Roasted Olives with Lemon

 

The markets in Spain, Italy, and Greece are magically filled with a huge variety of olives marinated in spices and citrus slices that tempt any visitor, whether you have a kitchen or not.  We always come away with a few bags of different flavors.  This was an attempt to duplicate a favorite discovered in Barcelona and we think we are very close to the original.

• Three cups of pitted, large green olives
• One cup of olive oil
• Three cloves of garlic, cut in half
• One tablespoon of lemon thyme
• Two tablespoons of lemon zest

Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet in a 350 degree oven and add the remaining ingredients.  Let cook for about three minutes and remove from the oven to stir the olives and take out the garlic, reserving it.  Return the skillet to the oven for about six minutes.  Let the olives cool, restore the garlic to the pan, and stir thoroughly to insure the flavors are absorbed.  You might want to add a few roughly chopped pieces of lemon for color.

Shrimp Remoulade

The historic Arnaud’s Restaurant in New Orleans first popularized their remoulade sauce, a sharp, mustard-based preparation to serve over steamed and chilled shrimp.  Here is a much more flavorsome adaptation for pouring over two pounds of cooked and peeled Gulf shrimp…let it all chill overnight and serve in a shallow dish with picks

• Six tablespoons of olive oil
• Six tablespoons of lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• One small bottle of capers with pickling liquid
• Two large red onions, thinly sliced
• Two tablespoons of Creole mustard
• One tablespoon of garlic, minced
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Emerald Isle Beef Balls

Looking for something that would be exciting for a St. Patrick’s Day gathering or a tailgate crowd at a certain university?  Try this easy and tasty crowd-pleaser:

• One 12 ounce can of corned beef
• Two chopped boiled eggs
• One quarter cup of bell pepper, minced
• One jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed, minced
• One half cup of onion, minced
• One half cup of mayonnaise
• One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• One cup of crushed saltines

Mix all the ingredients listed and roll into two inch balls.  Roll in crushed crackers and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Christmas Ham with Watermelon Relish

We enjoyed this wonderful ham presentation on a cocktail buffet last year and thankfully remembered in time to share it with you.  We have loved honey-baked, spiral-cut hams with biscuits but we suggest you offer the little cornbread rounds this time.  You will get rave reviews.

• One ham, pre-cooked and thinly sliced
• One sweet onion, minced
• One pint of watermelon rind pickles, minced with juice included
• One tablespoon of dark brown sugar
• One teaspoon of lemon zest
• One teaspoon of yellow mustard seeds, briefly toasted (do not burn)
• One quarter cup of golden raisins, chopped finely

Combine the onion, pickles, sugar, zest, mustard seeds, and raisins in a covered bowl and let soak for 24 hours. Before serving, drain most of the liquid and offer as a topping for the ham slice alongside a choice of mustards.

For the corn bread, if you don’t have a favorite recipe:

• Three quarters of a cup of yellow, stone-ground meal
• One quarter of a cup of self-rising flour
• One half teaspoon of salt
• Five tablespoons of melted butter or lard
• One egg
• One quarter cup of whole milk

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and spread batter in a greased sheet pan with a two inch side.  Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 25 minutes.  While hot, cut out rounds with a small biscuit cutter and put aside to cool.  This should make about two dozen cornbread rounds.  If you are hosting a large group, multiple recipes can be made and stored in a sealed container to be warmed in a 275 degree oven just before serving.

 

Grouper Escabeche

We became fond of seafoods “cooked” in lime juice during a visit to Panama.  The local markets there offer an overwhelming variety at different stalls, including shellfish and your choice of saltwater fish species.  We settled on a grouper escabeche that was prepared, fresh from the sea.  Here is a recreation:

• One large filet of grouper, cut in cubes
• Juice of two limes or one large lemon
• One onion, sliced thinly
• Three garlic cloves, minced
• One and a half cups of olive oil
• Three quarters of a cup of white vinegar
• Two bay leaves
• One tablespoon of pickling spice
• One teaspoon of black pepper, freshly ground
• One teaspoon of cumin\
• Two dried chipotle peppers, seeded and chopped
• One teaspoon of salt

Sprinkle citrus juice over the cubed grouper.  Saute onion in a small amount of olive oil until transparent.  Then add the other ingredients, simmering for a half hour.  When cool, pour over the raw fish and chill for a day.  Serve in compotes on a bed of salad greens or in a shallow pottery dish with picks.

