Three sparkling wines I really like

Although I personally believe that every day is a good day to drink sparkling wine, most people tend to drink more sparklers at this time of year.  Oh, if we could all look as glamorous as Marilyn sipping from our coupes.  Secretly, that's what I hope every time I pop that cork.

The sound of a popping cork from a bottle of sparkling wine or champagne is such a happy sound.  It signals, "This is a special moment!"  And I believe that life should be a series of special moments--some of which we create ourselves, if for no reason other than the fact that it's Tuesday. 

Below are three of my favorite sparklers (paired with recipe links) in case you're without an idea when you're standing in the champagne aisle at the liquor store this holiday season.


Tastes great and can't beat the price:

Hands down, this is the sparkler I offer for parties and as an opener for other events.  Jaume Serra Cristalino is a Spanish cava that sells for well under $10 and is light, clean, dry and citrusy.  Technically, I serve it with almost anything you can dip, dunk, spread on a cracker or pick up with your fingers.  But I really like it with gougeres, those lovely, hot cheese puffs that smell tantalizingly, insanely good.  Try David Lebovitz's recipe here.

 

Elegant and tastes like a million bucks:

This classy sparkler (expect to pay between $20 and $25) is mostly made from the pinot blanc grape with a little pinot noir for substance and body.  Pierre Sparr Cremant d'Alsace is carefully made in the same way real champagne is made: method traditionelle.  This delightful bubbly is minerally, light and crisp with citrus and herbs.  It has fine bubbles and a creamy mouthfeel.  It is lovely with radishes, butter, dark bread and fleur de sel.  It also pairs finely with creamy, rich cheeses and this delish nibble made with aged gouda, prosciutto and honey.

 

Happy endings:

I love a dessert wine, and a sparkling dessert wine doubles my pleasure.  Reymos Valencia Espumoso de Moscatel Selección (about $12) is a simple, gorgeous wine that is slightly sweet and redolent of apples and figs.  It is rich and has just enough acid to balance rich cheeses such as Stilton, triple crèmes and Camembert.  If you want to serve it with a knockout dessert, try this tiramisu recipe from Giada de Laurentiis. 

There are many, many more sparklers I could tell you about, but space here is limited.  I've got an idea--give me a shout and we'll crack open a bottle and talk more about it...

Happy Holidays!

Easy, elegant shrimp de Jonghe

For years, I have made and loved shrimp de Jonghe.  Buttery, garlicky bread crumbs mixed with shallot and herbs, layered with small shrimp and a good splash of sherry, this classic recipe is easy and impressive every time.  True Chicago cuisine, the ingredients come together in a magical alchemy that entices everyone to the kitchen with an irresistible aroma, and enchants everyone at the table especially if it's served as an appetizer portion in scallop shells.

Original photo taken by CG

Accredited to Henri De Jonghe, one of three brothers who later owned the DeJonghe Hotel in the Loop during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, shrimp de Jonghe was part of the signature cuisine of the original De Jonghe Brothers restaurant.  Some say that Henri's long-time chef, Emile Zehr, was the creator of this delectable concoction, but history is murky here, as it often is when culinary miracles occur and two chef's egos are on the line.  In any event, the original recipe for shrimp de Jonghe remained a secret long after De Jonghe and Zehr died, although versions of it have appeared in many incarnations for over a decade.

Sources also indicate that the De Jonghe brothers' restaurant originally opened on Chicago's South Side in time for the 1892 World's Columbian Exposition, had a successful debut, moved to the basement of the Masonic Temple in downtown Chicago, then later relocated in the heart of the famous Loop.

Aerial view of the Columbian Exposition (Chicago World's Fair) in 1893.  Photo: public domain.

 
The restaurant in the De Jonghe Hotel soon became the "in" place to dine and its fame was widely known.  The establishment flourished until a Prohibition agent posing as "a traveling man from Boston" visited during the summer of 1923 and arranged to buy, with the help of hotel manager James T. Hickey (himself no stranger to the inside of a police station), 3 pint bottles of whiskey from the head waiter.  A raid ensued, 30 cases of liquor were seized and De Jonghe's was padlocked, never to reopen again.  For more information on this turn-of-the-century hotel and restaurant (and yet another approximation of the original recipe for shrimp de Jonghe), see this article from the 27 January 1985 edition of the Chicago Tribune.

The De Jonghe Hotel and Restaurant  c. 1910 from John Chuckman

Although I am sad that the De Jonghe Hotel and Restaurant are no longer to be enjoyed, I am grateful for the one enduring culinary treasure associated with them--and for their part in making some colorful history during Prohibition.  Shrimp de Jonghe is truly a timeless dish, but serve it with sparkling wine in a vintage coupe and voila!  You're in the dining room of the Hotel De Jonghe making eyes with that sheik across the room.

Using a vintage hollow-stem coupe convinces me I've had another life as a flapper...

Recently, I paired shrimp de Jonghe with an absinthe-based cocktail in an absinthe tasting.  I took one of my favorite renditions of shrimp de Jonghe (from The New Doubleday Cookbook) and ramped up the anise profile by increasing the tarragon called for in the recipe and substituting Pernod for the sherry.  As I said before, use those cute little scallop shells as part of your presentation and you'll have your guests eating out of your hand, er shell.

Shrimp de Jonghe with Pernod

     Shellfish and anise are a natural combination.  If you can't get Pernod, any high-quality pastis or anise-flavored liqueur that is not too sugary will work.  This recipe is adapted from The Doubleday Cookbook.  Fresh herbs are what make this work so beautifully--don't skimp.

