tapas Archives - domenica dreams of calamari

September 24, 2014November 2, 2014

Beet Root, Goat Cheese Spread

My dad has a few favorite vendors at the farmers market that he loyally returns to. I suspect it has something to do with their levels of generosity with samples. One of them sells Middle Eastern style dips and salads. One of our favorites is a beet-goat cheese dip. I attempted to recreate it tonight and it came out pretty tasty. His is usually a smooth spread but I left mine a little more on the chunky side. It was great on some toasted hearty bread.

2 lg beets
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/3 cup goat cheese
1/2 tsp parsley
1 slice of orange

Scrub beets then wrap in 2 layers of foil and bake for an hour
Unwrap them and let cool, then peel off skins
Cut in chunks and throw in the food processor with yogurt, goat cheese, parsley and the juice of the orang
Blend until desired consistency is reached

September 19, 2014November 2, 2014

Marinated Goat Cheese Balls with Artichokes, Olives and Tomatoes

I got this recipe from the Food & Wine website in a French picnic slide-show. I made it for the sangria party night. I was especially interested in it because not only do I love all of the elements but the piment d’Espelette is a specialty of the Basque region near where I spent the first half of the year studying abroad. There I tried everything with the special chilli flavoring, from chocolate to cheeses.

1 1/2 pounds fresh goat cheese, softened
2 tsp chopped rosemary
2 tsp chopped thyme
1/2 tsp piment d’Espelette pepper or hot paprika
salt
1 quart evoo
20 cooked baby artichoke hearts
1 cup red cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
1 cup Niçoise olives
1/2 cup pine nuts

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the pine nuts in a pie plate and bake for 10 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly toasted. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
In a standing mixer, using the paddle, blend the goat cheese with the toasted pine nuts, rosemary, thyme and piment d’Espelette. Alternatively, blend the cheese in a bowl using a wooden spoon. Season with salt. Shape rounded tablespoons of the seasoned cheese into balls.
Pour 1 inch of olive oil into a tall 1-gallon glass container. Layer the cheese balls, artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes and olives in the container with enough of the remaining olive oil to cover. Let marinate at room temperature for 24 hours. Serve with the toasted baguette.

Original recipe: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/marinated-goat-cheese-olives-artichokes-and-tomatoes

September 10, 2014September 24, 2014

Summer Sangria

My cousin recently moved to San Diego to get her Master’s degree. When she was moving in, her parents gave her a hand-me-down punch bowl that had been an unused wedding present. We quickly came up with a new future use for the clandestine punch bowl as a sangria bowl. That same week, Jess came over with the bowl and we came up with this summery sangria recipe. The bowl even has matching glasses that hang off the side.

Summer Sangria:

2 bottles red wine (blends)
4 cups sparkling water
1 bag frozen cherries
2 large, firm peaches
2 passion fruits
lotsa ice

September 10, 2014November 2, 2014

Fig & Olive Tapenade

I love figs. so. much. We’ve had a big ole fig tree in our front yard for as long as I can remember. I used to take my first-day-of-school photos in front of it every year. Last year when I went back to school in SLO my friend and I realized how many figs were going uneaten on our fellow community members’ bountiful trees. We decided it was not only tragic but a crime against humanity so we started doing nighttime missions to relieve their trees and transport the fat figs to a more happy home, with us. Where they would be thoroughly appreciated*. Although they aren’t the black mission figs I am used to from my tree in San Diego, they are free and we do it for the figs sake, so I’m not going to complain. BUT the late summer months at home when our tree produces, are some of my favorite days of the year. I check the tree daily, sometimes two or three times. I will not let a fig go to waste. I’ve made many a fig recipe this year but this is one of the simplest and tastiest.

Fig & Olive Tapenade

10 ripe figs
2 cups pitted kalamata olives
a drizzle of balsamic vinegar
3 sprigs rosemary and or thyme

Blend ingredients together and get some good crackers or bread. It’s also divine on top of roast chicken or next to herby lamb meatballs.

*we have also been asked to leave our schools’ orchards, for sneaking into the fig tree enclosure