Monterey Jack-Paprika Hors d'oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Monterey Jack-Paprika Hors d'oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

This simple hors d’oeuvres is messy to make, but delicious to eat.  I use Chinita® paprika from Spain to make this, because the container comes in a larger size.  I live in Monterey County California, so I prefer to use Monterey Jack cheese for this recipe.  However, Colby cheese tastes good with the paprika, too.

These cheese cubes taste great with beer on a hot summer day.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese cut into medium-size cubes

-1/4 cup paprika

Steps:

1-Place paprika in a bowl.

2-Role each cube in the paprika to give it a dusting of paprika.

3-Place dusted cubes in a bowl and serve.

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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Monterey Jack Hors d'oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Monterey Jack Hors d’oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Any cheese will work for this recipe, but in Monterey County California I use our local Monterey Jack for this easy recipe that tastes great with beer.

I use mustard to make it, because it is part of the brassica family of plants, which includes cabbage and broccoli.  I thought Dijon mustard was a hidden French cure for colds for this reason when I lived in Paris, France.  Paprika is made from smoked peppers, which are high in Vitamin C.  So, this simple hors d’oeuvres packs in a lot of cold fighting ingredients.

In any case, I have developed a liking for mustard now that I am older.  (By the way, Mecca Delicatessen in Marina has German mustards that range from sweet to hot that taste great with the Polish kielbasa sausage you can buy there.)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

-1/4 cup Heinz® mustard

-8 slices of your favorite toast

-1 teaspoon Paprika from Szeged, Hungary per slice toast fourth

Steps:

1-Spread mustard on toast.

2-Place grated Monterey Jack on top of toast.

3-Place toast in a microwave and cook for 1 minute

4-Slice toast into fourths.  Place paprika on each toast slice. 

5-Place toast pieces on a tray and serve.

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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Cauliflower-Monterey Jack Soup Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Cauliflower-Monterey Jack Soup Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

We grow so much cauliflower in Monterey County California that we make and sell cauliflower crust pizza with pepper and zucchini topping (also grown here).  I love spicy peppers and Anaheims go great with this soup, if you can stand the heat.

You will need an immersion blender to make this recipe.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-1 large peeled and chopped onion

-1 teaspoon dry garlic

-2 cups frozen cauliflower

-1 (32-ounce) container chicken broth

-32 ounces water

-1/4 cup quinoa flour

-1 cup grated Monterey Jack Cheese

-1 to 2 Anaheim peppers chopped into small segments with seeds (optional)

Steps:

1-Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil in a soup pot for 5 minutes.

2- Add cauliflower, chicken broth, water, and quinoa flour to the pot.  Bring to a boil and let boil for 30 minutes.

3-Remove soup from heat and let cool.  Insert immersion blender and purée soup until it is smooth.

4-Reheat soup.  Stir in cheese and Anaheim peppers and serve.

Bon Appétit!

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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Broccoli-Monterey Jack Cheese Soup Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Broccoli-Monterey Jack Cheese Soup Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

I made broccoli-gruyère cheese soup when I lived in Stuttgart, Germany.  I loved how convenient frozen broccoli was to use during what seemed like ten months of winter there.  In Monterey (California), you can use Monterey Jack (a local cheese) or cheddar to make this soup.

You will need an immersion blender to purée this soup to a smooth consistency.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-3 tablespoons olive oil

-1 teaspoon dry garlic

-1 large chopped onion

-2-3 cups frozen broccoli

-1 peeled and chopped potato

-1 (32-ounce) container chicken broth

-32 ounces water

-1/4 cup quinoa flour

-1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

Steps:

1-Add olive oil, garlic, and onion to a soup pot and cook them on high heat for 5 minutes once the olive oil sizzles.

2-Add the broccoli, potatoes, chicken broth, water, and quinoa flour.

3-Bring the soup to a boil and let it boil for 25 minutes.

4-Remove the soup from the heat and let it cool before inserting an immersion blender into it and puréeing the vegetables.

5-Reheat the soup and stir in the grated cheese before serving.

Serve with your favorite toast.

Bon appétit!

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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