1 cup unsalted butter, liquified
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced (or substitute 2 scallions, minced)
1 Tbs. minced parsley
1 Tbs. minced chives
1/2 tsp. minced tarragon leaves
1/4 tsp. dried marjoram leaves
1/8 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
4 cups soft white bread crumbs, divided
2 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 to 2 Tbs. Pernod, plus enough water to equal 1/3 cup liquid
3 cups cooked and peeled small cocktail shrimp, about 1 lb. (I often thaw out and use the frozen variety called Pacific Seafood, which you can find at most HEBs, because they're the perfect size for this dish)

Special equipment: scallop shells for baking, approx. 5" across (you can find them on sites such as this one), or use 4" individual ramekins

1.)  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2.)  If you are using scallop shells, you'll need a couple of baking trays filled with rock salt, or  about three 12-cup muffin tins to balance the shells on while they're in the oven.  If you're using individual ramekins, butter the insides well and place them on a baking tray.
3.)  Cream together by hand the liquified butter, garlic, shallots, herbs and nutmeg until well-blended.
4.)  Mix in 3 cups of bread crumbs, lemon juice and Pernod.
5.)  Layer seasoned bread crumbs and shrimp in shells or ramekins, starting and ending with a layer of crumbs.
5.)  Divide remaining crumbs evenly over the top of each shell or ramekin.
6.)  Bake for 20 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned and mixure is heated through.  Makes about 10-12 appetizer portions.

Meatballs--they're not just for breakfast anymore

I love meatballs.  They are pure genius--all that flavor in one bite.  I've learned over the years to make them and make them well: moist and totally delectable.  If they're small enough, popping one (or four) in your mouth is an explosion of flavor and texture and totally addictive.  But when I was a kid, I didn't like them very much because most of them were hard, dry and very unappealing.  That's because no one in my family knew how to make them well.

To extend this minor tragedy into a full-blown disaster, no one who ever extended a dinner invitation to me during my childhood knew how to make them well either.  Although it never truly stunted my development, it was a real pity, since I lived in an area where a massive amount of Italian immigrants had settled and there were Italian restaurants on almost every corner.  Legend was that the meatballs inside those buildings were tender, juicy and flavorful, and that the marinara sauce was a magical thing.  Unfortunately, I would never know.  The closest I got to marinara sauce (or Italian food, for that matter) when I was a kid was a jar of Ragu.  Our family didn't eat out much on teachers' salaries, and the Italian restaurants were in a part of town we rarely saw.  I could only drool and pine longingly for an opportunity to step inside the sacred chambers when the occasional route to the doctor or Sears & Roebuck took us by Little Venice or Cortese's.

It wasn't until I began watching Jeff Smith's show, "The Frugal Gourmet" on PBS during the 80's that I learned how to make a decent meatball.  During one episode, he demonstrated how he made and seasoned his meatballs.  I scribbled anxiously as he prepped his ingredients and then shaped and fried his meatballs.  I've adapted his recipe in some minor ways through the years, the most important difference being that I bake the meatballs in a 450 degree oven instead of frying them.  To this day, Jeff Smith's meatball recipe is the one that gets the most favorable reviews.  My husband tells me that they're the best meatballs he's ever had.  I hate to keep using him as my litmus test, but the truth is that the man does have a palate that responds.  And his flattery gets him anywhere he wants to go.

The most important thing that Jeff Smith taught me about meatballs was to grind my store-ground meat a second time so that the texture of the meatballs would be less grainy and more tender.  The next most important thing was to use a carbohydrate-rich binding ingredient (I always use fresh breadcrumbs, not dried ones that get reconstituted with milk as he originally did) and enough egg to make everything come together without being too wet.  Of course, plenty of seasoning is what also makes these meatballs special.

Today, I want to give you three meatball recipes that have become favorites of mine, starting with the one I learned from "The Frugal Gourmet."  These meatballs can be made ahead and frozen with or without sauce, although I'd recommend freezing the Swedish Meatballs without the sauce and when reheating the meatballs, finishing the sauce before serving, since it has cream in it.

There are many other delicious meatball recipes out there, but these are my go-to recipes time and time again.

My Favorite Meatball Recipe 

     You'll need a food processor or a meat grinder to regrind the meat for these meatballs.  Or you can ask your butcher to regrind the meat for you.

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef, pork or veal (I like to use a combination of beef and pork)
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup finely minced onion
2 Tbs. finely chopped parsley
1 Tbs. Italian seasoning (such as Penzey's, but you can mix your own from a combination of oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme and ground or cracked rosemary)
3/4 cup breadcrumbs (please make your own from fresh or day-old bread; the store bought crumbs taste like cardboard and you can put bread in a blender or food processor and have crumbs in seconds)
1 jumbo egg or 2 small eggs, beaten lightly
1/2 cup grated or shredded Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese (or a combination)
plenty of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.)  Place the ground meat in the bowl of a food processor with the chopping blade.  You may have to do this in two portions if the workbowl of your processor is small.  Pulse the processor several times until the meat is broken down a little more, but be careful not to make the meat into a paste.
2.)  Combine reground meat in a large bowl with the remaining ingredients.
3.)  Mix ingredients with your hands until well-combined.
4.)  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
5.)  Shape mixture into balls (I like to make them about the size of a golf ball) and place on a foil lined baking tray.
6.)  Bake for about 20 minutes, until a bit browned, crisped and sizzling.
7.)  Cool enough to remove from tray without tearing meatballs in half.
8.)  Freeze meatballs or place in marinara sauce as desired.  Makes about 24-36, depending on the size of the meatballs.

Fannie Farmer's Swedish Meatball Recipe

     This recipe, from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, has been a favorite for years.  Serve with lingonberry jam if desired for an appetizer, or over egg noodles as a main dish.

1 lb. lean beef
1/4 lb. salt pork

5 slices whole wheat bread

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. allspice

3/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbs. shortening or oil

1 1/2 cups beef broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

1.)  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2.)  Grind the beef, salt pork and bread together twice, using a meat grinder or food processor.

3.)  Combine ground meat mixture with the egg, sugar, allspice, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

4.)  Shape into 1" balls.

