These Roasted Potatoes with Garlic Dip were a big hit at our tapas party and Belle asked me to make it the next day since she didn’t get a chance to try any at the party the night before – that’s how fast they went (and I made two batches!).

I think these potatoes will become a standard in our home just like Classic Thai Rice, Thai Pineapple Rice or Crazy Rice. They are dead simple to make but they do require the roasting time.

For the party I made them with regular white potatoes, cut in half and then quartered, but the next day I decided to use the small round new potatoes (red and white) cut in half – these were, I think better. Try it with any type of potato you like. For the standard white potatoes I peeled them first but for the new potatoes I didn’t, although I gave them a good scrub when I washed them.

The Garlic Dip

Belle’s note: These potatoes were simply delicious. Great on their own, of course, but the garlic dip turned them into a dish to rave about. Ward’s been having a great time lately playing around with ingredients and coming up with his own creations, and this one will become one of our own classics, I think!

Roasted Potatoes with Garlic Dip

3 lb potatoes, peeled, halved and quartered or 3 lb new potatoes, halved
2-3 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp sea salt

Garlic Dip
10 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 tbsp olive oil
5 tbsp sour cream
4 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp paprika or more to taste
sea salt to taste

1. Pre-heat an oven to 400 degrees F. (200 degrees C.)
2. Place the potato pieces in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil.
3. Add the garlic and salt and toss to combine.
4. Coat a large baking pan (or 2 medium pans) with non-stick vegetable spray.
5. Add the potatoes and roast for approximately 1-1/4 hours. You want them soft on the inside and crisp and light brown on the outside.
6. Meanwhile the dip: Whisk the garlic, olive oil, sour cream, mayonnaise together.
7. Add the paprika and adjust the amount to taste.
8. Add salt to taste.
9. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve.
10. Transfer potatoes to serving dish.

This is a straight forward and very easy recipe. I strongly suggest using a deep fryer rather then a pot of oil on the stove top, because it is safer and far simpler.

For our Tapas Party I made deep-fried green chilies and then the next night I made deep-fried Thai red chilies, Jalapenos and green chilies. They were all delicious.

The following recipe was adapted from Tapas. It’s out of print, but here’s the funny thing – Belle and I own TWO copies of this book. One is a regular sized cookbook, and the other looks like one of those small, chunky cookbooks. Fortunately, we bought both at bargain book prices – they look completely different but have the exact same recipes.

Belle’s note: I didn’t dare brave these deep-fried chilies, but some of the other guests just loved them! I’ve learned that when Ward says, “It’s not that hot,” it means it’s too hot for me. It’s only when he says, “This doesn’t taste spicy at all” that I will brave it, because that means it’s just hot enough for me!

Deep-Fried Chilies

vegetable oil
green chilies, red chilies or jalapenos

Special equipment: Electric deep fryer.

1. Place the oil in the deep fryer according the manufacturers instructions.
2. Heat the oil to 360 degrees F.
3. Place the chilies in the basket and deep fry for 1-2 minutes , depending on the size of the chilies.
4. Remove and place on paper towels to drain.
5. Serve.

This was one of the dishes Belle chose for our November Saturday Open House dinner (okay I think she chose all the menu items). I love to cook but I don’t like deciding what to cook. Tell me beef, poultry, fish, vegetarian, Mexican, Italian, Thai, Japanese – whatever it is you feel like – and I can go from there, but I need an idea to start with.

I adapted this recipe from Small Bites, a nice little book that comes in handy when you’re entertaining. There were no leftovers with this one – and I tripled the recipe! For some reason I have no pictures of this – oh, yes I remember why. I was still cooking while the appetizers were being served.

Belle’s note: It’s too bad we didn’t get a picture of this. It was a very nice dip – different enough but not too different that people didn’t want to give it a try. The original recipe called for just mixing everything together, but we found this much too awkward to work as a dip, so Ward threw everything into the food processor – the result? A very delicious, slightly chunky dip that everyone loved.

