Tapas Week Part 6: Creamy Garlic Soup

Tags

appetizer, creamy, garlic, gluten free, Parmesan cheese, soup, tapas

This one may be a little odd. But hear me out. This garlic laden, creamy soup is full of flavor. I know it seems like the garlic flavor would be overwhelming but I promise it is not. The roasted and simmered garlic gives a multifaceted flavor that is enhanced by the garnish of Parmesan and a fresh lemon squeeze. Since this soup is pretty rich, only a small serving is necessary, though I confess I did eat a large bowl without any trouble. I can imagine it being served in little shot glasses with it’s own baby lemon wedge and shaving of cheese. I wish I was having a party soon. It might not be best served on date night, though. 🙂

Creamy Garlic Soup

• Servings: 4 regular bowls or 8 appetizer sized bowls
• Time: 2 hours
• Difficulty: moderate
• Print

• 30 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 1/4 cups sliced onions
• 1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 20 garlic cloves, peeled
• 3 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese slivers
• Lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 26 garlic cloves in small glass baking dish. Toss them with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a bowl and cool. Squeeze the garlic with your fingers to extract the cloves.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and thyme, cooking until they are translucent. Add the roasted garlic, the raw garlic, and chicken stock to the sauce pot. Cover and simmer until the garlic is very tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Working in batches, puree the soup in the blender or using an immersion blender. Add cream and bring up to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide soup between each bowl. Top with shavings of Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon. Inspired by this recipe.

Other recipes in this series:

Tapas Week Part 1: Wild Mushroom Pierogies

Tapas Week Part 2: Crispy Spicy Black Eyed Peas

Tapas Week Part 3: Apple Bites With Bacon and Jalapeno Cream Cheese

Tapas Week Part 4: Five Layer Greek Dip

Tapas Week Part 5: Bacon and Caramelized Onion Dip

Tapas Week Part 5: Bacon and Caramelized Onion Dip

Tags

appetizer, bacon, caramelized, dip, onion, snack, tapas

I rarely have every ingredient listed in a recipe. Maybe because I don’t cook “typical” recipes. Or because I am not a good shopper. I don’t know. Just this once, though, I had every single ingredient for this tasty dip. It has a delicious tang from the yogurt, a mellowness from the caramelized onions, and a punch of flavor from the bacon. Use pita chips, Ruffles (my favorite dip chip), or vegetables to scoop up the deliciousness.

Bacon and Caramelized Onion Dip

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 15 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

• 6 slices bacon
• 1 large yellow onion
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• ¼ tsp mustard powder

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Finely chop. Drain all but 3 tablespoons of bacon grease from the pan. Slice the onion in half at the roots, then slice thinly (so you have half moon slices). Saute the onion over medium heat in the bacon grease. Stir frequently and cook until onions begin to soften. Turn the heat down to medium low and add the sugar to the onions. Continue sauteing until the onions are caramelized. Remove from heat and cool.

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary Store in the fridge for up to a week. A variation of a recipe from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen.

Other recipes in this series:

Tapas Week Part 1: Wild Mushroom Pierogies

Tapas Week Part 2: Crispy Spicy Black Eyed Peas

Tapas Week Part 3: Apple Bites With Bacon and Jalapeno Cream Cheese

Tapas Week Part 4: Five Layer Greek Dip

Tapas Week Part 3: Apple Bites With Bacon and Jalapeno Cream Cheese

Tags

appetizer, apple, bacon, cream cheese, gluten free, jalapeno, tapas

Tapas week continues. This recipe may be the best so far. Normally my hubby thinks of these things as “fruity” but he thought these were “better than I thought.” He ate four of these pretty quickly so I think he really means they were amazing! I definitely will be making these again soon. Thanks to Climbing Grier Mountain for the recipe.