5.)  Heat the shortening or oil in a skillet and brown the meatballs.  If you plan to make these ahead and freeze them, remove the meatballs from the heat, cool completely and freeze.  When you're ready to serve, defrost the meatballs and proceed with the rest of the recipe.

6.)  Transfer meatballs to a shallow casserole dish, pour in the beef broth and cover with lid or foil.

7.)  Bake for 45 minutes.

8.)  Add the cream and cook, uncovered, an additional 15 minutes.  Makes about 30 meatballs.

Tapas Meatballs in a Spicy Tomato Sauce 

     These are lovely and redolent of the flavors of Spain.  Serve with a sturdy garnacha or a juicy zinfandel.  They make a great appetizer or a main dish with crusty bread and a salad.

Meatballs:
 
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. ground beef or veal
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. each ground coriander, cumin, nutmeg and cinnamon
1 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup bread crumbs, toasted
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Sauce:

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 16 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1 Tbs. tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)

1.)  To make the meatballs:  Combine pork, veal, garlic, spices, salt, pepper, bread crumbs and egg in a bowl.
2.)  Mix well with your hands until mixture leaves the side of the bowl.
3.)  Cover mixture and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
4.)  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
5.)  Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls.
6.)  Place on a foil-lined baking tray and bake for about 20 minutes or until sizzling and slightly browned.
7.)  Remove from oven and cool on tray until ready to immerse in the tomato sauce.
8.)  To make the sauce:  Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add the onion.
9.)  Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly transparent, about 3 minutes.
10.)  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
11.)  Increase the heat to high and add the wine; allow to boil for 1 minute.
12.)  Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and stock and simmer for 10 minutes.
13.)  Add the cayenne pepper, peas (if using) and the meatballs; simmer for 10 more minutes, until the sauce is thickened and the meatballs are well-coated.  Serve hot.  Serves 6.

Nachos excepcionales

Nachos get a bad rap.  You can find them on almost any menu, anywhere, covered in pasty, bland pinto beans that have the texture of baby food.  There's usually a cursory (or sometimes heavy-handed) sprinkling of jalapenos--usually canned--and maybe a little taco or fajita meat and some sour cream.   And then there's the crowning glory: the school-bus yellow "cheese" oozing over the top.  It arrives slightly runny and quickly congeals to a texture resembling plastic wrap.  Some restaurants use grated cheese rather than a canned, processed cheese product, which is an improvement.  But unfortunately, most nachos do nothing to impress.

You may not be able to imagine this, but Vindaloo Tiramisu eats nachos, and she is not afraid to admit this fact.  She has been known to eat nachos in various Tex-Mex restaurants in various Texas locales (which she is also not afraid to admit), but she doesn't eat them there very often.  That's because the nachos that Vindaloo eats usually come from her own kitchen.  And it's also because, yes, you guessed it: Vindaloo is a food snob.

But then, this is not a state secret.

Let's just say that Vindaloo expects a lot from her nachos and works hard to make the extraordinary happen.  Restaurant nachos are often despairingly pale, lifeless, unremarkable and do nothing to tease or satisfy the palate.  There are exceptions of course, but think about it: when was the last time you had a plate of nachos in a restaurant that made you say, "Dang!  I want more of those RIGHT NOW!"?

Vindaloo's nachos are memorable and irresistible.  They are nachos excepcionales.  They pass the husband (and the soon-to-be-husband) test, the picky eater test, the I-only-eat-nachos-on-Superbowl-Sunday test, the upscale cocktail party test and the ravenous-pack-of-teenage-boys-that-are-in-their-third growth-spurt-of-the-year test.  These nachos make you glad to be alive because every bite is a full-frontal encounter with your tastebuds.  They are the culinary equivalent of the New Year's Day Polar Bear Plunge.  You will be sad and will be looking for a bereavement counselor forthwith when these nachos are gone.  You will also probably not want to share them with anyone, so if you're planning on making some to share, be sure to plan ahead and make more than you think you'll need.  A lot more.

Another redeeming factor in Vindaloo's book: these nachos are an excellent accompaniment to a juicy, fruity red wine.  Because they have lively, intense flavors with plenty of acid and spice and are relatively light on the cheese, choose a zinfandel, a shiraz, a fruity, not-too-tannic cabernet sauvignon or a full-bodied sangiovese.  As always, your wine guys at your local Spec's will help you find a great match.  Of course, if you're a beer quaffer, have at it, but as most readers know by now, Vindaloo loves a great glass of wine and would be hard-pressed to recommend anything containing hops or malt and yet remain convincingly reliable.

The concept behind a good plate of nachos is very simple: texture, flavor, contrast and color.  Basically, that means using fresh, quality ingredients and getting a little more bang for your nutritional buck than your average plate of nachos.  So with that in mind, let's talk about the foundation on which you will build your nachos excepcionales: the tostada chips.

Sure, you can use store-bought chips.  You can use a mainstream brand if you prefer, or you can even fry your own tostada chips, which are worth the extra time and effort.  But for nachos excepcionales, you'll need a substantial and flavorful chip.  Try artisanal chips made by a local tortilleria, or one of the many varieties of organic tostada chips that Central Market distributes.  Look for the flax seed, blue corn or red quinoa varieties.  They have texture, nuttiness, better nutritional value than the mainstream or generic brands and a crunch and texture that can support what you'll be piling on top of the tostadas. 

You can build your nachos with or without meat, but the meat of choice for Vindaloo's nachos is good-quality chorizo.  Choose Spanish chorizo, which is dense and dry, cured and smoked in an edible casing (you will have to chop the chorizo finely) or Mexican chorizo, which is soft and uncured, highly seasoned with vinegar and chile powder and often comes in an inedible plastic casing that you will have to remove before cooking.  Either way, you will get superior results.  One final suggestion: if you can make good carne adovada (or know someone who can), it would be an excellent alternative to the chorizo.  Just make sure the meat is well-shredded and mixed with just a bit of the chile sauce so that the tostada chips don't get saturated.

