appetizer – Eat Wyoming

Posted on February 11, 2022February 14, 2023 by Leah

Artichokes with Hollandaise

Chef Leah Burback

Whole fresh artichokes steamed with rich zingy hollandaise sauce. Try this classic fun appetizer as a date night experience!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Course Appetizer, sauce, Side Dish

Cuisine American, French

Servings 4 people

Equipment

blender

Ingredients

Hollandaise

10 Tbsp unsalted butter if using salted butter, skip the added salt
3 each egg yolks see how to separate eggs
1 Tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp salt
⅛ tsp cayenne optional

Artichokes

2 each Fresh artichokes look for bright colors and heavy feel
2 slices Lemon
2 each Bay leaf
2 each Garlic cloves

Instructions

Hollandaise Sauce

Melt the butter on low in a small pot. Try not to let it boil—you want the moisture in the butter to remain there and not steam away.
Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and cayenne into your blender. Blend the egg yolk mixture at a medium to medium high speed until it lightens in color, about 20-30 seconds.
Once the yolks have lightened in color, turn the blender down to its lowest setting (if you only have one speed on your blender it will still work), and drizzle in the hot melted butter slowly, while the blender is going. Continue to blend for another couple seconds after the butter is all incorporated. Take care not to blend too high or too long to over thicken.
Turn off the blender and taste the sauce. It should be buttery, lemony and just lightly salty. If needed, you can add a little lemon juice or salt to taste.
If you want a thinner consistency, add a little warm water. Pulse briefly to incorporate the ingredients one more time.
Store until needed in a warm spot and use within an hour or so. Store any unused in an airtight container. Warm over a double boiler and blend on low until smooth once more.

Steamed Artichokes

With a pair of kitchen scissors, snip off the tips of the artichoke leaves, they're sharp. With a super-sharp, heavy-duty knife, lop off the top of the artichoke – about 3/4 of an inch worth and cut off the stem at just below the base of the artichoke so that it will sit flat. Remove the bottom row of leaves. Rinse well under cold water.
Fill a large pot with about two inches of water and set in the artichokes, bottom side down. Optional: add a bay leaf, a slice of lemon, and/or a garlic clove. Set on the stove and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the temperature on the water to medium, reducing it to a simmer.
Cover and steam the artichokes for about 30-40 minutes, until tender. You can check for doneness by inserting the tip of a knife into the bottom (if it goes in with only a little resistance they're done) or by pulling off a tester leaf (it should come off easily). Remove from water, allow to cool a bit, and serve with warm hollandaise or garlic herb butter.

Keyword artichokes, date night, hollandaise, mother sauce, steamed, tasting dinner, valentine’s day menu

Posted on February 2, 2022February 14, 2023 by Leah

Crispy Bean Cakes

Chef Leah Burback

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

rest time 5

Total Time 30

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American, Eastern European, French, Latin American, Peasant

Servings 4 servings

Equipment

food processor
Spatula
Frying pan

Ingredients

2 cups Black Beans cooked (or 1 can)
as needed bean pot liquor or veggie stock
1 cup Oat Flour GF Harvest
1 cup Rolled Oats GF Harvest or cooked quinoa
as needed Bread Crumbs or puffed quinoa cereal
as needed Oil or ghee optional, if you fry them
1 ½ tbsp Flax Seeds ground
1 ½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Onion powder

Instructions

To fry: Fill cast iron skillet with about 1 inch of sunflower or avocado oil. Bring the temperature up to 350°F over medium heat.
To pan fry: Heat a medium-sized cast iron skillet to medium-high heat
To bake: Preheat your oven to 425° F
Place drained beans into a food processor and gradually add liquid and process until just smooth and pureed.
Combine your rolled oats, oat flour, ground flax seed, bean purée and seasonings till fully incorporated, let rest for 5 minutes for oats to absorb into the mixture.
Portion out into bite size (2 Tbsp.) or two bite size (¼ cup) and roll in bread crumbs for an even coat.
To fry: Test a small piece of the mixture, this should sizzle immediately and start to float within a couple of seconds. Fry each meatball about 2-3 minutes on each side, rotating/flipping till dark golden brown all over.
To pan fry: To hot cast iron skillet, add 2 Tbsp of oil to the pan per batch of cakes and cook 2-3 minutes per side, should be crispy and golden brown when flipped. Oil should only smoke slightly, if too smoky turn down the heat to medium, each batch added will cool off the heat of the pan slightly, try adjusting the batch size if temperature issues persist.
To bake: Spray a parchment lined sheet tray or cast iron pan with olive or avocado oil. Place cakes in neat rows and spray tops as well. Bake for 6-8 minutes until crispy, flipping half way through to ensure carmelization on both sides.
Cool cakes on a grate to drip off any excess oil, salt the outside, and serve with green goddess dressing, as a slider option with your favorite burger toppings, or as a meatball substitute in your favorite dishes!

Notes

To increase these crispy delights to a complete protein try substituting the rolled oats or rolling them in puffed quinoa cereal.

Adjust flavorings to match each dish but stick to dried ingredients or reduce existing recipe liquid accordingly.

