Extravagant Side Dishes: Spanish "Antipasto"

I love when other people cook for me almost as much as I love hosting dinners. If someone else is cooking, that means I get to make a ridiculous side dish that I typically wouldn't have the time to put together. In this instance, my friend was making 3 large pans of paella (yurme!) and requested a veggie dish. I spent an afternoon searching for a fun Spanish vegetable recipe. Finding none that were over-the-top enough for my taste, I came up with my own.

This is the Spanish version of the Italian antipasto dish. You could also simply refer to it as a Spanish Vegetable Tapas. I wanted crisp veggies with concentrated flavor, so I stir-fried the peppers, and just cooked the asparagus. Oh, and I threw in a little spicy paprika-garlic-flavored sausage grease, just for fun.

Spanish Antipasto:

2 Spanish Cheeses (Manchego, Montsec--goat's milk, La Mancha--sheep's milk, Idiazabal, ect.)
4 heads Garlic
2 medium lemons (grate the 2 tsp. of the zest before juicing)
2 tsp. lemon zest
Olive Oil
1 jar Manzanilla olives
2 yellow bell peppers
2 orange bell peppers
2 bunches asparagus
1 small package of loose Chorizo Sausage
Kosher salt
2 loaves crusty white bread

Prepare the Roasted Garlic

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Peel the papery covering off the garlic, leaving the skins on the individual bulbs. Cut 1/4 inch off the top of the garlic cloves, exposing the bulbs. Place each head of garlic on two layers of aluminum foil. Pour 1 Tbs. olive oil over each head, massage the oil over the garlic head, and cover tightly in foil. Bake for 35 minutes.

Remove the garlic from the foil, and let it cool. Using a butter knife, pop each bulb out of its skin and into mixing bowl. Add 1 tsp. olive oil, and mash the roasted garlic into a paste.

Stir Fry the Vegetables

Cut the bottom 1 inch off of the aspragus. Steam the asparagus over 1 1/2 cup water mixed with the juice of two medium sized lemons until al dente (8-10 minutes). Remove from heat and drop in an ice water bath to stop cooking. Drain and arrange on a platter.

Cook 3/4 cup of chorizo sausage, and reserve the sausage for a later use. Reserve 1/2 of the grease. Heat the chorizo grease just until smoking and add 1/2 of the peppers, stir frying them until crisp but sweet. Remove the peppers, and repeat with the remaining chorizo grease and peppers.

Finishing the Dish

Arrange vegetables, cheeses, olives, and roasted garlic on platters. (Ok, I cheated and used Cambozola, but we have a 5 lb (!!) wheel in our fridge, and I want to win the cholesterol contest at my work for the second year running, so I have to get rid of it.)

Sprinkle lemon zest, olive oil, and kosher salt over the asparagus. Garnish with paprika, and serve your antipasto with crusty bread.

Nirvana: Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

Maybe my bad dreams last night were also rooted in reality.

This weekend, I cooked my butt off (recipes pending). I think I used each pot and pan in my house 4 times over! All this is to explain why the next few recipes will have a somewhat ... random ... collection of photos. I didn't even have time to sip a glass of wine while I cooked, and that's an absolute necessity.

But alas, we ate well. Mr. Luz and I hosted dinner for some new friends who we hope to spend alot of time with in the future. In order to entice them to hang out with us more, I invited some more lovely people, made my favorite recipe (this week), and unleashed Mr. Luz on the ambiance. Anyone who knows Mr. Luz knows that he doesn't do anything even 90%, so the apartment looked beautiful.


I made a Chicken Tikka Masala recipe from Fine Cooking's "Dinner Parties" publication. It's one of the few recipes that I only change minimally, because it's soo tasty. Can you tell that I love this dish?
I'm not certain that it's entirely authentic Indian cuisine, but it tastes tangy and rich, with a little bit of spice and mystery. This recipe serves 6 and if you don't have 6 diners, make it anyway. You'll crave the leftovers.Chicken Tikka Masala:

For Tandoori Chicken
12 chicken thighs
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs. peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
1 Tbs. finely chopped garlic
2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. garam masala
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cayenne

For Tikka Masala

1 large serrano chile (or other hot green chile) chopped w/seeds
2 Tbs. peeled and chopped fresh ginger
1 28-oz. can whole tomatoes
8 Tbs. unsalted butter
Tandoori Chicken, in large bite-sized pieces
2 tsp. paprika
2 Tbs. cumin seeds, toasted and ground

1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. garam masala

Prepared rice (see note below)

Chopped cilantro for garnish

Make the Tandoori Chicken

Remove the skin and excess fat from the chicken. Cut three or four long, diagonal slits on each thigh against the grain.

Mix the remaining ingredients for tandoori chicken in a large bowl. Add chicken and stir to coat. Cover and marinate in the fridge overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line baking sheets w/foil, and place chicken on sheets. Bake for 20 minutes, or until juices run clear when pierced with a knife. (If you are using bone-in thighs, bake for 40 minutes.)
For Tikka Masala

Blend or food process chile and ginger until very finely chopped. Add tomatoes and juice, and blend until pureed.

