A variety of cold appetizers recipes from our chefs

It's no secret that the holiday table should include hot and cold dishes in equal measure. Cold appetizers are simple, but usually very tasty dishes. They can be successfully served on everyday and holiday tables, invariably delighting your family and friends. Cold appetizers include many of our usual dishes. They can be prepared from meat, fish, vegetables, mushrooms, opening up ample opportunities for the manifestation of culinary imagination. We will look at interesting recipes for cold dishes below.

Cheese balls

Cheese allows you to prepare many delicious cold appetizers. Using hard, soft, processed cheeses, you can create original culinary masterpieces. Cheese balls are a simple recipe for a cold appetizer that will not leave anyone indifferent.

Ingredients:

220 grams of hard cheese;
4 cloves of garlic;
4 eggs;
3 tablespoons of mayonnaise;
200-220 grams of crab sticks;
lettuce leaves.

Cheese balls

Cooking steps:

Boil the eggs and then pass them through a grater.
We also grate the cheese.
Pour the cheese and eggs into one container. Add mayonnaise and garlic, passed through a crush. Mix thoroughly.
We form small balls from the resulting mass.
Take a fine grater and grate the crab sticks on it.
At the last stage, roll the balls in crab sticks.

To serve this appetizer we use lettuce leaves.

A simple tomato appetizer with different fillings

Very tender, light, juicy snacks with tomatoes that look incredibly beautiful. Cooking them is a pleasure - everything is simple and clear. Each of the proposed options for this simple snack has its own unique taste and zest, so we recommend trying to cook all 3.

First you need to prepare the tomatoes. For three different fillings you will need 9 tomatoes - 3 for each. Rinse them with water and dry them. Cut off the top just enough to remove the pulp. Remove the pulp - it can later be used for sauces. Cut a small piece from the bottom to keep the tomato firm. Leave the prepared tomatoes cut side down to drain the juice while you work on the fillings.

You will need for the first filling:

boiled chicken egg – 2 pcs.;
cream cheese – 100 gr.;
canned tuna – 70 gr.;
pitted olives – 50 gr.;
canned corn – 30 gr.;
boiled peeled shrimp – 30 gr.;
mayonnaise – 0.5 tbsp. l.;
salt to taste;
ground black pepper to taste;
onion.

Cooking stages.

Finely chop the peeled onion.
Peel the eggs and cut into small cubes. Send them to the bow.
Cut the olives into thin half rings. Add to onion and egg.
Add corn, tuna, shrimp, mayonnaise, cream cheese, salt and pepper there. Mix everything well.
Stuff 3 tomatoes with the mixture.
Decorate the appetizer to your liking. Shrimp, corn kernels and some greens would look perfect here.

You will need for the second filling:

crab sticks – 10 pcs.;
boiled chicken egg – 3 pcs.;
sour cream – 1 tbsp. l.;
mayonnaise – 1 tbsp. l.;
green onions – 1 bunch;
salt to taste;
ground black pepper to taste.

Cooking stages.

You may be interested in: Chicken liver pate. 9 recipes for how to cook deliciously at home

Cut the crab sticks into small pieces.
Cut the peeled eggs into small cubes and place them with the crab sticks.
Chop pre-washed and dried onions. Send to chopsticks and eggs.
Add sour cream, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Stir.
Stuff 3 tomatoes with the resulting mixture.
Garnish with finely chopped green onions.

You will need for the third filling:

boiled rice – 100 gr.;
canned tuna – 50 gr.;
olives – 40 gr.;
boiled carrots – 1 pc.;
canned green peas – 1 tbsp. l.;
vegetable oil – 1 tbsp. l.;
vinegar 5% – 0.5 tbsp. l.;
salt to taste;
ground black pepper to taste.

Cooking stages.

Cut the peeled carrots into small cubes.
Cut the olives into rings and place them with the carrots.
Add rice, tuna, peas, salt and pepper there. Pour in vinegar and oil. Mix everything thoroughly.
Stuff the remaining 3 tomatoes.
Garnish with tomatoes and lettuce.

Chicken with melted cheese in lavash

From simple and familiar ingredients you can prepare a wonderful cold appetizer. This dish will appeal to both children and adults.

Ingredients:

180-220 grams of chicken fillet;
2 packs of processed cheese;
several sheets of thin pita bread;
a bunch of parsley;
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise;
vegetable oil;
a small amount of salt.