Next, consider the beans.  Traditionally, refried or whole, cooked pinto beans are used.  Refried beans tend to make the tostada chips soggy and whole pinto beans, while perfectly acceptable for restaurant nachos, are, well, just that: acceptable.  Why not elevate nachos beyond the acceptable and predictable?  This recipe calls for black beans, which you can cook yourself and drain well before incorporating with the chorizo, or you can use good-quality canned black beans that have been rinsed and drained.  You can also substitute small red beans (not kidney beans) or borlotti beans if you can find them.  Surprisingly, black-eyed peas also work well with these nachos because of their earthy, nutty flavor.  The goal is to have a flavorful bean with a firm texture that brings as much nutritional value to the table as possible.

Other key ingredients that make Vindaloo's nachos excepcionales rise above the norm are chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, plenty of garlic, three different kinds of onion for color, flavor and texture, pickled or fresh minced jalapenos, a little chopped, seeded tomato or sweet red pepper for color, and two cheeses: queso cotija for saltiness and Monterey Jack for creaminess and tang.  Again, please try to find the freshest, best-quality ingredients you have available to you.  Nachos are a simple concept, but as with most simple foods, high quality ingredients elevate a pedestrian dish to an exquisite one.  Your tastebuds will thank you.

Savor these nachos.  And please write when you do.  Your comments are coveted.

Nachos Excepcionales

Of course, use this recipe as a starting point for your own exceptional nachos.  Sliced black or green olives, avocado, chopped roasted red pepper, chopped roasted Hatch green chile, sour cream and leftover ropa vieja are all viable additions and/or substitutions.  Salsa optional.





1 bag (about 12 oz.) Central Market tostada chips (I prefer red quinoa with flax seed or blue corn varieties)
6 to 8 oz. Mexican chorizo, casings removed (or about 3/4 cup Spanish chorizo in small dice, or an equal amount of carne adovada, shredded)
1 cup cooked black beans, drained (or one 15 oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained)
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 Tbs. white onion, minced
salt to taste
2 to 3 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
1/2 cup minced pickled jalapenos (I prefer the acidity of pickled jalapenos for these nachos, but you can substitute 1 fresh jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and minced if you like)
3/4 cup crumbled queso cotija
1 1/4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced, or 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
sour cream, salsa and/or chopped cilantro for garnish, optional 

1.)  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2.)  Lay tostada chips evenly over the surface of a large baking sheet with sides.
3.)  In a medium saucepan, saute chorizo over medium heat, breaking it up with a spoon or spatula.  If using Spanish chorizo or carne adovada, you will probably need to add a little olive oil to help saute the meat without sticking.
4.)  Add black beans, minced garlic, minced onion, salt to taste and minced chipotles.
5.)  Stir mixture well and lower heat to medium-low.  Taste and correct for salt.
6.)  Cook meat and bean mixture about 5 minutes, adding water if necessary.  The mixture will clump together slightly. 
7.)  Spoon dollops of the meat and bean mixture evenly over tostada chips.
8.)  Scatter jalapenos over tostadas, meat and beans.
9.)  Scatter queso cotija and Monterey Jack cheeses over all.
10.)  Scatter diced red onions, green onions and diced tomatoes (or diced red peppers, if using) over all.
11.)  Bake for approximately 10 to 12 minutes, or until Monterey Jack cheese is melted and slightly browned on the edges.
12.)  Serve immediately, garnishing with sour cream, salsa and cilantro, if desired.  Serves two very hungry people or four people as a hearty appetizer.

More nibbles, more fun

Small bites are, I think, the best way to do a party.  I like to offer lots of little tastes and lots of great-looking food in stages.  Appetizers and nibbles placed in various spots throughout the house encourage guests to move around and mingle with other guests.  Surround your guests with food, make them turn and look around to find the treasures you've prepared.  It's a happy hunt.

Here are four more small bites recipes from the New Year's Day party.  A lot of the prep work can be done a day ahead, so you can relax during your party and enjoy your guests when they come into the kitchen to talk to you.  In fact, you can even leave the kitchen to talk to them!


Sherried Mushroom Caps Stuffed with Crabmeat

Make these and you'll fall in love with their creamy, silky filling and the rich sherry undertones.  Find the recipe in this previous post from last spring.


Toasted Shrimp Crostini

These crusty and delicious open-face sandwiches are a hit every time I make them.  

1/2 lb. small to medium-size raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 Tbs. EVOO
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped green onion (tops only)
3 Tbs. sliced black olives
2 Tbs. chopped roasted red pepper or pimiento
2 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 loaf soft French bread, sliced into 1" slices and toasted gently

2 cups (or more) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
chopped flat leaf parsley, for garnish.

1. Combine shrimp, EVOO, garlic, red onion, green onion tops, black olives, roasted red pepper, dry mustard, salt, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and cayenne pepper in a medium-sized bowl.  Cover and chill for up to 3 hours.

2.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3.  Lay toasted bread slices out on a large baking sheet.
4.  Using a slotted spoon to drain off as much liquid as possible, place about 2 Tbs. marinated shrimp mixture on each slice of bread.
5.  Scatter shredded cheese on top of each crostini.
6.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.
7.  Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.  Makes about 18 crostini.


Hotsy Totsy Potato Chips

These are as easy as it gets and gorgeous to look at.  Use thick cut potato chips (such as Kettle Brand) and lay out chips on a large platter.  Place a small dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche on each chip.  This is easiest to do with a squeeze bottle.  You can also flavor the sour cream or creme fraiche with herbs or aromatics (like chives, garlic, shallots, parsley, etc.).  Then, using a demitasse spoon or butter knife, place a small amount of the best caviar you can afford on each dollop of sour cream/creme fraiche.  I like to use two different, contrasting caviars (like wild bowfin roe, which is black and tiny, and salmon roe, which is orange and a little larger).  Then garnish with snipped chives and serve.  That's it! 