Other posts in this series:
Tapas Week Part 1: Wild Mushroom Pierogies

Tapas Week Part 2: Crispy Spicy Black Eyed Peas

Apple Bites with Bacon and Jalapeno Cream Cheese

• Servings: 2
• Time: 25 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

• 1 apple, cut into eight wedges
• 4 slices bacon, cut in half
• 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 jalapeno, deseeded and diced (leave a bit of the membrane in for a spicier flavor)
• 8 toothpicks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the cream cheese and jalapenos. Slather a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture onto one of the apple slices. Take a slice of bacon and wrap around the apple. Use the toothpicks to hold the bacon in place (they also make good little handles for eating these babies). Repeat the process with all 8 sliced of apple. Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 mintues or until the bacon is crispy. Serve immediately.

Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. In a bowl, combine cream cheese and jalapenos.Take an apple wedge and place it on the far end of a bacon slice. Dollop a teaspoon of the jalapeno cream cheese on the side of the apple and then wrap the bacon around the apple. Use a toothpick to hold in place. Place on baking sheet. Repeat process until all apple wedges are complete. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until bacon is crispy (I had to turn my broiler on to help crisp it up a bit). Serve immediately.

Tapas Week Part 2: Crispy Spicy Black Eyed Peas

Tags

black eyed peas, gluten free, healthy, protein, salty, snacks, Southern, tapas, vegetarian

When I have a food craving, it’s usually for crunchy saltiness. I usually don’t want potato chips, just because they are so bad for you. These little babies meet my needs. And they have a little boost of protein that keeps you from getting hungry. I love that you could use nearly any flavor combination with them. Next time I am thinking something curry… What flavor combo would you use?

Crispy Spicy Black Eyed Peas (from Rufus’ Food and Spirits Guide)

• 2 cups dried black-eyed peas
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp Old Bay
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• sea salt to taste (it takes quite a bit)
• white pepper to taste
• black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse beans removing any stones or dirt. Cover with water simmer for 15-20 minutes. They should still have a little bite in them. Drain beans. In a bowl, combine the peas, oil, spices, salt and pepper. Stir gently to coat. Pour beans onto the baking sheet. Roast for 45 to 1 hour or until the sound like popcorn kernels rolling around on the tray. Let cool. Store in airtight container.

Tapas Week Part 1: Wild Mushroom Pierogies

Tags

celebration, main dish, mushrooms, onions, pierogies, side dish, Super Bowl, tapas, vegetarian

It’s almost time for the Super Bowl. I am not really a sports fan. But who doesn’t love the delicious appetizers that are served at Super Bowl parties?!? I will watch any football game just to get to the goodies. I have one question though…. is it the game with the round ball or the pointy ball?

In honor of Super Bowl parties everywhere, AnnaShortcakes will have a week of posts embracing one of the best food traditions – tapas. Enjoy!

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I love the Smitten Kitchen. Deb’s recipes and writing style are so approachable. Comfortable. She seems like the neighbor in your apartment building that opens her front door for a quick chat, allowing delicious smells to waft under your nose. You want to be invited over for dinner, just to see what she will create next.

Wild Mushroom Pierogies (a slight variation of a recipe by the Smitten Kitchen)

For filling:

• 1 cup boiling water
• 2/3 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 6 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tsbp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

For onion topping:

• 1 lb onions, chopped
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

For the dough (makes enough for about 48 pierogies or 32 varenikis):

• 1 cup all-purpose flour plus additional for kneading and rolling
• 3/4 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup water

Make the filling: Pour boiling water over shiitake in a small bowl and soak until softened, about 10 to 20 minutes. Drain and squeeze extra water from the mushrooms. Save their water for later.

Finely chop onion and garlic in a food processor, then add the mushrooms and continue to process until finely chopped.

Heat butter in a skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides. Add the mushroom mixture, stirring frequently until the mushrooms are dry (about 10 minutes). Add the reserved mushrooms liquid to the dry mushrooms. Continue cooking until the mixture is dry again (about 15 minutes). Add parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.

Make the dough: Combine the two flours in a bowl. Make a well in flour and add eggs, salt, and water. Gently stir the eggs and water together, gradually incorporating the flour until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until the dough is smooth, adding flour as needed to keep it from sticking. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest on the countertop for 30 minutes. Dough may be made about 2 hours ahead. Wrap well in plastic wrap and chilled. Bring to room temperature before using.

