Calamari with Lemony Pan Sauce

I was experimenting with some Spanish tapas ideas recently and came up with a successful appetizer dish here; the photos are bad but the taste was great! 

I started off by soaking some thawed calamari rings in milk, then coating them with flour mixed with some cayenne and salt. 

They sauteed easily in olive oil and I turned them as needed to crisp them up:

Next time I will let them form a little better since I obviously mangled them somewhat in the process.  After they were done, I made a quick pan sauce with white wine and fresh lemon juice, then thickened it with a little flour/butter mix (I'd like to think it was a bit of buerre manie).

The sauce looks more like melted cheese than a lemon sauce, but it was a tasty snack!  I'm not sure why I chose chopsticks for eating this but it probably had something to do with the leftover wine that I was enjoying while I cooked this.

Arancine! sort of.......

I was reading the latest edition of Saveur, my favorite food magazine (sorry Food & Wine, after all these 15 years you are #2). 

The March edition of Saveur highlighted the food of Sicily, and my foodie eight year old daughter spotted a recipe for arancine, which are traditional fried rice balls stuffed with savory Italian ragu.  On the fly, knowing I had a bit of browned ground beef around, pasta sauce, and instant rice, I decided to make a home cook's quickie version of this classic. 

I cooked up some rice, mixed it with egg, flour, parmesan, and bread crumbs until it was sticky, and then flattened each pad of rice mix in my hand (with my young sous chef following suit).  We added a chunk of the beef/sauce mix and formed balls of about 1 1/2 inch diameter.  I fried them in olive oil until crispy, and they turned out great!

My son suggested we skip the meat/sauce filling and stuff them with provolone or other cheese next time (goat cheese? buffalo mozzarella?). 

The actual arancine recipe from Saveur can be found by clicking here.  If I get a chance to modify the basic replication I executed, and create something better, then I will post an update.

Fried Ravioli

Last week I spotted some little squares of dough in the produce section where they keep Asian ingredients such as ginger, baby corn, pea pods, and chilled jars of chili sauce.  I used the squares to make a very simple version of gyoza, or steamed dumplings, to accompany a veggie stir fry I made for my kids.

I realized that the squares would make decent ravioli, so I took some leftover shredded mozzerella and pepperoni  (from last week's pizza night previously posted about) and made a tasty snack.  I simply placed the cheese and chopped pepperoni on a square, then used egg yolk to seal up the edges tightly.

I then fried the squares in olive oil on medium heat until finished, then served it with jarred pizza sauce for dipping!  Simple and delicious.

Fondue!

My favorite food magazine, Saveur, had a fun article documenting the popularity of fondue in the 1970's and how the craze swept into the States.  I myself am wishing I kept my parents' lime green fondue pot and skewers that came with it. 

Still, all you need is a good pan, some basic ingredients, and french bread for dipping and you're set to rediscover this classic.

As this Saveur article outlines,  the four building blocks are cheese, liquid, starch, and acid.  For my simple test I used Gruyere, white wine, flour, and fresh lemon juice respectively.  It doesn't take much to figure out the proportions and create a quick appetizer!  Give it a shot.

Easy Homemade Fries

Back in college I cooked hand-cut fries, burgers, teriyaki chicken, etc. at Murphy's Pub in Champaign, IL.  After taking my kids to Five Guy's for old school burgers and fries a few times, I realized that I could easily replicate the fries but with healthy olive oil at home.

In this photo, I've made thicker, wedge-style fries, but I've done a similar technique with fries cut into sticks like you'd get at Five Guys.

It's pretty simple--cut the fries from Idaho russet potatoes and soak the pieces in a salt and water brine for an hour or so.  Then heat a large pan with half an inch of olive oil and pat dry the potatoes in paper or kitchen towels.  Fry the pieces on medium heat--adjusting to make sure you both gently cook the inside yet add a bit of crispiness on the outside.  If you use thicker cuts, you can blanch them or nuke them first to make sure the inside gets soft.  I serve them for my daughter with ketchup, but my son and I prefer dashing malt vinegar on top like they do at Murphy's and in the UK. 

Spinach, Tomato, Artichoke, and Goat Cheese Dip!!

After dining recently at English Pub in Chicago, I wanted to make something like their tasty Spinach, Artichoke, and Goat Cheese Dip.

I chopped two cloves of garlic, a small local ripe tomato (from Mayneland Farm in Naperville, IL), and a jar of artichoke hearts. I sauteed them lightly in olive oil and then added 1/3 bag of baby spinach leaves. I added a few shakes of red pepper flakes to add a bit of fire (not much, just a bit).

After about 10 minutes of cooking, I added a container of grocery-size crumbled goat cheese and let the mix blend a few minutes longer. To top it off, I sprinkled on just a bit of parmesan cheese.

I served the mix atop grilled French bread. The dish holds up well with a Pinto Grigio or a Sauvignon Blanc. Don't be fooled by looks, this tastes wonderful!!

Tapas!

This weekend I wanted to make a light, tapas-style meal, but didn't look up any recipes ahead of time, so I started backwards with what ingredients were available and came up with this:

*Pan-fried red pepper strips cooked in olive oil, chopped garlic, and topped with thin slices of brie, which melted nicely in the larger strips.

*Scallops lightly sauteed in olive oil, fresh chopped garlic, salt, pepper, and fresh lemon juice.

I served the cheesy pepper strips atop thin slices of french bread, and the scallops went alongside on the plate. A little extra french bread soaked up the scallop "sauce" quite nicely and it all went down well with Sauvignon Blanc (a $14 dollar bottle of Sterling found on sale for $8).

Tomato & Feta on Pita Bread

This Middle Eastern style appetizer is simple but surprisingly tasty!

1 & 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese
1 & 1/2 cups chopped Roma tomatoes (avoid excess juice)
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1 tsp dried oregano
2 TBSP toasted sesame seeds (quickly toasted on a pan with a bit of olive oil)
6 pieces of pita bread, chopped or torn into serving size (or substitute pita chips)
extra virgin olive oil

Mix all ingredients except the oil and pita in a bowl. Drizzle generously with olive oil and a few shakes of salt. Stir one last time and serve atop pita pieces.

Roasted Plum Tomatoes with Blue Cheese

The other day I took some plum tomatoes, halved them, and spread them on a baking sheet with foil. I drizzled olive oil on top along with salt and pepper, then roasted them for about 5 minutes on 400 degrees.

I then placed about 1 TBSP of blue cheese crumbles on each one and cooked them another few minutes until the cheese was melted.

They make a tasty and simple side dish that pairs well with pasta or salad!

Grape Tomato Toasts

I came up with this quick snack tonight that would make a good appetizer; all amounts here depend on how you serve it, so adjust accordingly:

Heat olive oil in a pan, then saute grape tomatoes with salt and pepper on medium heat. Dash on some balsamic vinegar after a few minutes when tomatoes are starting to blister.

Meanwhile, bake or toast some Italian bread and sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan. Pour blistered tomatoes along with some of the sauce that forms from the oil, vinegar, and cast off tomato juice atop the toasted Italian bread and either serve as a snack as is, or cut into squares as an appetizer. Enjoy with Pinot Grigio or Chianti!

Spinach Toasts

Cook fresh spinach as per the Greek Spinanch recipe found in my Sides section. Drain and serve atop toasted or baked Italian bread slices. The Italian bread should be slathered with butter or pesto sauce prior to adding spinach.