appetizers – The Glutton Life

Cheese Ball (For Crackers and Crudités)

appetizers, cheese, dairy, party food, recipes, snacksDecember 27, 2023December 27, 2023 thegluttonlife

This classic party snack might be retro, but it is by no means out of date (right?!). A basic cheese ball is a delicious addition to any party and it…
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Mushroom Pâté (Vegetarian Mushroom Spread)

appetizers, condiments, dips & sauces, festive, mushrooms, party food, recipes, snacks, special occasionsDecember 23, 2022December 23, 2022 thegluttonlife

While some people might be of the opinion that a real pâté can only be prepared by using minced meat, offal, or fish, the word pâté does simply mean 'paste'…
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Making Compound Butter at Home: Six Flavours

browse by ingredient, butter, condiments, dips & sauces, dairy, recipesJuly 19, 2022July 18, 2022 thegluttonlife

In this article you will find six suggestions for some of my favourite flavoured butters to help you on your way. My favourite out of all of them? That’s a…
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Broccoli Flower Salad (Bolting Broccoli Recipe)

appetizers, Easter, recipes, salads, sides, vegetablesApril 29, 2022April 29, 2022 thegluttonlife

While many gardeners may not want their broccoli to start bolting (that’s what it is called, apparently), and we were certainly disappointed at first, I found that you can actually…
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Periwinkles with Currant (Raisin) Bread / Alikruiken met Krentenbrood

appetizers, Easter, fish and seafood, mezedes, other, recipes, snacks, special occasionsApril 12, 2022April 12, 2022 thegluttonlife

The common periwinkle (Littorina littorea) is an edible species of marine snails that can be commonly found in northern Europe. In the Netherlands, where I am from, these little sea…
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Fava / Φάβα (Greek Yellow Split Pea Dip)

appetizers, condiments, dips & sauces, legumes and pulses, Lent, mezedes, recipes, snacksMarch 8, 2022March 8, 2022 thegluttonlife

Traditional Greek fava dip is made with yellow split peas and not with beans as the name might imply. To make fava, yellow split peas are cooked until they fall…
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Black Salsify (Scorzonera) Soup with Brown Shrimp / Schorsenerensoep met Hollandse (Grijze) Garnalen

appetizers, foraged greens and herbs, recipes, shrimp and prawns, soups, broths & stocks, vegetablesMarch 1, 2022March 1, 2022 thegluttonlife

Salsify seems to be a forgotten vegetable that used to be popular, but hardly ever can be found at regular supermarkets and farmer’s markets nowadays. Occasionally, you can find these…
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Raw Oysters on the Half-Shell with Kumquat Mignonette and Garden Cress

appetizers, clams and mussels, condiments, dips & sauces, festive, fish and seafood, fruit, other, party food, recipes, special occasionsDecember 31, 2021December 31, 2021 thegluttonlife

Not sure if this really counts as a recipe. Even if it does, I am well aware that this is basically the recipe for raw oysters on the half with…
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Crayfish with Ouzo, Tomato, Fennel and Lemon (Crawfish)

appetizers, fish and seafood, Lent, mains, mezedes, other, recipes, seafoodNovember 2, 2021November 2, 2021 thegluttonlife

Crayfish, crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies. No matter what you call them, these freshwater crustaceans are a real treat! While these river-dwelling creatures may be quite common in Northern America and Northern…
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Mrs Julia’s Kolokithopita me Trahana / Κολοκυθόπιτα με Τραχανά της κα Ιουλίας (Greek Crustless Zucchini and Trahana Pie)

appetizers, baking, breakfasts, browse by ingredient, party food, recipes, snacks, vegetablesAugust 17, 2021August 17, 2021 thegluttonlife

This crustless pita here is what my boyfriend’s mother – the mrs Julia from the title – calls ‘moutzopita’ (Μουτζόπιτα)*, or ‘trachanokseskoufoti’ (Τραχανοξεσκούφωτη), but I suppose you could simply refer…
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Agretti (Salsola Soda) with Mussels

appetizers, clams and mussels, fish and seafood, Lent, salads, sides, vegetablesJuly 13, 2021July 12, 2021 thegluttonlife

I agree that this Mediterranean vegetable, with its slightly sour and briny flavours and pleasant crunch, doesn’t need much and is best when shortly boiled and sprinkled with nothing but…
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Anchovy and Fennel Seed Butter (Compound Butter)

appetizers, butter, condiments, dips & sauces, dairy, recipes, snacksMay 11, 2021May 31, 2023 thegluttonlife

I love butter. I love it on hot toast, melted over veggies and steaks, mashed into fluffy potatoes and baked into buttery biscuits and cakes (including the buttercream frosting, naturally).…
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Squid Salad with Toasted Almonds, Chili, Mint and Lime

appetizers, cuttlefish and squid, fish and seafood, Lent, mains, recipes, salads, seafoodApril 6, 2021April 5, 2021 thegluttonlife

