White Almond Gazpacho

(Bartolomé's Málaga-style White Gazpacho)

from "La Cocina de Mamá " by Penelope Casas

Serves 4

Penelope writes -

"A gazpacho typical of Malaga that relies on blanched almonds for its pure white color and creamy consistency. Sweet green grapes are the essential counterpoint to the soup's tang of garlic and vinegar.

Chef Bartolomé Rodrigo Lucena, a native of Andalucia whose love of cooking began at his mother's side, is today the chef at Malaga's Parador de Gibralfaro, a government-sponsored hotel spectacularly set on a hilltop with extraordinary views of the city's port and the Mediterranean sea.

The shrimp that Bartolomé adds to this traditional gazpacho are unorthodox, to be sure, but give a lovely flavor counterpoint. "

INGREDIENTS:

One 6-inch piece cut from firm-textured French-style bread, crusts removed

1/2 pound (about 1 1/2 cups) blanched almonds

2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup mild extra virgin olive oil

4 cups ice water

16 to 24 skinned seedless green grapes, or 16 small balls of green melon or apple

12 small cooked and shelled shrimp, optional

Preparation:

• - Soak the bread in water and squeeze dry. Place it in a food processor, add the almonds and garlic, and blend until very smooth.
• - Add the vinegar and salt, and with the motor running, add the oil in a thin stream until fully incorporated.
• - Gradually pour in the ice water.
• - Transfer to a covered bowl and chill for several hours or overnight.
• - Before serving, taste for salt and vinegar and adjust if necessary.
• - Serve in small soup bowls and garnish each serving with 4 to 6 grapes or melon or apple balls and 3 shrimp.

buttermilk waffles

adapted from Alton Brown

2 c flour
1 T cornmeal
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
3 T sugar
2 eggs, separated
pinch of cream of tartar
4 T unsalted butter, melted, cooled
1 3/4 c buttermilk

Whisk dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, salt, soda, sugar) together in a large bowl. In a second bowl, whisk the egg yolks and butter together; add buttermilk. In a third bowl (chilled, if you think of it in time) beat egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry mixture and stir well. Carefully fold in egg whites.

Cook as directed by your waffle iron manufacturer.

barley and corn salad

2/3 c pearl barley
8-12 oz green beans -- trimmed
8-12 oz smallish asparagus
1 c fresh corn kernels, barely cooked
4 oz baby arugula, washed and dried
1/2 c extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 c white wine vinegar
3 T minced shallots
2 T minced fresh thyme (do not substitute dried)
2 t dijon mustard
3 1/2 oz soft fresh goat cheese -- crumbled

Cook barley in medium saucepan of boiling lightly salted water until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain; cool. Transfer to large bowl.

Cook beans in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain. Transfer beans to bowl of ice water to cool. Drain well. Repeat with asparagus. Pat vegetables dry with paper towels. Cut beans and asparagus into 2-inch pieces. Transfer to bowl with barley. Mix in corn kernels. If necessary, coarsely chop the arugula; add to bowl with barley mixture.

Whisk olive oil, vinegar, shallots, thyme and Dijon mustard in small bowl to blend. Pour enough dressing over barley mixture to coat. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with goat cheese.

You can make this the day before, which will only help the flavors meld. The arugula will wilt somewhat, but it's still good.

AB's crab fritters

1 c lump crab meat (may be called jumbo, imperial, or colassal)
1 c regular crab meat (may be called regular, special, or backfin)
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/2 t fresh pepper
juice of half a lemon
1 1/2 c panko

2-3 qt canola oil

heat your oil in a heavy pot over medium high heat until it reaches 375 degrees. meanwhile, combine the other ingredients in a bowl. put the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. scoop with a 1 oz (no. 24) ice cream scoop and roll in the breadcrumbs until covered. fry, a few at a time, 5-7 minutes in the 375 degree oil.

