Filled Squash Blossoms (Flores de calabaza rellenas)

Even at the end of October one can find squash that are still giving blossoms. We know that those blossoms will never become squash at this late date and that there is going to be a frost but they can survive for a time if we cover them at night. So, why don't we let them be useful to our palates? Let's be realistic and start saying goodbye to summer and to our gardens and have a feast of squash blossoms filled with cream cheese.

Ingredients:

1 to 2 squash blossoms per person
1 box cream cheese
1/2 red pepper
1 1/2 jalapeño pepper or hot padrón pepper
lemon zest from half a lemon
3 tablespoons cilantro
2 tablespoons lemon juice

batter:
1 1/2 cups tempura
beer
salt
oil (fill 2/3 of the pot)

Combine the cream cheese, the red pepper, jalapeño, lemon zest, cilantro and lemon juice in a bowl and mix all the ingredients very well. Spoon the mix inside every blossom. When they are all ready add them to the tempura batter and place one blossom at a time in the pot with very hot oil. Fry until brown.

Grilled Figs with Blue Cheese and Honey (Higos a la plancha con queso azul y miel)

This is a recipe that my friend Mary Pat sent me and it has been very successful. I made it a couple of times and never got to take a picture because they disappeared so fast. July, August and September is the season for figs and what a great opportunity to eat them fresh. When I was growing up we had 4 fig trees and we used to climb the thick branches and eat them from the trees, only to pay for such indulgence with a stomach ache. Today, every time I travel by train to Barcelona I see fig trees along the train tracks and into the artichoke fields and they bring me memories of my childhood.

Ingredients:

1 dozen fresh figs cut in halves
blue cheese, crumbled
honey

Cut the figs in halves. Put them in a hot pan or on a grill until they get caramelized. Remove the figs from the pan/grill, add the crumbled blue cheese and top with honey. Buen Provecho!!!

The "San Viçens" Omelet (Tortilla San Viçens)

In the Sarria neighborhood of Barcelona there is a little Plaza called Plaça San Viçens where there used to be a really classic coffeshop named after the plaza, San Viçens. With its wicker chairs, marble coffee tables, and old Catalan tile, it was a very charming place that was popular with university students, bohemians, and the neighborhood crowd. The specialty tapa was a three layer omelet. Sadly, the coffeshop was demolished and a new building is in its place. The San Viçens might be gone but the memories of sitting with friends and devouring the three layer omelet with rustic bread is still very much alive. 

The three layer omelet was one omelet on top of the other. The first one was made with potato, the second layer was made with zucchini or spinach but I made it with portabella mushrooms, which I find more meaty, and the last layer was a shrimp omelet topped with a pink sauce.

Ingredients for the potato omelet:

5 eggs

4 medium potatoes

olive oil

salt

I add to mine:

1/2 onion

1/2 leek

1/2 green pepper

Peel and cut into small pieces: the potatoes, onions, leek, and pepper. Put the onions, leeks, and peppers into a pan with enough olive oil to cover the potatoes. When the onion starts changing color, add the potatoes and cook on medium to low heat until the potatoes are done. Whisk the eggs in a bowl and add everything except for the oil. Add salt and stir well (you can be generous with the salt because the potatoes absorb it). In a non-stick pan, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil and add the egg and potato mixture. Let it cook on one side. Then take a plate, put it on top of the pan, and turn it upside down, or 180˚. Return the omelet from the plate to the pan to cook the other side. When done, place it on a platter.

Ingredients for the portabella omelet:

2 portabella mushrooms, cut in cubes

1/2 onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt

4 eggs, whisked well

In a pan with olive oil, sauté the mushrooms with the onion and garlic and then add salt. When the mushrooms are done, remove everything from the pan except the olive oil and add to the eggs. Repeat the same process as with the potato omelet.

Ingredients for the shrimp omelet:

18 to 24 medium size shrimp, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

salt

4 eggs, whisked very well

In a pan, sauté the  shrimp with the garlic in olive oil and add salt. Remove from the pan, add to the eggs, and repeat the same process as in the previous omelets.

For the pink sauce:

2 tablespoons mayonaise 
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon brandy

Mix all ingredients well. 

Stack the omelets on top of each other with the potato omelet on the bottom and the shrimp omelet on top. Add the pink sauce to decorate. 