Spinach and Yogurt Dip with caramelized onion

350g (12 oz) spinach, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 cup full-fat yogurt
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
pita bread, cut into quarters for serving

1. Place spinach and salt in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat for 2 minutes or until wilted. Drain, rinse with cold water, and squeeze out the water.
2. Put oil, onions and garlic in a frying pan and sauté for 20 minutes or more, until the onions are caramelized and golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. In a large bowl mix the onions, yogurt and spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Place in food processor and process until slightly chunky.
4. Refrigerate.
5. Heat pita bread in toaster oven or regular oven.
6. Serve with the warmed pita bread.

This was another fun item to make… okay, I know say that in every post. I can’t help it, I just love to cook!

I made this for our November Saturday Open House dinner as part of our Mediterranean theme (in this case Greece), so I doubled this recipe.

I made up the meatballs on Friday and then cooked them on Saturday – easy and delicious. The only thing you need to keep in mind for this one is the additional time required for thickening the yogurt – you’ll need to add in at least 1 hour for this.

The following recipe is not the doubled version; it should make about 40 meatballs. It’s adapted from The Olive and The Caper, by Suzanne Hoffman.

Belle’s note: This was the first dish to disappear during our November open house; everyone loved it. It smells delicious while it’s cooking, too. The sauce is a tangy tomato-y sauce that has a beautiful red colour.

Beef and Rice Meatballs in Yogurt-Tomato Sauce (Youvarelakia Yogurt Sauce)

For the Meatballs
1 lb ground beef (don’t use lean or extra lean, you need the fat for good tasting meatballs)
1 cup cooked rice, at room temperature
1 onion, finely chopped
1 large clove of garlic, pressed
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 large free-range egg
2 + tbsp olive oil for browning the meatballs

For the Youvarelakia Yogurt Sauce
1/3 cup olive oil
796 ml (28 fl oz) can of San Marzano type tomatoes, chopped
3 large cloves, peeled and finely sliced
1 tsp fresh rosemary needles, finely chopped
1/3 cup capers, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp organic lemon zest, chopped
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup thickened yogurt*

Youvarelakia Yogurt Sauce

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add tomatoes and garlic and stir for about 1 minute.
3. Add the rosemary, capers, lemon, wine and salt.
4. Cook until the tomatoes are soft, about 2-3 minutes.
5. Stir in the thickened yogurt*.
6. Place in small serving bowls or ramekins, or in one larger bowl with a ladle for everyone to spoon sauce over their meatballs.

* Directions for thickened yogurt: Use 3 cups full fat yogurt

1. Place a double layer of cheesecloth over a fine mesh sieve.
2. Pour yogurt into sieve and let drain at least 1 hour.
3. Squeeze out any extra moisture form yogurt and retain the yogurt.

Meatballs

1. Mix all the ingredients except the oil in a large bowl. (Use your hands, it’s the only way to really mix and get involved in the food).
2. Roll together tablespoon-sized balls and place on a baking sheet or large platter.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add the meatballs, but don’t overcrowd or the oil temperature will drop.
5. Cook in batches for 8-10 minutes each.
6. Serve the meatballs with the Youvarelakia Yogurt sauce on the side.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it. ]]> http://museinthekitchen.com/beef/beef-and-rice-meatballs-in-yogurt-tomato-sauce-youvarelakia-yogurt-sauce/feed/ 5 http://museinthekitchen.com/mediterranean/crisp-bitter-greens-with-anchovy-vinaigrette/ http://museinthekitchen.com/mediterranean/crisp-bitter-greens-with-anchovy-vinaigrette/#comments Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:17:00 +0000 Ward http://museinthekitchen.com/?p=581

I had fun with this salad of crisp bitter greens with anchovy vinaigrette.

First let me say, I am not a salad person in the true sense of the word. I like greens, but I’m not really a fan of almost any kind of dressing. I like Japanese miso dressing and a couple of dressings from a Chinese fusion cookbook I have, but I just don’t really like the taste of vinegar. (I don’t like anything pickled either.)

