Vote Blue (Cheese)

The snacks and sustenance you need to see you through tonight's presidential debate. Plus: Edible projectiles, in case you feel moved to throw things at the TV.

Apparently there is some sort of debate tonight. I know because I watched the news for as long as I could stand this AM before the breathless prediction-making, poll-taking, and political soothsaying got too much for my anxious self.

(If you might, would you please click the “like” button to help Mr. Algorithm let more people know there are snacks to be had?)

Which isn’t to poop on our favorite news people, many of whom I absolutely adore and respect and occasionally have drinks with (you know who you are!), but hours of non-stop coverage isn’t doing me any favors. Especially when that time could be spent preparing snacks for tonight. Because, did you hear, there is a debate tonight.

All the recipes can be prepared in a little over an hour. And the cocktail can be made in mere minutes. Which means you can stop at the grocery on the way home from work and have a fine spread for nibbling in time for the debate. I made a Vidalia onion dip in honor of Georgia, all its election workers and voters. There’s also a please vote blue cheese and pear bruschetta, and some sweet and spicy nuts that will also work nicely as projectiles if you get upset with what you hear coming from the debate.

The cocktail was created for Markers for Democracy’s 24-hour postcard-to-voters marathon that happened last week. Over the course of a day, volunteers hand-wrote note after note to registered voters, while encouragement was provided a who’s who of democracy, from Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Senator Elizabeth Warren to my own representative, Senator Cory Booker. And you know who else? Joyce Vance! She was on just before me, and hung around to watch me drink. I mean, make a drink.

I look forward to hearing your takes on the debate!

Snacks For Debate Night Or Any Night

116KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Printable!

Download

From Bitter to Sweet Cocktail

Serves 1

2 ounces tequila

1 ounce Campari (or similar)

½ ounce Amaro liqueur

½ teaspoon maple syrup

Dash of bitters

Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add the tequila, Campari, Amaro, maple syrup and the dash of bitters. Put the lid on the shaker and give the shaker, um, a shake. A few gentle shakes will do, there is no need to go all Tom Cruise on this one. Strain into a glass over ice, write postcards and save democracy.

Vidalia Onion Dip

Makes about 2 cups

(Don’t worry if this makes too much for one sitting…it also makes a wicked sandwich spread, either on its own, or say, as part of a BLT or roast chicken sandwich.)

What You’ll Need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 cups (about 250 grams) Vidalia onion, chopped small (this uses about 1 4-inch onion)

• 2-3 cloves (a heaping tablespoon) minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 2 heaping tablespoons chopped fresh thyme and/or rosemary

• 1/4 cup beef or vegetable stock

• 2 tablespoons medium-dry sherry or Vermouth

• 8 ounces cream cheese

• 1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

• Cayenne pepper, to taste, if desired.

What You’ll Do:

1. Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add only 1 1/2 cups of onion to the pan and saute for 7 to 10 minutes over medium heat, until translucent (like the electoral process actually is) and just turning a light golden color. Add the minced garlic and stir the mixture for 1 minute. Add the sugar, thyme and/or rosemary, stock and sherry and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid has reduced to about 1 tablespoon. If, by chance, you get carried away watching the predictions on TV, just add a splash more sherry and stock and repeat the process, this time paying more attention, ok?

2. Spread the onion mixture onto a large plate and leave it to cool to room temperature. If you’re in a hurry you can always put the plate in the ‘fridge. I’m always in a hurry, so that’s what I do. I hope you’re more relaxed than I am.

3. Using an electric mixture or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sour cream/yogurt until uniform, about 1 minute, remembering to scrape down the sides once. Add the cooled onions and blend on low speed. Scrape, scrape, scrape. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of chopped onions, along with salt, pepper and cayenne, to taste. Decant to a bowl, and serve with anything from potato chips to vegetables.

Vote Blue Cheese and Pear Bruschetta

Makes about 2 cups of bruschetta topping

What You’ll Need:

• 2 ripe (but not over-ripe) pears, I used one Bosc and one d’Anjou

• 4 ounces (give or take) of your favorite blue cheese, crumbled. I used Shropshire Blue.

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice or rice wine vinegar

• 2 heaping tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

• Freshly ground pepper

• A baguette or semolina loaf, cut into rounds and lightly toasted (I leave the amount of bread you slice, up to you. No judgements.)

What You’ll Do:

1. Leaving the peel on, dice the pears and place them in a small bowl. Toss with the lemon juice or rice wine vinegar, to keep the pears from going brown and disgusting-looking.

2. To the pears, add the crumbled cheese, parsley, olive oil and freshly ground pepper. The pepper is a nice foil to the sweet and salty mixture, so be generous. Toss the mixture to blend.

3. When ready to serve, top each piece of toasted bread with the pear-cheese mixture.

Spiced Nuts with Orange

Makes 2 cups

(Mine are made with cumin seeds, but feel free to substitute fennel seeds instead)

What You’ll Need:

• 2 cups (about 200 grams) mixed, raw nuts (I used a blend of cashews, almonds, walnuts and pumpkin seeds)

• 6 tablespoons (70 grams) granulated white sugar

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• zest of one orange

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

What You’ll Do:

1. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, salt, cumin seeds, red pepper flakes and orange zest.

2. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the nuts and stir constantly, until the nuts start to toast and the pumpkin seeds (if using) start to sing a little. I swear. Listen!

3. Sprinkle two tablespoons of sugar mixture over the nuts and stir. Once the sugar has melted and begun to coat the nuts, add two more tablespoons, repeating the process until all the sugar mixture is added. Be mindful that this combo of nuts and sugar can burn quickly, so lower the heat if necessary and keep on stirring.

4. Remove the nuts to a pan or plate to cool, breaking up any large clumps of nuts. These are best when cool. Store in an air-tight container.

Let me know your plans for debate night. Will you be watching? Hiding under the bed and waiting for the highlight reel? Writing postcards to voters in swing states?

Thank you and welcome to all my new subscribers! This substack is a reader-supported publication. I cannot do it without you. If you’re able, paying for a subscription helps pay for the groceries necessary for thorough recipe-testing and recipe development. Also, it supports me—a freelance writer—and ad-free journalism.

The pay scale for journalists and writers has not kept up with the cost of living. That’s why having a substack newsletter has become such a terrific venue for so many writers. Best of all, it puts me, Calvin and Clyde in touch with our readers like never before. And, let’s not forget dear Bosco, RIP.

Can’t afford a subscription? Do the next best thing and give free subscriptions to all your friends. The more the merrier. Thank you!