Tapas Recipes: Tortilla Española with Ají Amarillo

When you're making and serving tapas at home, a single tapas recipe or dish is made large and meant to be shared in small bites. And since tapas means small bites the confines of the idea are pretty much endless, from a creative standpoint.

I am so thrilled to be bringing you my own small bite; my twist on a classic: Tortilla Española with Ají Amarillo paste. A tortilla in the Americas usually means a very flat bread made with stone ground corn flour (masa) or wheat flour, and fried on a griddle. This type of tortilla is a wrap or vessel for delicious stuffing. A tortilla in Spain, at least a “Spanish style tortilla” is an entirely different thing. It is a light, fluffy omelet/thin egg pie that is often studded with cubed potatoes and will sometimes also include sauteed onions. I kept the dish to more or less the same formula, but I thought it would make for an interesting variation to fill the tortilla with spicy potatoes and caramelized onions. I topped it with minced green olives and a skewered slice of Bresaola (the closest thing I could find to Serrano Ham at my regular market; it seems like the beef equivalent of Serrano Ham). The combination of fluffy, spicy omelet with earthy potatoes, the richly nuanced musk of dry cured meat and briny olives was just perfect. Not to mention this dish is incredibly photogenic. Tortilla Española would probably be best enjoyed with a dry white wine. Don’t let me tell you what to drink, however; you do you. That’s the way I like it.

Learning how to make a Tortilla Española is a good tool to have in your culinary arsenal, especially if you have an interest in tapas, and/or enjoy entertaining. My method of cooking was adapted from a great little coffee table book I picked up awhile ago, Tapas Made Easy. The right equipment is very important, as I learned the hard way the first time I attempted this dish and it stuck completely to the inside of my enameled cast iron saucepan. A good ceramic nonstick pan is what’s needed. If you don’t have one you could bake your tortilla at 375 for 6 - 9 minutes (until top turns golden). This is supposed to be served cold and is much easier to portion out after it has completely cooled.

Tortilla Española

Makes 16 tapas

2 small potatoes, any variety
1/2 medium yellow onion, julienned
4 eggs
1 clove garlic
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons Ají Amarillo paste
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

For Garnish (optional, but highly recommended):
4 pitted Manzanilla olives, diced finely (you’ll serve only about ¼ olive per portion of tortilla)
1/3 lb sliced Serrano Ham or Bresaola (16 slices total, one for each serving)

Parboil the potatoes whole in their skin for about 10 minutes, depending on the size. You want them just shy of cooked. Transfer to your cutting board to cool, then dice up into about a 1/2 inch dice.
Heat a medium sized nonstick pan to medium heat and add ½ of the olive oil. To the pan add onions and saute for 2 -3 minutes. Add potatoes.
Stir to coat and saute for about 7 minutes. Add Ají paste and saute for another 3 or so minutes, until potatoes are fully cooked. Set cooked onions and potatoes into a sieve to cool and drain off excess oil.
As potatoes cool whisk together eggs and grate the garlic into the eggs. When onions and potatoes have cooled, add them to the egg mixture.
Bring the heat up to high in the same non-stick pan and add remaining olive oil.
Poor in egg/potato.onion mixture and cooked for 2 minutes. Flip omelet and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer to cutting board.
Cut into squares and enjoy. This will make about 16 small servings.

Brown Butter Pecan Brioche Pudding with Bourbon Brown Butter Sauce

Butter Pecan Brioche Bread Pudding with boozy sauce. Just say it to yourself and you'll know exactly why I allowed myself to be seduced by this idea. The idea for this was sparked because my new boss has a pretty sweet (no pun intended) ice cream maker and was describing the rich, custard-y chocolate ice cream she had made. It caused me to dream of making my favorite flavor at home: butter pecan. Well, I don't have an ice cream maker and I'd been planning to play around with another style of bread pudding and bam--this dish was born. I added my own little twist to the idea of butter pecan by using nutty brown butter in both the pudding and the sauce. Sweet and spicy cognac and bourbon in the sauce compliment the rich butter flavor and crisp toasted pecans. This is an easy yet impressive dish to make for company. If you chill the sauce you may notice it separating. It will come back together when warm and sufficiently whisked.

A word about the choice of bread: If you can find brioche or have a good recipe and don't mind making some, definitely use it; it really gave the pudding a much softer consistency, so it was more like a custard than a bread pudding. This was the consistency I was shooting for and I think it can best be achieved with soft bread like brioche or challah, although brioche is best.