But this salad tasted delicious! The original recipe calls for bitter greens such as endive or frisée but I decided to have a lot more variety. Feel free to substitute any of the greens for anything you like or that is in season.

I was going to add dandelion but I already had too many greens on hand, so I’ll save that for the next time.

I know this recipe is called bitter *greens* but I thought the radicchio would look so nice as a contrast to all the other greens. The quantities here are for a larger-sized salad; if you are making this for a smaller group of four or less people, use a total of 8 oz of greens.

Belle’s note: The Olives and Oranges cookbook offers up two salads with anchovy dressings – one is for a warm salad, and the other is this one, for a cold salad. Ward has made both of them, and I enjoyed them both – they both have very different tastes. We had some salad left over after Ward prepared this for our November open house dinner party, but I devoured the leftovers that very night after everyone had left!

The following recipe is adapted from Olives and Oranges, by Sara Jenkins and Mindy Fox.

Crisp Bitter Greens with Anchovy Vinaigrette

4 Belgian endives, leaves separated, washed and thinly sliced
1 bunch of chicory, leaves separated, washed and thinly sliced
1 bunch of arugula, leaves separated, washed and chopped
2 bunches watercress, leaves separated, washed and chopped
1 head of radicchio, leaves separated, washed and thinly sliced
10 anchovy fillets packet in oil, rinsed
4 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or more)

1. Place anchovies and garlic in a food processor and mix until smooth.
2. Add the vinegar and mix.
3. While processor is running pour in the oil until you have a smooth vinaigrette.
4. In a large bowl toss the greens with the vinaigrette.
5. Serve.

We had a great turnout for our November open house dinner last Saturday: 28 people! What a wonderful evening it was.

The food went over well and, of course, the conversation was the highlight. We are both really looking forward to next month’s open house dinner, and on the menu?Tapas!

I was far too busy finishing cooking everything that could not be done ahead of time on Friday so there are not too many pictures, although Belle did snap a few of me – I think she should have stuck to the food.

And on the menu:

Appetizers

* Smoked Salmon Mousse with Baguette Slices
* Mini Tortilla Quiches
* Spinach and Yogurt Dip with Caramelized Onion & Pita bread

Dinner

* Fava bean stew with crusty bread

* North African Shrimp (I just love this recipe – I’ll post it in the next few days)

* Crazy Rice (while not exactly Mediterranean – okay, so it’s from Brazil, so it’s not even close – we had to think of the children too!)

* Eggplant Salad, Country Style

* Chicken Salad with Tarragon, Pine Nuts & Raisins

* Beef and Rice Meatballs in a Yogurt-Tomato Sauce (unfortunately, we didn’t snap a picture of the sauce)

* Crisp Bitter Greens with Vinaigrette

Dessert

* Jamaican Rum Spiced Pumpkin Pie

The pie looks a lot better then the last time I made it, and the taste was still incredible. I still need to develop the touch or finesse for baking, though.

People also brought some entrées for the table. Joe brought a baked salmon and Chris brought lamb chops, both very delicious. And there were also a ton of really lovely desserts, including a wonderfully moist pear cake that Julie, Steve’s wife, made.

I really think I need to either take a food photography class or invite a top photographer to dinner every night. Yes, as it turns out, I just discovered that I know a very good photographer! Corby Chapin, one of my Aikido students. He is also a great cook himeslf, especially on the BBQ – a real barbecue master.

Or maybe the quality of the pictures might just be due to the fact that I dropped my camera a while back – it now no longer takes videos, only pictures. So I might need a new camera!

I’m looking forward to our next dinner. I’ve also been thinking that maybe once a month is not enough – we need to have more wonderful nights like our last Open House Dinner.

Thank you to everyone who came, put up with my cooking and made the night such a wonderful evening!

Belle’s note: We had a fabulous time, and the food was excellent. I was so busy enjoying myself, I forgot to take pictures of the appetizers – luckily Ward was thinking on his feet (while managing all the cooking, too!) and took a picture of the salmon mousse. The mini tortilla quiches were adorable looking and incredibly fun to eat – I think I’ll have to persuade Ward to make it again just so I can remember to take pictures of it!

