Category: food recipes
Grilled Zucchini with Halloumi and Mama Lil’s Peppers
Taking advantage of a bountiful summer farmer’s market harvest, these grilled zucchinis make a great vegetarian main course or a beautiful accompaniment with grilled fish.
Coming from Cyprus, Halloumi is a semi-firm sheep and goat’s milk cheese. (Find it near the fresh goat cheese in the Aperitivo case!) It is a salty and tangy cheese with a high melting point, meaning it will hold its shape when exposed to high heat. So it is the perfect cheese to grill!
There are a few staple ingredients in the Aperitivo “kitchen” and Mama Lil’s spicy pickled peppers are one of those. Grown in Washington’s Yakima Valley, these Hungarian goathorn peppers are made in a similar style to Italy’s Calabrian pickled peppers. They are sweet, spicy and totally addicting. Once the jar is empty, don’t toss that flavorful oil! Use it in vinaigrettes, toss it with fresh pasta or pour it in a bowl and dip some crusty bread in it.
Grilled Zucchini with Halloumi and Mama Lil’s Peppers
Serves 4 – Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit
- 1 medium shallot or small red onion – thinly sliced
- ½ cup sherry vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ coarsely chopped Mama Lil’s peppers
- 2 pounds zucchini – halved lengthwise (or hotdog-style)
- 1 package Halloumi
- 3 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup torn basil
- Kosher salt and pepper
- Crunchy salt – Maldon, Jacobson, etc.
Heat a grill for medium heat. Mix sliced shallot or onion with sherry vinegar in a large bowl. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle in the sugar, a pinch of salt and chopped Mama Lil’s. Set aside.
Toss halved zucchinis with 3 Tbsp vegetable oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and place on the grill. Grill on each side, until tender and charred, about 15 minutes total. Remove from the grill and let cool slightly. Once cool, tear or slice into bite-sized pieces and place in the bowl with shallots and Mama Lil’s.
Toss Halloumi in same olive oil from the zucchini and place on the grill. Grill a few minutes on each side, until crispy grill marks form, about 8 minutes total. Remove from grill, slice into bite-sized pieces and add to zucchini mixture.
Gently stir everything together, add additional ¼ cup olive oil and torn basil leaves. Transfer mixture with a slotted spoon onto large platter. Top with additional basil leaves and crunchy salt.
Need a wine pairing? Try this amazing Malagouzia from Greece.
OG Aperitivo Nachos
Created out of desperation during a late-night craving for chicken and waffles, the OG Aperitivo nachos are a guilty pleasure that you should feel no shame in eating.
This snack hits all the flavor and texture points you want when needing a comfort meal – cheesy, spicy, sweet and crunchy – And it can be made in almost an instant, with minimal ingredients. It is scoop-able, indulgent, and fit to serve company or eat from your lap while watching crappy TV. No judgment here.
While Fritos are the chips of choice for the OG Aperitivo Nachos, if you have a bag of regular potato chips or tortilla chips, use them instead. This is about getting this from your oven to your mouth as quickly as possible. Be adaptable! That being said, everyone’s oven is different. If broiling works well to melt your cheese, awesome. If not, heat at 400°F and let melt there. Also, a microwave works too. But only if you are very desperate.
**While this is the OG of nacho combinations, there is no end to the amazing Nacho combinations that can be created from the Aperitivo case. Check out some of our other favorites here.
OG Aperitivo Nachos
Serves 1 hungry person or 2 polite people willing to share
- One 10.25 ounce bag regular Fritos – or as many small bags as to fill up a baking sheet
- .3 – .5 pound wedge of French Raclette
- ¼ cup Mama Lil’s pickled peppers
- Honey – try some of the great varieties on the Aperitivo shelf
Using a large-hole cheese grater, shred the French Raclette.
Spread Fritos out on a rimmed baking sheet.
Sprinkle shredded French Raclette evenly over Fritos.
Set baking sheet in the oven and set to Broil. Keep an eye on the tray and remove once the cheese is melty and bubbling, about 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle Mama’s Lil’s over the melted cheese. Drizzle the entire pan with honey. Serve/eat immediately.
‘Nduja Honey Butter
If you haven’t been exposed to ‘Nduja yet, get ready for your world to be rocked. Seriously.
