If you think bagged salads are the easiest – stop being so boring.
Grab a couple of beautiful heirloom tomatoes, an english cucumber, olives and whole marinated artichokes from the grocery store olive bar – chop them up and throw them on a platter. Dress with lemon wedges, a splash of good olive oil, salt, pepper and dried oregano. Serve like a star – or like Betty Draper. As I keep thinking of her saying “Go bang your head against the wall. Only boring people are bored.”
April showers bring May flowers, right? I certainly hope so.
My mother and her best friend, Debbie, came up to Greensboro this weekend for their annual Spring gardening weekend. They arrived on Friday in time to check out a project I’m working on downtown and enjoy a casual grilled steak dinner in the backyard.
On Saturday we hit New Garden Nursery early and picked up a bounty of colorful blooms – as well as many many bags of mulch. Before the rain hit, my Mom and Debbie were able to transform my backyard and prepare it for another spring and summer full of flowering fun.
Meanwhile, I stopped by The Fresh Market for a Mediterranean themed dinner of lamb burgers, a fresh salad of heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, olives and whole marinated artichoke hearts and an enormous grilled Turkish flatbread from Nazareth Bread. I must admit, this was one of the better Mediterranean meals I’ve made – I can’t wait to share the lamb burger recipe!
We ate our last bites before the rain began — and did not stop until, well, it’s still raining now…
On Sunday, we slowed down for a day of shopping (at Midtown Olive Press and Savory Spice Shop!) and lounging by the fire. Yes, a fire at the end of April! We concluded the weekend with a homemade asparagus tart with goat cheese and white truffle oil, leftover salad and a crisp dry bottle of rose.
Another busy week ahead. I’ll share the recipes to keep you looking for the weekend!
Here are too very garlicky recipes that take no time to prepare – and folks will go wild for them! The trick is to roast both of them while guests are beginning to arrive. The aroma is pretty incredible and they will want to dive in with bread, big glasses of wine and their finger tips!
These two dishes pair extremely well with the other dishes from my Spanish Tapas night. And, these are the only two that require much cooking!
Garlicky Roasted Chorizo & Shrimp (serves a crowd – reduce shrimp quantity for smaller groups – but never reduce the chorizo!
In a large oven proof ceramic dish, throw in sliced chorizo and garlic. Over with olive oil – a bit generously. Roast at 425 degrees until fragrant and chorizo is beginning to get crispy. Toss in shrimp and stir well. Season generously like salt and pepper. Roast until shrimp are cooked to your preference – this will not take long!! Serve immediately while hot and delicious!
Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms from Gourmet.com and Smitten Kitchen
Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle. Toss mushrooms with capers, garlic, oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper in a 1 1/2- to 2-qt shallow baking dish. Top with butter and roast, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and golden and bubbly garlic sauce forms below, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve immediately.
The best thing about our Spanish Tapas Night was the ease of preparation! When you aren’t worrying about getting food out at the right temperature – you can really enjoy yourself! These dishes don’t even need recipes. Here are some ideas for an simple menu for noshing over good Spanish wine!
With several vegetarians coming to our Spanish Tapas Night we wanted to make sure we had plenty of meat-free dishes. These tomato and goat cheese tarts are perfect for a snack, starter or light entree. We used Ina Garten’s recipe and made a few adjustments. Depending on the occasion, you can make these as small as you’d like. Enjoy them while tomatoes begin coming into season!
Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts
Ingredients:
Assembly:
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Slice onion thinly and saute in olive oil for about 20 minutes on low. Once cooked down and translucent – add 2 teaspoons thyme, salt and pepper. Cook until brown and caramelized. Meanwhile, defrost puff pastry sheets and cut rounds. Using a pairing knife, score (don’t cut all the way through) a circle inside the pastry shells about a half inch from the edge. Prick the inside of the circle with a fork to prevent from rising in the oven. Put about 2 teaspoons Parmesan cheese inside the pastry. Top with 2 tablespoons of onions, a forth of the cheese and one large slice of tomato. Top with shredded Parmesan. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes until brown.
Happy Monday? I’m still recovering from an extremely fun and productive weekend while I plunge into another week of happenings! Over the weekend I hosted twelve friends for Spanish Tapas, attended an Elon University event and painted a street for a new project I’m working on at my day job. Yeah, so leisurely. But, while exhausting, so incredibly special when packed into one weekend.
My friend Masha and I planned Friday night’s menu when fun in mind – and with the intent to keep it simple and easy. We shopped and prepped almost everything on the menu the night before. Stuffing the dates and piquillo peppers, preparing the puff pastry and components for miniature tomato tarts and laying out all the platters…
The day of the party, everything was a breeze to plate and finish. This menu unique – complete with lots of good Spanish wine from my friend Mark and sangria from John – was the perfect pick-up menu for a casual night with friends. We packed into the kitchen and enjoyed small plates while grazing back and forth to the table.
This menu is perfect for a mixed groups – including those who eat less carbs or are vegetarian. It’s also great for a crowd as recipes can be doubled with ease. We purchased the entire menu from The Fresh Market as they are stocked with speciality ingredients and quality meats, cheese and an amazing olive bar! I’ll share the recipes this week!
Spanish Tapas Menu for Twelve
This past weekend I invited some girlfriends over for a glass of wine in the backyard. With the sun in our faces, I slipped them a glass of Westbend Viognier from the Yadkin Valley. They quickly complimented the wine and I replied “it’s a North Carolina wine recommended by Su and Penny at Zeto downtown.” They couldn’t believe it.
That’s the rap that Su Peterson and Penny Demetriades, owners of the local Zeto Wine, are trying to help change.
Su and Penny are downtown Greensboro’s go-to wine experts. With a combined experience of more than 30 years in the industry, they started Zeto Wine long before downtown had much of a rep either.
