Carnaval (Mardi Gras) Appetizer Extravaganza

Carnival is upon us and Caribbean Latin America will be celebrating with lots of parties and festivities. In Spanish it’s spelled “Carnaval.” Many Americans have adopted this Mardi Gras like festival and celebrate with gusto. Here are some Caribbean and Mexican appetizers for your Carnaval party or to take to a bring-a-dish party.

We love to entertain, but most of our favorite recipes are 3-step recipes, as we believe that entertaining shouldn’t be stressful. So these are all pretty easy or can be made ahead to give the host and hostess time to relax and enjoy the party too.

Featured in the Carnaval Appetizer Extravaganza are:

Caribena Crab Cakes
Poblano Peppers Filled with Beef and Rice
Chicken Wings with Maple Chipotle Sauce
Pickled Vegetables (Verduras en Escabeche)
Bean and Garlic Dip
Fried Plaintains with Chili
Tangy Mexican Salsa
Mango Crisp Dessert
Rum and Coco Water Cooler

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over high heat!. Saute green onions briefly until tender; cool slightly.

2. Combine crabmeat, sauteed green onions, egg, mayonnaise, dry mustard, crushed crackers, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, Old Bay seasoning, salt and pepper. Form into 1/2 inch thick patties. Size of the patties will vary if used for main course or appetizers. If appetizer size is desired, make them bite sized.

3. Coat the patties with bread crumbs. Heat 1/2 cup oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook cakes until golden brown on each side. Drain briefly on paper towels and serve hot.

**Surimi imitation crabmeat works well with this recipe. In fact, I’ve ordered these in restaurants and they were made with surimi, so I started doing that at home when I couldn’t find crabmeat. Cut the surimi bars on a diagonal, shred them just a little then chop them roughly. Pat them dry before adding to the dry ingredients.

Poblano Peppers Stuffed with Beef and Rice

Cut tops from peppers and remove veins and seeds, cut a v shape on the top of each. Place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Turn off and let set for a only a few minutes. Drain and set aside. In a large skillet brown ground beef, celery and onion. Add rice, salt, pepper catsup and chopped tomato and mix well.

Spoon mixture into peppers. Place peppers in an ungreased shallow baking pan. Bake at 350 F or 177 C, for 15 minutes or until peppers are tender. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 5 more minutes. Serves 8-10

Maple-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

* 3 large chipotle chiles in adobo, stems discarded
* 1/4 cup ketchup
* 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
* 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
* 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 medium onion, minced
* 2 large garlic cloves, minced
* Salt and freshly ground pepper
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Chicken Wings with Maple-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

TOTAL PREP TIME: 25 minutes

Actually this recipe is more about the sauce than the chicken wings (any type of chicken can be used). The sauce is absolutely heavenly. Any die-hard griller will love it. The combination of maple and chipotle is used by some of the most savvy chefs and for good reason.

Make up the barbecue sauce ahead of time and it increases the flavors.
Cook your wings on the grill or bake in an oven until they start to brown and crisp. Brush on sauce the last 5 to 10 minutes of cooking, Be careful not to burn the sauce.

Directions

1. In a blender, combine the chipotles with the ketchup, maple syrup, broth and allspice and puree until smooth.

2. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and garlic and cook over moderately high heat until golden, 5 minutes.

3. Add the chipotle puree. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat until thickened, 15 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.

Makes 1 cup of sauce.

Ingredients:

5 jalapeno chiles, each about 2 inches long

1 tbl corn oil 2 cup diagonal

1/8 inch thick slices of carrots

1 lb cauliflower, cut into 1 inch florets

1 cup sliced onion

5 cloves garlic

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp oregano

4 bay leaves

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 cup cider or white vinegar

These crispy pickled vegetables are popular in cantinas in Mexico. They’re great instead of veggies and dip.

How to prepare:

1. Fry the chile peppers in the oil for 2 minutes to soften the skins. Remove the chiles, slice them open vertically, and remove seeds and fibers. Set aside.

2. Blanch the carrots, cauliflower, onion and garlic separately in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain well and mix them all together.

3. Put them into a glass jar or stone crock. Mix the thyme, oregano, bay leaves, salt and sugar in the vinegar. Pour this over the vegetables and mix well.

Allow the escabeche to marinate for 1 day or more before using. The longer the better. The pickle can be refrigerated or stored at room temperature in a cool place.

This is a fun and refreshing drink, but you need some of those hairy coconuts. Shake them a bit to make sure they have lots of water inside. The three eyes on the top should be firm and not leaking.

You want dry coconuts or they might be spoiled. Pierce the top of the coco in one of the eyes and drain the liquid out of the coco. Now you’re ready for your drink.

Note: This is coco water not coconut milk. you can’t substitute the coconut milk that you use in pina coladas.

2 ounces of white rum
4 ounces of coconut water
1 tbl. Sweetened condensed milk (to taste)
Nutmeg

Shake or stir the rum, coconut water and milk with ice. Add more condensed milk if not sweet enough. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Plaintain Chips with Chile

This recipe features plantain or plantano macho, those big heavy banana looking things.

You should pick some that are slightly green and firm. These little yummy and healthy chips go quickly at a party, so be prepared with a lot!

Ingredients:

4 plantains (plantano machos) cut thin (1/4-inch slices or thinner if possible)
1 tablespoon of chile indio powder (don’t use chili powder with lime flavor added)
½ tsp of salt, preferably ground sea salt
Vegetable oil

Directions:

Heat 1-inch of oil in a skillet. Fry plantains turning over once, for 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and toss with chile powder and salt. Serve in a small bowls like peanuts.

Makes about 5 cups

Salsa for Chips and Dips

This is a great, fast tangy salsa. Serve with chips, tostadas or on tacos.

3-4 fresh green chilies, such as jalapeno or serrano
1 8-ounce can of chopped tomatoes or 5 or 6 fresh tomatoes*
1 scallion, thinly sliced (cebolla cambray)
2 garlic cloves chopped
2-3 tbsp. cider vinegar (vinagre de manzana)
1/3 cup of water
Large pinch of dried oregano
Large pinch of ground cumin
Large pinch of sugar
Large pinch of salt

1. Clean chilies of seeds and veins as desired then chop roughly.
2. Put all ingredients into a blender or other food processor and process until smooth.
3. Check seasonings and chill until ready to serve.

**Because of the vinegar, this salsa stays good for up to a week in the fridge. If using fresh tomatoes, allow time after the processing for the tomatoes to settle. They will look a little frothy after the processing.

Mango Crisp Dessert

Serve this tropical version of apple crisp with ice cream or cream (I use media crema). This is a great one to take to a bring a dish party! Everyone will love you for it.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. or 177 Celsius. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish.

2. Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, nutmeg and ginger. Cut in the cold butter until your mix is coarse. That’s your topping. Set aside.

3. Toss mango with lime juice. If your mangos are really juicy, drain off some of the juice. Combine sugar and flour and toss mango with that mixture. Check for sweetness and adjust with sugar or ginger as needed.

4. Spread the fruit in the baking dish and top with topping. Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes, or until topping is crispy and brown.

Topping:

½ cup flour
¾ cup of old-fashioned oats (avena)
2/3 cup packed brown sugar (azucar Moreno)
1/3 tsp. nutmeg (nuez moscada molida)
2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger (jenibre) or powdered ginger
1/3 cup cold butter

For the fruit:

6 cups of sliced fresh mangos or frozen will do
1 ½ tablespoons lime juice
2 tbl. Flour

Serves 8