He went to a what?!...
He went to a what?!...
...and three patio perfect tapas ideas
Good morning, friends! A funny (and related to this week's recipes) story to start your Wednesday -
My husband’s job requires a bit of travel, and usually when they are in the throws of a big project, the cycle of travel is ten days out, four days home, and then right back out again.
Several years ago, he was working on a project that had him in the Los Angeles area on and off for quite some time. We had just had our son, and my routine at that point was to pack up the baby and myself and go stay with my parents for the extra help when he was on a trip.
So, he’s gone to California, and we’re at my parents, and every night when he calls, he tells me about being by the beach, and his morning runs down the pier, and all the good restaurants.
And then the final straw - one night he excitedly tells me that they went to a topless bar for dinner! Here I am, a new mom, at home with a little baby, and he tells me that he and the guys went to a topless bar! Shock! Disbelief! “I’m sorry, you went to a what?!?”
Tapas Bar. They went to a tapas bar.
Right, of course. I knew that. (Sighs of relief all around.)
Anywho… since then I have become more familiar with (and fallen in love with) the concept of tapas - originating from Spanish cusine, small plates of hot or cold “snacks” perfect for ordering a whole table-full, sharing with friends, and calling it dinner. And, as a girl who wants to try a bite of everyone’s food anyway, this seems like my kind of arrangement.
These late spring/early summer evenings would be wonderfully spent on the patio with family and friends, a spread of tapas-style appetizers and snacks, and a glass of wine. And this week’s recipes are for three of my favorites just for that.
The Marinated Tomato Caprese and Burrata is fresh and light. The creamy burrata pairs so well with the contrast of the acidity in the marinated tomatoes and the pop of fresh basil. Eat it as a topping for toasted baguette slices or straight out of the bowl as a salad. You can’t go wrong either way.
The Eggplant, Onion, and Roasted Red Pepper Dip is my re-creation of a dish I had at a tapas restaurant. The rich and sweet caramelized onions and roasted eggplant and peppers are layered on top of a cool and creamy mediterranean style yogurt and piled high with a mountain of fresh herbs. (The herbs make the dish, don’t skip them!) I like it scooped onto pita wedges in bites that are probably too big, but that’s okay, I’ll just hide behind my hand.
And finally, the Baked Olives. What a way to jazz up straight-from-the-jar olives! (Which is also fine with me. Ever since my Oma taught me to put olives on each of my fingers while snacking, I’ve been an olive girl any way they come, fancied up or from the jar.) A warm assortment of olives with fresh lemon and thyme seem special and perfect for lazily snacking on while chatting the evening away.
If I were putting together a whole table of tapas, I might also add a plate of proscuitto and melon, or the turkey meatballs from last week, assorted cheeses, and a bowl of toasted almonds.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go make some snacks for a tapas night on the patio. (Not to be confused with a topless night on the patio!)
MONDAY - Pan-Fried Chicken Cutlets, Angel Hair Pasta, Arugula Salad
There aren’t too many things better than a simple, crispy, pan-fried chicken cutlet with a squeeze of lemon over the top. Bonus - they seem fancy, but are actually pretty fast and easy! I’ll do a garlic-butter angel hair pasta and a simple arugula salad for the sides. (I actually like to serve mine as the cutlet on the bottom and the arugula salad piled on the top.)
TUESDAY - Cuban Sammies with Tater Tots and/or Sweet Potato Fries
I found a small-ish container of pulled pork in the freezer and thought it might work great as one of the components of a Cuban style sandwich - Pulled pork, ham, swiss cheese, and pickles all pressed on ciabatta bread. I also have a half a bag each of tater tots and sweet potato fries, so we’ll try to use those up too!
WEDNESDAY - Sheet Pan Gnocchi
This is one we make all the time. Store bought gnocchi tossed on a sheet pan with veggies and sliced chicken sausages. It was actually the recipe that kicked off this newsletter! (You can find it here.)
THURSDAY - Leftovers Night
It’s a weird Thursday this week when archery practice runs straight into a make-up soccer game, so we’ll have to scramble for dinner. I’m thinking that maybe we just make more Cuban sandwiches to eat on the road. (But some of those leftover chicken cutlets could make an awesome sandwich too!)
FRIDAY - We’re in Louisville, KY!
The Kiddo’s archery team made Nationals (go Tigers!), so we are on the road! I’m hoping we leave early enough to be there by dinner time because I know Louisville has some good options, and I’m up for an interesting new restaurant.
SATURDAY - Still on the road?
We should be home before dinner time, but probably need to plan something easy and fast, just in case. We could always go with something that uses a frozen meal-helper like pot-stickers and fried rice or a casserole out of my freezer stash that we can just pop in the oven.
SUNDAY - Mother’s Day!
I’m not really a brunch-y person, so we’ll probably do Mother’s Day dinner over at YaYa’s. I’d love to say she and I won’t have to plan and cook, but you know how they say if you want something done right, do it yourself…haha!
