A Winelover's Wanderings

If you think this logo looks a little different, you are right! Sunday Salad Samplers concluded last week (boo hoo), and Sunday Small Bites starts next Sunday. The logo is the creation of Maria I, one of our talented cooks. Thank you, Maria!

Our little cooking group started in April 2008. We have baked recipes from Gina De Palma's book "Dolce Italiano" - we have made ice cream from the David Lebovitz book "The Perfect Scoop". We have made a long list of favorite soups, and now we have finished a whole group of favorite salads.

It has been so much fun, and I have learned so much about trying new things that I probably would never have tried by myself.

So, now we are on to "Small Bites" - appetizer dishes. Each one of the cooks gets to choose an ingredient for their week, and everyone must find a NEW recipe for that ingredient. We are going to end up with a TON of new recipes!

So, check back each Sunday. Here are the participants and the ingredients they have chosen:

9/6 Cindy -- Shrimp
9/13 Vico Girl -- Crab
9/20 Amy -- Sun Dried Tomatoes
9/27 AnnieNC -- Avocado
10/4 Nancyhol -- Goat Cheese
10/11 Marcia -- Smoked Salmon
10/18 Sher -- Pecans
10/25 Deborah -- Pumpkin
11/1 Jerry -- Olives
11/8 Candi -- Mushrooms
11/15 Palma -- Ginger
11/22 JGK -- Cranberries
11/29 Maria -- Potatoes
12/6 Bugalu -- Brie
12/13 SharonL -- Artichoke
12/20 Teaberry -- Edamame
12/27 Kim -- Lentils
01/03 Eden -- Eggplant
01/10 Trekcapri -- Chick Peas

Unfortunately, I will miss the first three weeks - I have a good excuse, we are going to Italy! But, I promise to make them up when I return. So, in the meantime, check out the blogs of my fellow cooks in the list of blogs in the right sidebar of this page.

Let the Small Bites begin!

I am back from Italy, but I am way, way behind! On the Sunday Small Bites posts, of course.

9/6 Cindy -- Shrimp
9/13 Vico Girl -- Crab
9/20 Amy -- Sun Dried Tomatoes
9/27 AnnieNC -- Avocado
10/4 Nancyhol -- Goat Cheese
10/11 Marcia -- Smoked Salmon
10/18 Sher -- Pecans
10/25 Deborah -- Pumpkin
11/1 Jerry -- Olives
11/8 Candi -- Mushrooms
11/15 Palma -- Ginger
11/22 JGK -- Cranberries
11/29 Maria -- Potatoes
12/6 Bugalu -- Brie
12/13 SharonL -- Artichoke
12/20 Teaberry -- Edamame
12/27 Kim -- Lentils
01/03 Eden -- Eggplant
01/10 Trekcapri -- Chick Peas

Whew! I have had a busy few days.

My Crocked Shrimp and Cheese spread turned out really well and was a hit at the GTG.

Crocked Shrimp and Cheese with Cucumber Rounds

Bon Appetit Seafood Cookbook - Published in 1983

2 cups water
1 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seed
1 pound uncooked unshelled medium shrimp

9 ounces cream cheese
3 anchovy fillets, rinsed
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 to 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 small green onions, minced
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cucumbers, but into thin rounds

Combine water, wine, lemon, garlic, peppercorns and mustard seed in medium saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Cover partially and let boil 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low, add shrimp and simmer 2 minutes. Set aside to cool. Chill shrimp in cooking liquid overnight.

Drain shrimp well; remove shells and devein. Combine cream cheese, anchovies, butter, lemon juice and mustard in processor or blender and mix until smooth. Add shrimp and chop finely using on/off turns. Transfer to medium bowl. Blend in green onion, capers, salt and pepper. Pack mixture into crock or bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. To serve, center crock on platter and surround with sliced cucumbers. Makes 10 servings.

Once again, this was a very OLD recipe that I found from digging thru my archives (that would be the drawer that I stuff recipes in that I want to make).

This week's ingredient was picked by Ida - Vico Girl on Slow Travel. My recipe was kind of unusual, but both the salad and the sauce turned out very well. My sauce didn't get as thick as the recipe showed, so I served it in a bowl instead of drizzling it on the Endive.

