Aubergine, Feta and Sun Dried tomato Rolls

appetizer or primo dish

Avocado Stuffed Mushrooms

Need an easy recipe for stuffed mushrooms? This stuffed mushroom recipe is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser! Cooked mushroom caps are filled with guacamole to make a perfect starter for any party, event or holiday get-together.

Baked Mozzarella with Olive Toast

Can be served as a stand up or sit down appetizer

Balsamic Cherry Crostinis

British Columbia summer bounty

Barbequed Brie with sun dried tomatoes and garlic

Goes great as a first nibbler for about 4 people. It is savory, not sweet.

Brochettes of Shrimp and scallops with Champagne Butter

Goes well with a frizzante or bubbly wine.

Caprese Crostininis

An Italian Flag Crostini, Red tomatoes, Green Pesto and White Bocconcini

Cervelat and Ricotta Crostini

One or two of these will get an Italian meal off to a great start.

Chachouka (bell pepper preserves)

A mild Moroccan appetizer

Cinnamon-Cured Smoked Chicken Breasts

Makes 6 appetizer sized servings.
requires packet of wood chips

Cured Rainbow Trout

This recipe also works well with Steelhead or Arctic Char

Deviled Eggs

Using homemade mayo makes the dish stand apart from versions made with store-bought mayo.
Adding the oil in a steady stream while processing the filling makes for a light, fully emulsified deviled egg filling.
Note: Eggs that are a couple of weeks old will peel more easily than very fresh eggs. You can boil the eggs and make the filling one day ahead of time.

Endive Stuffed with Walnuts and Goat Cheese

We have here, contrasting flavors of bitter endive, creamy goat cheese, crunchy nuts and sweet orange juice

Fried Sage Leaves

Fried sage leaves are probably the easiest appetizer you can serve to open a summer Tuscan meal. They are usually paired with other fried goodness, such as zucchini flowers or leftover slices of stale bread. Look in your pantry: do you have flour? Beer? I guess you have water, salt, and black pepper. Now you just need meaty fresh sage leaves, the biggest you can get. You’re done. Make a batter thick enough to cover the sage leaves and deep-fry every leaf until puffed and golden. Sprinkle with flaky salt and serve piping hot with a chilled wine.

Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp with garlic)

Garlic Shrimp (Gambas al Ajillo) are a classic Spanish tapas dish. Succulent shrimp in a spicy garlicky sauce that you will need to dip your bread into!

Garden Peas, Prosciutto and Burrata

Peas, prosciutto and burrata are combining forces for the ultimate seasonal appetizer. It’s ready to serve in fifteen minutes and you don’t even have to turn on the oven.

Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Three Herb Chimichurri

Makes a great substantial appetizer or feature dish for a multi-course meal.

Grilled Eggplant and Tomato Dip

Delicious. A big hit with the Shaw family.

Grilled Figs With Goat Cheese

Enjoy in fresh fig season.

Grilled Grapes with Burrata and Basil

Burrata is one of life's great pleasures. The outside is firm mozzarella, the inside is an oozy combination of stracciatella and cream. The combination is unsurprisingly good.

Grilled Peaches with Burrata

This dish is simply grilled peaches. It’s topped with a balsamic reduction, a spoonful of burrata and crushed pumpkin seeds. And salt! The sweet and salty is magical.

Ham and Cheese Sliders

Baked ham and Swiss nestled in soft rolls and brushed with a buttery Dijon, onion, and poppy seed topping!

Hot Crab dip

This is the king of the dips.

Hummus - Chickpea Spread

Italian Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed mushrooms - the Italian version

Lasagnette con pomodori, mozzarella e pesto.

A de-composed Lasagna

Lebanese Meatballs

These are delicate meat balls with a silky texture and exotic spicy aromas, the crown of Lebanese cuisine.

Marinated Mozzarella and Fig Slices

A mediterranean favourite.

Moroccan Hummus

For cool plating, save a dozen of the chickpeas to scatter on the top along with a teaspoon of paprika and a tablespoon of olive oil.

Mushrooms - stuffed with Gorgonzola

The combination of strong cheese and sweet honey makes thisi Italian aperitivo quite appealing.