LUNCHES for this week -
It’s supposed to rain a bunch this week, so I think I’ll pull a few lunch size soups out of the freezer. Maybe with some fancy avocado toasts since I got a bunch of avocados on sale because of Cinco de Mayo!
EXTRAS for this week
I have a hankering (do people still use that word?) for something rich and chocolately, and I always have the ingredients for brownies, so brownies it is! I’ve been making a variation of these brownies for years and still think they’re the best. Also, all this talk of tapas recipes has me thinking about Patatas Bravas - crispy fried potatoes with a red sauce (and sometimes an aioli also). They’re so good! I think I’ll play around with that a little this week too.
Marinated Tomato Caprese and Burrata
· 1 pint Mixed Grape or Cherry Tomatoes (various sizes and colors), halved lengthwise
· 2 tablespoons thinly sliced Shallot (about half of one shallot)
· ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
· 2 tablespoons White Balsamic Vinegar
· ½ teaspoon kosher Salt (Morton or other store brand)
· ½ teaspoon White Sugar
· 1/8 teaspoon ground Black Pepper
· 2 tablespoons minced Fresh Basil
· 8 ounces fresh Burrata Cheese
· Slices of toasted French Bread (crostini) or Focaccia Bread, for serving
In a medium sized bowl, toss halved tomatoes and sliced shallot. In a separate small bowl or measuring cup, combine oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, sugar, and pepper. Whisk well and drizzle over tomatoes and shallots. Toss to combine. Marinate tomatoes at room temperature for an hour, or in fridge up to 6 hours, tossing mixture every once in a while.
Before serving, mix basil into tomato mixture.
Use a slotted spoon to serve tomato mixture into a wide, shallow bowl or platter. Nestle burrata among the tomatoes and split open. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and cracked pepper if desired.
Serve with toasted French bread slices or pieces of focaccia.
NOTES: The marinated tomatoes are also excellent served as a salad or side dish with mini mozzarella balls mixed in. Or try tossing the marinated tomatoes and mozzarella balls with cooked pasta for a pasta salad!
Eggplant, Onion, and Roasted Red Pepper Dip
· 1 medium to large Eggplant. (You want it to be firm and heavy.)
· 1 medium Onion, diced
· 1 clove Garlic, minced
· ½ cup chopped Roasted Red Pepper (from a jar is fine!)
· 2-3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
· Kosher Salt (Mortons or other store brand), for seasoning
· Ground Black Pepper, for seasoning
· 1 teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar
· ¼ cup mixed chopped Fresh Herbs (parsley, oregano, basil, dill, chives, etc)
· 1 cup Labneh (Mediterranean style yogurt) or Plain Greek Yogurt, for serving
· Warmed Pita or Pita Chips, for serving
Preheat oven to 425 and arrange the rack in the middle position. Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil. Coat with non-stick spray.
Slice the eggplant in half lengthwise. Drizzle the cut sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the eggplant cut side down on the prepared sheet pan. Poke 3-4 holes in the skin side of each half (with a fork or the tip of your knife). Roast the eggplant for 30-35 minutes until starting to caramelize around edges and soft to the touch. Cool completely.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until starting to brown. Add the garlic, reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until soft and almost caramelized (20-30 minutes). Add a splash of water if needed to prevent burning.
Use your hands, a spoon, or the back of your knife to scoop the flesh from the cooled eggplant and chop it into a small dice. Some of it will be very soft, this is fine!
Combine the eggplant, caramelized onions, and chopped roasted red pepper in a bowl with ¼ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar.
To serve – spread a bed of the labneh onto a deep sided plate or serving dish. Top with roasted eggplant mixture, leaving a border of the labneh visible. Pile the herbs into a mountain on top. Serve with pita wedges or pita chips.
NOTES: You may not use all of the eggplant mixture at one time. It will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days. You can use it for another day of snacks or as a spread on a really awesome sandwich!
Baked Olives
· 2 cups mixed Olives, drained (kalamata, garlic stuffed/blue cheese stuffed, cracked green olives, etc.)
· 1 Roasted Red Pepper, sliced into strips (jarred peppers are fine!)
· 2-3 sprigs Fresh Thyme
· Pinch Red Pepper Flakes
· 4 thin slices Lemon (half moons)
· 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Preheat oven to 400⁰ and arrange a rack in the upper third.
Combine all olives, red pepper strips, thyme sprigs, red pepper flakes, lemon slices, and olive oil in a bowl and then spread into a baking dish just big enough to hold them in a single layer.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until oil is sizzling. Serve warm as part of a cheese or charcuterie platter, just make sure to have some good bread to soak up that flavorful oil in the bottom of the olive dish!
NOTES: All of the ingredients can be combined and spread in the dish up to one day in advance. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to bake.
Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days. (I found out they’re great straight out of the fridge too!)
That’s all for now, thanks for reading! See you back here next week!
(Don’t forget you can see all of the past newsletters and recipes at the archive link below!)