Recipes for Making Focaccia, Chick Pea Hummus and Marinated Olives

The recipes here consist of low fat ingredients which are used for making appetizers which are focaccia, chick pea hummus and marinated olives.

Recipe for Focaccia

Ingredients

* 8g of dry yeast                                                                           

* 1120ml of flour                                                                          

* A pinch of sugar                                                                        

* 7 tablespoons of olive oil                                                          

* 2 tablespoons of cornmeal                                                        

* 2 teaspoons of salt                                                                    

* 3 medium size onion bulbs
                                                       

Procedure

- Cut the onions into small slices

- Put the sugar and yeast in a bowl and add about 150ml of lukewarm water. Stir until the sugar and    yeast dissolve. Allow to stand until it becomes frothy.

- Pour about 350ml of lukewarm water into it and add 500ml of flour. Cover it and allow to stand for about 50 minutes until it has risen to about twice its volume

- Add 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoon of olive oil and another 500ml of flour while stirring.

- Pour it on a kneading table and knead for about 15 minutes, while adding flour when needed, so as to prevent sticking to the table

- When the dough is elastic, divide it into two halves and form each half into a smooth ball

- Rub the inside of two cake pans with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil each. Each pan should be about 9 inches in diameter. Sprinkle each pan with 1 tablespoon of cornmeal

- Put each ball of the dough in the pans, press and spread around the sides of the pans

- Cover the two pans and place them in a dry place for about 50 minutes in order to rise. Jab all over the dough with a finger

- Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan, add onions and fry until it becomes a bit brown. Keep it aside

- Rub each pan of the dough with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle 1/4 tablespoon of salt on each

- Divide the fried onions into two parts and spread each evenly over the two pans of dough

- Put the dough in an oven and bake at 220^oC for about 25 to 30 minutes.

View picture of a dish of focaccia and have an idea of how it looks like.

Recipe for Chick Pea Hummus

 

Ingredients

* 500ml of chick peas                                                                      

* 80ml of olive oil                                                                      

* 2 tablespoons of unsweetened peanut butter                           

* 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice                                          

* 2 gloves of garlic                                                               

* 1/2 tablespoon of salt                                                         

 

Procedure

- Shred the garlic gloves

- Put the chick pea, lemon juice, olive oil, peanut butter, garlic and salt into a blender and blend to    obtain a smooth mixture

- Serve with crisps or crackers. You can garnish with fresh parsley

View picture of a prepared dish of chick pea hummus so as to have an idea of its appearance.

Recipe for Marinated Olives

 

Ingredients

* 350ml of plain queen olives                                                              

* 50ml of red wine vinegar                                                                

* 50ml of olive oil                                                                              

* 2 cloves of garlic                                                                        

* 2 bay leaves                                                                              

* 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme                                                  

* 1/2 teaspoon of fennel                                                      

* 1/2 teaspoon of rosemary

Procedure

- Crush the garlic cloves

- Remove any liquid present along with the queen olives and set the queen olives aside

- Put the olive oil, fennel, thyme, rosemary, vinegar, garlic and bay leaves in a saucepan and add about 50ml of water. Stir thoroughly.

- Boil at a medium heat for about 1 minute. Reduce to a low heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.

- Pour it into the queen olives that was set aside, and allow to stand for about 4 hours before it is served. It can be preserved in the refrigerator for about 2 to 3 weeks.

View picture of a prepared dish of marinated olives and have an idea of its appearance

Get more on recipes for making artichoke dip, fish salad and pizzas.

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Recipes for Making Italian Bean Dip, Pita Crisps and Grilled Polenta with Gorgonzola

Low fat ingredients have been selected here, for the recipes used for making Italian bean dip, pita crisps and grilled polenta with gorgonzola. These appetizers are quick and easy to prepare and are basically Italian classics.

Recipe for Italian Bean Dip

Ingredients

* 50ml of oil-packed sun dried tomatoes

* 25ml of olive oil

* 25ml of lemon juice

* 2 tablespoon of chopped fresh basil

* 2 garlic cloves

* A pinch of ground pepper

* 1/4 teaspoon of salt

* 540ml of canned white kidney beans

Procedure

- Chop the dried tomatoes into fine sizes

- Cut the garlic cloves into small slices

- Rinse the kidney beans and drain out the water

- Put the dried tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, basil, pepper, garlic and salt into a bowl and stir them together

- Pour the mixture into a blender. Add the kidney beans and switch the blender on and off for about 12 times until the mixture becomes chunky.

- Serve with bread and crisps.

View picture of a dish of Italian bean dip and have an idea of its appearance.

Recipe for Pita Crisps

 

Ingredients

* 2 pitas

* 80ml of olive oil

* 2 garlic cloves

* 1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin

Procedure

- Preheat the oven to a temperature of 180^oC
- Cut the garlic into small slices

- Put the pitas on a cutting board and cut each one into two parts

- Put the olive oil, garlic and cumin in a small bowl and stir vigorously to mix them properly

- Rub both sides of each of the pitas with the oil mixture above, and cut each of them into 10 slices

- Put the slices of pitas on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes until the pitas become crisp and golden

- The crisps can be preserved for about 2 weeks in an airtight container.

View picture of a dish of pita crisps in order to know how it looks like.

Recipe For Grilled Polenta with Gorgonzola

 

Ingredients

* 380ml of cornmeal

* 120g of Gorgonzola

* 1 teaspoon of salt

* A little amount of vegetable oil

Procedure

- Cut the Gorgonzola into about 40 cubes and set aside

- Put about 1.8 liters of water into a deep saucepan, add the salt and allow to boil over a moderately high heat

- Add the cornmeal slowly and in little amount at a constant rate, while whisking and stirring constantly to avoid lumps

- Reduce the heat to a moderately low amount and cook for about 25 minutes, while constantly stirring until it becomes thick and smooth.

- Pour it into a flat (about 13-inch wide) baking sheet that has the inside rubbed with the vegetable oil. Spread it all over the baking sheet. Allow it to cool until it becomes solid.

- Rub the inside of the grill of a cooker with the vegetable oil and preheat the grill.

- Put the solid polenta on a cutting board by turning the baking sheet upside down over the cutting board. Cut the polenta into about 40 cubes.

- Grill the polenta cubes for about 2 minutes until it becomes slightly brown. Turn over all the cubes.

- Put each of the Gorgonzola set aside, on each of the polenta cubes.

- Grill for about 2 more minutes until the Gorgonzola melt.

View a picture of a prepared dish of grilled polenta with gorgonzola and know how it looks like.

Get more on recipes for making focaccia, chick pea hummus and marinated olives.

What do you think about these recipes? Let me know your views and suggestions through the comment box below. Your comments would be highly appreciated.