Crab Salad with Endive and Tomato-Cilantro Sauce

From Jensen's Market Monthly Fine Wine Newsletter - September 1998

Crab Salad Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 cup chopped Granny Smith apple
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup chopped, seeded red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped, seeded green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped carrot
1/2 pound crab meat, drained well
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives

Sauce Ingredients:
2 tomatoes, peeled and seeded, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, chopped
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
2 heads Belgian endive, trimmed and separated into spears

For Crab Salad: Heat oil in heavy large skillet over med-high heat. Add shallots and ginger and saute until tender, about 4 minutes. Add apple, zucchini, both peppers and carrot and saute until tender, but not brown, about 5 min. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature. Mix crab meat, mayonnaise, 2 tbl chopped chives and sauteed vegetables in large bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper., (Can be prepared one day ahead. Cover and refrigerate).

For Sauce: Combine tomatoes, cilantro, vinegar, garlic and cayenne in blender and puree until almost smooth. Gradually add oil and blend until the sauce is thick. Transfer to a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange endive spears on large platter, tips toward platter edge. Spoon crab salad into center of platter. Drizzle sauce over endive. Garnish salad with chopped fresh chives and serve. Serves 6 appetizer sized portions.

Now I have a confession to make - I have made this recipe before, many times in fact. I may have even made it for a Slow Travel GTG. But I rationalized that I had five to do this week and it IS a very good recipe, so I wanted to share it with all of you.

Since I began making this recipe, available ingredients have changed and made the preparation much easier. I used to chop up the sun-dried tomatoes like the recipe shows, but now I just buy Trader Joe's Sun-Dried Tomato Bruscetta and no chopping is required. I also used to pit the Kalamata olives before I chopped them, but they now come pitted at TJ's. I even "cheated" this time with the garlic and used minced garlic in a jar. A sign of the times, I guess.

Goat Cheese with Olives and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Bon Appetit magazine - September 1992, page 82

1 8-ounce jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (do not drain)
2 large garlic cloves, halved
1/2 cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives

12 ounces soft mild goat cheese (such as Montrachet)
Sliced French bread baguette slices
Fresh basil sprigs
Kalamata olives

Combine tomatoes (with oil) and garlic in processor. Blend until as smooth as possible, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Transfer mixture to bowl. Mix in chopped olives. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Dover and chill. Bring to room temperature before continuing).

Place tomato mixture in center of platter. Surround with cheese and bread. Garnish with basil and olives.

Makes 6 servings.

Avocado was this week's ingredient, chosen by AnnieNC of Churches in Venice.

I found this recipe which sounded kind of unusual. In the magazine where it appeared, it was served with Coconut Shrimp, so I did the same to keep the tasting components the same. However, I wasn't brave enough to make my own shrimp - these were frozen ones that turned out to be very good. It was a great appetizer, and the guacamole could be used on lots of other dishes.

Sesame Ginger Guacamole

From Central Coast Magazine - April 2009, Page 35

3 ripe Hass avocados, peeled and pitted
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp ponzu sauce
1 Tbsp pickled ginger, chopped
1/2 tsp wasabe paste

Mash together all ingredients in a bowl with a fork until desired consistency is reached.

This was my week to pick the ingredient, and I chose one of my favorite things to eat - goat cheese.

I went online to pick a recipe, and I printed out a gazillion of them (for future use, of course - they went directly into the archive drawer). I really liked the tastes in the goat cheese spread - lemon zest and fresh herbs (I used tarragon and chives). This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Goat Cheese Spread with Herbs and Olive Oil

8 ounces goat cheese (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, more if needed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
2 tablespoons dry white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (choose at least two from the following: parsley, chives, tarragon, dill)
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
Good crackers or slices of walnut bread
About 1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 celery heart, cut into sticks

Combine goat cheese, whipping cream, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and wine, either in a food processor or in a bowl. Combine just enough to blend. Mixture should be spreadable; if it's too thick, add 1 or 2 tablespoons more cream. Season with salt and pepper, mix again and taste, adjusting seasoning as necessary.

Save 1 teaspoon herbs for garnishing and add the rest to processor. Add 2 teaspoons lemon zest. Pulse once more to blend.

Line a small (about 1 1/2-cup) round bowl or cup with a sheet of plastic wrap and fill with cheese mixture. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

To serve, invert bowl onto a serving platter and peel off plastic. With the back of a spoon, make a small depression in the cheese. Drizzle olive oil over top. Sprinkle with reserved herbs and lemon zest. Arrange crackers or bread slices, tomatoes and celery around cheese and serve.

Makes about 1 1/4 cups or 6 servings.

Smoked Salmon is the "secret ingredient" this week, and MarciaB of Happy Trails for Us: My Reluctant Blog picked it for us.

Anyway, this is a recipe that can be used as an appetizer or as a brunch dish - you decide. Here is Giada's recipe.