Mussels Marinara with Linguine

Can be an appetizer or a main course

Olive tapenade

A French standby.

Olives and Oranges on Toast

This recipe features olives prominently. Pan fried olives are a popular quick meze in many parts of Greece.

Pear and Gorgonzola Crostini

Pears and gorgonzola are a classic combination and you can not go wrong; the cumin seeds are pleasantly aromatic.

Pears with Pecorino and Honey

We had this dish in a little restaurant in Fiesole, a suburb of Florence on our trip to Italy. We have always remembered how great it was, and when I came across a similar recipe by Martha Stewart I knew it had to be immortalized in the cloud.

Pistachio Nut and Olive Tapenade

A variation on the original.

Pistachio, Hot Honey, and Basil Watermelon Wedges

This easy watermelon wedge appetizer is addictively delicious! Both sweet and savory, this watermelon recipe also gets a spicy kick from the addition of homemade hot honey.

Potato Cakes with Smoked Salmon

Irish potato cakes, or farls, make a delicious base for these smoked salmon, cream cheese and caperberry canapés - simply slice into squares and serve

Bake the jacket potatoes up to 2 days ahead and store in the fridge. Once you've baked the potato base, you can leave it in the fridge overnight too. Simply prepare the topping before serving.

The quantities can be fairly easily halved for a smaller batch.

Prosciutto-wrapped Shrimp

yields 6 appetizer servings

Red wine glazed Chorizo bites

These delicious Red Wine Chorizo Bites are coated in an addictive honey and red wine glaze. They're a super quick and easy appetizer recipe perfect for entertaining.

Rich Fish Stock

Roasted Bell Pepper Salad with Feta and Pine Nuts

Pretty to look at and delicious to eat, this roasted pepper salad is the perfect make-ahead dish for a summer get-together.
This dish is similar to a peperonata but is somewhat lighter.

Rustic bread and tomato - Pa am tomaquett

This is rustic bread, prepared and eaten with Spanish passion. The ingredients dictate the quality: you want: dense, crumbed farmer's bread, mild sweet garlic, cold pressed olive oil, and quality field ripened tomatoes.
If you order this in the right Barcelona restaurants, you will note that all five element will arrive separately, allowing people to make their own combinations. the main decisions involve the amount of garlic and the amount of oil you prefer -- and the amount of tomato and whether to eat the tomato pulp as well! Serve it just as it is, no knives or forks!

Sformata Zucchini

This traditional Italian appetizer is the first item we tackled at our San Gimignano cooking school.

Smoked Salmon Crostini

Monet got his salmon from Norway, but we are using West Coast Canadian salmon here.

Sobrasada Tartlets with Honey and Pine Nuts

You pretty much have to go to Minorca to get Sobrassada, so I suggest substituting Spanish Chorizo or any sausage made with paprika.

Spanakopitas

Greece's most famous culinary export

Note: Spanakopitas freeze very well. To retrieve and eat, put into a 375 degree F. oven for about 15 minutes until golden in colour. The larger ones take about 35 to 40 minutes to cook. When freezing, arrange the spanakopitas on a cookie sheet. When frozen, place into an airtight container and back into the freezer.

Spinach and Feta Tarte Soleil

When you need an impressive appetizer that you can “casually whip up" for friends (or bring to your friend's cousin's parents' house on Thanksgiving), buy a box of frozen puff pastry. Roll the sheets into rounds, create a pocket of spanakopita-inspired filling, then put your arts and crafts skillz to work.

Strawberry Blueberry Cream Cheese Bites

Cute and delicious red white and blue strawberry Cheesecake bites are easy to make. These fruit appetizers are popular summertime treats, strawberry desserts and snacks.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Justly famous from many a New Year's Eve

Tapas-Style Sauteed Mushrooms

A Spanish classic.

Tortilla Roll-ups

These Tortilla Roll-Ups are the perfect hungry-man appetizer recipe. Stacked on a platter and served with salsa, they are an easy-to-make, crowd-pleasing snack, or a meal for 2 with added cut vegetables and charcuterie.

Tuna Salad

Great for a quick lunch.

Tzatziki (cucumber yogurt dip)