This salad was a big hit at our November 14th Open House dinner but even more of a hit with Belle. She loves it. She has been eating the leftovers all week – I made a lot, and she even loves the way it smells.

At first I thought about going for skinless, boneless chicken breasts but Belle suggested (and quite rightly) that bone-in and skin-on chicken wouldl add more flavour to the meat. To help convince me, she even offered to remove the skin and bones for me and shred the meat. Who am I to refuse help?

So I went with the bone-in and skin on breasts. Obviously, this was the right choice. The salad was simply delicious.

The stock in which I simmered the chicken

I made the chicken the night before and after Belle shredded it, I put it in the fridge. The next afternoon, I brought the chicken out to come to room temperature. This is a great party dish because you serve it at room temperature – one of the reasons we picked it.

I should also mention I used two pots to accommodate the six breasts I used, rather than the three in the recipe below, but that was necessary only because we were having so many people over. If you follow the recipe below, you will only need one pot.

Belle’s note: I was indeed happy to offer my services as sous chef for this dish; the chicken turned out to be very flavourful, and yes, it had the most wonderful chicken salad-y smell. I’m not kidding. I had a bowl of it at my desk the day after, and the scent of the dish was just divine! Ward was hesitant about adding the raisins (he isn’t a big fan of raisins himself), but I think they’re essential to the dish.

The following recipe is adapted from Oranges and Olives (a really splendid book about Mediterranean cooking).

Chicken Salad with Tarragon, Toasted Pine Nuts and Golden Raisins

2 carrots, chopped coarsely
2 celery stalks, chopped coarsely
1 medium onions, peeled and cut into eighths
4 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
1 lemon, sliced in half
6 sprigs of fresh parsley
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1-1/2 tbsp black peppercorns
1-1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1-1/2 cups dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc is a good choice)
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
3 bone-in, skin on free-range chicken breasts
1/2 cup golden raisins, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and drained
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted over medium heat
3 scallions, sliced thinly on the bias
1/3 cup fresh tarragon, chopped
1/3 cup Italian parsley, chopped
3 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, coarse

Chicken

1. Put 8 cups of water into a large pot and start bringing to the boil.
2. Put carrots, celery, onion, garlic, lemon, parsley, thyme, peppercorns, salt, wine and vinegar and allow to come to a boil.
3. Add the chicken breasts and reduce heat to simmer and cover.
4. Cook for 30 minutes, remove chicken and allow to cool (you can discard the poaching liquid at this point – I know, it seems a shame. By all means, reserve it if you think you can use it for something else)
5. Remove the skin and bones from the meat, shredding the chicken as you go.

Salad

1. Mix the raisins, pine nuts, scallions, tarragon, parsley, chives, oil, vinegar and salt in a large bowl. Add the shredded chicken to the mixture. Toss well, so that the chicken is well-coated.
2. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
3. Serve at room temperature.

This fava bean stew is a wonderful vegetarian bean stew. We orginally found a recipe for a fava bean stew from Cyprus in an issue of Saveur last year, and we both loved it.

It takes 2-1/2 hours to cook so you do have to plan ahead. The original recipe called soaking dried beans overnight but the first time I made this, Belle had seen the recipe one morning while she was looking through Saveur, and she wanted to try it that night. So I opted for canned beans and it was delicious. I should try this one day with the dried beans just for comparison.

The canned fava beans I bought this time were huge – about an inch long each! This wasn’t what we used last time. Then I remembered that faba beans is another name for this species of beans. I picked up 2 cans of faba beans and used these instead of fava beans.

Belle’s note: The first time Ward made this, I couldn’t believe it was meatless! It’s incredibly savory and delicious, and very filling – make sure you have some nice fresh Italian or French bread on hand to tear into chunks and sop up the sauce. Like all stews, it’s even better the next day.