Their love of wine comes from a love of nature and humanity. They take the time to meet with each winemaker to experience their stories and taste. Over the years Su and Penny have gotten to know many North Carolina winemakers and have learned more about the industry than could ever fit in this column.
While they admit that NC wine has a bad reputation, they preach that we haven’t given it a chance. In the grand scheme of winemaking, NC winemaking is significantly young. Without generations of experience, North Carolina winemakers are still learning to understand how grapes grow in our climate and soil. Both the industry and vineyards are maturing. Su and Penny encourage the public to recognize that winemaking is farming and to have respect for anyone who is farming grapes for winemaking in North Carolina. While the terrain presents challenges, North Carolina wine is unique in its variation from the coast to mountains.
This Spring and Summer, make some time to tour North Carolina’s wine vineyards. They make a lovely day trip and give you a chance to learn more about our local wines. You just might be surprised! In the meantime, Su and Penny identified their 6 favorite North Carolina wines. They have about a dozen in stock at Zeto and continue to meet and taste more varieties.
Six North Carolina Wines Recommended by Su Peterson and Penny Demetriades
Shadow Springs Vineyard Seyval Blanc from Swan Creek Yadkin Valley 2010 ($15.99)
This hybrid blend is sweet but not syrupy. It is a great springtime starter and pairs well with cheeses, lighter fish, fruits and chutneys. It is crisp and clean and medium bodied with a hint of peach and mango.
Raffaldini Pinot Grigio 2010 from Swan Creek ($11.99)
This family owned winery specializes specifically in Italian wines. Their NC Pinot Grigio pairs well with nutty cheeses, caprese salads, North Carolina shrimp, flounder and snapper.
Westbend Viognier from the Yadkin Valley ($11.99)
This husband and wife winemaking team started their work in the 1970s. They helped to pioneer the vinifera grape in North Carolina and discovered that the Viognier grape stood out in North Carolina as particularly noteworthy. The Westbend Viognier pairs well with crab and Asian foods. It is also an easy transition from chardonnay with hints of honey suckle and apricot.
Shadow Springs 100% Merlot from Yadkin Valley (17.99)
Aged 18 months in oak barrels which has a significant influence how smooth the wine tastes. With a medium body, this 100% Merlot is perfect for summertime grilled read meats, burgers or pizza!
Raylen Cabernet Franc 2010 ($14.99)
The cabernet grape emerged early on in North Carolina. It is typically used as a blending grape although Raylen has successfully bottled the grape solo. It is lighter than a cabernet sauvignon with notes of blueberry. Su and Penny recommends putting a hint of chill on the wine before serving in the summertime. Bring it to “cellar temperature by putting the bottle in the refrigerator about 20 minutes.
Stonefield Cellars Barrel X 2008 ($27.99)
The Stonefield Cellers have a unique background from their roots in California and technical skills in chemistry. This gives Stonefield Cellars a leg up on the industry. The Barrel X is a rich wine with an “old world style taste” that pairs extremely well with rustic dishes including beef, lamb and eggplant.
If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been the past week, I’ve been knee deep in biscuit ingredients. And, no, I’m not joking. This week marked the second annual Greensboro Collegiate Biscuitville Bowl. I’ve been planning the series of events for many months and it finally came together this week – concluding with the messiest 5k relay race with biscuit themed obstacles.
Many of my friends came out to support by volunteering, running and spectating. It was so much fun that I crashed the rest of the weekend without any cooking! Don’t worry, I ate plenty of biscuits.
So, stay tuned for a recipes this week. I hope your weekend was as full of ‘Friendly Folks’ as mine!
Since last Fall, so many of my friends have been asking about my purple picnic table. Sadly, it rotted last year and I had to throw it out over Thanksgiving. My backyard has been empty without it – as the table brings so many (crazy) memories of warm weather al fresco meals on Mendenhall Street. I’ve felt lost, Winston has missed his place for sunbathing and friends have been without a perch to linger.
But luckily, we all gained 70 degree weather yesterday in Greensboro and I gained a sturdy new cedar picnic table. The world is attempted to realign.
My good friends Jessica and Margaret (aka Bob Vila) came over to help me assemble the table. Jessica quickly became the Queen of Directions (invite her over after your next Ikea purchase) and Margaret impressed us with her carpentry skills and tool box. Who knew what a shim was? From 107 pound box of wood – we put it together piece by piece. And, I provided wine and a California Cobb Salad with Grilled Salmon for a post-assembly celebration. I prepared the salad in advance and grilled the salmon right before serving. A surface to dine on what a gift in itself. The salad was delicious too.
Happy outdoor eating!
California Cobb Salad with Grilled Salmon
For Salad:
For Dressing:
Around this time of year – when its lighter and warmer outside – I love to make big batches of pasta or grain salads. They are tasty warm or cold – and last through the week for lunches and casual suppers outside in the backyard. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I love Israeli CousCous! It’s a sturdy pasta that will hold up wonderfully in cold salads and soups.
This recipe is another variation on a Mediterranean salad with piquillio peppers (sweet and spicy!), black olives, dried cherries (love the sweetness), slivered almonds and fresh spinach. I found myself eating this right out of the serving bowl. Totally addictive and it make enough to feed an army. I delivered some in Chinese take-out boxes to friends on Sunday evening. Just call me Ina.
Enjoy!
Israeli CousCous Salad with Black Olives, Dried Cherries and Piquillo Peppers
Ingredients:
Assembly: Boil Israeli Couscous in chicken broth until tender and drain. Immediately add to the lemon vinaigrette and chill. Add olives, cherries, peppers, almonds and spinach to cooled couscous. Serve with grilled chicken on fish!
Mod Meals on Mendenhall
