Gluten-Free Appetizers

(for Passover or anytime)

Hi there friends and Happy Friday! I’m so glad that you are here.

Today we are talking about gluten-free appetizers that are great for the upcoming holiday of Passover or for whenever you want something delicious that doesn’t contain yeast, wheat, or gluten.

If you’d rather listen than read, the audio is posted at the top of this article.

My First Passover

The first time I was invited to a Passover Seder I was not sure what to expect. I knew the holiday was celebrated by the Jewish people as a remembrance of when God brought them to freedom, out of the African continent where they had been slaves for 400 years.

The plagues!

The host of the Seder was my friend Tammy, a Jewish person who also happens to believe in Jesus. She and her husband explained all the symbolism behind the elements as we progressed through the special order of the meal.

Now, everything was going so well until that third glass of wine. Passover was about to become the pass-out for me.

For those who aren’t familiar with Passover (also called Pesach), I will explain. Four cups of wine are served during the ceremonial meal. Each cup symbolizes the four promises that God makes to Israel: sanctification, deliverance, redemption, and praise.

Because I was a newbie, I didn’t realize that it wasn’t necessary to fill and drain those glasses each time. When cup number 3 rolled around, thankfully my tummy was full from dinner (which is served between the second and third glasses) so a crisis was averted. But I was a little woozy.

The Seder plate: parsley, charoset, shank bone, grated and shaved fresh horseradish, and hard-boiled egg.

We have celebrated Passover every year since then and now I know to pace myself when it comes to the vino.

No Yeast, No Wheat, No Problem

At Passover and during the Feast of Unleavened Bread which is the week following Passover, nothing is eaten that is made from wheat and other grains that naturally ferment. So, that means no bread, cake, or other food containing barley, rye, spelt, oats, or wheat.

While it is a sacrifice for many people to avoid these foods, it is business as usual for those who are gluten-free. I find that many foods that are Passover-friendly are also great for the gluten-free people in my life.

Photo of wheat field by Melissa Askew on Unsplash

Most folks celebrating Pesach have their tried-and-true favorites. Recipes for traditional foods like brisket, matzo ball soup, gefilte fish, and coconut macaroons have been handed down over the generations. So I won’t try to steer you away from your bubbe’s recipes.

But, I feel like appetizers are fair game. Plus we can all use more appetizers in our life.

Recipes

Chicken Liver Pate

Yields 3-ish cups pate

Total time: 30 minutes plus chill time

It seems that pate has fallen out of fashion. You don’t see a lot of Instagram posts for it. Maybe because it is just so…tan. But a classic smooth chicken liver pate is a wonderful snack or appetizer with drinkies. Plus it is so easy to make! Everything gets thrown in a blender or food processor and you’re done. Normally pate is spread on a baguette or toasted bread. Call me suburban middle-class, but I think it tastes best on saltine crackers. If you are observing Passover, spread it on some matzah or crunchy veggies.

Ingredients:

• 2 celery stalks with leaves

• 4 whole black peppercorns

• 6 cups water

• 1 pound chicken livers

• 8 oz butter (2 sticks)

• ¼ cup chopped onion

• 1 tsp minced garlic

• 1 tsp salt

• ½ tsp ground black pepper

• ½ tsp ground nutmeg

• ⅛ tsp cayenne

• ¼ cup brandy

Directions:

1. Place 5 or 6 cups of water in a saucepan along with the celery and peppercorns. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Throw in the chicken livers and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes. Drain the water and discard the celery and peppercorns.

2. Add the livers to a blender or food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Blitz until smooth, scraping down the sides a couple of times to ensure everything is blended.

3. Scrape the pate into a bowl or two ramekins and level off the top. Cover and place in the fridge to cool for 4 hours or overnight.

4. To serve, allow the pate to sit at room temp for 15-ish minutes before serving with bread, crackers, or crunchy veggies.

Artichokes with Herby Aioli

Serves 2 to 4

Total time: 45 minutes

Springtime is the best time for fresh artichokes. They are in season and reasonably priced at grocery stores. When freshly steamed, artichokes have a clean vegetal flavor that is similar to asparagus but much milder. Even though they are slightly messy to eat (prepare to use both hands), I think they are elegant and absolutely worth the trouble. Plus this jazzed up aioli-like sauce is so deliciously lemony, herby, and garlicky with no raw egg yolk to fiddle with. To paraphrase Guy Fieri, you could put this on a flipflop and it would taste good.

Ingredients:

• 2 large or 3 small artichokes

• 2 dried bay leaves

Aioli:

• ⅔ cup mayonnaise

• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

• 2 large garlic cloves, minced

• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)

• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)

• 3 tsp lemon juice

• 1 tsp olive oil

• ½ tsp kosher salt

• ½ tsp ground black pepper

• Garnish: 1 tsp fresh lemon zest

Directions:

1. Fill a large pot with a steamer basket about one-third full of water and place on the stovetop over high heat. Throw in the bay leaves.

2. While the water heats, trim the artichokes by cutting off the stem and about 1 ½ inches of the tip with a serrated knife. Rinse the artichokes then place in the pot. If you don’t have a steamer basket, you can place a heat-proof bowl upside down in the bottom of the pot to keep the artichokes from sitting in the water.

3. Cover and lower the heat to medium-low. Allow the artichokes to steam for about 35 minutes or until tender. A knife should easily slide into the artichoke. Remove artichokes from the pan to a plate to cool slightly.

4. While the artichokes cook, make the aioli by whisking together all the ingredients. Garnish with lemon zest.

5. To serve the artichokes, you have a couple of choices. Serve them whole, one for each person. Or cut them in half (turn upside down and cut with a serrated knife). To make life easier, carefully remove the fuzzy middle with a small spoon.

6. To eat an artichoke, pull off the leaves and dip the tender base in the aioli. Place it in your mouth and scrape off the fleshy part of the leaves with your bottom teeth as you pull the leaf out.

What’s Ahead

Photo by Datingjungle on Unsplash

You might know I am currently on an anniversary trip with my husband in Greece and will be back in a few days! After recovering from all that ouzo and jet lag, I will be talking about Greek food and drinks in next week’s post.

Paid subscribers, you can look forward to a detailed list of my recommendations for restaurants, food tours, and other yummy things in Athens, Nafplio, and the Peloponnesian peninsula.

In the meantime, happy cooking and see you next Friday!