Tapas Party!

We had a great tapas party this weekend! The flavor combinations turned out quite well.

• Sangria and Spanish Beer
• Fried Herbed Almonds
• Paella
• Serrano Roll-ups
• Stuffed Mushrooms
• Search Chorizo
• Marinated Olives

Fried Herbed Almonds

These are wonderful! A perfect substitute for popcorn, and a nice little treat to have out with guests.

3 tbsp olive oil
2 c whole blanched almonds
2 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
salt and pepper

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add almonds and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and fragrant, around 10 minutes. Stir in thyme and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Spread almonds across a baking sheet to cool.

Serrano Roll-ups

The recipe I actually made for a tapas party created little toppers over slices of bread. I actually thought the bread distracted from the serrano so I flipped it into a roll-up!

3/4 lb serrano ham
2 oranges, peeled, major rind removed, cut into 1/2 inch bites
1/4 c green olives, roughly chopped
1 small shallot, sliced into very thin rounds
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp orange juice
salt and pepper

1. Zest one orange before prepping it and set the zest aside.
2. Mix orange pieces, olives, shallots, oil, juice, salt and pepper until combined.
3. Lay out a piece of serrano, place a dollop of orange mixture on one end (make sure you get one piece of orange, an olive bit and a little shallot in each bite), and roll up the slice over it. 

Stuffed Mushrooms

I've made these so many times - super easy and impressive to have for a quick appetizer or easy treat with drinks.

1 lb button mushrooms, whole
1/2 to 3/4 of a box (5.2 oz) boursin cheese (or other herbed spreadable cheese such as an herbed goat cheese)
breadcrumbs (optional, leave out for paleo)
chives, chopped (optional)

Wash the mushrooms and pop off of the stems. Place on a foil lined cookie sheet (they can touch or not, it doesn't matter). Spread/fill each whole with cheese. Optionally add a bit of breadcrumbs and/or chives on top of cheese. Bake at 350 until the cheese is melty and the mushrooms have browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Served best immediately but they hold through a party.

Easy Paella

This really is quite simple. It was nice to have with other Tapas for a party, but would also be a great, easy dinner or pre-make for a week of lunches.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 12 oz chicken sausage, sliced in 1/4-inch rounds (about 2 fat sausage links)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice, uncooked
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup frozen green peas

Directions

1. In a heavy 12-inch saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook sausage until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. 
2. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. 
3. Add garlic and rice; cook, stirring to coat, until rice is translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add a sprinkle of olive oil if its too dry to mix well.
4. Stir in paprika, turmeric, tomatoes, and broth, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan with a spoon. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover, and cook until rice is tender and has absorbed almost all liquid, 20 to 25 minutes. 
6. Stir in peas; cook 1 minute. 

Inspired but changed from this original by Martha Stewart.

Shrimp and Feta Bake

Mostly a Simply Recipes edition, with a few tweaks. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this. You could enjoy with some crusty bread but I liked it plain.

• olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 2 garlic cloves, diced
• 2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes
• 1/4 c parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp dried dill
• salt and pepper
• 3 oz crumbled feta
• 16 oz frozen shrimp, peeled and thawed
• Tony Sacherez

Preheat oven to 425. Heat olive oil on high heat in a large pan and add onions. Cook for a few minutes and add the garlic. Cook these until onions are soft. Add tomatoes with liquid; once it simmers, reduce heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes. Add herbs and spices, feta and shrimp. Mix well and put in the oven for 12 minutes. Add Tony's to each serving.

Serves 4.

My Sazerac

My favorite place in the world to have a sazerac is La Bouche in New Orleans. Given that I don't live there, I had to find a way to come close.

• Pernod
• Rye (my favorite is Russel's Reserve)
• Bitters
• lemon peel
• ice

Pour a tiny bit of pernod around the inside of the glass to coat it. Fill the glass to the brim with ice. Place in freezer while you mix.