Roll out dough and fill pierogies: Cut the dough in half, wrapping the one piece in the plastic wrap to keep it moist. Roll out the other piece of dough on a lightly floured surface, about 1/8 inch thick or less. Cut into rounds with a 2.5 inch cookie cutter.  Place one teaspoon of filling in the center of each round. Moisten 1/2 of the edge of each round. Fold the dough round in half and pinch together- moist side to dry side.  Continue until all the dough and filling is used up.

Cook onions and pierogies: Saute onions in butter in a large heavy skillet over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from skillet and set both aside.

Cook pierogies in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water until tender (about 12 to 15 minutes). Transfer with a slotted spoon into the onion skillet. Lightly brown each side of the pierogies in the butter that remains in the skillet. Toss the browned pierogies with the onions and serve with sour cream.

Do ahead: Filling can be made up to a week ahead and chilled. Stuffed pierogies can be frozen on a cookie sheet and then bagged for later use. They last for about a month, if you let them sit there long enough. Thaw before boiling.

 

Yamaguchi’s Sake and Tapas

Tags

Asian, fine dining, Japanese, Lexington, sake, tapas, Yamaguchi's

For my birthday dinner, the hubby and I met some friends, David and Kathryn, at Yamaguchi’s Sake and Tapas. A little restaurant in an out of the way area (they don’t even have a sign outside), Yamaguchi’s is as much about the food as it is about the experience. The best way to explain their food is to say this – they serve the food you would eat at a traditional Japanese home. There are some raw things but most everything is cooked.

Freshness of the ingredients is the key to their success. Every Thursday fresh fish is flown in from Japan. I am pretty sure no other place in Lexington can guarantee such fresh seafood.  And there is no sushi on the menu. Perhaps it is too cliche for a place that clearly prides itself on quality, tradition, and atmosphere.

If you go to Yamaguchi’s, there are a few things you should know. They frown on cell phone conversations. Children, unless they are older and well behaved, are not really their customer type (aka don’t bring them). They encourage you to sit and enjoy each tapas, the soothing music, and your companions. Wait staff is the cook’s wife and she is very gracious/unobstrusive. If you are expecting to have a loud, boisterous family reunion and an American style meal, this is not the place for you!

Please forgive the not so amazing quality of the photos below. Iphones only can do so much.

They have cold sake by the taste, glass or bottle. I had only tried warm sake in the past and greatly disliked it. Cold sake is amazingly smooth and a bit sweet. They also have interesting names. The sake below is a “taste” and called Wandering Poet.

They also serve fresh sashimis as well as unique things. The picture below was taken by David a few months ago. They are Firefly Squid with a Vinegar Mustard Miso Paste. They are only offered one week a year. How awesome is that? And they look super tasty.

The Wafu Caprese salad is lovely. This caprese varies from the traditional in it’s use of shiso, a Japanese basil, and a Japanese style dressing.

Tontoro Misoyaki is a pork jowl meat, thinly sliced, broiled, then served with a homemade garlic miso. I think it was my favorite of all the dishes we tried.

Gyuniku Aburiyaki is thinly sliced ribeye steak, topped with fresh wasabi and soy sauce. Surprisingly, the fresh wasabi is not nearly as spicy as one might expect from paste or powder. The beef tones down any overwhelming hotness.

I tried a bite of the Jikasei Atsuage Tofu. I normally shy away from tofu because of it’s odd texture. But since this is adventure eating, why not try everything? I was very pleasantly surprised. The tofu is deep fried and served with ginger, scallions and soy sauce.

The squid tempura was very nice as well. The crust was nice and light with a minimal greasiness. It was served with soy sauce, green tea salt, and some amazing little peppers whose name I have forgotten.

The dessert was an almond flavored pudding with strawberries. Very nice, light finish to a delightful meal.

I strongly suggest you go to Yamaguchi’s Sake and Tapas. We tried several other things not pictured above that were just as yummy as those mentioned. I intend to go back in the future!!