Smoked Salmon and Apple Carpaccio

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis - Food Network

Prep Time: 5 min
Inactive Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 12 min

Level: Easy

Serves: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
* 6 (1/4-inch thick) slices rosemary or olive bread, quartered
* 6 ounces Nova Scotia smoked salmon
* 1 small green apple, such as Granny Smith, halved and cut into very thin slices
* 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
* Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the bread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly brown and crisp. Cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.

Arrange the smoked salmon in a single layer on a serving platter. Lay the apple slices on top. Sprinkle the capers over the salmon and apple slices. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with the toasted bread.

We had this for brunch this morning and it was yummy. As you can see, there is also a smoked salmon dip, which I had made before. Keep reading for the bonus recipe!

Here are my ingredients:

And our brunch plate:

It's pecan week, and Sheri (scg of As The Seasons Change) was the cook who chose that ingredient for this week's Sunday Small Bites.

I have eaten this appetizer many times because my friend Marianne got the recipe from the old Maison Deutz Winery in Arroyo Grande (now known as Laetitia). Back in the "old days", in the Maison Deutz tasting room, you would be served a little dish of this spread with some crackers to accompany your wine. Marianne improved upon the recipe by serving the spread in Belgian endive leaves. I remembered that it had pecans in it, and Marianne was kind enough to share the recipe with me.

For a little history of Maison Deutz and Laetitia wineries, check out this link.

Maison Deutz Blue Cheese Spread with Pecans

3 Parts Cream Cheese (I used a 12-oz carton of whipped cream cheese)
1 Part Crumbled Blue Cheese (I used a 4-oz piece)
Chopped Pecans (I used 1/2 C)
Chives
Cracked Pepper
Basil, rosemary or garlic oil
Sparkling wine

Mix all ingredients with a mixer. Add enough oil and sparkling wine to bring it to the right consistency (I think the whipped cream cheese helps to do that because I didn't add too much extra oil or wine).

Warning: One part blue cheese may be too strong - try 1/2 part and add more to desired taste. (I used the entire one part and it was fine, but it probably depends on the blue cheese you use).

Spoon onto endive leaves or serve with crackers or veggies.

All I can say is that if you like blue cheese and pecans, you will LOVE this spread!

Deborah of Old Shoes - New Trip picked this week's ingredient, Pumpkin. It sounds like a good choice for this fall season, with Halloween coming up and Thanksgiving being right around the corner. So, check out the blogs of all of my Slow Bites compadres - you might find some great Thansgiving recipes!

I found my recipe here. It sounded kind of unusual, so I thought I would try it.

Pumpkin Cheese Ball

From AppeizersRecipe.net

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup canned or cooked pumpkin
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, well drained
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 (2 1/2 ounce) package dried beef, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
Celery leaves
Crackers and/or raw vegetables

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, pumpkin and pineapple. Stir in Cheddar cheese, beef and onion. Shape into a ball; place on a serving platter. Score sides with a knife to resemble a pumpkin and add celery leaves for a stem.

Serve with crackers and/or vegetables.

Yields 3 cups.

The only changes I made to the recipe is using whipped cream cheese instead of regular and substituting chopped prosciutto for the chopped dried beef. The whipped cream cheese probably made it too soft to form into a ball - I will know after I let it rest in the fridge for awhile. I will post a photo a little later today.

After refrigerating the Pumpkin Cheese Ball for several hours, it did firm up, but probably not as much as one with regular cream cheese would. It was nice and spreadable, but probably not firm enough to form into an actual ball (I used a round bowl for the shape, but I probably couldn't have formed it with my hands). It was very tasty, though, and I would make it again!

This week's ingredient is olives! It was chosen by Jerry (JDeQ) of Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants! He just returned from Greece and wanted to use some of the wonderful olives he brought home from there.

I found two recipes that I wanted to try, both from Abbyskitchen.co.uk One was a cheeseball with two kinds of chopped olives, but I had already done a couple of cheeseball recipes, and I didn't want to get in a rut, so I chose the second recipe.

Oven Fried Bleu Cheese Olives

(10-15 servings)

2-15 oz cans jumbo pitted black olives-drain well on paper towels
3 oz bleu cheese-crumbled
4 T cream cheese
1/4 t black pepper
2 eggs-beaten
1-1/2 c Italian bread crumbs
Cooking spray

Preheat oven 400*. Coat a 13x9 dish with cooking spray. Mix bleu cheese, cream cheese and pepper in a small bowl, blending with a fork. Fill a pastry bag with cheese mix. (I use a Ziploc bag, put filling in one corner and snip off a small hole in the end for all of my "filling"). Beat eggs in a bowl. Pour crumbs in a pie plate. Dip stuffed olives in egg, then roll in crumbs, coating well. Put in Pyrex and spray with cooking oil lightly. Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden. Cool and serve. YUMM!

