576 red hot recipes

Appetizers have long been a part of the culinary tradition in Europe, but they're relatively new to America. One of the first to appear in American cookbooks, at the turn of the century, was shrimp cocktail.

City chicken skewers (mock chicken) made with ground turkey and pork meatballs on bamboo skewers, breaded in corn flake crumbs, and baked in chicken gravy. A Rust Belt regional comfort classic.

Sybil Carter's homemade barbecue sauce starts with bacon drippings and builds layers of tangy tomato, brown sugar sweetness, mustard bite, and hot pepper heat. Doubles easily and keeps in the fridge for weeks.

Freezer mix tacos: pre-cooked beef-tomato mix simmered with chili powder and cayenne for a fast weeknight taco night. Heat, fill, top, eat.

Spicy marinated shrimp for a crowd with 10 pounds of shrimp soaked overnight in olive oil, cider vinegar, capers, and hot sauce. A make-ahead party appetizer that serves 20.

Pon pon chicken (bang bang chicken) shreds poached chicken over salted cucumber ribbons with a warm sesame-soy-ginger dressing. Classic Sichuan cold-plate appetizer or main.

Wanchese crab cakes are Outer Banks-style fried cakes with lots of lump crab meat, cracker crumbs, and a kick of Worcestershire and hot sauce. Golden, crisp, and minimally bound.

Clam chowder with pasta is a brothy, Italian-style tomato clam soup with little ditalini cooked right in, brightened with garlic, white wine and a kick of dried chili. A rustic, coastal one-pot bowl.

Basic peanut-style dipping sauce (no actual peanuts) with cashew butter, tahini, coconut milk, lime, miso, and ginger. A richer, Thai-leaning satay sauce for grilled skewers, coconut shrimp, or crudités.

Hot baked sourdough bread bowl stuffed with cream cheese, sour cream, dried beef, cheddar, and a kick of hot sauce. Wrap in foil, bake, and tear into it with friends.

Classic New Orleans daube glace: shredded roast beef and stuffed olives suspended in a spicy beef gelatin mold. Old-school Creole elegance, served cold.

Cheese and chile squares, a baked appetizer of cottage cheese, Longhorn cheddar and Monterey Jack layered with green chiles and a tabasco-spiked egg custard. Cuts into 24 crowd-ready bites for parties.

Cajun-style lamb and goat marinade with white wine, creme de menthe, soy sauce, hot pepper sauce, and dried mint. Soak 6 to 12 hours, then use as basting sauce.

Breadless egg salad sandwiches using Monterey Jack cheese slices as the "bread." Low-carb, gluten-free, and stacked with tomato, lettuce, pickles, and olives.

Seafood quiche squares are a party favorite: a flaky crescent-roll crust topped with shrimp, crab and two cheeses, baked in a custard and cut into bite-size squares. Easy, crowd-feeding finger food, served warm.

Do you love Bloody Marys? Do you love herring? Then, you'll LOVE this cocktail!