Seafood Salad (Salpicón de marisco)

"Salpicón de marisco" is a cold salad from Andalusia and there are as many recipes as cooks. However, the main ingredients are always green pepper, red pepper, tomato, onion, octopus, and prawns. Other people add cucumbers, mussels, shrimp, etc. and a simple vinaigrette of sherry or red wine and Spanish extra virgin olive oil. It is not a ceviche because the seafood is boiled, instead of cooked in lime juice. The "salpicón" is one more addition to the cold and refreshing summer dishes of Andalusian gastronomy, like gazpacho, garlic soup, salmorejo, and picadillo. In taverns and bars, salpicón de marisco is served in small dishes as a complementary tapa and in restaurants it is served as a salad.

Ingredients:

1/2 green bell pepper finely chopped

1/2 red pepper finely chopped

1 ripe tomato finely chopped

1/2 red or white onion finely chopped

1 octopus leg cooked (see entry on how to cook octopus "Pulpo a Feira")

12 prawns, boiled (add the prawns to boiling water and remove them 5 minutes after the water starts boiling again)

1 part sherry or  red wine vinegar to 3 parts extra virgin olive oil.

Salt

Cross cut the octopus and prawns in slices of 1/4 inch. and mix well with the rest of the ingredients. Make a vinaigrette with extra olive oil and vinegar and add to the mix 30 minutes before serving. To finish sprinkle with salt.

Txistorra cooked in Txakoli Wine (Txistorra al Txakoli)

This is a typical Basque "pintxo" or "tapa" (see the difference between them in the entry "pintxo" or "tapa"). It is made of two Basque products: the sausage "txistorra" made of pork, panceta, bacon and paprika which gives the red color, boiled in "txakoli" which is a wine originally made in Basque farm houses for the owners own consumption, made of "green" grapes or grapes that are not ripe yet. If we have to find a similar wine we will be able to use the Portuguese vinho verde. Acidic, fuzzy, light, happy, and young. It needs to be served very cold.

Both of these products have DO (Denomination of Origin)


Ingredients:


1 txistorra
2 cups txakoli


Put the txistorra in a pan and cover it with the txakoli and boil it for about 10 minutes.

Pintxo "Eguzki"

I developed this "pintxo" or tapa (little dish) with three of my favorite products: monkfish, pimientos de Padrón, and quail eggs on top of a piece of rustic bread. I call this pintxo "eguzki" because in Basque it means sun, and the egg looks like a sun.

Ingredients:


6 monkfish medallions
6 Padrón peppers
6 quail eggs
Maldon salt


Dust the monkfish medallions with flour and pan fry, remove from the pan and add a few pieces of Maldon crystal salt. Poke the peppers with a fork and put them in a pan with about half an inch of olive oil and fry the peppers on a low heat until done on all sides. Remove from the pan add salt. Remove the oil from the pan, leaving a little bit. Add the quail eggs to the pan, carefully since they are very fragile. When the eggs are done to your liking, remove from the pan and add maldon salt.


To assemble:


Start with one slice of bread, then add the monkfish on top, then the pepper, and finally the quail egg.

Lollipop quail eggs (Huevos de codorniz en salsa rosa)

It is very common in Spain to find quail eggs in most supermarkets and markets. As a matter of fact, there are stands in the "Boqueria" market in Barcelona, where you can buy any type of egg, from quail and pheasant, to chicken, duck, emu, or ostrich eggs. We serve the quail eggs with a pink sauce, but that doesn't mean you cannot fry them, make deviled eggs, etc...The only difference is the size.

Ingredients:

1 dozen quail eggs

2 tablespoon mayonaise

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 to 2 tablespoons brandy or whiskey

Boil the eggs for about 5 minutes, remove from the pan, and put them in a dish with icy water. When cold, peel them and skew them, one at a time.

For the sauce: mix the mayo, ketchup, and brandy. Stir until everything is mixed evenly. Try and change measurements of any of the ingredients to create the sauce to your liking. Put the sauce in a small bowl.

Serve the eggs on a stick and dip them in the sauce.

Peel-and-Eat Salty Shrimp (Gambas saladas)

If you have been to Madrid, Spain, you may know that there is a famous "cervecería" or a place where they sell beer. Probably, of all these types of establishments "Cervecería Santa Barbara" is the most famous one with 200 years of history. It's where you get to enjoy the "gambas saladas" or peel-and-eat shrimp boiled with sea salt, or in the coast, with sea water. These types of shrimp are sweet, juicy and they taste like the sea. You can serve these salty shrimp as a tapa with a very cold beer.

Ingredients:


1 pound small shrimp
3 tablespoons sea salt per 4 cups water
ice water with 1 tablespoon of sea salt


In a pot, add the water with the salt, stir, and bring it to a boil. Add the shrimp and boil for about 2 to 3 minutes, depending on the size of the shrimp. Strain the water and add the shrimp to a dish with icy water, with another tablespoon of salt to stop the cooking process. Arrange on a plate and keep the shrimp refrigerated until ready to serve.

