As 2024 comes to a close and as we get ready to celebrate the birth of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, I want to wish all of you out there a Merry Christmas and a very Happy & Healthy New Year!
This year I wanted to highlight some super simple recipes that will elevate your holiday menu without a lot of fuss and time needed.
Classic Italian Antipasto Salad
What you will need:
• For the cold cuts you will need: ½ pound of each
of the following; Genoa Salami, Prosciutto di Parma,
Mortadella, Sopressatta or Pepperoni whichever you
like better.
• Iceberg Lettuce (One head cleaned and dry, this is
for the base of your salad.)
• 8oz Marinated Roasted Peppers
• (If you can find these, I highly recommend them,
8oz Sun Dried Peppers)
• 8oz Marinated Mushrooms
• 10oz Sharp Provolone
• 8oz Anchovies in oil
(drain them before putting them on the platter)
• 12oz of your favorite olives,
I prefer cracked Sicilian olives for this dish.
Instructions:
In a large serving platter, line it with your lettuce. For Christmas I like to arrange the ingredients to look like a Christmas tree however you can put this platter together anyway you see fit. I love to roll up the cold cuts for easy pickins. Small serving tongs or spoons are helpful and I like to have some simple red wine vinegar and olive oil on hand so that folks can dress the salad if they so choose.
Smoked Salmon Dip
Here is what you will need:
• 4 ounces smoked salmon
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• ½ lemon, juiced
• ½ teaspoon dried dill weed to taste
• 1 ounce salmon roe
• salt and pepper to taste
The simple and easy directions are as follows:
Place smoked salmon in a food processor and blend until smooth. Mix in heavy cream, cream cheese, juice of half of a lemon, dried dill, salt, and pepper. Blend to desired consistency. Transfer to a medium serving dish, and garnish with salmon roe. I like to serve this with everything bagel crackers, however, you can use any type of cracker or toast.
The Classic Deviled Egg
What you will need:
• 6 hard-cooked eggs, halved
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon chopped fresh dill (Optional)
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Peel your hard-boiled eggs and cut them in half. Scoop out your egg yolks and place in a separate bowl. To your yolks add your mayo, mustard, vinegar, garlic powder, chopped dill & salt. Mix the yolks until they are smooth and velvety. Next add your mixture to a piping bag and fill your egg white halves generously. Let chill in the freezer and serve sprinkled with paprika.