Keyword 30 minute recipe, appetizer, croquette, fiber, hearty vegetable, meat alternative, meatless, protein

Posted on February 1, 2022February 16, 2023 by Leah

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Chef Leah Burback

Get the most out of those big leaves of cabbage and make enough comfort food for the whole family. Use techniques like blanching, sauteing filling ingredients according to cook time, and casserole baking.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 20

Total Time 1 5

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Comfort Food, Eastern European, Peasant

Servings 6 people

Equipment

Stock Pot for blanching
Bowl of Ice Water
saute pan
mandolin or Knife Cuts

Ingredients

Cabbage Wraps

12 each Large outer Cabbage Leaves Cut out the thick center stem up to about halfway up the leaf
1 gal Salted Boiling Water Stock Pot
½ gal Iced Water Bowl

Filling

1 lb WY Ground Beef 80:20 Substitute Mushrooms for Veggie Opt or Half and Half
½ lb Potatoes, small dice Russets, yukon gold, or your favorite hash type potato
1 cup Medium-sized Carrots, small dice about 2 each
2 cups Onion, small dice about 1 large onion. Yellow or White sharp Onions are traditional Red for color and aggressive flavor
1 cup Cabbage Scraps, chopped small center veins from larger leaves or other bits that usually don't get used
4 each Large Cloves Garlic, rough mince
to taste Salt and Black Pepper
½ cup Mustard Smoky Mustard, Whole Grain, or Spicy Brown work well.
1 Tbsp Worchestershire Sauce Sub Soy Sauce/Aminos for Vegan

Instructions

Filling

Once all ingredients are cut into small dice, preheat a medium-large skillet to medium high heat.
Brown room temperature ground beef and crumble into small pieces as it cooks. Season with a small amount of salt and pepper while browning. When all the beef is browned, remove and reserve in a strainer to seperate excess fat and juices.
In the same saute pan add a couple of tablespoons of the beef fat to the pan and saute potatoes and carrots, season with a small amount of salt and pepper at each addition of vegetables. Cook until the potatoes begin to soften and brown in spots and the carrots begin to change texture (2-3 minutes).
Add in onions and chopped cabbage, saute until translucent and starting to brown. 2 minutes
Add minced garlic for 1 minute until you can smell it. Add Beef back in and ¼ cup of beef liquid, water or beer.
Stir in mustard and adjust seasoning to taste. Optional to add other herbs or chili flakes at this point. Reserve and let cool for assembly.

Cabbage Wraps

Once the leaves have their center veins removed place in the pot of boiling water with the lid on for 1-2 minutes ( 1 min. longer for tougher cabbage leaves)
Remove and immediately shock to stop the cooking process in the bowl of iced water.
Remove and place on cooling rack to drain and partially air dry.

Assembly

Brush casserole dish with oil or remaining beef fat. Try a 9"x13" or 10" round or a large oval enamelware dish about 2-3" deep, heatproof up to 450F.
Lay each cabbage leaf out on a cutting board or protected surface. Place ⅓-½ cup of prepared filling in center. Fold the long edge over the filling tuck in the ends and roll like a burrito to contain filling in the cabbage wrap.
Place each roll into the baking dish, each roll should be touching, not a lot of excess space between them.
Once the dish is full, brush the tops of the rolls with more mustard and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Reserve in the fridge for up to 5 days, freeze in an airtight covered dish for up to 6 months or prepare to bake.

Baking

Preheat oven to 400F. (If pulling prepped casserole from freezer, slack thaw in the fridge overnight to avoid breakage)
Bake for 20 minutes or until browned on top. Serve hot with your favorite mustard sauce or beer cheese sauce. Goes well with WY craft beer!

Notes

Serve as an entree with your favorite side dish, as a medley of appetizers, with an egg on it for breakfast or as a quick easy lunch option!

Keyword appetizer, aromatic, baked, beef, blanched, cabbage, carrots, casserole, garlic, hearty vegetable, make ahead, meat alternative, onion, peasant dish, penny saving, potato, zero waste

Posted on November 16, 2020February 1, 2023 by Eat Wyoming

Roasted Taco Salsa

Roasted Taco Salsa

Chef Leah Burback

Roasted fresh veggies come together in a simple recipe to pair with the best tacos, corn tortilla chips, and much more. See notes to adjust heat level and check out our demo video!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 7

Total Time 12

Course Appetizer, condiment, garnish, sauce, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Latin American, Mexican

Servings 1 pint

Equipment

grill, oven or comal (cast iron roasting pan)

Ingredients

Oil as needed
2 medium tomatoes roma, san marzano, or thick fleshed heirlooms
2 Serrano chiles see notes for spice level adjustments
2 medium onions
2 medium tomatillos
1/2 tblsp ground cumin
3 sprigs fresh cilantro substitute thyme or oregano if preferred
2 cloves garlic
sea salt to taste

Instructions

Char roast tomatoes, chiles, onion quartered and husked tomatillos
Blend together with comin, cilantro, garlic and salt to taste.

Notes

Try this on the grill in the summer.
Add lime or thyme/oregano for flavor.

Substitute a green or red bell pepper for a milder/sweeter version. Substitute a habanero for medium plus heat. Try a combination for more depth of flavor.

Pair with your favorite tortilla chips and guacamole!

Keyword appetizer, burrito, cilantro, dips for chips, fresh herbs, fresh salsa, medium, mild, nacho, pasta sauce, peppers, salsa, spicy, taco, tomatillo, tomato, topping