Palmiers filled with Pate (Palmeras rellenas de pate)

Palmiers, also known as elephant ears or "Palmeras," are very popular in Spain. They are easy to find in every store and pastry shop with sugar or chocolate, but they also can be made filled with ham and cheese, spinach, paté or foie. Especially today, when you can find the dough already made for you, there is a very laborious step to skip. This is a nice appetizer to make ahead of time. You also can freeze it and have it for a surprise visit.

Ingredients:


Pastry dough (usually there are two sheets per box, so you can make one salty and the other sweet filled with brown sugar)
1 can of good pate o foie
flour
1 egg well beaten


Defrost the pastry dough and dust with flour the surface you are going to work. Unfold it in a vertical position and mark the center. With a spatula spread the pastry generously with the pate or foie.
Start rolling one side towards the center previously marked. Then roll the other side to the center. Both rolls will find each other in the center. It should look like a long tube with two ears. Turn sideways and push the roll down. Cover with plastic wrap and keep it in the freezer for 10 minutes. 

In the meantime crack one egg, beat it very well and add 3 teaspoons water. Take the dough out of the freezer after 10 minutes and with a sharp knife start cross cutting the rolls, placing the palmiers on a non stick tray. Use a brush to wash the top with the egg and put the tray in a preheated oven at 400˚F for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Tomato and Cheese Brochette with Pedro Ximenez Vinegar (Brocheta de tomato y queso con reducción de vinagre de Pedro Ximenez)

Pedro Ximenez is a sweet, thick Spanish wine great for pairing with desserts. Today I made brochettes of cheese curds, tomatoes and herb crostini with a reduced Pedro Ximenez vinegar.

Ingredients:


micro greens
grape tomatoes
Wisconsin cheese curds or tofu
herb crostini bread
Pedro Ximenez vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt


Make the crostini ahead of time as follows: cut the bread in squares, toast it, rub with garlic and the herbs of your choice, and drizzle it with olive oil. Lay them in a pepper towel. 


In the meantime combine a cup of Pedro Ximenez vinegar and  1 tablespoon sugar and let it reduce. Remove from the heat and let it rest in the refrigerator.


Assemble the brochettes with tomato, cheese, crostini, cheese, and tomato. Lay them on a plate, add the micro greens, drizzle with some of the reduced vinegar, olive oil and salt. This is nice appetizer, tapa or little salad on a stick.

"Inma" Omelet with Morels, fiddleheads and ramps (Tortilla "Inma" con colmenillas, brotes de helechos y puerros salvajes)

I want to dedicate this dish to my sister Inma, an omelet lover.  

In keeping with the theme of spring flavors, this time I am going to combine the "spring trinity" in an omelet.

Ingredients:

1.5 oz ramps, cross cut

5 to 6 morels, cleaned and cut in quarters

3/4 pound fiddleheads

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 eggs

salt

Clean the morels and sauté them with the  fiddleheads and ramps. Add salt and cook covered for about 7 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Beat the eggs really well, add salt and keep beating. Add the mixture of morels, fiddleheads and ramps to the eggs, stir and pour in a nonstick pan. Once the omelet is done on one side, turn it with the help of a plate and let it cook on the other side. 

Sauté Morel with fiddleheads and Ramps (Colmenillas Salteadas con colas de mono y puerros salvajes)

The "trinity of spring" - that is what Bob at "Just Local," the organic store, calls the trio of ramps, morels and fiddlehead ferns. They are  the earthy flavors of the season.

Ingredients:

1.5 oz ramps, cross cut

5 to 6 morels, cleaned and cut in quarters

3/4 pound fiddleheads

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt

Maldon salt to top

Clean the morels with water and lay down on a pepper towel. Cross cut the ramps, green included. In a sauté pan place the olive oil and the ramps and cook until they become translucent. Then add the morels and the fiddleheads. Cover and cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not let them dry (if that happens, add a little bit of oil). On a platter lay slices of lightly toasted crostinis and then top with the  morels, fiddleheads, ramps and a pinch of Maldon salt. A very exquisite dish!!!

Foie Gras Stuffed Morels (Colmenillas rellenas de foie)

Finally! Spring is the time of the year that I really look forward to. Not only because every flowering bush and tree starts blossoming but also because it is morel hunting season. The morel is a not very attractive mushroom that compensates for its physical appearance with its great earthy and sweet flavor. In Spain morels are also called "colmenillas" because they resemble the look of a beehive.

