Tapas Night

Tapas, originally uploaded by Kim De.

Last night we decided it was time for tapas! We dont do this very often, which means I got to research recipes!! There is almost nothing I like better then doing research for dinner.

I knew I wanted seafood, calamari or mussles, and I figured a couple of vegetables were important - but what ever I made had to have sauce for dipping bread!

Finally I settled on this menu: Manchego Cheese, Spicy Calamari, Cold Asparagus, Ajillo Mushrooms, and a Rioja red wine.

First the Asparagus. Simple to make ahead, I boiled the stalks for 3 minutes before plunging them into icy water for 30 minutes then moving them to the refrigerator. A quick dip made from dijon mustard, mayonnaise, finely minced garlic and a squeeze of lime juice was thrown together as well, giving it several hours to meld.

The mushrooms were in stiff competition with the calamari for the best dish. Baby portobellas were simmered with a mixture of olive oil, dry sherry, garlic and other aromatics until they were soft and their juices worked with the oil and sherry to make sauce for dipping. Absolutely amazing, full of flavor, mouth-watering - well you get the picture. A firm sourdough was perfect for sopping up the juices and the sherry added a dimension I wasnt used to with my mushrooms! This recipe, or a lower calorie variation, will become a regular side dish!

Finally the calamari. What can I say - I think calamari has become my new favorite food. I have been ordering it at restaurants with amazing frequency (just look at my NYC blog) and tasted many variations of it. Fried, seared, sauteed, grilled and chilled - I love it every way!!!

Since this meal needed a spicy component (because what meal doesnt), the calamari was our choice. I have become comfortable with cooking this particular squid recently, so I decided to use components of recipes I found online with tastes I have had at restaurants to come up with the recipe you see below. It also provided a sauce for sopping, with different textures and flavor variations, it was a wonderful contrast to the mushrooms.

It was a perfect meal to follow a long hike! Bo's verdict? The calamari was his favorite and although the mushrooms follow closely in my mind, I must concur!


Spicy Sauteed Calamari

1 pound squid (full-bodies or a mix of bodies and tentacles)
2 T of dried red pepper flakes (more if you like things spicy like we do!)
4 T tomato paste
4 cloves of garlic, large chopped
1 T Olive oil (1 additional T may be needed if the juices began to dry out)
2 T Dry Sherry (1 additional T may be needed if the juices began to dry out)
salt and ground black pepper

Slice the calamari bodies into 1/2 inch rings. Do not rinse them if you want a seafood flavor to the sauce. If you dont care for this flavor, rinse and dry well. (We did not rinse them)

Heat 1T olive oil in a pan on medium heat and cook the garlic 2 minutes or until they are translucent and beginning to brown. Add your calamari, sherry, tomato paste, red pepper, salt, and crushed black pepper to taste.

Saute on medium-low heat for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Taste at this point and add more seasoning (including red pepper) if needed. Be prepared to add an additional tablespoon of oil and/or sherry if the saute begins to dry up. Touch the calamari - they should yield slightly without be tough. Be careful not to overcook them as they will become rubbery. Remove from heat and top with parsley or chopped chives to serve.

Ajillo Mushrooms (Adapted from Spain Recipes)

1/4 cup (2 fl. oz) olive oil
4 cups (8 oz) mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried red chile, seeded and crumbled
1/4 teaspoon Spanish paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or chives

Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the garlic over high heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Lower the heat to medium and add the mushrooms, garlic, sherry, lemon juice, dried chile, paprika, and salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the garlic and mushrooms have softened.

Remove from the heat, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve on small earthenware platters.

Salmon and stuff

Salmon, originally uploaded by Kim De.

Last night's dinner from Mesa Grill Cookbook was another success! First let me explain – it is not uncommon for me to pick up a cookbook, cook from it for a couple of weeks, then put it down for quite awhile. Right now, the Mesa Grill Cookbook seems to be my culprit. I do have another confession to make, however. A week from tonight, we have reservations at Mesa Grill in NYC! This fact helps contribute to my current obsession.

Lets start with the salmon. Red Chile-Honey Glazed Salmon with Black Bean Sauce and Jalapeno Crema. I am not a huge fan of this particular fish, but Bo is, so I try to find ways to make it that will tempt my taste buds. This one fit the bill! The glaze provided a nice hint of flavor (something I think is missing in salmon) and grilling it forms a great crust, while keeping it moist and tender inside. The black bean sauce and crema were not necessary to make this a keeper, but together they added extra levels of taste to keep things interesting. Now I must tell you, I “cheated” a bit on the bean sauce. I had black bean soup left from our Monday dinner and decided to use it as my base. I added ½ chipotle pepper and some cumin plus water to thin it out then gave it a whirl in the blender. Very easy. And I love to utilize leftovers!

On to the side dish. From the same cookbook, Grilled Asparagus and Roasted Mushroom Salad with Toasted Pecans, Blue Cheese and Red Chile Mustard Vinaigrette caught my eye immediately! Anything with those lovely green stalks and beautiful mushrooms is a no-brainer in this house! It came together quickly with the mushrooms and asparagus roasting beautifully while the dressing quickly whisked together. The last minute addition of blue cheese and toasted pecans made for a flavor pop in the mouth! If you like these ingredients, this is a quick and easy salad to try!

Finally, the cocktail. While thumbing through the book, I just happened upon the chapter on drinks. I love a good tart margarita, and the addition of pomegranate juice only made my mouth want it more. A quick taste confirmed is WAS tart!, so I quickly made a simple syrup and added a tablespoon to the recipe I had doubled.

