Churros (con chocolate)

Next time I make these I will get a nice picture of them with the chocolate, but I snapped this after they were fried and evening (and dark lighting) came upon us when we served these with small glasses of chocolate.  You munch on the churros and sip the chocolate and every so often, dip the churros in the chocolate.  These were rock star.  We were so excited they turned out well.  We decided we didn't want to fry them when our guests were over, so we fried them two hours ahead of time, and then toasted them in the oven.  While this worked out fine, they were really spectacular freshly pulled out of the oil.  We pretty much followed this recipe (from a cafe in Madrid), though we doubled the chocolate to make it extra chocolately.  I had never used a pastry bag and was quite apprehensive of the whole process, but don't be intimidated, it's all quite easy.


churros:
vegetable oil for frying (~6 cups)
1 c water
1/2 c butter
1/4 t salt
1 c flour
3 eggs
1/4 c sugar
cinnamon and sugar for rolling 


hot chocolate:
8 oz good quality dark chocolate
2 c milk
1 T cornstarch   
4 T sugar


For the hot chocolate, melt the chocolate with half the milk in a saucepan over low heat, stirring, until chocolate melts.  Add sugar.  Dissolve corn starch in the remainder of the milk in a small bowl and then whisk into warm chocolate milk.  Whisk until it thickens after several minutes.  Keep warm and pour into small mugs or glasses when ready to serve (serves 4).  


For churros, heat water, salt and butter to a rolling boil in a small pot.  Add flour and whisk  vigorously off heat until ball is formed. Beat eggs until smooth in a small prep bowl and then add to pot (we waited a few minutes to avoid scrambling the eggs in a hot pot). Whisk this all together and a sticky, smooth batter will form.  Scoop half into a pastry bag fitted with the appropriate tip.  Heat oil to 350 in a dutch oven and fry about 4 strips at a time.  It took two of us as I would squeeze out the strips and my husband would slice off the batter from the pastry tip.  Fry for about 2 minutes on each side, drain and let rest on paper towel.  Roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.  

Gambas Al Ajillo

Yes, those shrimp are in some serious butter and olive oil, but that's the best part because you get to soak it up with bread.  We made this dish for our Spanish themed dinner party over the weekend and it turned out great.  Serve with some toothpicks and slices of a baguette and everyone will be crowded over the little dishes.  Serve on your bar, or pass around a table.  One of the best parts of this dish is how quickly it comes together, gotta love shrimp, they are ready for you in just minutes.  


24 shrimp, peeled
1/4 c butter 
1/4 c good quality, extra virgin, olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed
1 t red chili pepper flakes
1 t paprika
salt, pepper   
chopped parsley to garnish


Heat butter and olive oil together in a sauté pan.  Toss in shrimp and garlic, let cook for a few minutes, add chili pepper flakes, paprika, salt, pepper, lemon juice.  Serve in shallow dishes and garnish with parsley.

Orzo Tuna Salad

Not sure why this photo is practically sideways, or why I can't see all that much tuna in it, but this is in fact a wonderful summer salad.  It's nice and filling and is quite substantial enough as a lunch meal in a bowl kind of a deal.  I was completely inspired by this food blogger's Mediterranean tuna and chickpea salad (especially since I had chickpeas and tuna sitting in the pantry).  


1 15 oz can of chickpeas
2 5 oz can albacore tuna
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 cup orzo, uncooked
1/4 c toasted pine nuts


dressing
1 T mayo
1 T mustard
1 t cilantro chutney
1 T olive oil
1 T while balsamic vinegar
1 t paprika
salt, pepper


Toss together tuna, chickpeas, pine nuts and bell pepper into a bowl.  Boil orzo and drain.  Whisk together dressing, pour and toss.  This sits well for a few days in the fridge.

Bald Head Island

My husband and I just returned from a mini vacation in Bald Head Island, NC, where we were attending the wedding of our friends.  It is an amazing island with beautiful beaches; so peaceful, so relaxing, so quiet.  Cars are not allowed on the island, so you take a ferry there and drive golf carts.  I mean, seriously, how cute?  We will be back again soon, next time for much longer.  We had quite our fill of southern food - fried shrimp and fried oysters and fried crab cakes and fried chicken, oh you name it and we had it.  Ice cream.  Lots of ice cream.  The island had the most amazing ice cream stand.  I love when mint chocolate chip ice cream isn't green.  

Road trips can be dangerous for me.....look what we picked up on the way home, after a weekend of nonstop eating.  

We were in North Carolina, how could we not have Krispy Kreme?


We're trying to detox this week so bare with me.  Tonight is kale with pasta and we may just stuff ourselves with more veggies until the weekend.  

Speaking of, we're hosting a dinner party this Saturday and are featuring a Spanish themed menu, of course.  We're still finalizing the menu but we're thinking of some tapas, gazpacho and seafood paella, and lots of cava and rioja, and of course olives and cheese and iberico that we vacuum packed and brought home.  So stayed tuned!