AB cheese soup

32 oz chicken broth

2 T butter

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

3 T all-purpose flour

bay leaf

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 c cream

10 oz fontina cheese, shredded

1 T marsala wine

1 T Worcestershire sauce

a few dashes hot sauce to taste

white pepper to taste

Heat up 32 oz chicken broth in an electric kettle or a saucepan.

Melt butter in a heavy soup pot; add onions, carrots, and celery, along with a generous pinch of salt. Stir for 5-10 minutes until veggies are soft. Use a sifter to add all purpose flour evenly on top of vegetables; stir in, cook until flour disappears. Add broth slowly, stirring constantly. Add a bay leaf and minced garlic.

Cover, lower heat to simmer, and cook for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf, and add cream. Mix with an immersion blender to make everything nice and creamy.

Add shredded cheese, a handful at a time, stirring each handful in completely before adding more. Finish with marsala wine, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and white pepper.

Serve immediately. Use a double-boiler to reheat any leftovers.

dips to try

california dip

1 1/2 c sour cream
3/4 c mayo
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 c diced onion
kosher salt
1/4 t white pepper
1/4 t garlic powder


cook onions in olive oil with about 1/2 t salt over medium low heat for about 20 minutes, until onions are a rich brown color. transfer to bowl, making sure you get all the oil. add 1/2 t more salt, white pepper, and garlic powder. combine well and refrigerate until ready to serve.

chicken liver mousse

defrost frozen chicken livers in milk in the fridge overnight. in large saucepan, over medium heat, melt 2 T unsalted butter. add 2 c coarsely chopped onions, 1 coarsely chopped granny smith apple, 1 t fresh chopped thyme, and a heavy pinch of kosher salt. cover and cook until soft and golden brown. add a pound of chicken livers, cleaned and drained. stir the livers into the heat gently, and cook for about three minutes. when livers are done, the outside will look sandy gray, and the insides will still be pink. add a quarter cup of brandy, and simmer for another minute. let cool for five minutes.

transfer to a food processor and puree into a smooth paste. in a chilled bowl, whip a cup of heavy cream to soft peaks. fold half the cream carefully into the liver mixture until it is smooth and mostly combined. add the rest of the cream and fold until completely combined. serve immediately or cover and chill for up to two days.

Andalusian Beef Stew (Estofado de Buey a la Andaluza)

I'm on a bit of an Iberian kick lately, which is both good (it's tasty and mostly good for you) and not helpful (most of my recipes are for dishes more suited for colder weather). This stew was excellent last Friday night when it was rainy and damp.

We had it with homemade herb bread, recipe to follow, and a Spanish red (duh). It makes quite a bit; I'll have lunch for a few days.

Adapted from My Kitchen in Spain, by Janet Mendel

2-3 pounds stewing beef, cut into 1" cubes
1 onion, sliced
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 T olive oil
1 c water
2 t better-than-bouillon concentrate (or substitute beef broth for the water + concentrate)
1/2 c dry sherry or vermouth
2 large bay leaves
a pinch of cloves
1/4 t cinnamon
a generous pinch of saffron threads, crushed
2 t salt
1 whole head garlic, roasted and peeled
2 carrots, sliced
4 large potatoes, peeled and diced

In a stew pot, combine the beef, onion, tomato, oil, sherry/vermouth, water, bouillon. Bring to a boil and add the bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, saffron, and salt. Add roasted garlic. Cover and simmer very slowly until the meat is almost tender, about 1 hour.

Add the sliced carrots and the potatoes. Cover and simmer for another 30 minutes, adding more water if necessary, until the meat and potatoes are very tender. Note: my liquid did not quite cover all the solid ingredients and it worked out fine. Add salt and white pepper to taste before you're done simmering.