Chicken with melted cheese in lavash

Cooking steps:

Let's start cooking by boiling the chicken fillet. Place it in salted water and cook for half an hour.
We remove the meat from the water, wait until it cools, and disassemble it into fibers. After this you can chop it into smaller pieces.
Add herbs, mayonnaise and cheese to the container with the chicken. Mix thoroughly.
We spread a sheet of lavash on the table. We put our cheese and meat filling on it. It should be distributed as evenly as possible, but in such a way that about 3 cm of free space remains on one edge.
Coat the free edge with mayonnaise.
We form a dense roll of lavash. If the filling remains, roll another roll.
Place the rolls on a plate and cover them with a lid. They need to sit for about half an hour to soak.
Cut the rolls into small pieces (about 2 cm in length).
Pour oil into a frying pan and send it to the fire. Fry our rolls on both sides. There is no need to fry for a long time, since there are no raw ingredients in the appetizer.
This quick recipe can save you if guests are already arriving and the main dish is not ready yet. The only thing that slows down the cooking process somewhat is boiled chicken.

Chapter 4. Cold appetizers

Cold appetizers include dishes eaten chilled: aspic, jellied meat, jellied meat, etc. For their preparation, fresh, pickled, salted and boiled vegetables, fruits, fish and seafood, meat products, cheese, and eggs are used. The main purpose of snacks is to prepare the body for food intake, as they promote better separation of digestive juices. Spicy snacks made from pickled and salted vegetables have a special juice effect. Cold appetizers are divided into two groups: ready-made smoked, salted and pickled products; cooked dishes consisting of several pre-chilled products. Appetizers of the second group include salads, aspic, jellies and jellied meats. People often ask what is the difference between cold dishes and appetizers. For example, a vinaigrette served before lunch serves as an appetizer, while one offered for breakfast serves as an independent cold dish. The taste of cold appetizers is changed with the help of various herbs, spices, mustard, horseradish, mayonnaise, and sauces. These ingredients should be used very carefully, as they do not always improve the taste of the product. For example, ground nutmeg goes well with fresh mushrooms, but is not suitable for pickled ones.

Cold appetizers are decorated with circles and slices of fresh vegetables, fruits, berries, green salad leaves and herbs, canned peas, beans, olives and olives. Before serving, appetizers are kept in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

Puff pastry with liver

Ingredients

Chicken liver – 150 g, canned corn – 2 tbsp. spoons, mayonnaise – 100 g, butter – 2 tbsp. spoons, boiled potatoes - 2 pcs., egg - 1 pc., onion - 2 pcs., tomato - 1 pc., cucumber - 1 pc., celery greens - 3 tbsp. spoons, breadcrumbs - 1 tbsp. spoon, salt to taste.

Cooking method

The liver is washed, passed through a meat grinder, and fried in 1 tbsp. spoon of butter. Mashed potatoes are prepared with the addition of the remaining butter, salt and beaten egg white.

Place half of the chilled mashed potatoes into a greased and sprinkled with breadcrumbs pan, then a layer of fried liver, with the remaining mashed potatoes on top.

Level the surface, brush with egg yolk, bake in the oven until golden brown, cool, cut into small pieces and place on a dish. Sprinkle with chopped onions and pour over mayonnaise. Cucumber and tomato cut into circles are placed on top in layers, each coated with mayonnaise. The last layer is laid out with corn and chopped celery.

Fish appetizer

Ingredients

Puff pastry - 300 g, canned fish - 70 g, sweet pepper - 50 g, onions - 50 g, lettuce - 50 g, hard cheese - 70 g, mayonnaise - 80 g, salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking method

Small baskets are formed from puff pastry, baked for 10 minutes at a temperature of 270° C. Onions, sweet peppers and lettuce are peeled and chopped, seasoned with mayonnaise, salt, pepper, canned fish is cut into pieces. All filling ingredients are mixed, placed in vol-au-vents (baskets) and sprinkled with grated cheese.

The finished vol-au-vents are placed in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.

Spanish appetizer

Ingredients

Red sweet pepper – 100 g, onion – 50 g, egg – 2 pcs., canned olives – 1 can, green salad – 5 leaves, canned mussels – 2 cans, canned olives – 1 can, smoked brisket – 125 g, butter vegetable – 50 g, wine vinegar – 50 g, salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking method

Sweet peppers and onions are peeled and cut into thin rings. Hard-boiled eggs are peeled and cut into 8 pieces. Mussels, olives and olives are placed on 4 plates, rings of sweet peppers and onions, lettuce leaves are laid out around them, and slices of eggs and thinly sliced brisket are placed on top. Mix 2 tbsp. spoons of mussel filling, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, mix thoroughly. The prepared filling should be sprinkled over the appetizer. You can serve this Spanish appetizer with dry red wine or chilled beer.