Blueberry Muffins

Ahh, blueberry muffins.  So quaint and cozy, no?  I made these to bring over to a friend's as a housewarming treat.  I ate three after the came out of the oven.  That's allowed, right?  They taste like blueberry pancakes.  Exactly like blueberry pancakes.  Oh and the batter is out of this world.  I completely licked the leftover batter on the spoon.  Yum.  It was heaven.  Really delightful muffins, and I followed Ina's recipe exactly.


Courtesy Barefoot Contessa  


1 1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temperature (I know, annoying, pull it out the night before)
1 1/2 c sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 c sour cream
1/4 c milk
2 1/2 c flour
2 t baking powder 
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t kosher salt
2 half pints blueberries 


Preheat oven to 350.  Line muffin pan (makes 16)
In a stand mixer with the paddle, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (5 minutes).  On low speed, add eggs, slowly, then vanilla, sour cream and milk.  In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder and baking soda (add salt after).  On low speed, add flour mixture until to batter until just mixed.  Remove bowl from stand and fold in blueberries. With ice cream scoop, generously pour into muffin liners to top.  Bake for 25 minutes.

Chicken Salad

I've gotten in the habit of making chicken salad every weekend as I think I've settled on my favorite recipe. Be generous with the arugula and radishes, the arugula is a great lemony green and the radishes are perfectly peppery and crunchy. I feel like an Ina broken record, but the key really is to roast chicken with the skin and bone.  The seasonings are approximate (I never measure the paprika or curry powder so sometimes it comes out a bit more yellow in color).


2 chicken breasts, with bone and skin
1/4 c chopped celery
1 small shallot, finely chopped
2 large handfuls of baby arugula, chopped
3 radishes, finely chopped
1 T mayo
1 T sour cream
1 T mustard
1 t paprika
1 t curry powder
1 T olive oil
1 t sherry vinegar


Salt and pepper chicken breasts and roast at 400 for about 30 minutes.  Let cool and remove meat from skin and bone, chop and toss into bowl.  Add remaining ingredients.  Add chicken stock or a splash of white wine if you wish to thin it out a bit.   

Penne with Salmon

This is a great weeknight meal - easy and fast with not many ingredients.  I love smoked salmon and we tend to always have some in the fridge - toast with a little smoked salmon is what my husband and I love having for breakfast.  I decided to toss up a pasta dish my mother often made for me.  Sauté some onions and garlic, chopped tomatoes, and smoked salmon and you're done.  Salty, a little sweet from the tomatoes, and nice and light.

1/4 lb Penne, or ziti, bow tie, any pasta really

1/4 white onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 t red chili flakes

~ 8 oz chopped tomatoes 

~1/2 c chopped smoked salmon

salt, pepper

olive oil and some butter

Heat some oil in a pan, sauté onions and then garlic.  Add salt and pepper.  Add tomatoes and let cook for several minutes.  Add some chili flakes.  Add a pad of butter and let simmer.  Boil pasta aldente, drain and toss in along with the smoked salmon which will shift from translucent to light pink.  Let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce for one minute.  Shave some pecorino after serving.    

España

churros con chocolate from Valor in Madrid

My husband and I have returned from a lovely vacation in Spain.  We both love Spanish culture and I've traveled throughout the country; Barcelona, Granada, Cordoba, Toledo, Seville, Malaga, Marbella and my favorite city in Western Europe, Madrid.  We decided Madrid was the perfect place for a quick European getaway - somewhere we could fly direct, and somewhere we've both been so we wouldn't feel pressure to focus all our energy on sightseeing and could instead just leisurely enjoy the city for the short 5 days we were away.  We had the most wonderful time.  It's so nice to leave the U.S. for a bit and absorb another culture.  I love the energy of Madrid, I love how truly local the city feels - they don't cater to tourists and no one speaks English.  I love that.  My husband did all the research on places to eat and he did an amazing job.....I just sat back and enjoyed.  We had cervezas and sangria and riojos and cafe solos and cafes con leches and my husband ate lots of jamon iberico and we went tapas hopping until 1am and had paella and churros con chocolate (best idea ever, people!) and fried cod and gazpacho (in Toledo) and the most delicious olive oil (I've always believed Spanish olive oil to be the best in the world).  We brought back lots of goodies like iberico, saffron, marzipan, olive oil and manchego cheese.  

We also had the most. amazing meal. of our lives.  Somehow my husband secured reservations at Ferran Adria's restaurant in Madrid, La Terraza Del Casino, his Michelin starred restaurant.  Getting reservations is just like the process at minibar....those two, him and Jose Andres, have a lot in common.  The meal was so incredible that it brought tears to my eyes.  I actually shed a tear.  Yes.  I swear.  I can't describe how beautiful the meal was, I really can't. How can you describe a meal that was so beautiful it brought tears to your eyes?  Part of me also almost wants to keep it safe to my heart, because it was such a special experience with my husband, and I didn't take photos during the meal.

I'll leave you with some picture of some tapas, the best fried cod I've ever eaten and the best sundae of my life.  It was a memorable trip and I'm so glad I had my camera on our daily outings...... 

 

and, our daily tradition of

un cafe con leche, cafe solo, una napolitana y un bocadillo jamón ibérico