 6 servings

Recipe:

• Cut chicken into thin strips.
• Combine soy sauce, ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and cornstarch. Pour over chicken to marinate while prepping vegetables.
• Heat wok or large skillet. Pour in olive oil and heat. Remove chicken from marinade and carefully add to pan. Cook until tender – about 5 minutes.
• Pour marinade over chicken. Add the veggies. Cook 3 minutes or until sauce slightly thickens, stirring often.
• Remove from heat. Add almonds.
• Spoon 1/4 to 1/2 cup chicken mixture into lettuce leaf and roll up.

Wine Suggestions: An aromatic white that is slightly off-dry will work well with the ginger and spice of this dish. We drank a dry, 2006 Nikolaihof Grüner Veltliner and while it’s one of my favorite Grüners with beautiful aeromatics, I think a fruiter or slightly-off dry wine would have been a better pairing. Here are a few suggestions starting with off-dry and ending with dry.

• Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc (California)
• Chateau Ste Michelle Eroica Riesling (Washington)
• Slightly off-dry Riesling (Germany or Austria)
• Torrontes (Argentina)
• Sauvignon Blanc (California or New Zealand)
• Grüner Veltliner (Austria)