Rosemary and Orange-Scented Roasted Olives with Warm Goat Cheese

This is a lovely dish to serve.  The scent of the orange peel and the herbs, the glistening olives, the creamy goat cheese--they all conspire to make you want to dive in.  Bonus: it's easy and the olives can be marinated up to two days prior to serving.

2 cups assorted pitted olives (I used jumbo black olives, jumbo queen olives, garlic stuffed olives and kalamatas)
1/2 to 1 cup torn pieces of roasted red pepper
4 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
4 strips fresh orange peel 
1 tsp. fresh or dried rosemary
1/2 cup EVOO
Freshly ground pepper
8 oz. chevre or other soft goat cheese
crackers or baguette for serving

1.  Combine olives with garlic cloves, orange peel, rosemary, EVOO and pepper.  If you want a little more oil, feel free to add more since it's delicious drizzled on almost everything. 
2.  Let olives sit in a cool place for at least 12 hours.
3.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4.  Arrange goat cheese in the center of a oven proof dish, such as a deep dish pie plate or flan pan.
5.  Arrange marinated olive mixture around the goat cheese.
6.  Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until goat cheese is soft and melted.
7.  Serve with crackers or crusty slices of baguette.  Serves 12 people.


May your tastebuds dance in the new year!

Toga party

I had been craving Greek food for weeks.  Friends were expected for dinner last Sunday night, and I wanted food that was full of flavor, and would also be a good balance between rich and healthful.  I typically think of Greek food in the spring and summer months.  There is something about those sun-drenched days that make me crave lemons, olive oil, tomatoes and cucumbers, all balanced by the salty, sharp flavor of feta cheese.

We had a flight of Greek appetizers and olives (including the obligatory shot of ouzo, followed by the obligatory "Opa!"), plenty of wine and then a simple main course of pastitsio and Greek village salad with bougatsa for dessert.  We also tried Metaxa, the Greek brandy liqueur, for the first time.  I can't say that I enjoyed that cordial; it made me think of Southern Comfort for its perfume-y properties, but it is apparently an acquired taste. 

I always say that the measure of a good dinner party is how late your guests stay after they've eaten.  Is one o'clock a.m. on a Sunday night late enough?


Miniature Spanikopita
   
       OMG!!!  Make lots of these--they won't last long.

1 10 oz. pkg. chopped frozen spinach, thawed and moisture pressed out
1 egg, well beaten
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tsp. dill weed
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch nutmeg
2  1.9 oz. pkgs. (15 pieces each) phyllo shells (like Athens brand)
1/4 cup melted butter

1.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2.  Combine thawed spinach, beaten egg, feta cheese, dill wead, pepper, salt and nutmeg.  Mix well.
3.  Fill each phyllo shell with spinach mixture, being generous.
4.  Place filled shells on a baking sheet.
5.  Drizzle a small amount of melted butter over the top of the spinach mixture.
6.  Bake for approximately 17 minutes, or until shells are puffed and sizzling.
7.  Serve immediately.  Serves 10 people.


Saganaki

This is a dramatic appetizer of flaming cheese, brandy and lemon juice.  Make sure you have all your ingredients ready to go once the cheese is fried so that the presentation is dramatic, as it is intended to be.

8 oz. Kasseri cheese (have your cheesemonger cut the cheese into a wedge)
1 egg, beaten
flour for dredging
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup brandy
matches or lighter
1/2 lemon
warm, crusty bread

1.  Dip cheese in beaten egg, then in flour, then repeat process.  Let dry on a plate slightly while you prepare to cook.
2.  Heat oil in a small, stainless steel skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat until rippling.
3.  Carefully lower wedge of cheese into skillet and fry on both sides until a golden brown crust develops.  Remove from heat.
4.  Warm brandy gently in microwave safe container (about 10 seconds).
5.  Pour brandy over cheese in skillet. 
6.  Light brandy and allow to flame for a few seconds.
7.  Extinguish flame by squeezing lemon over cheese.
8.  Serve cheese with crusty bread.  Serves 6 to 8.


Skordalia

     Very, very garlic.  Very, very good.  Excellent as a dipping sauce for all kinds of things, or as a spread for crusty bread.  Lovely with fish.

3 Tbs. minced garlic
3 to 4 boiled potatoes, mashed (or 6 slices white bread, crusts removed, soaked in 1/2 cup cold water and squeezed dry)
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Combine garlic, potatoes (or bread) in blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
2.  With motor running, add olive oil and vinegar.
3.  Add up to 1/4 cup cold water to get a mixture the consistency of mayonnaise.
4.  Add salt and pepper.  Makes about 2 cups.


Kalamarakia Krasata (Calamari Cooked in Wine)

     Squid cooked this way is tender and flavorful.  Serve as an appetizer with warm, crusty bread.  Leftovers make a really great sauce for pasta as well with plenty of feta cheese on top.

1/3 cup olive oil
1 lb. squid, cleaned and cut into bite-size pieces
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1 lb. tomatoes, grated, or 1 14.5 oz. can diced or crushed tomatoes
1 bunch parsley, chopped (about 1/2 to 1 cup)
salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley for garnish
warm, crusty bread for dipping

1.  Heat olive oil in medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat.
2.  Saute squid with onions and garlic, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.
3.  Add wine and cook until sauce is reduced to original volume, about 10 minutes.  Stir and scrape bottom of pan frequently.
4.  Add tomatoes, parsley, salt and pepper. 
5.  Blend well and simmer until squid is soft and tender, about 25 minutes.
6.  Correct salt and pepper, garnish with chopped parsley and serve with warm, crusty bread for dipping.  Serves 6 to 8.

