Zestify! - Zesty Goat Cheese Stuffed Campari Tomatoes

Love these zesty little tomato bombs. I've made this for years and they have been an easy go-to starter for many holiday gatherings, special occasion get togethers and evening dinner parties with friends.

This was one of the appetizers we served on Easter Sunday although, tucked away in a bottom corner of the fridge, they were forgotten until we went to clean up! Oh well, not as if they will go to waste as it was hard enough to keep them from being devoured before our guests arrived.

The kids love tomatoes and of course, they also love the pink Argentinian shrimp that goes on sale around holiday time here in Florida.

Even though we cooked up about 2 of the 4 lbs of these beautiful pink shrimp for a shrimp platter before dinner, it was definitely not enough.

We should have cooked all 4 lbs because we had just set out the shrimp and cheese platter when in the blink of an eye, literally, the dining room got very quiet and the next minute, where once there was an entire tray of perfectly poached pink shrimp, one lonely little shrimp remained...

I mean... hello, shrimp ghost nation?? I got quite a giggle out of it, so thoroughly impressed with the stealthy quiet threat that comes with 3 starving teenage boys who normally, are about as quiet as a heard of buffalo. And I laugh because, well, they are always starving and I have no idea where they put it or how they could quietly coordinate such a thorough shrimp attack.

Tsunami, on the other hand, was thoroughly unimpressed, more annoyed than I've ever seen him and imposed an instantaneous lock down on everything until the rest of our company arrived. I could see them trying very hard to contain their mischievous grins, knowing full well that they just destroyed that plate in about 3 minutes flat. Sulking, the youngest starts to make some excuses like, "Well, Dad, we're STARVING..." And so I scoot in with some bread and butter just out of the oven. Better to sacrifice something willingly than to wait for another stealth Easter table attack.

And that is likely how these little lovelies got left behind and forgotten in the shuffle. Almost as soon as the shrimp were gone, the doorbell rings and Easter Dinner is officially on.

Super duper easy to make ahead. I prep the goat cheese filling and wait until the day of to finish the stuffed tomatoes, which ironically, was exactly what I was doing when the shrimp left the building...

This is really an herbed cheese filling and the ingredients I use are for guidance only. As always, use whatever herbs and seasonings you prefer. But the lemon zest is so bright and refreshing, you should try it that way at least once.

Here's what you need:

• 8 oz of goat cheese
• 1 lb of Campari or large cherry tomatoes
• Fresh chives
• Zest of one lemon
• 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
• 1 tbsp of Rustic Tuscan Italian seasoning from Costco
• Thinly sliced red onion or parsley, for garnish, optional (we love red onion so it's a must)

1. Make the cheese filling by letting the goat cheese come to room temperature in a mixing bowl. You will refrigerate it later but it makes mixing the other ingredients a tad easier.
2. Add about 1/4 c of chopped chives, the zest of one lemon, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and mix thoroughly.
3. Cover the cheese mixture with saran wrap or a silicone bowl cover and refrigerate until you are ready to stuff the tomatoes.
4. Prep the tomatoes by gently slicing off the tops or slicing them in half. Scoop out the seeds using a small teaspoon and reserve for another use. (I make a marinara/pizza sauce or a tomato vinaigrette with the innards.) 
5. Using two small spoons, I gently stuff the hollowed out tomatoes with a spoonful of cheese filling, using one spoon to help push the cheese off the other spoon into the tomatoes.
6. Garnish with chives and red onions or parsley or whatever you like.

As I mentioned, we forgot them in all of the goofy shrimp chaos so I know they will keep for a day or so if you cover them with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated. You can also make a day ahead if you like, but I like to prep the cheese and stuff them on serving day. Either way, they will keep a couple of days before the tomatoes begin to get a bit soft.

Tofu Pockets - Instant Appe-Thai-sers

Pocket-schmocket. These little deep fried tofu pockets, which are not really pockets at all but more like fluffy tofu sponges, are an ideal way to conceal a myriad of surprise packages, just waiting to be discovered. These inocuous little gems were an accident brought home by an adventurous spirit who thought they were already put together, ready to go, just heat and eat. Well, they're almost that quick and easy but not quite ready for Prime Time, empty as they are, vulnerable, right out of the package.

For our first experience with these little morsels, I carefully made an incision and stuffed them with a frozen Thai Meatball. Oooh, shocker, I know. Fact is, it was what I had handy and trying to think quick on my feet, I did what any partner would do for another who is clearly a little dismayed that his "Surprise, look what I got!" didn't quite have the impact he had hoped... I improvised. Ok, I read the package and it said, "Cut small opening and stuff with chicken, pork or fish." Not quick enough for that particular save-the-day moment, I used what was at my immediate disposal instead, the meatball. Mused and amused by my own genius, I proceed.

1 package prepared deep fried Tofu Pockets
filling of your choice

1. Stuff and seal. My package had instructions as I mentioned above. If your package is in Thai and you're having a hard time translating, just cut a small slit into the side of each tofu pocket. Gently spoon or stuff your ingredients into the small opening and secure with a toothepick if necessary.
2. Heat or reheat. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place stuffed tofu pockets on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. You can let the tofu pockets warm up with the oven, that's just fine. No need to preheat.
3. Serve. Serve tofu pockets with a favorite dipping sauce such as sweet and sour or fish sauce or pad prik.
   