Here are my ingredients:

Waiting to be served:

This was my first time stuffing something and then coating and frying/baking it, so my olives don't look as good as they could. Next time I will do better.

We liked the olives a lot and would try them again, with a few little changes.

It doesn't seem possible that we could already be at Week #10 on our Sunday Slow Bites! Time goes by so fast these days!

Mushrooms is the "secret ingredient" this week, and Candi of Candi's Corner: Wanderlust and Passions was the blogger to choose it.

I searched thru the internet cooking sites for a recipe and found several possibilities. The one I chose is from Food Network and a creation of my favorite Food Network star, Giada De Laurentiis. Here is her recipe:

Mushroom Parmesan

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 25 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing the grill pan
* 4 to 6 portobello mushrooms
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 cup marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
* 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
* 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:
Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill.

Drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil over both sides of the mushrooms. Sprinkle the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil on the grill to prevent the mushrooms from sticking. Grill until the mushrooms are heated through and tender, about 5 minutes per side.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Spread 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Place the grilled mushrooms on top of the marinara sauce and top with the remaining marinara sauce. Sprinkle with the cheeses and top with the butter pieces. Bake until the cheese melts and the top is golden, about 15 minutes. Serve.

When I shopped for the ingredients, the portobello mushrooms looked way too big to be a "Small Bite", so I used Baby Bella Caps, which were about half the size of the portobello mushrooms.

Here are my ingredients:

And here are the mushrooms after they came out of the oven:

I made another mushroom recipe today that deserves to be posted. It came from FineDinings.com

Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms with Horseradish Crema

20 large button mushrooms
4 garlic cloves, roasted
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Chipotle bacon (or regular bacon), cooked, crumbled
4 ounces herbed goat cheese
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, finely grated
3 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
2 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup Manchego cheese, grated
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon hot prepared horseradish, add more if you like it spicier
pinch of salt
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup scallions, sliced, for garnish

Use a melon baller to scoop out then discard insides of mushroom (use for soups, stews, sauces) being careful not to break the sides.

Enclose garlic cloves with extra-virgin olive oil in foil on ovenproof pan. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes. When cooled squeeze out pulp and combine in a food processor with bacon, goat, Parmesan and cream cheese, thyme and basil. Add just enough heavy cream to make a smooth yet firm consistency and fill mushrooms. Top with Manchego and bake at 375° for about 10 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.

Mix together sour cream, horseradish, salt and small amounts of milk until it can be drizzled across the baked mushrooms. Garnish with scallions and serve.

Makes 20

I LOVED this recipe! It was easy to make ahead and bake when ready to serve.

I used an aged Gouda cheese instead of Manchego, but other than that, I followed the recipe. Highly recommended!

Palma of Palmabella's Passions picked ginger as this week's ingredient. This should be interesting!

I checked out a bunch of potential recipes and found a couple that sounded interesting to me.

The first one was given to me by my friend Marianne. I don't know where it came from originally, but it was really GOOD!

Candied Ginger and Rosemary Squares

4 sticks (2 cups) softened unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 cups al-purpose flour
1 t. salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten, divided
1 cup (5 1/2 oz) finely chopped crystallized ginger
3 T. dried rosemary, crumbled or 2 T. chopped fresh
1 T. water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large food processor fitted with the metal blade, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Into a medium bowl, sift together flour and salt, then gradually pulse into butter mixture along with three-fourths of the eggs.

Beat in ginger and rosemary.

Press dough evenly into a 13 x 9 inch baking pan lined with buttered tin foil.

In a small bowl beat water into remaining egg to make an egg wash and brush on dough.

With back of knife, score dough (about 1/4 inch deep) in a cross-hatch pattern and bake in the middle of oven 35 to 40 minutes or until tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan completely. Lift out by edges of foil, and cut into squares on cutting board. (May be made 5 days ahead and chilled covered. Let come to room temperature before serving.)

Garnish with rosemary sprigs if desired. Serves 16 to 20 as a hearty hors d'oeuvre.

I halved the recipe and used fresh rosemary. Then I completely forgot to score the dough before baking.

The squares were really good, but next time I would probably put in more ginger and more rosemary.