In a shaker filled with ice, shake 2 parts rye, 1/2 part pernod, 2 dashes bitters. Shake.

Remove glass from freezer and toss ice into the sink, letting any extra pernod drip out. Strain mixed drink into the glass. Add two fresh ice cubes and a large slice of lemon peel.

Provencale Caesar Salad

I love Caesar Salads but since I've been eating Primal/Paleo I haven't been ordering them because they are generally just lettuce, dressing and croutons. And what is it without the croutons? White lettuce. No fun. So I've really been enjoying this take on a caesar, which adds a lot of provencal toppers to make it even more delightful. The dressing makes much more than you need, so plan for leftovers. Obviously vegetarians/vegans/non-anchovy lovers can simply omit the anchovies but we really like the flavor they add.

Creamy Asiago Dressing
Make at least 1 hour in advance.

• 1 medium shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 c nonfat yogurt
• 2/3 c asiago, grated
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves
• salt and pepper to taste

Pulse ingredients in food processor or blender until well combined. Chill for at least 1 hour, or even better, overnight.

Caesar Salad

• 2 anchovy filets, chopped
• dressing above
• 2 heads romaine lettuce, cleaned and chopped
• 1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
• 2 roma tomatoes, cored, halved and sliced
• 4 anchovy filets (optional topping)
• 1/8 c kalamata olives, pitted and halved
• 1 tbsp capers
• 4 tsp asiago, grated

Put enough dressing for your salads in a separate small bowl. Add the chopped anchovy filets and mash them into the dressing until they disappear. Toss the lettuce with the dressing to the coating you prefer. Serve into bowls and top with the remaining ingredients.

Serves 2 for salad meals or 4 side salads.

Credit to Rancho La Puerta!

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

This is just too easy to be called a recipe, but here it is.

• 4 chicken breasts
• 4 thin slices of ham
• 3/4 -1 package Boursin Cheese
• toothpicks
• plastic wrap

Flatten the chicken breasts. If you have no tool for this, like me, just put a piece between two sheets of plastic wrap; let the wrap connect on all sides to prevent germs from flying, and lightly tap the chicken with a wine bottle or can from the cupboard, until it's evenly thin all around.

Spread a nice dollop of boursin across each chicken breast, cover with a slice of ham, then add a bit more boursin on the ham. Roll the chicken breast into a spiral and keep closed with the toothpicks.

Now for the amazing part: put them all on a plate and pop them in the mircowave on 50% power for about 8-10 minutes.

Spicy Jicama Slaw with Mint

This is a spicy and refreshing side salad. We like it with either plain baked chicken or BBQ pork chops or chicken, and I imagine it would be perfect with any kind of mexican main dish. It makes a lot and just gets better overnight, so we eat it for a few days.

Mint-Jalapeño Dressing

• 2 large shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 c fresh mint and basil leaves (I prefer a little more mint than basil)
• 1 jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed, roughly chopped (dont forget to protect your fingers!)
• 1 c water
• 1/2 c red wine vinegar
• 1/4 c honey
• salt and pepper to taste

Just put all this in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Jicama Slaw

• 1 c cubed jicama (probably about 1/2 of one), peeled
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces or julienned
• 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
• 1 small bulb fennel, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 2 c red cabbage, finely shredded* 
• 2 c reen cabbage, finely shredded*
• 2 c carrots, peeled and shredded or finely chopped or julienned (about 3-4 carrots)*
• Dressing from above

Mix everything in a large bowl. If possible, let it chill for a few hours before serving. The cookbook already recommends serving this mixed with spinach or mixed greens but we liked it alone.

*Note that the recipe requires you to buy two heads of cabbage and you'll barely use it! Unless you've got other plans for the remaining cabbage (most of the two heads), I recommend just using a bag of premixed "cole slaw" (without the dressing of course) at the grocery store instead of buying two heads of cabbage and dealing with the carrots.

Credit to Rancho La Puerta!