Brown Butter Pecan Brioche Pudding with Bourbon Brown Butter Sauce

For the Pudding:

4 cups stale brioche, cubed
4 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
1/4 cup cream
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons clarified brown butter
1/3 cup whole pecans
1 tiny pinch of salt

1. Assemble the bread pudding: grease a 9 × 9 inch baking dish and lightly press the brioche into the dish to compact it somewhat and make it easier for the egg mixture to be absorbed.
2. Whisk together all other pudding ingredients and pour equally over entire pan of bread cubes. Press once more to get eggs absorbed. Cover and chill for a minimum of 3 hours and up to overnight.
3. In the last half hour of your pudding chilling, make your sauce (see below instructions).
4. Preheat the oven to 325 and lay your pecans in a single layer on a greased baking sheet. Ladle a small amount of sauce over them and toast for between 5 - 10 minutes. Set sauce aside and cover to keep warm.
5. Turn the oven down to 300 and bake bread pudding for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake.
6. Chop toasted pecans and sprinkle over each portion before serving. Cover each portion with a generous amount of sauce.

For the Sauce:

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons cognac
2 Tablespoons bourbon
1/4 cup cream
2 Tablespoons clarified brown butter

1. Add water sugar and salt to a small saucepan over low heat. When sugar has dissolved add cognac and bourbon.
2. Reduce to 2/3rds of its original volume by continuing to cook sauce at a lazy simmer.
3. When it has been suitably reduced, add cream to warmed brown butter. Whisk to combine. Slowly incorporate this into your sauce and remove from heat.
4. Use sauce for pecans and to cover bread pudding.

Welsh Rarebit

I just demonstrated how to cook this very simple cheddar and beer spread on Good Day Google Plus, Chef Dennis' live hangout on air show on Google Plus. It was my first time appearing on his show and I was excited and honored! This sauce is dead simple and although I love it as a snack it also makes an amazing spread for your next burger. In fact, I made some sirloin burgers tonight and spread it on our buns, then toasted it. It made for a much sexier picture of my Welsh rarebit than the one we initially took (on toast), which is why you'll see the spread featured with a burger in the picture.

What in the funk is Welsh Rarebit? Well, deliciously sharp aged cheddar -- not to mention amber ale -- do make the taste of it a little funky, but it's a fabulous and subtle funk and pairs perfectly with tangy mustard and spicy cayenne. Plus, it's really easy. Try it. If you like sharp cheddar at all you'll love it. So, it's a rich cheese sauce that became popular in the United Kingdom around four hundred years ago. It is served either spread on toast and then broiled, or a thinner version is often served as an alternative to the traditional Swiss cheese fondue. If you'd like to serve it as an alternative to Gruyere fondue I've included a method in the recipe.


Welsh Rarebit

4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
6 ounces pale ale or other ale or lager
1 Teaspoon worcestershire sauce
½ Tablespoon dijon mustard or 1 Teaspoon mustard powder
¼ Teaspoon cayenne powder

1. In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter. When butter is thoroughly melted, whisk in flour.
2. Cook, whisking constantly, until the flour turns golden.
3. Whisk in beer, mustard and worcestershire sauce.
4. Whisk grated cheese in a pinch at a time.*
5. Spread on toast, then broil under the broiler for 2 - 3 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

*If you wish to enjoy this as a fondue you can thin it out with up to ¾ cups half n half or ½ cup milk until fondue reaches desired consistency and serve with crostini.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and I welcome your feedback!

Creamy Artichoke and Spinach Dip with Roasted Garlic and Asiago Cheese

Labor day is almost upon us! That American 3 day weekend that sort of symbolizes Summer's last hurrah. There are lots of Sunday and Monday barbecues this coming weekend, which inspired me to post a dip recipe I've had on the back burner (so to speak) for a while now. This is my version of a classic: spinach, artichoke, cheese and garlic dip. Of course classics are classic for a reason.

This is perfect to bring to a party, or to serve at your own! It's rich but not too decadent and best of all it is vegetarian! It's fairly easy to prepare, which is an additional bonus! The only potentially difficult thing is to roast your own garlic, but it's something I highly recommend, as it will really kick up the flavor of the dip! To roast the garlic preheat the oven to 400 and coat the inside of one muffin mold in a tin. Chop the tips off the head of garlic just enough that all of the clove tops are exposed, then brush the tops with olive oil. Put the garlic in the greased muffin mold, cover with tin foil and roast for 35 - 45 minutes, or until the garlic is squishy when prodded.