Sure, fried calamari is great and all, but it can be a bit oily and heavy to eat all the time. This salad, on the other hand, is light and…
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Clams in Butter, Garlic and Parsley / Palourdes en Persillade

appetizers, butter, clams and mussels, fish and seafood, mezedes, quick and easy, recipes, snacksFebruary 2, 2021February 1, 2021 thegluttonlife

For this dish, small clams are steamed in a little bit of wine and lots of butter and garlic after which you can serve them over pasta for dinner, or…
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Salatοuri / Σαλατούρι (Greek Skate or Ray Fish Salad)

appetizers, fish, fish and seafood, mezedes, recipes, salads, snacksJanuary 19, 2021May 31, 2023 thegluttonlife

Salatouri is a Greek meze, or salad with boiled and flaked ray, or skate fillet (σαλαχι), red onions, parsley, lemon and olive oil. Some like to add fresh dill, capers,…
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Vol-au-Vent with Escargot (Snail) & Mushroom Ragoût

appetizers, baking, breakfasts, Easter, festive, mushrooms, other, recipes, snacks, special occasions, UncategorizedDecember 29, 2020December 28, 2020 thegluttonlife

These hollow puff pastry cases or vol-au-vent are a popular appetizer and snack in France, Belgium and The Netherlands (where I am from). You usually find them stuffed with chicken,…
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Oyster, Scallop, Pomegranate and Chive Oil Canapés

appetizers, clams and mussels, festive, fish and seafood, other, party food, recipes, special occasionsDecember 15, 2020June 28, 2021 thegluttonlife

These luxurious little canapés are bursting with flavor, combining briny raw oysters with lightly seared sweet scallops, an earthy, slightly-onion-y chive oil and some fresh and sweet pomegranate seeds and…
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King Oyster Mushroom with Pumpkin Puree, Chive Oil and Popped Barley

appetizers, mains, mushrooms, recipes, vegetables, vegetables, vegetarianNovember 17, 2020November 16, 2020 thegluttonlife

For this dish, pumpkin (or squash) is roasted until it’s edges turn into caramelized perfection after which it’s whipped into a creamy, silky-soft consistency. The pumpkin puree is then topped…
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Reggosalata / Ρεγγοσαλάτα (Greek Smoked Herring Roe Dip)

appetizers, condiments, dips & sauces, fish, fish and seafood, Lent, mezedes, other, recipesNovember 3, 2020November 2, 2020 thegluttonlife

My recipe here is not so different from the one for my taramosalata that I’ve already got on this site; the amount of roe, onion and olive oil are basically…
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Seared Scallop with Passion Fruit and Papaya Salsa

appetizers, clams and mussels, fish and seafood, fruit, other, party food, special occasionsAugust 27, 2020June 28, 2021 thegluttonlife

Little over half a year ago, I posted an autumnal/winter-y version of a seared scallop with miso butter and little mushrooms. While I could eat that little dish all year…
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Raw Oysters with Raspberry Mignonette

appetizers, clams and mussels, fish and seafood, fruit, mezedes, other, party food, recipes, special occasionsAugust 4, 2020December 31, 2021 thegluttonlife

For my post today, I had some small round Zeeuwse platte oysters (Zeeland flat oyster), which have an almost sweet, delicate flavor and surprisingly firm texture (firm for an oyster…
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Octopus Slices with Chili Sesame Dressing

appetizers, fish and seafood, mains, octopus, recipes, seafoodJuly 7, 2020July 6, 2020 thegluttonlife

Oh, you know I love me some octopus and this cold appetizer, lunch, (or meze-- Cheers!) with shortly braised octopus tentacle slices with a nutty and spicy sesame dip served…
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Kalamarakia Tiganita (Extra-Tragana) / Καλαμαράκια Τηγανητά (έξτρα-Τραγανά) (Extra Crunchy Fried Calamari)

appetizers, cuttlefish and squid, fish and seafood, Lent, mains, mezedes, recipes, seafood, snacksMarch 10, 2020July 2, 2021 thegluttonlife

My recipe for fried calamari here guarantees you end up with a batch of kalamarakia that are extra crunchy on the outside (using a mixture of bread flour and coarse…
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Bakwan Jagung Ikan Teri Nasi / Frikadel Djagung met Ikan Teri Nasi (Indonesian Corn Fritters with Salted Anchovies)

fish and seafood, other, party food, recipes, sides, snacksFebruary 25, 2020July 12, 2020 thegluttonlife

Some time ago I posted my grandmother’s recipe for Indonesian corn fritters, known as frikadel djagung, or simply maiskoekjes in The Netherlands and perkedel jagung, or bakwan jagung in Indonesia.…
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