A true delight for the meat-ball-aholic (really, say it one more time), this recipe or clever use of ingredients is not only fast, but is kinda fun because of the endless possibilities. We came up with more than just a few ideas as we devoured eight of them for lunch one day. They crisp up in the oven and are really quite tasty, especially served with a favorite dipping sauce. We made a quick sweet and sour, but you could use anything your heart desires. Even ketchup, if you grew up in Minnesota.

Remember, leftovers can be so incredibly handy and can spawn quite a few creative new dishes, if you're not afraid to experiment. Some filling ideas to consider:

• Cream cheese, chives and garlic such as you might use with wontons to make fried cream cheese puffs
• Thai Meatballs, of course
• Cold curried chicken (leftovers from the night before, maybe?)
• Any leftover cold noodles
• Leftover Laab Gai salad
• Even leftover mashed potatoes (maybe not authentic, we'll call this fusion...)

The Birth of a Wonton

Ok, so I've expounded on the virtues of the Thai Meatball but I haven't explained how easy it is for this simple delight to morph into another tasty morsel equally revered in many a kitchen. With a quick intermission to set the stage with the appropriate utensils and a clean area to work, the costume change makes this meatball recognizable to the public at large as, you guessed it, the beloved stuffed Wonton.

In secret-spy fashion, Ketsana leaned in close and quietly explained how the Thai Meatball is really a stuffed wonton without its coat. In the same mind meld session where she discloses the secrets of Pork and Tofu soup, she casually mentions that wonton soup is really just another movie with the same cast: a deep rich chicken broth, veggies of your choice and of course, fresh or frozen stuffed wontons.

Putting it all together is where the fun happens and where it may also be desirable to have a little help in the kitchen to make this a quick and painless experience. If you have kids, maybe not so quick or painless, but it will be fun for them and perhaps an opportunity to introduce a new take on an old favorite, pasta and meatballs. They will feel proud and maybe even willing to try something new they helped to create. If you have to do it on your own, no worries, since it's often the case for me, too. I make sure to have everything ready and within reach before getting started. You won't need much except the following:

Helpful, but not necessary tools:
Cookie sheet
Pastry brush
Small bowl of water
Small army of little kitchen munchkins (kids love to help with this part!)

Ingredients:
Wonton wrappers
Thai Meatballs (see Thai Meatballs-Your New Best Friend)

1. Lay out wrappers. For this exercise, let's assume you have the Thai meatballs ready to go, either freshly made or still frozen from your freezer (no need to thaw, if frozen). On a cookie sheet, lay wonton wrappers flat and brush the edge of each wrapper lightly with your pastry brush dipped in a little water to moisten the edges, working with no more than 8 wrappers at a time. This will moisten the edge enough to ensure the wontons seal properly and don't lose their meatball during the cooking process. I'm a slowpoke and find that working with fewer wontons ensures that I get them all sealed before drying out. Oh, and if you don't have a pastry brush, improvise by using your finger to moisten the edges.
   
2. Add the meatball and seal. Place a meatball into the center of each wrapper and either fold the edges over to seal and make a triangle or just squish the ends together to seal tightly. No need to be Rambo, just make sure the edges stick together and can keep the meatball tucked neatly inside. If you do it assembly-line style, it goes quicker and one person can be laying out wrappers, moistening the edges while another places the meatball and seals the edges. Again, work with fewer at a time to get the hang of it. You don't want the wrappers to dry out and get brittle. To ensure they stay flexible, keep the unused wrappers covered with a damp, not wet, paper towl and cover the finished wontons lightly with a kitchen towel until you are done. Whatever method works for you, but the end goal is to keep them all from drying out before you're done making the rest.
3. Freeze for later use. Once done, keep out what you need for tonight's meal, if any, and set the entire tray of extra wontons into the freezer to flash freeze for 20 minutes. Just make sure that the wontons aren't touching or on top of one another since the purpose of this step is to allow the wontons to freeze separately (that's right, just like we did with the meatballs) so that later, you can take out just what you need without having to defrost a block of wontons when you only need a few. After 20 minutes or once frozen, remove the wontons from the tray, put in a freezer bag or container, seal and pop back in the freezer for later use. Remember, when adding frozen wontons to a soup, no need to thaw them out first. They will float right to the surface (just like the Thai Meatballs) when they are fully cooked, whether used fresh or frozen.
   

Tip: As for how many wrappers, what size, etc. I usually use the thin square wrappers. Experiment with what works best for you. If the meatballs are too large, they'll bust right out of their coats so you always want to choose a wrapper that will easily fit the meatball and allow you to get a good seal around the edges. Also, whatever meatballs you have leftover can go safely back into the freezer for later use. Just use the flash-freeze method I mentioned above to freeze them separately for 20 minutes (making sure the meatballs aren't touching or they'll freeze together that way) and then put into a freezer bag or container for storing in the freezer. And if they happen to stick together and freeze that way, don't worry, they'll separate when cooked so don't try to pull them apart.

Maybe you've already guessed but, a potsticker is nothing but a stuffed wonton in a round wrapper that has been crimped around the edges to make it look pretty. These bad boys can be steamed, thrown into a soup or pan fried and served with your favorite dipping sauce such as a Thai pesto made with holy basil or even a simple sweet and sour. Talk about versatility. Need an appetizer for guests that just popped in, a soup to start your dining extravaganza or just a late night nibbly? You'll have it all on hand by always making more than you really need. If you're going to do the work anyway, make an extra batch to make it all worthwhile.