The pictures in the post are of the vessel it was cooked and served in: my Aunt Stacy's fabulous wedding gift, a hand thrown and glazed clay casserole dish! I thought it too lovely not to share. :)

Creamy Artichoke and Spinach Dip

Makes about 1 lb of dip

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cloves roasted or 3 cloves raw garlic
8 ounces chopped steamed spinach, excess water squeezed out
8 ounces preserved artichoke hearts, drained
4 ounces finely grated asiago cheese
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Separate the artichoke hearts' leaves from the hearts and set the hearts aside.
3. Toss the artichoke leaves into a blender or food processor with the softened cream cheese, spinach and garlic. Pulse in 3 second intervals until the mixture is smooth. You may have to scrape down the sides once or twice to get it to blend smoothly.
4. Transfer to your baking dish and fold in 3/4 of the grated asiago.
5. Mince the artichoke hearts and sprinkle over top. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for 10-20 minutes, checking every 10 minutes, until the cheese starts to turn golden.
Serve alongside chip or cracker of choice.

I hope enjoyed you this recipe and I welcome your feedback!

Roasted Artichoke Bisque with Spicy Crab Meat, Lemon Infused Olive Oil and Parmesan Crisps

When I originally wrote this recipe a huge banner over my local health food chain proclaimed it to be "crab season", which got my creative juices flowing, although inside the store the price per pound was less than inviting: 35 USD/pound for lump Dungeoness Crab meat (separated). I purchased the smallest amount I thought I could cook with and prayed my roasted artichokes would step up to their daunting task and serve as a satisfying star of the dish alongside the figurative scene chewer--fresh crab meat. If you also live in a place with extremely expensive crab meat I suggest structuring the soup the same way I have and perhaps planning to serve it while entertaining, since the finished product is impressive and not inexpensive to make! If you live in an area where crabs are abundant and cheap I suggest flipping the main ingredients and googling how to make crab stock. Had I "world enough and time" (to make the hour plus drive to the area where an abundance of small family seafood markets drive the price of crabs down to a more manageable one) I would have made the dish this way; sadly, seafood prices in my area are conspiring against this possibility.
Roasting the artichokes in lemon infused olive oil and serving the finished soup with droplets of the infused oil really allowed the flavor of the artichokes to shine. The parmesan crisps also added a sort of golden umami--a richness and depth of flavor. I used Ina Garten's recipe for the crisps, which can be found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/parmesan-crisps-recipe/index.html (thank you, Ina--you rock!)

Roasted Artichoke Bisque with Spicy Crab Meat and Lemon Infused Olive Oil

Makes 4 - 6 servings

3 Tablespoons lemon-infused olive oil, plus >1 Teaspoon for drizzling*
3 globe artichokes or 4 violetta artichokes (globe tend to be larger), cleaned, trimmed and halved (leave on the stems, but trim off the dried up ends; face them, essentially)
1/4 lb. jumbo lump crab meat
1/2 Teaspoon sriracha
1/4 Teaspoon smoked paprika1/4 Teaspoon regular paprika
1 bay leaf
6 black peppercorns, gently crushed
1 sprig fresh thyme, just the leaves stripped from the stems
1/2 Teaspoon sriracha, or hot pepper sauce of choice
Juice of 1/2 lemon
4 Tablespoons butter
1 shallot, pureed
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1 leaf of fennel bulb, pureed
1/2 cup mirepoix
(Optional) 1/2 a baby leek, cleaned and sliced finely
2 cups vegetable stock or water
1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Faranheit. In a wide pot of boiling water squeeze lemon juice and parboil cleaned, trimmed artichokes for 5 minutes. Remove artichokes from water, toss in 3 Tablespoons infused olive oil and roast in hot oven for about 30 minutes, or until outer leaves fall away from the stem with little resistance, when tugged, or when the flesh of the heart is fork-tender. Since you'll be pureeing the artichoke flesh, you'll want them to be slightly overcooked when they're done roasting. Remove leaves and set aside to cool. If you can keep from scraping the delicious artichoke from the leaves they make a cute garnish. Set artichokes aside to cool. When artichokes have cooled, remove hair from chokes with the tip of a spoon and set artichokes aside.

2. Melt 2 Tablespoons of the butter and 2 - 3 drops of infused olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot (this will be your soup pot) and add fennel, mirepoix, shallot, optional leek, 1/2 bay leaf, thyme leaves and half of the crushed peppercorns. Sautee over medium heat until tender. Remove the half bay leaf.

3. Puree cooled artichokes and add to pan with mirepoix & etc. Add in vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and add cream and turn heat off when the cream has reached the same temp as the other ingredients and is incorporated. Taste and add additional salt, if needed and freshly ground black pepper.