Bo thought the dinner was fancy and tasty, I enjoyed making it, and I see this cookbook frequenting our future - at least until another one catches my eye!

Red Chile-Honey Glazed Salmon with Black Bean Sauce and Jalapeno Crema (Adapted from Bobby Flay)

Ancho-Glazed Salmon

1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 salmon fillets, 8 ounces each
2 tablespoons canola oil

Whisk together honey, ancho and mustard in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat grill pan or nonstick sauté pan over high heat. Brush salmon with oil on both sides and season with salt and pepper. Place salmon in the pan, skin side down and cook until golden brown and a crust has formed, 2-3 minutes. Brush the top of the salmon with some of the glaze, flip over and continue cooking until a crust has formed and the salmon is cooked to medium doneness, 2 minutes longer.

Remove salmon from the pan, glazed-sized up and brush with more of the glaze. Spoon some of the Black Bean Sauce onto a plate, drizzle with some of the Jalapeno Crema and set the salmon in the center, glaze-side up.

Jalapeno Crema

½ cup crema (or sour cream or crème fraiche)
1 large or 2 small roasted jalapeno(s), peeled, seeded and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place crema and jalapeno in a food processor and process until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Black Bean Sauce

1 ½ cups dry black beans, picked over
1 small red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Water
Salt

Combine beans, onion, garlic, chipotle and cumin in a medium saucepan and add just enough cold water to cover by an inch. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender, adding more water if the beans appear dry.

Transfer mixture to a food processor with a slotted spoon and add 1 cup of the cooking liquid, and process until almost smooth, sauce should be a little chunky; season with salt. If the sauce is too thick, thin with more of the cooking liquid.


Grilled Asparagus and Roasted Mushroom Salad with Toasted Pecans, Blue Cheese and Red Chile Mustard Vinaigrette (Adapted from Bobby Flay)

1 pound asparagus, grilled
1 pound assorted mushrooms (portobello, cremini, shiitake) coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 cups mesculin greens
1/4 cup toasted pecans
8 ounces blue cheese

Preheat oven to 425. Toss mushrooms in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. Do the same with the asparagus and after 10 minutes add the asparagus in a single layer to the same baking pan and continue the roasting process for an additional 10 minutes.

Toss the mushrooms and greens in a bowl with half of the vinaigrette. Place on 4 plates and add about 5 stalks asparagus to each. Sprinkle pecans and blue cheese around the edge of the plate. Drizzle with more of the dressing.

Red Chile Mustard Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
Salt
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

Whisk together mustard, ancho powder, salt and vinegar, slowly whisk in oil until emulsified. Season with more salt, to taste.

Mesa Grill Margarita (Adapted from Bobby Flay)

2 oz white tequila
1 oz orange liqueur, such as Cointreau or Triple Sec
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz cranberry or pomegranate juice
1/2 T simple syrup
Ice Cubes
Coarse salt, optional
Lime wedge

Place tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, pomegranate juice and ice in a cocktail shaker and shake for 10 seconds.

Add syrup to taste

Rub the rim of a rocks glass with the lime wedge and dip in salt. Strain the mixture into the glass and garnish with the lime wedge.

You can also combine the tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice and ice in a blender and blend for a frozen margarita.

More from Bo's Birthday Week

Bo loves seafood, so to continue his birthday week, I made scallops from my friend at The Global Kitchen. Tonight's dinner was officially Grilled Scallops with Pancetta and Basil Aioli.

I started Wednesday by making the marinade, prepping the scallops and making the aioli. Dinner was served with roasted asparagus and crab cake - dont be too impressed - the crab cakes were an "impulse buy" at the meat counter of the store!

I followed this recipe exact, except I pan cooked the scallops (having grill troubles). I found the aioli to be too "heavy" on the tongue. I think the olive oil may have been too much for the rest of the delicate ingredients. Next time I would try a canola oil. The asparagus were roasted with a "rub" of olive oil, lemon juice, spicy mustard, salt and pepper. The crab cake was pan seared then baked to finish it off.



Bo was impressed. He called it a "fancy" dinner. Thumbs up!

Grilled Scallops with Pancetta and Basil Aioli (Adapted from Fish and Shellfish Grilled and Smoked by Kearen Adler and Judith Ferto)
serves 4

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbs cracked black peppercorns
1 tbs lemon juice
1 1/2 lb sea scallops
1 cup basil aioli
4 thin slices of pancetta

A day in advance combine the olive oil, garlic, peppercorns and lemon juice in a resealable plastic bag and marinate the scallops overnight.

Make the aioli a day in advance.

Prepare a hot fire

Meanwhile cook the pancetta in a skillet over med-high heat until crisp. Drain on a paper towel.

When ready to grill remove the scallops from the grill and place on the grill for about 3 minutes before turning. If the scallops stick, cook them a little longer until they turn easily.

After turning cook a little longer until they are heated through, 1-2 minutes.

Spoon 1/4 cup of the aioli onto 4 serving plates and spread around. Arrange scallops on top and sprinkle with the crumbled pancetta.

Basil Aioli

The original recipe calls for nuking the yolks for 15 seconds. I tried this and ended up with cooked yolks. I make mayo and aioli's all the time with raw yolks and have lived. But if it bothers you or if you are elderly, pregnant, an infant or have a weakened immune system use pasturized egg yolks.

2 large organic egg yolks
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
2 anchovy fillets, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs chopped basil leaves
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and Tabasco to taste.

Whisk egg yolks together and whisk in add lemon juice through vinegar.

Slowly drizzle in olive oil whisking all the while. When mixture has thickened, season with salt and Tabasco to taste.

If the mixture gets too thick, thin with a little warm water.

Keep tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.