Zucchini Onion Appetizer Squares

This is an old Bisquick recipe and is delicious served as an appetizer or for a light lunch or brunch dish. It’s easy to make and is a good way to use up extra zucchini when it’s in season. I think the addition of oregano adds a bright herby flavor to this dish but you could omit it if you like, or substitute a different herb like thyme or savory.

ZUCCHINI ONION APPETIZER SQUARES

• 4 eggs
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
• 2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ tsp. dried oregano (optional)
• ½ tsp. salt
• ⅛ tsp. pepper
• 1 cup Bisquick baking mix
• 3 cups thinly sliced unpeeled zucchini (about 3 or 4)
• 1 small onion, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease bottom and sides of a 9×13″ baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, parmesan cheese, oil, parsley, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and Bisquick.
3. Stir in the zucchini and onion.
4. Spread in prepared baking pan.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned at edges
6. Cut into 1¼-squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

Onion Cheese Puffs

New Year’s Eve for me means time for new appetizers. Every New Year’s Eve, I make a whole bunch of savory appetizers and bite-sized sweet treats. I don’t bother fixing dinner or creating a fancy sit-down meal. Instead, I start putting out different appetizers and canapés at around 7 p.m. for people to graze on all night long. Everyone just wanders up to the dining table and eats whatever they want to whenever they feel like eating.

I usually make some tried-and-true favorites, but this is also the time that I look for new appetizer and dip recipes to try. These Onion Cheese Puffs were one of my newbies. I found the recipe in an old issue of Saveur magazine and thought they sounded good. They were so easy to make and smelled amazing while they were baking! Of all the new appetizers I tried for our New Year’s Eve celebration this year, I liked these the best. Definitely a keeper!

ONION CHEESE PUFFS

• ½ small sweet yellow onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 8 slices of white bread

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix onion, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, and parsley in a medium bowl.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Using a 1″ round cookie cutter, cut 4 rounds from each slice of bread.
5. Place bread rounds on a cookie sheet and bake, without turning, until lightly toasted, about 6-7 minutes.
6. Preheat broiler.
7. Spread about 1 tsp. onion mixture onto each round, then sprinkle with more parmesan.
8. Brown under broiler for 1–2 minutes.
9. Serve immediately.

[Adapted from Saveur]

French Onion Soup

I never liked onions as a kid. Cooked onions were tolerable, but raw onions were the devil’s own handiwork as far as I was concerned. I would never have bitten into a whole raw onion like Stanley and Zero did in “Holes,” or like my Uncle Louie who ate a little plate of sliced raw onions with every meal, much to our teenage revulsion. (He could chew on whole hot chili peppers, too!) But now that I’m older, I’ve grown to love the odoriferous little globes. Besides the aromatic flavor they impart to your dishes, they’re also loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. I especially love them grilled, or caramelized into an onion relish.

This soup is amazingly delicious and is one of my Old Goat’s favorites. It’s rich and comforting and makes a satisfying meal served with a side salad. Though there are a lot of steps to it, the recipe is much easier to make than it looks. Just read it through and you’ll see what I mean. The French sure knew what they were doing when they came up with this dish.

FRENCH ONION SOUP

• 4 tbsp. butter
• 6 large yellow onions (about 3-1/4 lbs.), thinly sliced
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio work well)
• 8 cups chicken or beef broth
• 1 sprig fresh thyme, 1 sprig flat-leaf parsley and 1 bay leaf, tied together
• 1 baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices as needed to top 6 soup crocks
• 2 cups grated gruyere

1. In a large, wide soup pot, melt butter over medium heat.
2. Add the onions and season lightly with salt and pepper.
3. Cook onions gently, stirring frequently until they’re very soft and begin to turn a dark caramel color, 35-45 minutes.
4. When onions are ready, stir in flour and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Pour in wine and raise heat to medium-high, scraping brown bits, until liquid is mostly reduced, 5-8 minutes.
6. Add broth, toss in tied herbs, and bring to a simmer.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer 20-30 minutes.
8. Remove herb bundle and adjust seasoning if needed. Soup can be made ahead to this point, then cooled and refrigerated for a few days.
9. Heat oven to 450° and ladle soup into 6 soup crocks.
10. If desired, toast baguette slices.
11. Top each soup crock with baguette slices to cover without too much overlap.
12. Divide cheese evenly over top of bread slices.
13. Bake until cheese is melted and browning in spots.
14. Serve immediately.