Ensalada 1. Romaine Salad with Hearts of Palm & Orange-­‐Honey Vinaigrette For the vinaigrette: • 6 Tbs. Dijon mustard • Finely grated zest of 2 oranges (about 2 Tbs.) • Juice of 2 oranges (about 1/2 cup) • 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice • 2 Tbs. honey • 1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander • Pinch celery salt • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper • 1/2 cup extra-­‐virgin olive oil For the salad: • 1 Spanish onion, sliced into 1/8-­‐inch rings • 4 oranges • 4 hearts of romaine, washed, dried and torn into large pieces (about 8 cups) • 12 canned hearts of palm, sliced into 1/4-­‐inch coins • kalamata olives Make the vinaigrette: In a bowl, combine the mustard, orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, honey, coriander, and celery salt, if using. Season with salt and pepper to taste and blend well with a whisk. Combine the oils in a measuring cup and, while constantly whisking the mustard mixture, slowly drizzle in the oils. Taste for seasoning. Cover and set aside until needed. Prepare the onion rings and oranges: Rinse the onion rings in a strainer under cold water. Put them in a small bowl with cold water, cover, and refrigerate until needed. Slice off the ends of the oranges and set the fruit on one end. Following the fruit's contours, slice off the peel and the white pith. Hold the peeled orange over a bowl and slice along the membranes to free the segments. To serve: Put the lettuce in a large bowl. Stir or whisk the vinaigrette and pour 1/2 cup of it over the lettuce; toss to coat, adding more salt and pepper to taste. Distribute the greens among ten salad plates. Top with the onions, orange segments, hearts of palm, and olives. Drizzle 1 Tbs. of the vinaigrette over each salad and serve immediately. 2. Spanish Anchovy, Fennel, and Preserved Lemon Salad • ½ cup extra-­‐virgin olive oil • 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar • 10 ounces baby arugula • 2 large fennel bulbs, very thinly sliced, divided • 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced, divided • 2 tablespoons minced purchased or homemade preserved lemon • 16 ounces Spanish white anchovies in vinegar or smoked trout Whisk oil and vinegar in small bowl. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Combine 1/2 of the fennel, 1/2 of the onion, and preserved lemon in large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Arrange on platter. Top with remaining fennel and onion, then anchovies. Drizzle with more dressing and serve. Queso 1. Manchego with Almonds and Green Olives • 1 pound green olives such as arbequina or picholine (2 2/3 cups) • 3 tablespoons extra-­‐virgin olive oil • 4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled • 2 (3-­‐ by 1-­‐inch) strips orange zest, thinly sliced crosswise • 2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California, halved • 3/4 pound Manchego cheese, rind cut off and cheese cut into 3/4-­‐inch cubes • 1/4 pound toasted Marcona almonds (3/4 cup) Toss olives with oil, garlic, zest, and bay leaves and marinate, chilled, at least 4 hours. Bring olives to room temperature. Discard bay leaves and garlic, then toss olives with cheese and sprinkle almonds on top. Olives can be marinated for 3 days (flavor will improve). 2. Figs with Burrata and Port-­‐Balsamic Syrup PORT-­‐BALSAMIC SYRUP: 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup tawny port FIGS: 3 ounces fresh mozzarella or burrata 8 fresh figs, stems removed, halved (or quartered, if large) Freshly ground black pepper 16 thin slices prosciutto, about 1/2 pound Combine vinegar and port in a small heavy saucepan over high heat. Reduce for 6-­‐7 minutes, or until syrupy. Bubbles will begin to form. (Do not reduce it too much or it will become stringy.) Cool the syrup. Use a funnel to pour it into a container with a spout. Cover and refrigerate up to 1 month. Cut cheese into 1/2-­‐inch cubes and press firmly into the center of the fig halves. Sprinkle with black pepper. Wrap a prosciutto slice around each fig half and arrange on a platter. (This may be done up to 6 hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, then bring to room temperature.) Just before serving, drizzle the syrup over the figs. 3. Assortment of Spanish cheeses, Quince paste, olives, etc. Postre 1. Almond Cake •
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1/2 pound (1 3/4 cups) blanched whole almonds 6 large eggs, separated 1 1/4 cups superfine sugar Grated zest of 1 orange Grated zest of 1 lemon 4 drops almond extract Confectioners’ sugar for dusting Preparation: Finely grind the almonds in a food processor. With an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the sugar to a smooth pale cream. Beat in the zests and almond extract. Add the ground almonds and mix very well. With clean beaters, beat the egg whites in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold them into the egg and almond mixture (the mixture is thick, so you will need to turn it over quite a bit into the egg whites). Grease an 11-­‐inch springform pan, preferably nonstick, with butter and dust it with flour. Pour in the cake batter, and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 40 minutes, or until it feels firm to the touch. Let cool before turning out. Just before serving, dust the top of the cake with confectioners' sugar. Variations: • Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the egg yolk and almond mixture. • Flavor with the grated zest of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and a few drops of vanilla extract. • Cover with apricot jam or oranges marinated in red wine syrup: Oranges in Red Wine Syrup • 1 750-­‐ml bottle dry red wine • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar • 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half • 8 oranges Preparation: Bring wine, 1 cup sugar, and cinnamon to boil in large saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil until reduced to 1 cup, about 18 minutes. Cool syrup completely. Cover and chill until cold. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.) Finely grate peel from 2 oranges. Mix peel and 1 tablespoon sugar in small bowl. Using small sharp knife, cut off peel and white pith from all oranges. Working over large bowl, cut between membranes to release segments. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover orange segments and sugared peel separately and chill.) Divide oranges and juice among bowls. Drizzle syrup over and sprinkle with sugared orange peel. 2. Flan •