Eggplant with garlic

Ingredients

Eggplants – 2 pcs., garlic – 2 cloves, vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. spoons, lemon juice - 2 teaspoons, salt to taste.

Cooking method

Eggplants are baked in the oven, then doused with cold water, the skin is removed, the pulp is passed through a meat grinder, mixed with crushed garlic, oil, lemon juice and salt.

Snack of prunes, carrots and walnuts

Ingredients

Prunes – 400 g, boiled carrots – 3 pcs., sour cream – 150 g, walnuts – 100 g, garlic – 2 cloves, parsley – 50 g, salt to taste.

Cooking method

Pre-soaked prunes are finely chopped and mixed with walnuts, carrots cut into slices and crushed garlic. Add sour cream and salt, mix, garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.

Mushroom appetizer

Ingredients

Champignons – 300 g, hard cheese – 100 g, sour cream or cream – 250 g, dill, salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking method

The champignons are washed, cleaned, being careful not to damage the caps, and the stems are removed. The legs are chopped into small pieces, grated cheese and chopped dill are added, seasoned with salt and pepper. Fill the caps with the prepared filling, place them in a frying pan, pour sour cream and

place in a preheated oven for 30 minutes. Cool before serving.

Greek green onion appetizer

Ingredients

Green onion – 500 g, vegetable oil – 1 tbsp. spoon, celery root – 1 pc., lemon – 1 pc., bay leaf – 1 pc., thyme or coriander, salt, black peppercorns.

Cooking method

Wash the green onion, cut into pieces about 1 cm long, peel the celery root, grate it on a coarse grater, add vegetable oil, lemon juice, salt and spices, pour a small amount of boiling water and simmer for 4 minutes.

The dish is served chilled.

Pickled onions

Ingredients

Onions – 5 pcs., vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. spoons, sugar - 1 tbsp. spoon, table vinegar - 3 tbsp. spoons, bay leaf - 1 pc., cloves - 2 pcs., dill and parsley - 10 g, salt, black peppercorns - 4 pcs.

Cooking method

Pour vegetable oil into table vinegar, add sugar, salt, herbs and spices, peeled onions and cut into rings and, stirring, heat to 70°C, then quickly cool.

Serve to the table with thin slices of bread.

Eggplant with cheese and tomatoes

Ingredients

Eggplants – 4 pcs., tomatoes – 350 g, cheese – 250 g, olive oil – 1 tbsp. spoon, salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking method

Wash the eggplants and cut them in half lengthwise. Remove the pulp with a spoon and chop it finely. Sprinkle the eggplant halves with salt and leave for 30 minutes. Tomatoes are doused with boiling water, the skin is removed,

grind the pulp, chop it, mix it with chopped eggplant pulp and pepper. Eggplants are filled with minced meat, placed on a greased baking sheet, sprinkled with grated cheese and placed in an oven preheated to 180°C for 20 minutes.

Mushrooms stewed with tomatoes

Ingredients

Porcini mushrooms – 200 g, butter – 15 g, sour cream – 100 g, onions – 1 pc., tomatoes – 2 pcs., dill – 30 g, salt to taste.

Cooking method

Peeled and washed mushrooms are cut into slices, placed in a frying pan, finely chopped onion, salt, oil are added and fried for 5-7 minutes. Then pour in sour cream diluted with a small amount of water and simmer for 15 minutes. Add peeled, finely chopped tomatoes and simmer until tender.

Serve to the table, sprinkled with chopped dill.

Artichokes stuffed with herring

Ingredients

Canned artichokes – 9 pcs., cottage cheese – 50 g, salted herring fillet – 200 g, parsley – 30 g, pepper to taste.

Cooking method

The flesh is cut out from the middle of the artichokes. Artichokes are stuffed with cottage cheese, pieces of fish fillet are placed on top, peppered and decorated with parsley sprigs.

Corn casserole

Ingredients

Canned corn – 100 g, milk – 50 ml, semolina – 1 tbsp. spoon, butter - 3 tbsp. spoons, egg - 1 pc., sour cream - 3 tbsp. spoons, breadcrumbs - 2 tbsp. spoons, parsley - 3 tbsp. spoons, salt to taste.