This spicy, spreadable salami comes from the Calabria region of Italy but is available from some of our favorite American charcutiers – La Quercia and Nduja Artisans. Chunks of prosciutto and speck are ground together with spices and Calabrian chiles, giving nduja an unmistakable porky, spicy and tangy flavor. It might be one of the most versatile ingredients sold in the Aperitivo meat case – we use it in vinaigrettes, serve alongside burrata, stuff into dates and spread on the ever-popular Hot Calabrian sandwich.
At home, a scoop of nduja can do wonders for sauteed peppers and onions, makes an amazing pizza topping, is the best secret ingredient in carbonara and this… ‘Nduja Honey Butter.
Creamy, salty, sweet and spicy, this butter is insane with no limits on how to use it – a generous smear on a breakfast sandwich, tossed with zucchini noodles, rubbed on salmon before roasting… the possibilities are endless.
This recipe can be easily scaled up or down. Only have half a package, use half a stick of butter! Don’t want it to be too spicy? Use less ‘nduja. We are big fans of cultured butter here at Aperitivo, but no need to use here. Regular unsalted butter works just fine. Save your fancy butter for when it should be just about the butter.
‘Nduja Honey Butter
Ingredients
- 1 package 'nduja – try La Quercia or 'Nduja Artisan
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp honey, plus more to taste – try Sleeping Bear Dunes
Instructions
- Allow the butter and 'nduja to sit out and come to room temperature. (The butter will take longer).
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the 'nduja, butter, and honey until combined. Taste, then add additional honey or salt if needed.
- Eat with a spoon directly out of the bowl, or store in the fridge in an airtight container. Let come up to room temperature for easier spreading.
Creamy Panzanella Salad
Fresh and bright, crunchy and packing a salty bite, Panzanella Salad is the perfect summer dish. Panzanella is a traditional Tuscan salad made up of tomatoes and stale bread. The Aperitivo version includes a creamy goat cheese for an added level of richness. Have a few tomatoes that aren’t going to win any beauty contests? Use them up here! Those tend to be the most flavorful!
CHEVOO is a brand of marinated goat cheese made by Aussies transplants in California. Any of their magical flavor combinations would work in this salad, but the Smoked Salt and Rosemary is our favorite!
This salad gets multiple of layers of saltiness from the anchovies, the marinated goat cheese, and the extra virgin olive oil from the CHEVOO jar. So be sure to taste before adding additional salt.
Creamy Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound assorted heirloom tomatoes – different colors will make the salad pop
- 1 medium-sized cucumber
- 1 medium pepper – any color
- 1 loaf bread – Our favorite is the Levain from field&fire
- Assorted fresh herbs – thyme, basil, chives
- 1 jar CHEVOO Smoked Salt and Rosemary marinated goat cheese – cheese and oil separated
- 2 fillets Ortiz Anchovies
- 1 tbsp Beaufor Whole Grain Mustard
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Salt and pepper – to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the bread – Cut the loaf into bite-sized cubes, discarding some of the harder pieces of the outer crust. Toss with 2 tablespoons of the oil from the CHEVOO jar and toast in a 350℉ oven for about 10 minutes, until dry and golden. Place in a large mixing bowl.
- Prepare the vegetables – Peel the cucumber, slice in half and remove the seeds with a spoon. Chop into bite-sized pieces. Cut the tomatoes into chunks, discarding seeds if desired. Seed and chop the pepper into bite-sized pieces. Mix into the bowl with the bread and add the chopped fresh herbs, saving a few to garnish at the end.
- Mix the vinaigrette – Break up the anchovy fillets with your fingers and add to a small bowl. Whisk in the mustard, vinegar and 3 tablespoons of the oil from the CHEVOO jar until smooth. Add a few cracks of black pepper to taste. (You can also puree this in a blender to better break up the anchovies.)
- Pour the vinaigrette over the tomato and bread mixture, making sure to get the bread fully saturated. Break up the pieces of cheese with your fingers and drop onto the bowl and gently fold in. The cheese will melt into the salad, adding a creamy and salty bite. Season lightly with salt and pepper to taste.
- Let sit for a few minutes to let all the flavors meld together, then serve.