Horiatiki  Greek Village Salad

4 cucumbers, peeled and sliced into 1" chunks
1 lb. cocktail or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 green pepper, cored and seeded and cut into 1" pieces
1/2 cup red onion, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 8 oz. block feta cheese, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 cup (or more) pitted kalamata olives
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
5 Tbs. red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
fresh oregano for garnish

1.  Layer cucumbers, tomatoes, green pepper, onion, feta cheese and olives in a large glass or decorative bowl.   Chill until serving time.
2.  Mix together EVOO and wine vinegar, season to taste with salt and pepper.
3.  Just before serving, pour dressing over salad and garnish with fresh oregano.  Toss at the table.  Serves 8.


Pastitsio    adapted from The New Doubleday Cookbook (1975)

     I love this dish for the creamy, rich sauce, the base of pasta and the cinnamon-scented meat sauce.   I
      also love it because you can assemble it up to 12 hours ahead and bake it the next day.  Instead of
      preparing two bechamel sauces, one thick and one thin, this recipe uses a clever shortcut.   You can
      substitute beef or turkey (or a combination of both) for the lamb if you wish...

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 lb. ground lamb
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. oregano
1 cup canned plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
3/4 lb. ziti or elbow macaroni
3/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup (or more) grated Romano cheese

Cream Sauce: 
4 Tbs. butter
6 Tbs. flour
2 1/4 cups milk
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten with 2 Tbs. milk

1.  Fry onion, garlic and lamb in olive oil in a 2-quart saucepan 8-10 minutes over medium-high heat, breaking up lamb with a spoon, until no longer pink.
2.  Add salt, pepper, cinnamon, oregano, tomatoes and tomato sauce.
3.  Cover and simmer 30 minutes.
4.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5.  Cook and drain ziti according to package directions; rinse in cold water and drain again.
6.  Make the cream sauce:  Melt butter in a medium-sized saucepan over moderate heat.
7.  Blend in flour.
8.  Slowly add 1 3/4 cups milk and heat, stirring constantly, until very thick.
9.  Blend in salt and pepper.
10. Off heat, measure 1 1/4 cups sauce into a bowl and beat in remaining 1/2 cup milk; set aside.
11. Mix a little of the remaining thick sauce into egg yolk/milk mixture and return to pan.  Blend well, still off heat; set aside.
12. Skim any fat off meat sauce and discard. 
13. Blend in 1/2 cup bread crumbs.
14. Sprinkle remaining bread crumbs over bottom of a well-greased shallow 2 1/2 quart casserole dish.
15. Layer in half the ziti, spread with all of the meat sauce, then half the thin cream sauce.
16. Sprinkle with half the cheese.
17. Top with remaining ziti and thin sauce.
18. Using a spatula, spread thick cream sauce evenly over all, then scatter remaining cheese over the top.
19. Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes, then reduce temperature to 325 degrees and bake 10 minutes longer, until lightly browned.  Serves 6 generously.



Bougatsa  adapted from Sofi's Aegean Kitchen (1993)

     This apple and custard pastry is lovely--and rich.

2 cups milk
3 Tbs. flour
4 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 medium egg yolks
4 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
3 large golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed and cut into four pieces each (I used Pepperidge Farm)

Confectioner's sugar and ground cinnamon for garnish
Toasted, sliced almonds for garnish

1.  Heat 1 1/2 cups milk in medium saucepan.
2.  Meanwhile, combine flour, 3 Tbs. sugar and cornstarch in a bowl.
3.  Whisk in remaining 1/2 cup milk and the egg yolks.
4.  Whisk mixture into heated milk and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until it is thick and creamy.  Remove from heat.
5.  Beat in 1 1/2 Tbs. butter and the vanilla.
6.  In a heavy skillet, melt the remaining butter over medium heat.
7.  Add the apples and cook until soft, stirring frequently, about 5 to 10 minutes.
8.  Sprinkle with remaining sugar and continue to cook until lightly caramelized and golden.
9.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and stir the apples into the custard.  Set aside to cool.
10. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll out each piece of pastry on a lightly floured board to about 7" squares.
11. Spoon equal amounts of custard filling in the center of each square, then fold pastry in half to form 3 1/2" rectangles, pinching edges to seal.
12.  Bake on a greased baking sheet until golden brown and puffy, about 30 minutes.
13.  Remove from oven and sprinkle lavishly with confectioner's sugar, cinnamon and toasted, sliced almonds.  Serve immediately.  Serves 8.


About what we drank...starting with appetizers, we opened Branciforti Inzolia-Catarratto 2010 (Sicily).  Light, slightly mineral, with hints of grapefruit.  Refreshingly bracing.  We followed with a classic, Segura Viudas Brut Rose, a beautiful and elegant strawberry-colored cava that is soft, lightly acidic and hints of cherry and grenadine.  We also drank Rosa del Golfo 2007 (Italy), an herbaceous, dry rose with an intensely coppery hue in the glass.  This rose is silky and floral, a lovely counterpart to the olives and garlic in the appetizers.  With dinner, we drank Henry Fessy Beaujolais-Villages 2009 (France).  This lovely Beaujolais-Villages, much more sophisticated than a Beaujolais-Nouveau is full of red currant, cherry and raspberry.  It's soft and mildly tannic with hints of earth and some floral notes.  A flattering counterpart to the main course.  Thanks to both my terrific and helpful wine guys at Spec's for their continuous and unflagging assistance with all of my wine needs and desires!

Opa!!!  May your tastebuds dance!

Other people's food

I love it when other people cook for me.  I especially love it when they do it out of love and for the pure pleasure of cooking for others.  Fortunately, I have several friends who cook, and cook well.  A long-time close friend who always makes my large gatherings a success makes several fabulous things, but I mostly enjoy her crab-stuffed mushrooms and her miniature croissant sandwiches with cranberry mayo, sliced turkey, Gruyere, and arugula.  She also makes a killer good remoulade sauce and some entirely delectable sauteed chicken livers.  She makes a lot of great food--and we've made a lot of great food together--but I first fell in love with her because of her mushrooms.

