What’s the secret to healthy easy appetizers for your New Year’s Party?
appetizers
Fresh herbs. Exotic oils. And your favourite protein: a lovely salmon or local cheese.
The Herbs
Chives, Chervil, Cilantro…any of these fragrant greens will add a delightful aroma to your antipasti of choice. Chop them fine to release their oils and sprinkle them over your appetizers for a scented treat. You can also try tarragon leaves, shallots and even baby arugula for a bit of spice.
The Oils
We like toasted pumpkin seed and white truffle oils. These subtle and deeply flavourful oils add a rich landscape to dress up any rendition of ‘cheese and crackers’.
The Protein
We are lucky in Portland to have an abundance of locally made cheeses and charcuterie. Root’s neighbour Foster and Dobbs is an excellent starting point for finding the best of the best.
Combine the three in this elegant treat in a Sockeye-salmon-tartare for your New Year’s sorie. And for the more daring, a Chicken Liver Pate! What’s your favourite recipe? Share with us on Facebook!
Sockeye-salmon-tartare/
- Dice salmon into 1/4-inch cubes and place in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add fish sauce, olive oil, garlic, and lemon zest and gently fold to combine.
- Add the tomato, herbs, shallot, and lemon juice and gently fold to combine. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper, and lemon juice as needed.
- To serve, place a small round cookie cutter on a plate and pack it gently with the tartare, or spread the tartare thinly on the plate. Garnish with microgreens and serve with taro chips or baguette slices.
Super Easy Chicken Liver Pate
Here’s Alex McMahon’s favourite, from his instagram Evolvenutritionaltherapy:
Once you figure out about the health benefits of liver the next logical step is to try to figure out how to eat it. I wanted the health benefits of eating liver without the funny taste… liver pate to the rescue! This recipe is a really easy and delicious way to enjoy liver, and actually enjoy the taste!
3/4 lb pastured chicken liver
1/2 onion
3-5 cloves of garlic
3 hard boiled eggs
1 tbsp grass fed butter
1-2 tbsp coconut oil
garlic and onion power, salt and pepper
Cook chicken livers in butter with chopped onions and garlic until chicken livers are browned and cooked though. Put the chicken liver, onions and garlic into a food processor. Add 1-2 tbsp of coconut oil and 3 hard boiled eggs to the food processor. Add garlic powder,onion powder and S&P to the food processor. Pulse blend in the food processor until there are no chunks left in the pate. Add spices based on your palate. Enjoy!