4. To finish soup: in a smaller heavy-bottomed saucepan pan melt the remaining butter along with 2 - 3 drops of the infused olive oil over medium heat. Add paprika, smoked paprika, half a bay leaf and the other half of the peppercorns. Stir to coat and cook for 90 seconds to toast spices. Mix in sriracha, then add crabmeat and stir to coat. Cook until crabmeat is heated though, less than 4 minutes, then remove the half bay leaf. Ladle bisque into bowls and top with 1/4 to 1/6 of the spicy crabmeat (depending upon how large a serving you want). Rest parmesan crisps vertically along the edges of the bowl (see photo), or use them however you like as garnish. Drizzle each bowl with just a few drops of lemon infused olive oil and serve.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and I welcome your feedback!

*the kitchn has an excellent article on how to make infused olive oils, which can be found here: http://www.thekitchn.com/fancy-flavors-how-to-infuse-ol-103225; I accomplished mine the quick 'n' dirty way, by adding lemon zest to a lovely Italian extra virgin olive oil I had on hand (this method won't keep for more than 24 hours, so if you're planning to use this oil for more than one recipe I suggest going about it the traditional way, as in the link above).

Greek Style Frittata with Lamb Shawarma Crumbles and Fire Roasted Tomato Ketchup

A month or more ago I started crafting a menu for a Springtime brunch I haven't yet had time to realize (and clearly won't, this year, as spring is over). On the brunch menu I'd planned the protein as an egg scramble (where the fire roasted tomatoes would be part of the scramble instead of pureed as a ketchup and to be accompanied by roasted spiced red potatoes and a sweet rice pudding with pistachios and rosewater), but while I was visiting my family in New York I was persuaded by my good friend to try this recipe as both a quiche and a frittata. In my opinion it worked best as the latter dish, and in fact this recipe turned out the most perfect looking frittata I've ever made, so that's how I've decided to present it, even though I've recently shared a frittata recipe. Instead of being served alongisde, the potatoes now form a crust at the bottom and lovely rendered lamb fat from the crumbles mixes well with the eggs and light cream in the filling and makes for a smooth consistency. The shawarma spices in the fat served to unify the dish. Oh, and the cayenne spiced fire roasted tomato ketchup with smoked paprika and fresh greek oregano wasn't bad, either. You'll need a grill to fire roast your tomatoes and if you have one pop the tomatoes on after a good dinner to prep the next day's breakfast; trust me, this is best done ahead of time and a good way to take advantage of the hot coals after a good barbeque.

Fire Roasted Tomato Ketchup

Makes roughly 1 cup

6 medium vine ripe tomatoes, halved, de-spined and de-seeded
>1 Teasp Olive Oil
1/2 Teasp. Smoked Paprika (the kind that's sweet, not spicy)
1/4 Teasp. cayenne
1 Teasp. honey
1 1/2 Tblsp apple cider vinegar
4 sprigs' worth of fresh greek oregano leaves, minced (after you've washed them, pass through gently pinched fingers to strip leaves)
Salt, to taste
Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste

1. Brush tomatoes all over with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Roast tomatoes on gril until the outside is the slightest bit charred and the tomatoes get soft. Remove from heat and slide skins off.
3. Puree the tomatoes, then add the spices, honey and vinegar.
4. Cool, then cover and allow flavors to marry in refrigerator at least one hour and up to overnight. Serve with Greek Style Frittata, or another Greek themed egg dish.

Greek Style Frittata with Lamb Shawarma Crumbles and Feta



5 Large baby red potatoes, scrubbed and sliced about 1/8" thick with a mandoline
8 Oz. marinated artichoke hearts*, chopped coarsely
8 Oz. fresh baby spinach, washed
2 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 lb. ground organic lamb with a decent fat ratio
4 cloves completely crushed
1/4 Teasp cinnamon
1/8 Teasp freshly ground nutmeg
1/8 Teasp cayenne
4 oz. Feta cheese, crumbled (or more, to taste) - the best feta you can find
1/2 Tblsp butter
8 cage free, organic eggs
1/4 cup organic, hormone free half n half
salt, to taste
black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease frittata baking dish and lay a crust of potatoes across the bottom of the dish (like a cheesecake crust), 4 or more layers of potatoes deep. When you can't see the bottom of the baking dish anymore add one full layer of potato slices over that. Put into oven as soon as it reaches the proper temperature. It should be cooked enough to add the frittata filling
2. In a pan over medium heat, melt butter and add 1/2 Tblsp olive oil. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper to butter and cook for 5 minutes to infuse butter with spices. Add lamb and break up into small crumbles. Cook until browned. Pour into a bowl to cool, making sure to include every drop of fat from the pan (trust me!)
3. Using a little olive oil and a small sprinkling of garlic at a time, sautee the spinach over medium heat in small batches** until all of it is cooked. Set aside to cool.
4. Beat eggs with a little salt and fresh pepper and mix in half and half. Add crumbled feta and chopped artichoke hearts. When they've cooled, add lamb crumbles and spinach. Mix to thoroughly combine all ingredients.
5. When the potato crust is starting to be tender when pierced with a fork, remove from oven and add filling.
6. Return frittata to oven and cook for another 25 to 30 minutes, or until eggs are just cooked through. Serve with fire roasted Greek style ketchup.


