Spread Sheet

Spreads were once thought of as old-fashioned party food--cheesy things to smear on crackers or crisp Melba toast. But it seems that spreads are back in vogue. These days, though, vegetables and fish give the spreads their substance.

They can be served with sliced raw vegetables or grilled rustic breads, even good old chips, crackers and Melba toast. Spreads also make interesting alternatives to butter when served with an assortment of bread and tasty components for sandwiches. A simple soup partnered with sandwich fixings--one or two spreads, sliced chicken, ham, tomatoes and onions and good warm bread--makes a great supper.

Easily made in food processors, spreads require a light touch--a mere flick of the switch to turn the machine on and off will help control the texture. Continuous processing will puree the ingredients beyond recognition.

The following spreads use a combination of thickened yogurt and light-tasting olive oil. The roasted red pepper spread with sun-dried tomatoes and cilantro and the smoked salmon spread with fennel, onion and cracked pepper are full-flavored. The goat cheese with fresh spinach and basil is more mellow. They all work well together too. Each recipe can be easily doubled or tripled according to the size of your party.

Although mixed with other ingredients, goat cheese dominates the flavor of this spread. Serve it with sliced raw vegetables such as kohlrabi, jicama, beets, young turnips, pickling cucumbers, juice carrots or whole stemmed mushrooms. Any cracker or savory toast would work well too. So would bread hot from the grill. A dish of Nicoise olives makes a nice accompaniment.

GOAT CHEESE SPREAD WITH FRESH SPINACH AND BASIL

2 packed cups young spinach leaves

8 ounces soft goat cheese, such as Montrachet

3 tablespoons light-tasting olive oil

2 tablespoons Thickened Yogurt

3 tablespoons fresh basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon crushed hot pepper

Pat-dry spinach leaves. Combine goat cheese, olive oil and Thickened Yogurt in food processor fitted with metal blade until smooth. Add spinach leaves, basil leaves and crushed hot pepper. Turn processor on and off until spinach is sufficiently chopped but still textured.

Transfer spread to crock or serving dish. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or as long as overnight. Serve chilled. Makes about 1 1/2 cups, about 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

124 calories; 115 mg sodium; 1 mg cholesterol; 11 grams fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0.14 gram fiber.

Thickened Yogurt

1 (8-ounce) container nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt

Place paper coffee filter in sieve and position sieve over deep bowl. Transfer yogurt to filter. Place in refrigerator 6 hours to overnight. Discard liquid in bowl. Transfer yogurt to small covered container. Keep refrigerated up to 5 days. Discard any liquid that may accumulate. Makes 1/3 to 1/2 cup.

Note: Low-fat yogurt has more rounded flavor than nonfat yogurt.

The quality of the smoked salmon you use is critical here. Sample the salmon before you buy it to make sure it’s not too salty or fishy. Smoked salmon keeps only for a few days in the refrigerator and up to two weeks in the freezer, both wrapped absolutely airtight. Serve the spread on thin-sliced buttered toast points, rye Melba toast, thin-sliced toasted bagels, slabs of fresh fennel (using it like celery), slices of unpeeled pickling cucumber or Belgian endive leaves. Use the food processor or mince the ingredients on a board with a knife to preserve their texture.

SMOKED SALMON SPREAD WITH FENNEL, ONION AND CRACKED PEPPER

1 small onion, peeled

1/4 fennel bulb, trimmed

5 1/2 ounces lightly smoked salmon

1 tablespoon light-tasting olive oil

2 tablespoons Thickened Yogurt

3/4 teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper

Mince onion and fennel bulb together in food processor fitted with metal blade. Add salmon, olive oil, Thickened Yogurt and cracked pepper. Turn processor on and off until mixture is sufficiently chopped to be spreadable but still textured.

Transfer to crock or serving dish. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, up to 6 hours. Serve chilled. Makes about 1 cup, about 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

Each serving contains about:

57 calories; 516 mg sodium; 6 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.08 gram fiber.

Vibrantly flavored, this spread goes a long way, whether it’s used on jicama slices, crackers, pita triangles or tortilla chips. A simple guacamole with lemon juice, salt and pepper makes a nice pairing with this spread. If you don’t have a processor, this is not difficult to prepare with a knife on a board.

ROASTED RED PEPPER SPREAD WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND CILANTRO

1 small clove garlic, peeled

1 small piece onion, about 1 1/2 ounces, peeled

2 tablespoons cilantro leaves

2 large sweet red peppers, roasted

2 tablespoons light-tasting olive oil

2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato paste or chopped sun-dried tomatoes

1 tablespoon Thickened Yogurt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Mince garlic, onion and cilantro leaves together in food processor fitted with metal blade. Add sweet peppers, olive oil, tomato paste, Thickened Yogurt and ground cumin. Turn processor on and off until peppers are sufficiently chopped to be spreadable but still textured.

Transfer to crock or serving dish. Cover with plastic wrap. Can be made day ahead and refrigerated, covered airtight. Stir before serving. Serve chilled. Makes about 1 1/4 cups, about 8 servings.

Note: To roast peppers, stand them on cutting board and cut sides off in 4 slabs. Arrange pepper pieces skin-side up on baking sheet lined with foil. Broil 6 inches from heat until skin blackens. Wrap peppers in foil. Slip off skins when cool enough to handle.

Each serving contains about:

41 calories; 20 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.14 gram fiber.