Remove the bay leaves. The liquid will not thicken, so serve in soup bowls.

veal paprika

makes around three servings

1 lb boneless veal, trimmed of as much fat as possible and cut in 1" cubes
1 1/2 cups beef broth
flour
salt
pepper
paprika
white pepper
olive oil
3-4 slices thick cut bacon, diced
1 onion, sliced into strips or rings
2 cloves garlic
8 oz mushrooms, cut into thick slices

Mix salt and pepper with flour and lightly dredge the veal cubes in it. Meanwhile, heat a large deep saute pan over medium high heat, and add bacon. When pan is ready, the veal cubes, making sure to brown them on all sides as quickly as possible. If bacon does not give off enough fat, use a little olive oil to prevent burning or sticking. Add the onion and garlic; cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften.

Turn heat to low, add broth, about a quarter of a teaspoon of white pepper, and around a tablespoon of paprika, stir well. Cover and cook until veal is tender, at least twenty minutes, probably closer to forty, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken as it cooks because of the flour on the veal, but if you want it thicker, cook it uncovered for a bit, stirring frequently. Add the mushrooms around five minutes before it's finished. Some people like sour cream mixed in right before serving, but it's very good without that too. Serve over egg noodles.

everyday bread pudding

This is based on the low-fat bread pudding recipe in my new edition of the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook. It's good made with a dense Italian or French style bread--the Cuban bread we get around here is perfect. If your bread isn't stale, you can dry the cubes out in a warm oven for 10-15 minutes.

6 beaten eggs
3 c milk
1/2 c sugar
2 T vanilla
2-3 t finely grated orange peel
1/2 t ground cardamom
1/2 t ground cinnamon
6-8 c dry bread cubes (around 3/4" square)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, orange peel, cardamom, and cinnamon. Put bread cubes in an ungreased baking dish. Pour egg mixture over bread mixture. You want the liquid mixture to come at least halfway up the bread but not to cover the top of the cubes. If you need to mix a little more liquid, use 2 eggs to a cup of milk, adding flavoring at your discretion.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool slightly. If desired, serve warm with Whiskey Sauce or whipped cream or both (this will alter the low-fat attribute somewhat).

If you want, you can put a streusel-style topping on it before cooking: combine 1/3 c all-purpose flour, 1/3 c packed brown sugar, and 3 T softened butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle over pudding before baking.

gingered sugar cookies

For once, I didn't change this recipe at all (except to add a little more ginger). According to the folks at Cooks Illustrated, from whence it came, it's best to use flour with a protein of around 10.5 percent (Pillsbury or Gold Medal) rather than something (like King Arthur at 11.7 percent). The higher protein will result in drier, cakier cookies.

Makes 2 dozen cookies

1/2 c sugar, for rolling dough
1 t grated fresh ginger (I use this stuff and press the liquid out in paper towels)
2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t table salt
16 T (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still firm (60 to 65 degrees F)
1 c granulated sugar
1 T light brown sugar
1 large egg
2-4 T minced crystallized ginger
1 1/2 t vanilla extract

In food processor or spice grinder, process 1/2 c sugar and fresh ginger until just combined; set aside for rolling.

Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions; heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl; set aside.

With mixer, beat butter, 1 c sugar, and brown sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add egg, crystallized ginger, and vanilla; beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.

Place ginger sugar for rolling in shallow bowl. Fill medium bowl with cold tap water. Dip hands in water and shake off the excess (this prevents dough from sticking to your hands and ensure that sugar sticks to dough). Roll heaping tablespoon dough into 1 1/2" ball between moistened palms; roll ball in ginger sugar, then place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, moistening hands frequently and spacing balls about 2" apart. Butter the bottom of a flat-bottomed drinking glass; dip bottom of glass in remaining ginger sugar and flatten dough balls with bottom of glass until dough is 1/2-3/4" thick.

Bake until cookies are golden brown around edges and just set and very lightly colored in center, 15 to 18 minutes, reversing position of cookie sheets from front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking time. Cool cookies on baking sheet about 3 minutes; using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.