I have another friend who makes the best fried chicken you'll ever put in your mouth, and another who has unfailing instinct for excellent cheeses and even more excellent wines, but what I remember most about what she's cooked for me was a warm spinach salad with toasted walnuts and shallots, perfectly seasoned and perfectly dressed with EVOO and an excellent red wine vinegar. 

I had another friend who loved Diana Kennedy's recipes and produced excellent carnitas and a seriously addictive pumpkinseed dip.  Then there's my Indian friends, who have treated me on early chilly Saturday mornings to freshly made chappatis with fenugreek leaves and the best cups of chai I've ever had, cauliflower pakoras, samosas filled with spicy potatoes and peas, and my hands-down favorite Indian snack, pani puri.  Pani puri, for the uninitiated, are crispy, light little puffs made of semolina flour that you poke a hole in with your finger, then fill with lentil sprouts, cold seasoned potatoes, and a cool mint/coriander water spiked with ginger and chilies. You pop them in your mouth and all the flavors and juices explode into a delirious melange of pure joy.  I literally cannot stop eating them when they're offered.

I know I'm overlooking others' gifts of love and labor to me and will want to acknowledge them as I remember them.  For now, thank you to all of you who have taken such good care of me with your culinary gifts.  Keep it coming!

When I'm in the mood to spend money, and when I'm with a friend who appreciates good food and good wine, I like visiting high-end restaurants and having a leisurely spell to forage through their appetizer menus and wine lists.  I can count on one hand the amount of times I've actually ordered an entree in an upscale restaurant and can easily say that the most memorable experiences I've had have always included a flight of appetizers and wines.  If you want to see what a chef can do, eat strictly from the appetizer menu because that's where creativity lives.  I'll put my money on lots of small plates with a different experience on each every time.

Most well-trained waitstaff are going to have fun with this approach too.  I always let my server know what I'm planning to do.  Sometimes I let the chef choose the order in which the appetizers are served, and sometimes I choose.  I guess it just depends on my whim--and on the wine list.  If the restaurant I'm visiting has a killer wine list, then I let that guide me.  I will at times also depend on the staff and the chef to recommend the wine s/he thinks goes best with the appetizer I've ordered.  I have yet to have a negative reaction from waitstaff when you ask for their suggestions and help with pairings.  A server worth his or her salt in an upscale restaurant will not only know the menu and the wine list, s/he will have tasted most everything offered on the the menu (or knows someone there who has).  So utilize their skills and experience.  They enjoy showing what they know and they like their customers to have fun.

In recent memory, here's what has caught my attention:  A duck confit tamale with a glass of Bodegas Caro Cabernet/Malbec (Argentina) at Casa Vieja in Corrales, NM (I still dream about this tamale on the astral plane), a pecan-smoked beet salad with goat cheese and vanilla-cane vinaigrette and the Creole crabmeat cheesecake at The Palace Cafe in New Orleans.  At Stories at the Hyatt Lost Pines in Bastrop, TX, I'm totally enamoured of their Crab Salad, a cool, creamy tower of hearts of palm, roasted tomato, avocado and herb coulis (the staff chose Erath Vineyards Pinot Gris, Oregon) as well as their Mushrooms and Chive Crepes with local mushrooms and thyme cream (the staff chose Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California).

One of my favorite places to go for inventive appetizers is Olivia on South Lamar in Austin.  This restaurant has a remarkable and diverse wine list and a menu that's always changing because they depend on locally grown, seasonably available ingredients.  Recently, I had roasted golden beets, ricotta salata, toasted walnuts and an herb salad dressed with black truffle vinaigrette with a lovely glass of E. Guigal Cote du Rhone Blanc 2009 (France) that stunned me.  And here is where I encountered my first RED OLIVE.  I mentioned cerignola olives in a previous post.  They are a wonderfully plump, meaty and buttery fruit, but dyed red, they are eye-popping, gorgeous, totally believably red (in the same sense that hair color could be a believable blond) and not "a color not normally found in nature" red (like marschino cherries).  I thought at first that they might be red from soaking in some kind of bitters (I imagined a faint Campari-like flavor), but it seems they are dyed with E127 when processed in Italy.  E127, I discovered, is erythrosine, a commonly-used food colorant (for things like pistachio shells), which of course has been found to cause cancer in lab rats in large quantities.  Originally, I didn't think my consumption of two of these beauties would put me in much danger, but I'm now thinking of purchasing a 4 lb. jar, which could quite possibly put me in the Geiger counter range.  I'll keep you posted.

Prior to my last Red Olive Day at Olivia, I enjoyed more decadence than any human being ought to at Parkside on E. 6th in Austin.  There's a young chef there really knows how to use and balance acid and can knock your socks off with ingenuity.  The night I literally ate my way through most of the appetizer menu in 3 1/2 hours, I had the fried oyster BLT with avocado and green goddess aioli on romaine, the sweetbreads and veal tongue with cauliflower and cumin crisps, the marrow bones with a kick-butt, perfectly dressed herb salad and the blond pate with strawberry relish.  And that was just for starters, because we decided we couldn't leave untasted the lamb with sunchoke gratin entree.  The most memorable wines that evening were the Laxas Albarino 2009 (Argentina) and the Carlos Basso "Dos Fincas" Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec 2009 (Argentina), which sent me on an immediate hunt at my local Spec's, where I found them both.

Well, that's probably enough to get you started.  I'll think of more great bites--and will certainly be doing some more research in the near future!

May your tastebuds dance.

Forget dinner, I'd rather have hor d'oeuvres

Hor d'oeuvres have always been the most fun part of the meal for me.  Usually the only thing I will order in any upscale restaurant (more on that in a future post), they present opportunities for boundless creativity, surprise and amusement.  They can also be as easy or as complicated, as whimsical or as straightforward as you wish.  Last Saturday night's dinner party started with Villa Jolanda Prosecco (my go-to budget-friendly Italian sparkler that is bright and lemony) and was accompanied by three hor d'oeuvres.  They were all easy to prepare and fairly straightforward.  However, they do require planning ahead because some of the ingredients are only available in places such as Whole Foods and Central Market.