Cooking method

Corn is poured with milk, simmered until the moisture evaporates, then semolina is added

cereal, salt, oil and heat over low heat for 10 minutes. Add an egg, chopped parsley, mix, place on a baking sheet sprinkled with breadcrumbs and place it in an oven preheated to 180°C for 5-10 minutes. The finished casserole is poured with sour cream and served.

Bean cakes with onion sauce

Ingredients

White beans – 300 g, vegetable broth – 300 ml, egg – 1 pc., lard – 100 g, wheat flour – 5 tbsp. spoons, breadcrumbs - 3 tbsp. spoons, vegetable oil - 4 tbsp. spoons, onions - 3 pcs., dill - 3 tbsp. spoons, salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking method

Pre-soaked beans are boiled in salted water until tender, then passed through a meat grinder, pepper, egg, flour are added and the dough is kneaded. Form cakes and roll each one in breadcrumbs. To prepare the sauce, fry finely chopped lard and onion, add vegetable broth, bring it to a boil, reduce heat, add chopped dill and heat for 5 minutes.

The flatbreads are fried in oil, poured over with sauce and served.

Prunes stuffed with cottage cheese and nuts

Ingredients

Prunes – 200 g, cottage cheese – 100 g, egg yolk – 1 pc., semolina – 1 tbsp. spoon, sugar - 2 tbsp. spoons, walnuts – 100 g, sour cream – 50 g, butter – 1 teaspoon.

Cooking method

The pits are removed from pre-soaked prunes. To prepare minced meat, cottage cheese is rubbed through a sieve, mixed with semolina, sugar, egg yolk and chopped nuts. Stuff prunes with minced meat, place on a greased baking sheet and place in an oven preheated to 180° C for 10 minutes. The finished prunes are poured with sour cream and served.

Beet caviar

Ingredients

Beets – 3 pcs., carrots – 3 pcs., onions – 3 pcs., garlic – 3 cloves, vegetable oil – 4 tbsp. spoons, salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking method

The beets are boiled until half cooked, then peeled, grated and fried in oil for 3 minutes, then finely chopped carrots and onions, salt and pepper are added, a little water is poured in and simmered for 20 minutes.

The finished caviar is cooled, mixed with crushed garlic and served.

Onions stewed with plums

Ingredients

Onions – 2 pcs., pork fat – 1 tbsp. spoon, plums – 4 pcs., parsley – 30 g, lemon juice – 1 tbsp. spoon, salt to taste.

Cooking method

The plums are washed, the seeds are removed, the pulp is finely chopped, placed in a frying pan, the onion, fat, and salt are added and fried for 3 minutes. Then pour in a little water, lemon juice and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. The finished dish is sprinkled with chopped parsley and served.

Cucumbers stuffed with raw vegetables

Ingredients

Cucumbers – 4 pcs., tomatoes – 4 pcs., white cabbage – 100 g, boiled egg – 1 pc., sour cream – 100 g, dill – 30 g, salt to taste.

Cooking method

Peel the cucumbers, cut them in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and some of the pulp. The pulp is finely chopped, mixed with tomatoes and cabbage minced through a meat grinder, chopped egg, 50 g of sour cream and salt. Fill the cucumber halves with the resulting mass, pour over the remaining sour cream and serve, sprinkled with chopped dill.

Potatoes stuffed with meat and cheese

Ingredients

Potatoes – 8 pcs., minced beef – 150 g, grated cheese – 100 g, cumin – 1 teaspoon, garlic – 1 clove, hot pepper – 1 pc., onion – 1 pc., butter – 50 g, vegetable oil – 50 g, cream – 40 g, salt to taste.

Cooking method

To prepare minced meat, finely chopped onions, garlic and hot peppers are fried in vegetable oil. Add ground beef, salt, a little water and simmer for 15 minutes, then cool and mix with cheese and cream. Peeled potatoes are boiled until half cooked, then cut in half, remove the pulp from the middle and mix it with the prepared minced meat.

The potato halves are filled with minced meat, placed on a baking sheet greased with butter, sprinkled with caraway seeds and placed in an oven preheated to 180° C for 20 minutes.

Oyster mushrooms in jelly

Ingredients

Oyster mushrooms – 400 g, gelatin – 20 g, eggs – 2 pcs., parsley – 30 g, salt to taste.

