So, OK. Here is take two on the appetizer. Heinz Beck has been called the best chef in Rome, and his 3 stars tend to support that praise. One of the things hes done is redefine party food, with his diminutive food jewels, many of which can, literally, be balanced on the tip of a finger. Many of his edible artworks cannot readily be recreated in the home kitchen, cuz they require ingredients or equipment not feasible. But several of them can be, if youve got a little patience. Among them: Squid, Tomato & Puntarelle Crostini Puntarelle is a somewhat bitter green related to chicory. If unavailable, substitute celery. 3 large squid 12-13 oz cherry tomatoes 3 ½ oz puntarelle or celery Firm textured white or wheat bread (I use homemade oat bread) 7-8 sprigs fresh marjoram 1 lemon 1 clove garlic, sliced 1 small piece hot red pepper 1 sprig flat leaf parsley, torn 1 sprig fresh thyme EVOO Salt. Wash, dry and trim the squid, eliminating the tentacles (reserve for another use, of course). Cut the bodies open, then cut into strips an inch or so wide. Transfer the strips to a nonreactive dish along with the garlic, hot red pepper, parsley, the juice of ¼ lemon and a few tablespoons olive oil. Allow to marinate about 2 hours. Make a small x-shaped incision in the skin of the tomatoes at their base. Immerse in boiling water for a few seconds, remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to an ice bath. Peel, quarter, and eliminate the seeds. Put the tomato pulp in a nonreactive bowl and season with a few teaspoons of olive oil, salt, and chopped thyme. Allow to rest for 30 minutes then drain and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Dehydrate in a low oven for roughly 4 hours. Allow to cool and finely chop. Wash, dry, and trim the puntarelle removing any fibrous portions. Cut into thin strips, transfer to a bowl and season with an emulsion of olive oil, lemon juice and salt.* Trim the crusts from the bread and cut into ten 1 x ¾-inch rectangles. Toast lightly. Drains the marinate from the ribbons of squid and grill them briefly. Top each piece of bread with a ribbon of squid, bent in an S shape and held with a toothpick. Top each piece of squid with some of the dried tomatoes, strips of puntarelle, and marjoram leaves. *If using celery, which is likely, first peel away the outer stringy layer. Then, using your vegetable peeler, cut ribbons of celery. Then slice those, lengthwise, into squarish strings. Note: The squid is likely to shrink when you grill it, which is why you want to start with it wider than the ¾ inch of the crostini. For more of Becks incredible creations, and to see what this one actually looks like, check our his book "Finger Food."

And while we are on the subject.....This recipe appeared in the Chicago Trib food section about 30 years ago. Stuffed Mushrooms 1 pound fresh mushrooms ( meduim size) 1/4 c. butter 3 green onions 1/2 c finely grated fresh bread crumbs 3 T crumbled Maytag Blue Cheese 1 T minced fresh parsley 1T lemon juice 1/2 t salt Wipe mushrooms and remove stems. Chop stems and green onions ( tops too!) and saute in the butter until just getting soft. Add crumbs, cheese, parsley, lemon juice and salt. Place in mushroom caps in a shallow baking dish, sprinkle with paprika, Bake 8 minutes at 450. Do not fill mushrooms ahead or the salt in the filling will draw moisture out of the mushrooms and make them watery. You can, however make the filling ahead and refrigerate and fill the mushrooms just before baking. Allow a couple more minutes baking to allow for the ice cold filling. Linda C

Here are a couple that I like: Posted by: chase (My Page) on Wed, Apr 13, 05 at 19:57 I don't know if this is inventive, actually they are so simple but they are d@mn good. Stuffed Mushrooms 20 large white mushrooms 1/3 Cup butter (maybe a bit more) 4 or 5 green onions chopped fine 2 1/2 cups grated cheddar 1/3 Cups bread crumbs more or less if needed salt Clean mushrooms and carefully remove stems. Chop stems and onions finely (I use the food processor). Melt butter in a saute pan. Saute mushroom stems and onions over medium heat until soft but not browned and the stems have given up their juices. Mixture should be quite moist. Add the bread crumbs, only enough to absorb the liquid. Add the grated cheese and stir just until it has melted. Don't worry if the oil separates from the cheese.~ Stuff the mixture into the caps and sprinkle with a bit of salt (or you can salt after they come out of the oven...which is what I usually do). Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes or until the caps are nice and soft. Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray Show: 30 Minute Meals Episode: 30-Minute Finger Food Recipe Summary Difficulty: Easy Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Yield: 24 large stuffed mushrooms 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, one turn of the pan 24 large gourmet stuffing mushroom caps, stems removed and reserved brushed with damp towel Salt and pepper Stuffing: 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, half a turn of the pan 3/4 pound sweet bulk Italian sausage 4 cloves garlic, chopped 20 stems mushrooms, finely chopped 1 rib of celery and green, leafy top from the heart of the stalk, chopped 1/2 small onion, chopped 1/2 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1 (10-ounce) box chopped frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry 3 slices white bread, toasted and buttered, chopped into small dice 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano or Romano, 2 handfuls Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and mushroom caps and season caps with salt and pepper. Saute caps 5 to 7 minutes, until they are lightly browned and tender on edges. Turn caps up and let juices drain away from caps. Transfer caps to a small nonstick baking sheet. Wipe out skillet and return to heat. Add a touch of oil and sausage to the hot skillet. Brown and crumble sausage for 3 minutes. In a food processor pulse and chop the garlic, add mushroom stems and pulse to chop the mushroom stems. Add celery, onion and red bell pepper to the mushrooms and pulse to chop. Remove mixture from the processor and saute veggies and mushrooms over medium high heat another 3 to 5 minutes. Add dry, defrosted spinach and stir into stuffing. Add chopped bread and cheese to the pan and toss stuffing until bread is moist and stuffing is combined, 2 or 3 minutes. Fill caps with stuffing using a small scoop or large spoon. Place caps in hot oven and reduce heat to 450 degrees F. Bake 6 to 8 minutes to crisp edges of stuffing and set stuffing in mushrooms. Transfer stuffed mushrooms to a serving plate.

Okay, 2 questions. What are "serranos" and what are "shmatas"? I thought "shmatas" were rags. Thanks, Jillis!