The first of the three were cerignola olives, touted as the largest olive in the world (and they easily are).  Cerignolas come in green, black, and RED (I'm referring to a vivid red, not reddish like a calamata) and they have pits.  I found mine at Central Market and chose the green variety, which have a firm but yielding flesh and a buttery flavor.  Just to make things interesting, I drained the brine, combined them with orange zest, fresh thyme leaves, cracked pepper, a whole clove of garlic and some EVOO.  I let them "cure" a little in the fridge for several hours, but they would have been better prepared the day before.

My second hor d'oeuvre was a little bean I've become addicted to after reading a 2010 Saveur article on readers' 100 favorite gourmet foods.  Lupini beans have turned this girl's head.  Salty, briny, nutty and very firm, they're just plain fun to eat.  You can eat them straight from the jar, or you can do as I did on Saturday night:  drain them of their brine.  Return them to a serving dish (I used an oversized martini glass) and drizzle them with EVOO, then sprinkle with a generous amount of cracked black pepper.  YUM!  There are several brands available (Cento and DeLallo are the two I've seen locally).  My guests really loved them.  They're best at room temperature.  I have a friend who eats them regularly and adds garlic along with the EVOO.  She says she has to have them pretty much every day.

The third hor d'oeuvre took a little more effort to prepare but it's a simple and versatile preparation.  It's also seriously delicious.  I developed this recipe last summer after looking for a fresh "salsa" for grilled halibut.  It's great on grilled tuna as well, or any firm-flesh fish.  But don't think of the typical salsa flavor profile for this--it goes in a different direction.  Straight to the Mediterranean.  Recipe follows.

I also want to include my recipe for Chicken Cacciatore (below), which I've been refining over the years.  I think I'm at the zenith with this one, but I'll wait for your comments.  I served the chicken with polenta enriched with plenty of butter and parmesan, but you could easy serve it with the pasta of your choice.  The main course was accompanied by a bitter winter greens salad seasoned with dried marjoram, basil and oregano, dressed with EVOO, cabernet wine vinegar and splash of balsamic, and finished with flake salt and curls of Pecorino Romano.  We also enjoyed a bottle of Castello D'Albola 2007 Chianti Classico (Italy), a lovely soft, dry red with just a few tannins, lots of cherry and fruit in the mouth, floral nose.  Lovely, full, and a perfect acid balance with the rich main course.  Gorgeous in the glass.  Thanks again, to one of my wine guys at Spec's.

One more note:  I really cheated on dessert.  After my original plans to make homemade meringues with strawberries macerated in Grand Marnier fell through due to the humidity, I caved in and served individual dishes of fresh strawberries with a small cup of warmed Nutella (add a little Frangelico to make it more adult) and Pepperidge Farm Black and White Milano cookies on the side.  Served with great coffee and cordials, it was an easy dessert and not as much as a cop-out as I feared, as evidenced by its quick disappearance.


Tomato, Caper and Parsley Condimento

          Serve this with grilled slices of French bread that have been brushed with olive oil...

2 medium tomatoes (of course, very fresh, very ripe summer tomatoes are preferable, but I used 2 large Romas)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbs. finely chopped parsley (Italian flat-leaf is preferred)
2 Tbs. capers (non-pareil size)
1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup EVOO (make it a fruity one)

Cut the tomatoes into quarters, removing seeds and juice (reserve for another use if you wish).  Cut into 1/4 inch dice.  Mix tomatoes in a small bowl with remaining ingredients.  Serve immediately, or chill until ready to use.  Keeps for 3 days.

Wealthy Peasant

chicken cacciatore

3 lbs. bone-in chicken thighs, skin and fat removed

1 lbs. mild or hot Italian sausage (links cut in half)

Salt and pepper

1 lb. mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped

2 Tbs. EVOO

26 oz. jar marinara sauce (use a high-quality sauce such as Mezetta or Newman’s)

1 15 oz. can chopped fire-roasted tomatoes

2 to 3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped

1 Tbs. anchovy paste (or use half of a 2 oz. tin)

1 cup oil-cured olives, pitted ***

¼ cup capers (capotes-size or larger)

1 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1 tsp. dried fennel

¾ tsp. dried thyme

3 cups dry red wine

1 med. onion, cut into ½ inch wedges

1 sweet red pepper, cut into lengthwise strips

1 green pepper, cut into lengthwise strips

Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Asiago or parmesan cheese, freshly grated

      1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2.     Place chicken thighs and sausage in a large gratin or oblong baking dish (approx. 10 X 13 inches).  Season generously with salt and pepper.  Roast in oven until meat is browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.

3.     Meanwhile, sauté mushrooms on medium-high heat in a medium-size sauté pan until well-browned, about 10 minutes.  Salt and pepper generously.  Set aside.

4.     Heat marinara sauce gently and add the canned tomatoes, garlic, anchovy paste, oil-cured olives, capers, crushed red pepper, rosemary, fennel and thyme.  Mix well.  Check for seasoning and correct salt.  Add sauteed mushrooms.  Continue to heat gently.

5.     Pour wine over chicken and sausage.  Scatter onion and red and green peppers over the top.  Return to oven to caramelize vegetables for about 10 minutes.

6.     Pour warm sauce over meat and vegetables.  Cover loosely with foil and reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.  Bake for at least another 30 minutes.  The chicken should fall off the bone when this dish is done.

7.     Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with polenta or pasta.  Pass plenty of grated cheese.  Serves 4.

***You can approximate the flavor of oil-cured olives by draining a can of small pitted olives and poaching slowly with 1 tsp. salt in1/3 cup EVOO over low heat for about 1 hour.