Cooking method

Mushrooms are cut into large slices, boiled in salted water and finely chopped. Pre-soaked gelatin is poured with mushroom broth and heated, stirring, until completely dissolved. Place mushrooms in molds, pour broth with gelatin and place in a cool place for 1 hour.

Serve to the table, garnished with slices of eggs and sprigs of parsley.

Tomatoes stuffed with butter and onions

Ingredients

Tomatoes – 10 pcs., onions – 2 pcs., canned butter – 150 g, sour cream – 3 tbsp. spoons, parsley - 30 g, salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking method

The tops of the tomatoes are cut off and the pulp is carefully removed. To prepare the minced meat, finely chop the mushrooms and onions, add chopped parsley, salt, pepper and mix.

The tomatoes are filled with minced meat, sprinkled with sour cream and served.

Potato flatbreads with cheese and green onions

Ingredients

Potatoes – 4 pcs., wheat flour – 3 tbsp. spoons, water – 1 glass, bacon – 100 g, vegetable oil – 100 g, egg – 1 pc., green onion – 40 g, salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking method

Peeled potatoes are boiled, passed through a meat grinder, flour, finely chopped green onion, egg, salt, pepper are added, water is added and the dough is kneaded.

Form the dough into flat cakes, place a thin slice of bacon on each and fry in oil until tender.

Potatoes with cheese sauce

Ingredients

Potatoes – 5 pcs., eggs – 4 pcs., grated cheese – 150 g, onions – 1 pc., lemon juice – 2 tbsp. spoons, cream – 100 g, vegetable oil – 70 g, green salad – 1 bunch, black olives – 5-7 pcs., salt, pepper – 1 teaspoon.

Cooking method

Peeled onions are cut into thin rings, salted, pepper, sprinkled with lemon juice and left for 30 minutes. The potatoes are peeled, washed and boiled in salted water. To prepare the sauce, cheese is mixed with cream, placed in a heated frying pan, oil is added and simmered until thickened.

Potatoes are poured with sauce, decorated with onion rings, olives, chopped eggs, lettuce leaves cut into strips and served.

Vegetable and meat cake

Ingredients

Boiled beef – 400 g, potatoes – 4 pcs., carrots – 2 pcs., grated cheese – 100 g, walnuts – 100 g, canned green peas – 200 g, mayonnaise – 300 g, pomegranate – 1 pc., salt according taste.

Cooking method

Potatoes and carrots are boiled, peeled and grated on a coarse grater, the meat is cut into cubes. Potatoes, carrots, meat, cheese, nuts, and green peas are laid out in layers on a flat dish. Each layer is salted and greased with mayonnaise. Decorate the top with pomegranate seeds.

The cake is placed in a cool place for 2 hours, then served.

Tomatoes stuffed with cucumbers and apples

Ingredients

Tomatoes – 6 pcs., pickled cucumbers – 2 pcs., apples – 2 pcs., mayonnaise – 3 tbsp. spoons.

Cooking method

To prepare minced meat, cucumbers and apples are peeled and seeded, cut into cubes and mixed with mayonnaise. Cut off the tops of the tomatoes and remove the seeds. The tomatoes are stuffed with minced meat, cooled and served.

Eggs stuffed with rice

Ingredients

Boiled eggs - 6 pcs., mayonnaise - 50 g, boiled rice - 100 g, green onions - 30 g, parsley - 30 g, salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking method

Peeled eggs are cut in half, the yolks are removed, mixed with rice, chopped green onions and mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Fill the egg halves with the mixture, garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.

Artichokes stuffed with spinach

Ingredients

Canned artichokes – 6 pcs., spinach leaves – 500 g, garlic – 1 clove, onion – 1 pc., butter – 1 tbsp. spoon, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking method

To prepare minced meat, finely chopped onion is fried in oil until golden brown, chopped spinach, crushed garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper are added. The flesh is cut out from the middle of the artichokes. Fill them with minced meat and serve.

Egg soufflé with cheese

Ingredients

Eggs – 4 pcs., lean brisket – 4 slices, grated cheese – 200 g, milk – 100 ml, butter – 20 g, lemon juice – 1 tbsp. spoon, dill greens - 2 tbsp. spoons, red caviar – 2 teaspoons, vegetable oil – 1 tbsp. spoon, salt and pepper to taste.

