Get ready for the holiday season with these vegetable party appetizers! From walnut-stuffed tomatoes, to hot pepper jam and eggplant pâté, you’ll love these easy-to-make recipes using Mucci Farms produce.
There are few things more perfect to me than aisle after aisle, bin after bin, and row after row of fresh produce. It’s why you’ll find me at the farmers market almost every week, hear me asking for just 5 minutes to run in this international market, and catch me hanging out the window with my camera as we speed past the farms when driving through the Central Valley. They can be as common as the green bell peppers my dad grows in his garden or as rare as the tropical fruits we encounter while traveling. Plain and simple, I love fruits and vegetables.
This is why I’m very excited to be heading to Anaheim for the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit later this week. I’ll be attending with a group of bloggers and together we’ll make up #TeamFreshSummit, sharing some of the exciting things happing in the world of produce.
Over the past couple weeks and during my time in Anaheim, I’ll be working with Mucci Farms. I have to admit that I didn’t know much about greenhouse grown vegetables like these, but I’ve enjoyed the recent education including learning about all varieties Mucci offers. You can read more about their growing practices, seeds and sustainability in the Our Farms section of their website.
Last week a dream box showed up at my door filled with Mucci Farms produce from their Sapori Cocktail Tomatoes and Blended Flavors (a variety pack of colorful cherry and grape-style tomatoes) to Mini Eggplant, Bella Sweets mini sweet bell peppers and a spicy selection of Hot Shots mixed hot peppers. When I received all this striking, beautiful produce, first I had to photograph it. I mean this is the kind of produce you long for when you have to put together a beautiful shot — tomatoes on the vine, flawless peppers and bursts of color.
Speaking of color, I was having way too much fun and decided I had to photograph it all by hue.
After all that, I finally got cooking. Nothing seemed more appropriate than some fresh party appetizers. Tis the season when we are all going to need a few ideas up our sleeves to serve to friends or take along to a party. Look no further. I’ve got you covered.
First, let’s talk about those mixed hot peppers, the Hot Shots. I love spicy food and they were calling my name so with a cookout scheduled for this past weekend and a cheeseboard that could use some bling, I combined the hot peppers with a few of the Bella Sweets for a super spicy pepper jam. A little dab added just enough heat to a cracker slathered with goat cheese or even topped with an aged white cheddar.
Next up, those Mini Eggplants were begging to be roasted so I paired them with the beautiful red Rustico Sweet Long Peppers to make a eggplant pâté. On top of the pâté, a mix of chopped Blended Flavors tomatoes and a little feta cheese. It makes a great spread for crackers or bread.
Finally, a super simple stuffed tomato snack that is much easier than it looks. I took the small Sapori Cocktail Tomatoes and filled them with a simple stuffing made of gorgonzola cheese, walnuts and garlic. Baked until warm and bubbly, these little bites are seriously full of flavor.
It all kind of makes you want to have a party, doesn’t it? Feel free to start planning all the recipes are below!
- 5 oz. mixed hot peppers (such as Hot Shots™)
- 6 oz. sweet bell peppers (such as Bella Sweets™) (about 3)
- 4 oz. chopped onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
- .5 oz. smashed garlic (about 2 cloves)
- 3/4 cup white distilled vinegar (5%)
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/4 tsp smoked sweet paprika
- Trim the stems off of the hot peppers (use gloved hands) and remove some of the seeds, if desired,to reduce the heat. Place the peppers in a food processor.
- Remove the stem from the bell peppers, roughly chop and place in the food processor. Add the onion and garlic.
- Cover and pulse for 10 to 15 second intervals, until all ingredients are finely chopped.
- Transfer to a large soup pot, pour in the vinegar and stir in the sugar. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a rolling boil. Boil, stirring occasionally for 15 to 20 minutes, until the jam has thickened.
- To test, place a small plate in the freezer for about 1 minute. Place a dollop of the jam on the plate and place back in the freezer for about 30 seconds. If the jam has thickened to a spreadable consistency, it is ready.
- Stir in the smoked paprika. Transfer the hot jam to sterilized jars. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes, cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. The jam will thicken and become sticky when cold. Allow it to rest at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before serving.
- Makes 1 1/2 cups.
- 2 Mini Eggplants
- 1 sweet long pepper (such as Rustico™)
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp fine ground sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup chopped mixed tomatoes (such as Blended Flavors™)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Pinch of fine ground sea salt
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- Crackers or bread for serving
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place the eggplant, sweet pepper, onion and garlic on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil and rub to coat all the vegetables
- Bake for 25 minutes, until the pepper is blistered and the eggplant is tender. The onions maybe burnt slightly and the garlic roasted until firm. This is all okay.
- Place the pepper in a zip lock bag, seal and set aside.
- Once the vegetables cool, slit open the eggplant with a knife and use a spoon to scrape out the flesh. Transfer to the flesh to a the bowl of a food processor and discard the skin.
- Open the bag with the pepper and gently remove the skin. Discard the skin and stem and place the pepper in the food processor. Add the onions and garlic.
- Pulse for 10 to 20 seconds intervals, until smooth. Add the half teaspoon of salt and pepper and blend it into the pâté.
- In a small dish, stir together the tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of olive oil and pinch of salt.
- To serve, spread the pâté over a cracker, sprinkle with tomatoes and feta cheese.
- Makes about 1 cup.
- 1/2 cup chopped raw walnuts
- 1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tbsp almond meal
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 12 cocktail tomatoes (such as Sapori™)
- Olive oil
- Parsley for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the walnuts, cheese, onion, garlic, almond meal and black pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse in 10 to 15 second intervals until all ingredients are finally chopped and the filling forms a ball.
- Use a knife to cut the top quarter off of each tomato. Use a spoon to dig out the seeds, creating a cup. Coat the outside of each tomato lightly with olive oil.
- Fill each tomato with about 2 teaspoons of the stuffing. Place the tomatoes in a small baking dish. They should be close together so that they stand up during baking.
- Bake for 10 minutes, until browned and bubbly. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve warm.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Mucci Farms. As always, thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for allowing me to share about some of the great products and brands I work with that help make this blog possible. A special thanks to KitchenPLAY who is helping make my visit to Anaheim and the PMA Fresh Summit possible.
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So jealous of all the produce! I would love to get a shipment like that! 🙂
It was definitely a treat! Wish I could share! 🙂
I love your photos! Everything looks delicious.
Thanks so much, Carly! The produce was an easy subject to work with!