I found some morels at our local organic store. I couldn't resist buying them but almost went broke. I usually get them from a friend, even though the last couple of years I managed to find 4 or 5 (morels, not pounds) not far from where we live. Morel hunters keep very secret the places where they find them. Usually they are around dead elm trees and spread through spores. Therefore, once you pick morels it is important to shake them before you put them in a bag or basket.

Ingredients:

14 morels (two per person)
3-3 1/2 ounces foie
2 shallots cut in julienne
7 tablespoons chicken stock
3 tablespoons white wine
1/2 cup cream
1 Tablespoon butter
salt to taste

Clean the morels with water and blanch them for a couple of minutes. Then remove from the pan and bring to room temperature. Fill twelve of the morels with foie. It is easier to do this if the foie is cold.

In a pan melt the butter and cook the shallots and the remaining two morels (cut in half) for a couple of minutes. Then add the chicken stock, the wine and let it reduce. Add the stuffed morels, cover and simmer for 7 minutes. Then add the cream and simmer for another 5 minutes.  Remove the stuffed morels and blend the rest of the mix well to finish the sauce. Serve as an appetizer or tapa.

They are just delicious! ¡Buen provecho!

   

Melon and Ham (Melón con jamón)

This is a summer favorite for its simplicity, easy preparation, and the contrast between sweet and savory. It is a very refreshing dish.

Ingredients:


cantaloupe or any other kind of melon
Spanish Serrano ham


Utensils:


melon ball scoop
apple core remover 

Cheese and Fruit Brochette (Brocheta de queso y fruta)

The brochette is another fun way to serve cheese with grapes, which is the most common fruit to go with cheese. As a matter of fact, there is a Spanish saying "las uvas con queso saben a beso" (Grapes with cheese taste lake a kiss.) In any case, fruit and cheese make a good pairing. I added mango because I like the perfume and sweetness of this fruit. I also used the Spanish cheese Manchego from La Mancha and a smoky Basque cheese called Idiazabal.

Ingredients:


Manchego cheese
Idiazabal cheese
green grapes
red grapes
mango
skewers

Mushrooms with King Crab and Garlic (Txampis con patas de cangrejo al ajillo)

Another one of our favorite tapas is mushrooms with king crab, garlic and cayenne pepper.

Ingredients:

12 mushrooms, stems removed

1/4 onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 dried cayenne peppers 

2 tablespoons olive oil

olive oil

salt

Put water in a quart pot and when it boils add 2 king crab legs. Return to a boil, cook for 10 minutes and remove the crab legs when done.

In a pan put 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic and onion and cook on a low heat until the onion is translucent. Remove from the pan. Then add the mushrooms and salt to the pan, cook until tender, and remove.

Crack or cut the crab shells with a good pair of scissors. Remove the meat and cut in small pieces. Then in a saucepan heat olive oil with garlic and cayenne pepper and when the oil is very hot add the crab for 1 or 2 minutes and then remove it from the pan.

To assemble, take each mushroom and add the crab meat with the garlic on top.

Lobster with Romesco Sauce over Fried Crostini (Medallones de Bogavante con romesco sobre pan frito)

Fry the bread in a pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil, remove it from the pan and add the lobster medallion. Top it with romesco sauce.

Watermelon Glass (Copa de Sandia)

This cup of watermelon is a very refreshing way to finish or start a dinner.

In many towns in Spain trucks arrive loaded with watermelons and other melons. The driver with a megaphone announces they are selling the best melons or watermelons from Murcia. They drive to remote areas and then turn on their megaphones and start screaming "el melonero, los mejores melones de Murcia, baratos..." The vendors usually buy a truck load and drive from Murcia, going town to town until they sell everything. 

I thought about this story when I was at the grocery store and saw watermelons for sale. We couldn't resist and bought one. It was especially sweet and juicy, and very refreshing since it has been unusually hot for this time of the year.

Ingredients:

watermelon balls
the juice of one lemon
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon ginger zest

Mix everything well and pour over the watermelon balls. Serve cold and add mint to garnish.

Spanish Ham "Tapa" (Tapa de jamón serrano)

This could be a great "tapa" to start a wonderful dinner with friends, co-workers or family.  We just need good bread, thick slices of Serrano ham, cream cheese and a preserve (I use raspberry).

Tuna Tapa

If we make the same recipe as the tuna sandwich and bake slices of potatoes, we can make a tuna "tapa."

Ingredients:

1 can tuna
1 roasted pepper, finely chopped
8 black olives, finely chopped
the white of one boiled egg, chopped
2 sweet pickles, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
olive oil mayonnaise

Mix all the ingredients very well in a bowl. Scoop the mix and place it on top of the basted, baked potato. Put the yolk in a strainer and strain with the help of a spoon. Now you have a "tapa."