Table of contents

Rolls with cheese and ham

A simple dish that can be prepared in just 15 minutes. At the same time, it is very tasty and satisfying. And this is not surprising, because it uses a win-win combination of ham and cheese. These ingredients are often found in the refrigerator.

Ingredients:

300 grams of ham;
200 grams of hard cheese;
mayonnaise;
a few cloves of garlic.

Rolls with cheese and ham

How to cook:

Pass the garlic through a crusher. Grate the cheese.
Mix the cheese and garlic thoroughly. Add mayonnaise.
Thinly slice the ham. You should end up with pieces of a fairly large area, because the filling will be wrapped in them.
Take a piece of ham and put a small amount of filling on it. Twist to form a tight tube.
To prevent the roll from losing its shape and the filling from coming out, you need to place it on a plate edge down.

A good option for serving is a plate lined with lettuce leaves. If desired, you can add chopped herbs to the filling - it will give the rolls a special taste.

General rules for preparing cold dishes and snacks

Since cold dishes and snacks are served at the beginning of any meal and they play the role of a taste factor, special attention should be paid to their external design.

When decorating cold dishes, they use the products included in their composition, selecting the most effective combinations of shape and color: fresh tomatoes, red radishes, carrots, crabs, eggs, decorative greens, peas, meat or fish jelly, etc. All design elements must be edible. You should not get carried away with the abundance of jewelry, especially those that are made by hand. It must be remembered that cold shop products are not subject to heat treatment and compliance with hygienic requirements is especially important here.

To make jewelry, special devices are used: molds, recesses and other cutting tools. When decorating cold dishes and snacks, it is necessary to adhere to a design technique in which each portion of the product would have an independent design. This facilitates portioning of products during food consumption and does not interfere with the overall appearance of the decorated table.

Cold dishes and snacks should be prepared in small batches so that they do not lose their freshness and attractive appearance. For example, salads dressed with mayonnaise during storage acquire a yellowish tint and become covered with a film, vegetables lose their juiciness, and design elements shrink, become weathered, and change color. The temperature of the food during the holiday should be 10-14°.

Preparing the “Mushrooms” appetizer

Let's consider a recipe for a cold appetizer for the table that will win the hearts of your guests not only with its taste, but also with its excellent appearance. These look like original mushrooms, but in fact they are a successful combination of cheese, eggs, ham and cherry tomatoes. It is worth noting that the dish is prepared very simply, and therefore even a novice housewife can handle it. At the same time, guests will be satisfied. The added benefit of this snack is the unique homemade mayonnaise. It is very tasty and nutritious. Naturally, if you wish, you can use any store-bought mayonnaise. However, preparing a homemade equivalent is not difficult at all, and it will add a special taste to the dish.

Ingredients:

3 eggs;
2 small cucumbers;
120 grams of cheese;
14-15 cherry tomatoes;
150 grams of ham;
30 grams of greens;
salt and pepper.

Homemade mayonnaise ingredients:

1 yolk;
a teaspoon of mustard;
garlic clove;
juice from a quarter of a lemon;
salt;
200 ml vegetable oil;
ground pepper.

Preparing the “Mushrooms” appetizer

Cooking steps:

We start preparing our dish with homemade mayonnaise. First, separate the white from the yolk. The yolk should be placed in a deep bowl.
Add vegetable oil. It should be poured in gradually, whisking the mixture with a whisk. As a result, it should thicken so much that the whisk will leave marks on its surface.
Add mustard, pepper and salt. Squeeze the lemon juice and pass a clove of garlic through a press.
Cook the eggs for about 8-9 minutes. After that, we clean them and grate them. You should also grate the cheese and cut the ham into smaller pieces.
We combine all components in one container. Add a small amount of pepper and salt, as well as about 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise. As a result, you should get a fairly thick mass from which you can form the trunks of our mushrooms.
From the resulting mixture you need to roll about 25-30 balls.
Tomatoes should be thoroughly washed, dried and cut in half.
Cut the cucumbers into thick slices.
Take a serving plate. A small amount of greenery should be placed on its bottom. Serving should begin 30-45 minutes before the dish is served.
Place cucumber slices on top.
Now take the cheese and egg balls and give them a slightly cone-shaped shape. It is necessary to achieve an effect similar to the stem of a mushroom. We install the resulting “legs” on top of the cucumber “stands”.
Halves of cherry tomatoes will play the role of caps in this composition. We install them on top of each mushroom. After this, take a thin brush or skewer and apply droplets of mayonnaise to the caps. Now the dish is completely ready to serve.