Melt 6 Tbs. of the butter in large pot over medium heat. Add 1/3 of the chicken pieces and cook until the chicken absorbs some butter and begins to brown--about 6 minutes.Transfer to a plate, and repeat with the remaining chicken. You want the bottom of the pot to brown pretty significantly--this will add the rich, "mysterious" flavor to your tikka masala.

Melt the remaining 2 Tbs. butter in the pan, and add paprika and 4 tsp. of the cumin. Stir until the spices are fragrant. Add tomato/chile mixture and simmer uncovered, until the sauce has thickened to the consistency of pasta sauce.

Stir as the mixture simmers, releasing the browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the cream and salt.

Add the chicken, garam masala, and remaining cumin and simmer for 10 minutes. (If adding peppers,potatoes, ect. add them at this time). Add more salt and red pepper if necessary.

Serve on top of rice (see tip below) and garnish with cilantro, if desired.

Tips and Tricks:

To stretch this recipe and great texture and flavor, stir-fry 1 coarse chopped bell pepper and 1 cup of onion wedges and add them to the dish along with cubed, parboiled potatoes.

The Tikka Masala is better after it's sat overnight.

For more flavor, prepare rice with chicken broth, garam masala, and chopped raisins.

Blurgh...

I called in sick to work today. My household has the stomach flu, and now I am STARVING. Do NOT browse Tastespotting.com when you're unable to eat.

I suppose that I am also vexed...my crazy anxiety/sick/ate too much MSG dreams used to be about losing my ass "in the weeds" while waitressing, or cross-examining a surly witness while opposing counsel screamed at me (both of these situations are, unfortunately, rooted in reality). Last night? I dreamed about cooking 5 dishes at once, and ruining all of them. I woke up several times in the middle of the night, thinking that if only I'd used more flour, the pie crust wouldn't have melted onto the floor, resulting in my okra catching fire, and then I would have noticed the soup boiling over, etc.

In summary, I need a food-blogger's version of a Unicorn Chaser. And nothing makes me more dreamy-eyed than remembering the moment that Mr. Luz gently nudged me, leaned over, and softly whispered "I think I found your engagement present" while showing me this:

Ok, maybe it wasn't that romantic, and by way of background (MOM) you should know that I've put a 5 year moratorium on talking about wedding bells (I am only 27). But I like knowing that one day, I will give up my freedom to a man who has fantastic taste in wine cellars, and if ever the marriage becomes rocky, I can traipse down my adorable spiral stairs, grab a bottle of bubbly, and drink away the pain.

For the Love of Chowder

While visiting Annapolis, MD and just prior to my very first experience "picking crabs," I found a fun cookbook at the tiniest bookshop ever(with a great view of the Annapolis waterfront).

Anya Von Bremzen's "The Greatest Dishes: Around the World in 80 Recipes" is perfect for anyone who wonders what makes a ratatouille a ratatouille vs. a caponata, a relish, a chutney, or anything else.

Every recipe comes with a narrative detailing the author's quest to figure out the dish's "life story." The narratives include history, lore, and a description of the characters Von Bremzen encounters as she searches for authentic recipes for some of the world's favorite dishes.

This is a modified version of her New England Fish Chowder. It's surprisingly easy and light, and the ingredients enhance the sweetness of the fish for great flavor without any funk. If you have a free evening, I urge you to give it a shot.

**Pics complements of JeffBigNerd, who is so graciously coaching me on food photography and its attendant gadgets, and allowed me to use his Nikon D80 (right?) to get the hang of it. It made life sooooo much easier!***

Gratuitous Use of Aperture

New England Fish Chowder

Fish Stock:

6 cups Prepared Fish Stock (I use Kitchen Basics Seafood; made from fish, veggies, and herbs)
1 cup dry white wine
1 leek (white and light green parts) sliced
1 onion, coarse chopped
1 carrot, coarse chopped
1 rib celery, coarse chopped
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbs. unsalted butter

Chowder:

1 cup meaty bacon, diced
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 rib celery, diced
1 large leek (white part only), diced
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried thyme)
3 large yukon gold potatoes, cubed
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cup heavy cream (trust me on this)
2 lbs. skinless haddock (sub. cod, or hake) fillets, cubed
2 cups fresh corn kernels
Salt and black pepper to taste

To make the stock:

Melt the butter, add the vegetables and saute just until fragrant. Add the bay leaf and pepper, stir. Add the wine and prepared stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat until you have approx. 4 1/2 cups stock. Depending on how vigorous your simmer, this could take 20-40 minutes. Strain and set aside.

To make the chowder:

Melt 1 Tbs. butter over medium heat in a large pot, and add the bacon. (Oh hells yeah!) Cook the bacon until it begins to lightly brown--6-7 minutes. Add the remaining butter, onion, celery, and leek. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are soft.

