Pineapple-Walnut Celery Canoe Hors d'oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Pineapple-Walnut Celery Canoe Hors d’oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

When I was growing up in Detroit (Michigan), my mom’s friends would take care of me on Thanksgiving while she worked the holiday shift at the Detroit Free Press newspaper. 

One of her friends made this scrumptious pineapple canoe hors d’oeuvres to eat while waiting on the turkey.

Now I like to promote a top 10 bestselling crop in Monterey County California where I live.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-8 stalks washed celery

-1 cup whipped cream cheese

-1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple

-1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Steps:

1-Mix the cream cheese with the drained crushed pineapple.

2-Stuff the celery cavities with the pineapple-cream cheese mixture.

3-Sprinkle the chopped walnuts over the tops of the celery and completely cover them.

4-Cut the celery stalks into 2-inch segments.  Place segments on a platter and serve.

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

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Pan-fried Cheese Balls Hors d'oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Pan-fried Cheese Balls Hors d’oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Any vegetable oil will work for pan-frying these cheese balls on the stovetop.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

-1 cup corn flour

-1 egg

-1 tablespoon Szeged or Chinita paprika

-1/2 to ¾ cup oil for frying depending on the size of your frying pan

Steps:

1-Mix cheese, corn flour, egg, and paprika together.

2-Add oil to frying pan and heat it until it is sizzling.  Use spoons to carefully drop cheese balls in oil.  If you are worried about being burned, wear cotton gloves.

3-Fry first batch of cheese balls for 5 to 10 minutes and repeat.

4-Place cheese balls on paper towel to drain.

Serve cheese balls in a bowl with toothpicks on the side to pick them up easily.

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

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Baked Cheese Balls Hors d'oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Baked Cheese Balls Hors d’oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

I used Szeged sweet paprika in this recipe for color and flavor.  Paprika is made from dried red peppers and gives these cheese balls a mild smoky flavor.

Roll out the dough and cut it into ¼-inch sticks that you can roll into a ball.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-3 cups chopped Monterey Jack cheese

-1 cup flour

-1 beaten egg

-2 tablespoons Szeged paprika

-Pam® for spraying the baking sheet

Steps:

1-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2-Mix cheese, flour, egg, and paprika together.

3-Place aluminum foil on a cookie sheet and spray it with Pam®.

4-Use two spoons to drop the cheese dough balls on a baking tray.

5-Bake for 30 minutes.

6-Cool on a cooling rack.  A Moretti from Udine, Italy would be a good accompaniment for these cheese balls.

By Ruth Paget, Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Red Onion Spread Hors d'oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Red Onion Spread Hors d’oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

This simple hors d’oeuvres makes use of Monterey County California’s bumper crop in celery.  You can use any onion to make this recipe, but I like to use red ones for the color contrast with the celery.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-1 large, peeled, and chopped red onion

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-1 cup sour cream

-8 washed celery stalks cut into 2-inch segments

Steps:

1-Sauté the red onion in olive oil for 5 minutes.

2-Add red onion and pan juices to the sour cream and mix.

3-Place the red onion mixture in the cavity of the celery. 

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

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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Spicy Carrot Spread Hors d'oeuvres Recipes Created by Ruth Paget

Spicy Carrot Spread Hors d’oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Celery is a great carrier for spreads like this spicy one.  If you would like a milder spread, mix Szeged paprika from Hungary into the carrot purée.  (Celery is a top ten crop from Monterey County California.)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-1/2 pound peeled and chopped carrots

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-1 large peeled and chopped onion

-1 chopped Serrano pepper

-1/4 cup olive oil for the carrots

-4 stalks celery chopped into 2-inch segments

Steps:

1-Steam carrots for 30 minutes.

2-While the carrots are steaming, sauté the onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil.

3-When the carrots are soft, place them in the bowl of a food processor with the blade attachment.

4-Add the sautéed onions, Serrano peppers, and olive oil to the carrots to the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until you have a smooth purée.

Serve with celery segments.

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

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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