The resulting mushrooms look very impressive. This appetizer can be served before the main course to distract and entertain guests. The appearance of the mushrooms will certainly surprise and delight them, as will their excellent taste.

A variety of cold appetizers recipes from our chefs

Cold appetizers

are currently very popular.
Cold cuisine has become an independent branch of culinary art and, along with hot cuisine, occupies a special place in our diet. The more forcefully it is asserted that vitamin-rich fresh salads form the basis for a healthy diet, the more the authority of cold cuisine increases. Cold appetizers
differ from cold dishes in that they are lighter in weight and have a sharper taste.
But the same dish can be an appetizer (if it is served at the beginning of a meal (for example, vinaigrette)), or a main dish if it is the main part of dinner or breakfast. Recipes and methods of preparing cold appetizers are very diverse. Some of them have a spicy taste (herring and sprat, sauerkraut, salted and pickled mushrooms, etc.), others are served with spicy seasonings and sauces - mustard, horseradish, mayonnaise sauce, etc. Cold appetizers
in salad bowls , herring bowls, on snack plates, in metal and ceramic dishes and vases.
According to the method of preparation and types of raw materials, cold snacks
can be divided into several groups: sandwiches, salads, snacks from vegetables, from fish and non-fish aquatic raw materials from meat, meat products, poultry, etc. It is rational to build the technological process in such a way that mechanical processing of products precedes thermal processing.
Thus, you should boil or steam peeled and chopped vegetables, rather than peeling and cutting them after boiling and cooling. In addition, it is necessary to reduce the number of manual operations and avoid contact of food with hands: use special equipment (measuring spoons, molds, forks with ejectors, etc.) for dispensing and laying out products. It is especially important to strictly adhere to the terms and conditions of storage of semi-finished and finished products. In the summer, it is not recommended to prepare jellies, aspic from fish and meat. Snacks can be made very tasty, healthy and decorated in such a way that they look like works of art. It all depends on your imagination, don’t be afraid to experiment. Cold appetizers
are also good because they look impressive and add variety to your table.
Cold appetizers are also convenient because they can be prepared in advance and kept in the refrigerator without losing their nutritional qualities. Jellied meat, boiled tongue, pates and much more - here's a cold meat appetizer for you. Fresh, salted, smoked, jellied fish - all this can be turned into snacks. If you add shrimp, squid and other seafood to this, then all you have to do is use your hands and imagination and you will always have tasty, healthy and beautiful snacks on your table. Vegetable snacks - there is no limit to your imagination! Lots of vegetables, lots of combinations, lots of recipes. Caviar from various vegetables, stuffed vegetables in different combinations, with meat, with other vegetables, with eggs, mushrooms, etc. It is impossible to list everything. USEFUL INFORMATION
Table etiquette involves not only the correct table setting, but also the correct presentation of various dishes. Any feast begins with cold appetizers - usually a variety of vegetable, meat, fish and other snacks. For them, a snack plate with a diameter of 20 cm is placed on the table for each guest. Fish appetizers are served first, followed by meat appetizers and cold dishes. After meat appetizers, vegetable and cold mushroom dishes are served. The last to be served are dairy snacks, for example, different types of cheeses. Fresh and canned vegetables, salted and pickled mushrooms, butter can serve as independent snacks or as an addition to any other snack. It is not necessary to serve all of the above cold appetizers; the most important thing is the order of serving: first fish, then meat, then vegetables, and last but not least, dairy.

Cold snacks are of great importance in human nutrition. After all, various products are used to prepare them - raw and boiled vegetables, mushrooms, meat, fish, eggs. Cold snacks made from raw vegetables are the main source of vitamins (C, group B, carotene) and minerals (calcium salts, phosphorus, iron, sodium). Snacks made from meat, cheese, eggs contain valuable nutrients - fats, proteins, carbohydrates (liver pate, boiled poultry with mayonnaise, boiled meat with side dishes, etc.). Many snacks add oil, sauces or dressings to them, so such snacks are a source of unsaturated fatty acids and what is very important is that the oil is not subjected to heat treatment and does not lose its biological activity. Cold snacks

can be
spicy
(snacks of herring, sprat, sauerkraut, salted and pickled mushrooms, etc.),
tender
(jellied fish, boiled meat, cold poultry and game dishes, etc.). Spicy seasonings and sauces with mustard, horseradish, mayonnaise, etc. are added to appetizers. The variety of products included in cold appetizers, the spicy taste and beautiful design, stimulate the appetite, improve the digestibility of food, stimulate the activity of the digestive glands, which is why appetizers are served at the beginning of the meal food.