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3 1/2 cups whipping cream 2 cups full–fat milk Generous pinch of salt 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise 1 3/4 cups sugar 2/3 cup water 6 large eggs 4 large yolks 1 cup sugar Preparation: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Combine cream, milk and salt in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into cream mixture; add bean. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and let steep 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 1 3/4 sugar and 2/3 cup water in another heavy medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and cook without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan occasionally, about 10 minutes. Quickly pour caramel into twelve 3/4-­‐cup ramekins or custard cups. Using oven mitts as aid, immediately tilt each ramekin to coat sides. Set ramekins into 13x9x2-­‐inch baking pan. Whisk eggs, egg yolks and remaining sugar in medium bowl just until blended. Gradually and gently whisk cream mixture into egg mixture without creating lots of foam. Pour custard through small sieve into prepared ramekins, dividing evenly (mixture will fill ramekins). Pour enough hot water into baking pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake until centers of flans are gently set, about 40 minutes. Transfer flans to rack and cool. Chill until cold, about 2 hours. Cover and chill overnight. (Can be made 2 days ahead.) To serve, run small sharp knife around flan to loosen. Turn over onto plate. Shake gently to release flan. Carefully lift off ramekin allowing caramel syrup to run over flan. Repeat with remaining flans and serve. Pan y Sopa/Tapas/Vegetales This is a catchall category for whoever feels adventurous. Bread is a mandatory contribution. Beyond that, creative license is granted to serve a vegetable side, soup, and/or tapa. Below are some ideas! 1. Bread (grilled on the Big Green Egg?) 2. Green Beans with Smoked Paprika and Almonds •
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Kosher salt 2 lbs. green beans, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 2-­‐inch lengths (6 cups) 1 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 6 medium) 3 Tbs. extra-­‐virgin olive oil 4 tsp. granulated sugar 1 cup coarsely chopped Marcona almonds 3/4 tsp. hot Spanish smoked paprika (pimentón de la Vera) Bring a large pot of well-­‐salted water to a boil. Cook the beans in the water until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice bath to cool. Drain well and pat dry. Put the shallots and olive oil in a cold 12-­‐inch skillet and set the pan over medium-­‐high heat. Cook until the shallots begin to turn golden, stirring to break them into rings, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the sugar over the shallots and stir constantly until they are golden all over, about 45 seconds. Add the almonds, stir well, and immediately add the beans and smoked paprika. Cook, stirring, until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and serve. 3. Grilled Watermelon Gazpacho with Lime Crema •
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4 Tbs. extra-­‐virgin olive oil 1 tsp. chipotle chile powder 6 lb. watermelon (about 1/4 of 1 large melon), sliced 3/4-­‐inch thick Kosher salt 2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped 1 1/2 cup chopped English cucumber, peeled 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 2 Tbs. chopped shallot 1 medium serrano chile, seeded and chopped 6 Tbs. fresh lime juice 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar 1/2 cup crème fraîche Prepare a high charcoal or gas grill fire. In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbs. of the oil with the chipotle powder. Brush the watermelon slices with the chipotle oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt. Grill the watermelon until nicely charred on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, remove the rind, seed if necessary, and coarsely chop the flesh. In a blender, combine the watermelon flesh, tomato, cucumber, cilantro, shallot, serrano chile, and the remaining 2 Tbs. olive oil. Blend until almost smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in 3 Tbs. of the lime juice, the red wine vinegar, and season to taste with salt. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 4 hours. When ready to serve, combine the crème fraîche with the remaining 3 Tbs. lime juice in a small bowl. Taste the soup and correct the seasoning, if necessary. Ladle the soup into cups and garnish with a drizzle of the lime-­‐crème fraîche mixture. 4. Cantaloupe with Jamón •
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2 tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar 6 tablespoons extra-­‐virgin olive oil (preferably Spanish) Fine sea salt cantaloupe, quartered, seeded 1/2 pound very thinly sliced jamón Serrano or prosciutto, each slice cut lengthwise in half, then into 2-­‐inch-­‐long pieces Finely chopped fresh chives •
Pour vinegar into small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing to taste with sea salt. Cover and refrigerate (can be made 1 day ahead). Rewhisk dressing before using. Using long sharp knife, cut each melon quarter into 4 long wedges. Partially cut melon on each wedge into 4 or 5 sections (do not cut through peel). Can be made 2 hours ahead. Wrap and chill. Slide jamón slice into each cut in melon wedges. Arrange melon on large platter. Drizzle with dressing; sprinkle with chives.