Olive Curry Toasts

Wow!  What a nice combination of flavors in this recipe.  We have tried this on English Muffins and wheat bread, preferring the latter.  Trim the crust from your bread and spread it with this mixture, baking at 350 degrees until brown and bubbling.

• One half pound of mild cheddar cheese, grated
• One small can of chopped ripe olives
• Four green onions, thinly sliced
• One teaspoon of curry powder
• One half cup of mayonnaise

Shitake Shells

We have searched high and low for fresh shitake mushrooms in times gone by and discovered the dried shitakes at oriental groceries are superior for a dish like this because of a richer flavor derived from the drying process.  Simply soak, chop, and prepare as fresh mushrooms and you will be pleased with the results.  These little mushroom tarts are delicious and freeze well.

• Twenty four three inch rounds of white sandwich bread, buttered
• Eight ounces of  shitake mushrooms
• Three tablespoons of chopped green onions
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• Two tablespoons of fresh chives, minced
• 1 cup of whole milk or half and half
• One teaspoon of lemon juice
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Fresh parmesan cheese, grated

Saute onions in butter, and when transparent, add flour and milk, stirring until a white sauce thickens.  Add chives, lemon juice, and seasonings.  Cool.  Press bread rounds into a twenty muffin cup pan and bake at 400 degrees for ten minutes.  Fill shells with mushroom mixture and top with a generous sprinkling of parmesan.  Bake at 375 degrees until bubbling.

 

Akron Sauerkraut Balls

 

My friend Jim, whose nativity in Akron, Ohio is an anomaly in these parts, introduced us to this delicacy.  I am sure these tasty, fried treats were created by a frugal German-American housewife since Jim and I, traveling the length of Germany last November could find no trace of them in the old country.  Nonetheless, they are to Akron what the chicken wing is to Buffalo, but not as widely known. 

• One pound of meat (ham, sausage, or corned beef) minced, or a mixture
• One quarter cup of onion, minced
• One can of sauerkraut, chopped and squeezed dry
• One cup of breadcrumbs
• One quarter cup of all-purpose flour
• Four ounces of cream cheese, softened
• One half teaspoon of ground mustard
• One teaspoon of oregano
• One tablespoon of parsley, minced
• One egg
• One quarter cup of whole milk
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Egg and additional breadcrumbs for frying

Blend the flour, cream cheese, milk and egg, then add the remaining ingredients.  Mix thoroughly with your hands.  Chill for an hour and form balls about the size of ping pong balls.  When ready to cook, dip into a beaten egg, roll in breadcrumbs, and fry in peanut oil at 375 degrees.

 

Grilled Flatbread of Your Choice

You are limited only by your own imagination when you serve slices of thin flatbread during a backyard cookout!  Use this easy, delicious flatbread recipe and your own toppings.  We love white cheddar and eggplant, chicken chunks and mushrooms, shredded pork and onions, or just spread tapenade or guacamole. Let your mind wander to create something special. 

• One teaspoon of dried yeast
• One teaspoon of brown sugar
• Two tablespoons of hot water
• One quarter cup of plain yoghurt
• One quarter cup of olive oil
• Sea salt to taste
• One half teaspoon of baking powder
• Three cups of all-purpose flour

Combine first three ingredients and let stand five minutes.  Add yoghurt and oil. In another bowl, combine last three ingredients. Stir well and pour in yeast mixture. Turn out on a floured board, knead, cover and let rise for an hour.  Divide dough into about eight pieces, roll out thinly and put on the grill for about five minutes, turning at the halfway point.  Spread the topping of your choice, slice, and serve.

Ten Years and Still Typing…

 

This month we celebrate ten years of selecting, creating, or adapting the most flavorsome and unique recipes for you and many other readers of this blog, and publishing them through the kind auspices of WordPress, which has been a most dependable partner.  We will keep on keeping on and appreciate each and every one of you who follow, stir, saute and savor.  We haven’t poisoned anybody yet.