*I tried the recipe with fresh, fire roasted artichokes, and the version with marinated artichoke hearts was far superior.

**Sauteeing the spinach in small batches will help keep the spinach from leaking too much water, meaning they're not only more tender and fresh-tasting, they also don't add nearly as much of that yucky green spinach water to your dish. Tip courtesy of my absolutely amazing co-chef, Szelin, who is too modest about her cooking abilities, and without whom I could never have pulled off not only the quiche and frittata, but the ketchup as well! ^_^

Mexican Shredded Chicken and Refried Bean Dip

This post is all about entertaining. I had a few friends over for the super bowl (sadly, our team lost! Boo!), but I did make some enjoyable food and our fridge is still full of all sorts of awesome beer! In honor of the 49ers and the amazing Mexican food in their home city, SF, I decided to make Mexican food to serve to our guests. Even though the super bowl has long passed these two recipes are great for entertaining. The great thing about these two recipes is that they can be made together, compliment each other, can both be eaten with corn chips and/or corn tortillas (I recommend both) and you can serve your guests hot food with a minimal amount of effort! If you have a Trader Joe's nearby, or can find a similar product, I recommend using one can of fire roasted tomatoes with diced chilies (one can split between both recipes), as it really ratchets the flavor up a notch. In addition to the shredded chicken and bean dip I also served guacamole. Sadly, the food got eaten too fast for any decent photos. Ah, well. At least we can be sure our friends enjoyed it! ^_^

Pictured below is both recipes the second time I made them, for the purpose of picturing taking (and also to enjoy a fairly easy, filling late winter meal); to make it more of a meal I served it over brown rice.




Mexican Shredded Chicken

1 whole organic chicken, quartered, or a family pack of 2 bone-in breasts and 4 drumsticks (like I found at my local T.J.s) - leave the skin on and bones in
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 medium yellow onion
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped in half or thirds
4 whole peppercorns
1 medium vine ripe tomato
1/2 jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon cumin + a little more to taste
salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 bayleaf
1 Tablespoon minced cilantro leaves (for garnish)

1. Combine all ingredients (except ground pepper) in a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a gentle boil (medium-low heat).
2. Cook for about 15 minutes, but check on the chicken after 10 minutes. When it is fully cooked (starting to fall off the bone), scoop chicken out of the pot.
3. Take the meat off of the bone and discard skin and bones. Shred the meat. While you're doing this, turn the heat under the pot up to high to reduce liquid in broth.
4. When the liquid has reduced to 3/4 cup, scoop out all debris (bayleaf, tomato, onions, garlic). Reserve 3 tablespoons of broth to add to the refried bean dip.
5. Add 3/4 can of fire roasted tomatoes and 1 whole can diced tomatoes to broth in pan. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes to marry flavors.
6. Reintroduce chicken to the pan and add ground black pepper and a little more salt and stir to combine. Cook for another 5 minutes, then serve garnished with a generous sprinkling of minced cilantro, alongside tortilla chips and/or fresh corn tortillas.

Refried Bean Dip



2 cans of organic pinto beans (15 oz.s each)
3 Tablespoons homemade chicken broth (see above recipe)
1/4 can fire roasted tomatoes w/ diced chilies
1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese or cheddar blend
2 Tablespoons diced fresh jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced or put through a press
2 Teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 Teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 Teaspoon ground cayenne
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 bayleaf
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
>1 Tablespoon minced fresh cilantro (for garnish)

1. Add olive oil to a hot pan. Add onion, jalapeno, bayleaf and spices. Cook for 5 or so minutes on medium heat, until the onion begins to turn translucent.
2. Reduce heat to medium low and add chicken stock and garlic. Cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Remove bayleaf and add tomatoes, beans and salt and pepper. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes on medium low heat, until the beans are softened enough to mash.
4. Mash beans. When beans resemble a medium thick paste (you may have to add water during this process to loosen the thickened ingredients, especially if the beans aren't quite cooked through), add cheese and turn off the heat. Serve garnished with minced fresh cilantro, alongside tortilla chips and/or fresh corn tortillas.

I hope you enjoyed these recipes and I welcome your feedback!

Pics to follow!