Koukkiá Koúnnes (Fava Bean Stew with Garlic, Thyme and Bay Leaves)
Adapted from Saveur Magazine

2-19oz cans fava (or faba) beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and quartered
small handful of thyme sprigs, tied together with kitchen twine
3 fresh bay leaves
2 medium onions, chopped coarsely
5 cups organic vegetable stock
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp fresh organic lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
Country style bread, sliced or roughly torn

1. Heat oil in a large pot (4 qt) over medium heat.
2. Add onions, garlic, thyme and bay leaves. Cook until soft and browned (about 15 minutes).
3. Add the fava beans and the stock. Bring to a boil and reduce to medium-low. Partially cover and cook until the beans are tender and stew is thickened (about 2-1/2 hours).
4. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
5. Pour into serving bowl and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, and serve with crusty bread.

Organization of Contents

The book starts with an Introduction, and then the chapter, “My Flavor Pantry” which covers some basic ingredients. The recipes are organized into the following chapters: Small Plates; Salad; Soup; Pasta, Risotto and Polenta; Fish; Chicken and Other Backyard Livestock; Beef, Veal, Pork, Lamb, and Venison; and Sweets and Cordials. There is also a chapter on sources, followed by an index.

Each recipe is preceded by at least a paragraph of description; as a cookbook reader, this is something that’s important to me. These paragraphs usually serve several purposes: they give the reader a hint of the tastes that are embodied in the recipe, they often sketch in words the culinary environment from which the recipe came, and they often include the authors’ tips on preparation or serving. In the case of Olives & Oranges, the descriptive paragraphs usually had my mouth watering, and often included special flavor tips.

Cooking the Recipes

As is usual with a new cookbook, I sat down with our special cookbook notebook and went through every recipe, writing down all the ones that I’d like to try. When we’re brainstorming a new menu, it’s this special notebook that gets the brunt of our attention, so this preliminary readthrough is pretty important around here.

We can vaguely begin to gauge the success of a particular cookbook in our household by the number of recipes I end up writing down in the notebook (I note the name of the recipe, the cookbook title and the page number). In the case of Olives & Oranges there were definitely signs that this would become a well-used cookbook around here. I seemed to be jotting down recipe titles at nearly every page.

The tastes covered by the recipes ranged from mild and creamy to highly, sometimes even exotically spiced. So far, though, we haven’t had much trouble getting the right ingredients, and where an ingredient may not be easily available, the recipe usually suggests a substitute.

The true test, of course, is in the cooking of the recipes themselves. Sometimes a cookbook looks good, and contains lots of recipes that make your mouth water, but when it comes down to properly instructing you in the making of the recipe, it can fail, hands-down.

I’m pleased to report that this was not the case with Olives & Oranges, which lived up to its original promise. The first recipe we tried out was Seared Cod with Green Olive, Lemon and Parsley Relish. This turned out excellently: it was delicious and flavorful.

Since then we’ve also made the following dishes: Moroccan Salad, Warm Escarole Salad with Hot Anchovy Dressing, Potato, Celery & Leek Soup, Short Pasta with Mushrooms and Mint, Spaghetti with Lemon Sole and North African Spiced Shrimp.  Perhaps even more suggestive are the recipes we’ve already made more than once. Moroccan Salad, Spaghetti with Lemon Sole and North African Spiced Shrimp all fall within this category.

  North African Shrimp

The North African Shrimp was nicely spiced, and made a nice change from the way we normally do shrimp (typically in an Asian stir-fry or on a kebab on the grill). Spices included coriander, Aleppo pepper (we used dried red chili pepper), cumin, ginger and turmeric.

Moroccan Salad

The Moroccan Salad was a big hit – it was a refreshing salad and worked well with the more highly spiced dishes (like the North African Shrimp), and as a bonus, leftovers were eagerly scooped up with tortilla chips as a late night snack.

We’re happy with Olives & Oranges; there are still a a lot of recipes we’ve marked down but haven’t tried yet. The mostly Mediterranean flavors are lovely – it’s the perfect cookbook for when you’re tired of the same old thing.

Where to buy:

U.S. (Amazon.com)

Canada (Chapters)

UK (Amazon.co.uk)

Review copy details: published by Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008, Hardcover, 372 pages