NOTE TO COOKERS

PREPARATION OF PRODUCTS FOR PREPARING SNACKS Two methods are used for heat treatment of potatoes, carrots and beets: first boil them in their skins, then peel them, or vice versa.
To improve the sanitary condition and quality of salads and vinaigrettes, peeled potatoes are boiled and cut after cooling. Beets and carrots are peeled, chopped and cooked in a small amount of water. Add 3% vinegar to half-cooked beets (100 g per 10 kg of beets). It is not recommended to add vinegar at the beginning of cooking beets, as the cooking time increases. To prepare the vinaigrette, carrots are simmered with the addition of oil (150-200 grams per 10 kg of carrots) to dissolve carotene (provitamin A) and better absorption by the body. Frozen green peas, without defrosting, are dipped in salted boiling water and cooked until tender. Store each type of boiled vegetables in a separate container at a temperature of 8-10°C, no more than 12 hours from the moment of their preparation. To prepare salads, side dishes and decorate dishes, raw vegetables (carrots, white and red cabbage), fresh and pickled cucumbers, fresh and pickled tomatoes, lettuce, green onions, radishes, bell peppers, parsley, horseradish, lemon, etc. are used. Raw vegetables are subject to cooking, after which they are washed again with boiled water. Lettuce, parsley, celery, and dill are processed especially carefully, since they are characterized by a high degree of bacterial contamination. You should wash the amount of greens that can be sold within 1 hour. . Cut the fish at an angle of 30-45°, starting from the tail, cut off the flesh from the skin. Some of the fish remaining for further use is covered with peeled skin. Smoked fish (whitefish, cod, sea bass) is cleaned of skin and bones and cut into pieces. Herring is cut into fillets with bones or clean fillets. Sprats, sardines, saury are removed from the jar, transferred to a clean, dry container and then distributed into portions without additional processing. Juice, tomato sauce or oil is distributed evenly along with the main product. The tail, head and entrails are removed from the sprat. For meat and meat products, roast beef, tongue, ham, boiled pork, ham, fried and boiled poultry, game and sausages are used for preparing cold dishes. Meat products, fried in large pieces, are cooled, the dried crust is removed, and cut across the grain into thin pieces. The ham is cleaned, bones are removed, the skin is removed, and excess fat is cut off. Then they are disassembled into parts convenient for cutting. Before slicing, sausage (boiled and smoked) is wiped with a dry towel, the bindings are removed, the skin is cut, and part of it is removed. If it is difficult to remove the casing from the sausage, then immerse the sausage in hot water for 1-2 minutes, wipe it dry with a towel, then cut the skin and peel it. The boiled tongue, without cooling, is immersed in cold water and peeled, then cooled and cut into portions. Poultry and game are fried until cooked, cooled, and cut into portions. Hard cheese is cut into large pieces (rectangular - lengthwise, round - into sectors), peel off the outer rind and cut into portioned pieces. The butter is peeled, cut into rectangular bars, then into portioned pieces in the form of a square or rectangle 5-10 mm thick. The chopped butter is stored in cold water. FROM HISTORY
The word “snack” in our usual understanding began to be used relatively recently.
Until the seventeenth century, the word “appetizer” did not in any way mean a cold dish with which a feast begins. It was a product for “snack” of something (snack meat with bread, snack with sugar). In the eighteenth century, the word "snack" began to be used with the prepositions "on" (for example, "eat fish for a snack") and "to" (for example, "beer snack"). At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the snack was related to breakfast. However, since cold dishes were usually eaten for breakfast, often left over from the evening, then from the second half of the eighteenth century, cold dishes that were served on the table, for example, pickles, smoked meat dishes, began to be called appetizers. Since the nineteenth century, German, French and Swedish cold dishes - pates, sausages, hard-boiled eggs and others - began to be served as snacks. They also began to serve pies separately, which were previously served exclusively with soups. In the twentieth century, canned food also began to be served as snacks. Cold appetizer dishes are designed to whet the appetite before main courses, so they are served in small portions. Snack dishes in our time are often various sandwiches, of which there are a great variety. If you are planning a small home-cooked lunch. Then they usually serve one or two snacks. The more formal the reception, the more cold appetizers should be present on the table. Try recipes for cold appetizers from the treasury of our site!