Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [36]
Just before serving, season the tomato mixture with salt and pepper; spoon some over the toasted rounds.
Variations: Substitute red wine vinegar for the lemon juice.
Omit the sugar and substitute aged balsamic vinegar for the lemon juice.
Substitute fresh oregano or rosemary for the basil.
Omit the basil and add 2 teaspoons capers, drained and rinsed, with the tomatoes.
Other Bruschetta: Once you toast the bread and season it (steps 1 to 3), you can use an array of toppings, including Tapenade; Sage Pesto; White Bean and Sun-Dried Tomato Dip; Sun-Dried Tomato and Roasted Garlic Pesto; Roasted Peppers with Balsamic Vinegar and Basil; mascarpone cheese, softened to room temperature, then dotted with chutney; or cream cheese, softened to room temperature, topped with chutney.
Radish Sandwiches
These buttery tea sandwiches are always welcome before a meal. Makes 12 small tea sandwiches
Unsalted butter, softened, to taste
6 slices white bread
6 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
Coarse-grained or kosher salt to taste
Lightly butter one side of each of the slices of bread. Lay them, buttered side up, on the work surface; then divide the radishes among 3 of the slices, layering the rings across with the bread while keeping them back about ½ inch from the crust. Sprinkle with salt.
Top each of the open-faced sandwiches with another slice of bread, buttered side down; trim off the crusts. Cut each sandwich on the diagonal into 4 small, triangular sandwiches.
Variations: Toast the bread.
Lay arugula or basil leaves on top of the radish rings before closing the sandwiches.
Sprinkle a few drops of hot red pepper sauce over the radish rings before closing the sandwiches.
Chicken Wings, Three Ways
U.S. restaurant-goers ordered over 7 billion pounds of chicken wings in 2004! No wonder: there’s something splendid about the skin-to-meat-to-bone ratio. Makes 8 to 10 appetizer servings
1. Lemon Wings
3 pounds chicken wings, tips removed and discarded, drumlet and winglet sections separated
¼ cup lemon juice 6 garlic cloves, crushed 1 teaspoon salt
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2. Sesame Wings
3 pounds chicken wings, tips removed and discarded, drumlet and winglet sections separated
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
½ cup toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
3. Buffalo Wings
3 pounds chicken wings, tips removed and discarded, drumlet and winglet sections separated
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
½ cup bottled chili sauce, such as Heinz (or ketchup for slightly milder wings)
¼ cup hot red pepper sauce or Asian red pepper sauce
4 garlic cloves, crushed
½ teaspoon salt
For any recipe, mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. (The Sesame and Buffalo Wings can be stored up to 12 hours; the Lemon Wings should not be kept more than 2 hours.)
Prepare the grill by preheating a gas grill to medium heat or building a medium-heat ashed coal bed in a charcoal grill; or preheat the broiler. (If desired, line the broiler pan with aluminum foil to make cleanup easier.)
Grill the marinated wings directly over medium heat until crispy and brown, about 15 minutes, turning once or twice. Or broil 4 inches from the heat source until crispy, about 12 minutes, turning a couple of times.
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Chicken Wings
Each chicken has two wings; each wing has three parts. There’s the pointed tip, called the “flapper” in industry parlance. It’s usually removed and discarded in American kitchens but is highly prized in Asian ones. The two meatier sections are the drumlet (so named because it looks like a little drumstick) and the double-boned winglet.
To divide the parts of a wing, hold them against a cutting board and pull any two of the three sections gently apart until the joint is revealed. With