Add the bay leaf and thyme, and reduce the heat to low. Cover, and "sweat" the veggie mixture for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes and stock, and bring to a boil. NOTE: I used potato slices, but this is a case of "do as I say, not as I do"--a quote pulled directly from my father--because I was unhappy with the results. That's not to say that the pics aren't adorable.

Reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are cooked--about 15 minutes. Remove 1/2 of the potatoes and mash them with a fork. Stir the mashed potatoes back into the soup. Add the cream, milk, and corn and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.

Add the fish and cook just until the it begins to flake--approx. 4 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with crusty bread for dipping.

Tips and Tricks:

The chowder's better after it has sat overnight--if you can contain yourself. Just refrigerate, and be careful to reheat over low and stir often so the potatoes don't burn on the bottom of the pot.

How to Smoke Food on a Weber Kettle

I've held out long enough. I hereby declare that it's Officially Grillin' Season, even if I have to do it in a parka. (Not that I own a parka, it's just fun to say. Parkuh.)

I love grilling on my weber kettle. It gets at the basics of good cooking--caramelization, heat, and complementary flavors. Also, I get to set things on fire, enjoy the sunshine, and drink beer while I do it. Ever since I booted my 10th-grade-boyfriend out of the way and cooked my first steak over a tiny camping grill, I've been addicted. I've also had a strict rule about letting boys near my fire. That sounds sort of wrong.

In celebration of Grillin' Season, here are some quick tips and instructions for smoking food over a charcoal grill. It's not exhaustive or recipe-specific, but it'll take the mystery out of both grilling and smoking food and leave you a little room to experiment on your own.

1. Using a charcoal chimney: Remove the upper grate used as a cooking surface, but leave the smaller grate at the bottom of the grill in place. Open the vents on the bottom of the grill. Fill the chimney with coals and stuff tight balls of paper in the cavity underneath the coals. (This will make sure the paper lights on fire, rather than simply smolders and ashes.)

Light the paper on fire in several places and observe. If the coals smoke profusely, but you don't feel a significant source of heat after the smoking stops, carefully add more balls of paper to the smoldering paper underneath the chimney. Oxygen is important, so fan the paper underneath the chimney if it's a humid day, or if the breeze is light.

2. Soak your smoking wood chips of choice in water for at least a half hour. Soak longer if possible. I like to use 2 large handfuls of mesquite wood.

3. Once the coals on the top of the chimney are mostly white, and the inner coals are glowing red, carefully dump half of the coals on one side of the lower grill, and half on the other, leaving the middle 1/3 of the lower grill empty. Add 4-5 fresh coals on top of the hot ones on either side. If you're smoking ribs, add an entire loose layer of fresh coals to keep your grill hot for the time it takes to smoke them.

3. Carefully place an empty aluminum casserole pan in the middle of your grill, between the hot coals. (And Lordy, will they be hot!) Use long tongs to move the hot coals, if necessary.

Pour beer, fruit juice, and/or water into the pan to add flavor to the smoke and keep the drippings from charring. Add the wood chips on top of your charcoal, and replace the cooking-surface-grate.

Close the lid on your grill for 5 minutes, making sure the vents are open on the top to allow air to flow over the coals. (This will get the grill hot, so your food sears and is less likely to stick.) Add your food to the grill, placing it directly over the coals for 2-3 minutes. Here I'm using a smaller pork tenderloin, which has been marinated overnight in Walkerswood jerk seasoning.
4. Turn the meat, again placing it over the coals for 2-3 minutes and closing the lid.

If you desire more caramelization on the surface of your meat (I certainly do--it tastes yummy and keeps the juices in) take your chances with taking the lid off and turning the meat frequently until you are just under your desired doneness on the outside. Smoking will further caramelize the outside of your meat.

5. After the initial sear, move the meat to the center of the grill, over the pan of liquid. I smoked this 2 lb. pork tenderloin for 20 minutes and it was done perfectly. For smoking times on specific cuts and sizes of meat, comment below and I'll do my best to reply quickly with the proper smoking time after I check a number of sources. (One of them being my fantastic Weber Cookbook.)
6. To check the doneness of your meat, PLEASE do not hack into it with a knife. Use the Finger Test. Pork should be medium to medium-well.
7. Remove the meat from the grill and let sit for at least 10 minutes. On heating, all the juices in meat rush from the center, and if you cut it right away those juices will be released. If you let it rest, the juices are reabsorbed and your meat stays tender and flavorful. 8. Serve, and enjoy!
To counteract the extreme spice of the jerk seasoning, and to complement the nutmeg and brown sugar flavors in the marinade, I made an orange bacon chutney to go with my smoked pork. I just fried up some bacon (a regular occurrence in my household), sautéed some onion in the bacon grease, deglazed the pan with orange juice, and added chicken stock, agave, and spices until everything tasted fantastic. Then I blended, and served.