Author Archives: nina in the kitchen

Baby Potatoes with Aioli

Posted on February 19, 2012 by nina in the kitchen

Thank you Mary Ann Anschutz for this recipe!

There are two methods of making the Aioli here. The first is using mayonnaise and adding ingredients. The 2^nd is the traditional method which uses raw egg.

1 lb baby or small red potatoes

½ cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise or 1 egg yolk & 5 tablespoons olive oil & 5 tablespoons corn oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 cloves garlic

Salt & pepper

Olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley

Aioli 1^st method: In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, lemon juice and garlic with a whisk. Thin it out with a little olive oil.

Aioli 2^nd method: In a food processor with a metal blade combine the egg yolk, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Blend well. With the motor running add the olive oil & then the corn oil first by drops & then in a slow steady stream until the sauce is thick and smooth. You can also do this by hand with a bowl and whisk.

Set the Aioli aside. It should be the consistency of a sauce so it can coat the potatoes. Quickly add 1 tablespoon water to thin the sauce.

To prepare the potatoes, cut them in half or quarters to make bite size pieces. If they are very small, leave them whole. Place them in a pan of cold water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 7 minutes or just until tender. Do not overcook. Drain and place into a large bowl. While the potatoes are still warm add the sauce and toss well. Let stand 20 minutes to allow potatoes to marinate in the sauce. Transfer to a warmed serving dish and sprinkle with parsley. Alternatively the Aioli can be served separately, allowing diners to dip potatoes themselves.

Nutrition Note: Vit C rich potatoes with skins retain more fiber & nutrients.

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Posted in side dishes and tagged antioxidants. Bookmark the permalink.

Pasta with Chickpea-Tomato Sauce

Posted on February 19, 2012 by nina in the kitchen

Thank you to Mary Ann Anschutz for this recipe!

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 cups cooked chickpeas

Coarse salt, optional

1-28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1-14.5 oz can reduced sodium chicken broth

1 sprig fresh basil, plus torn leaves for garnish

12 oz medium pasta shells

Grated Parmesan for serving

In a medium sauce pan heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Do not brown
Add chickpeas, season with salt (optional) and cook 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Simmer about 20 minutes or until sauce has reduced slightly.
Add basil and cook 5 minutes. Remove basil.
While sauce is cooking, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water till al dente; drain and return to same pot.
Add sauce to pasta and toss. Serve with Parmesan and garnish with torn basil.

Nutrition Notes: Chickpeas/Garbonzo beans are a high fiber, low fat, and high protein substitute for meat. They also contain phytoestrogens which may protect against breast and prostate cancers. Tomatoes are rich in antioxidants which protect from harmful free radicals.

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Posted in side dishes and tagged fiber, phytoestrogens. Bookmark the permalink.

Lime Drizzled Shrimp

Posted on February 18, 2012 by nina in the kitchen

Thank you Mary Ann Anschutz for this recipe!

4 limes

12 raw and shelled or cooked and shelled jumbo shrimp

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

Splash of sherry

Salt and Pepper

3 Tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

Grate the rind and squeeze the juice from 2 limes; reserve the other limes for later and cut into wedges.
In a large skillet heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink and begin to curl.
Mix in the lime rind, juice and sherry. Stir together.
Transfer to a serving dish and season lightly with salt (optional) and pepper.
Add parsley and reserved limes cut in wedges for squeezing over the shrimp at the table.

Nutrition Notes: shrimp contain 100 mg cholesterol/serving but because it is also low in fat and saturated fat it can be enjoyed on a low cholesterol diet. When finishing with salt, use the flaked sea salt because you can visualize & limit it more easily. You can also enjoy the flavors of the other minerals in the sea salt.

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Posted in appetizers, main dishes and tagged easy, lowfat. Bookmark the permalink.

Chocolate Walnut Clusters with Flaked Sea Salt

Posted on February 15, 2012 by nina in the kitchen

Thank you Basha Pyzik for this famously popular recipe!

Dark chocolate with at least 60% cacao is best. I prefer 70-86%. You can use the Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Chips to eliminate chopping and measuring. Though breaking up the chocolate bars with your fingers is easy. Chopped coconut may be used in place of the sea salt, but I prefer the flaked sea salt. It’s expensive, so I sprinkle it on carefully. The bright white of the flaked sea salt looks dramatic next to the dark chocolate. It adds a crunchy mineral taste to the clusters. You need less than a teaspoon for these 50-60 clusters.

Toast the walnuts in a hot oven and then cool thoroughly!

Break the chocolate in pieces before melting in the microwave.

Toasted walnuts, melted chocolate and flaked sea salt are ready to go.

Pour the chocolate over the walnuts in a larger bowl

Mix well with a rubber spatula to completely coat the walnuts. Mix several times through the cluster making process.

Set aside a small container of flaked sea salt

Carefully spoon about 2 walnut halves or so with a teaspoon onto a pan lined with wax or parchment paper.

Measure equal parts dark chocolate pieces and walnuts. I use a 12 oz bag of walnuts and 3 – 4 oz bars of chocolate.
Toast walnuts in a 400 degree F oven for 10 minutes or until aromatic. COOL thoroughly!
Slowly melt chocolate in the microwave until just till barely melted. The chocolate should be thick. If it is thin, let it sit at room temp or cool in the frig until it’s thick. You’ll end up with pools of chocolate beneath the clusters if the chocolate is too thin. Add a little vanilla if you want.
Place the toasted walnuts in a larger bowl and pour the chocolate over them. Mix with a rubber spatula to completely coat all the little crevices of the walnuts.
Using a teaspoon place about 2 walnut halves in a cluster onto a tray lined with wax or parchment paper.
Depending on the size clusters you will make about 50-60 clusters.
If you have chocolate left over, add more walnuts to make extra clusters.
Carefully place a few pieces of flaked sea salt onto each cluster.
Chill in the refrigerator until hardened, about an hour. Other nuts may be used and you may also add dried cherries to the mix.
Voila!

Nutrition Notes: Research indicates that the flavanol antioxidants (mostly epicatechin, catechin & procyanidins) increase vascular dilation and improve blood flow, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. The flavanols in chocolate work by increasing the levels and action of nitric oxide, a naturally occurring compound in the body that acts as a vasodilator, increases insulin sensitivity and slows down the artherosclerotic process. The darker the chocolate, the more the flavanols. Cocoa powder contains the most. 60% is good, but 70% dark chocolate is better. Yes! White chocolate contains no flavanol.

Walnuts are rich in mono and poly unsaturated fats and are a whole plant food fat. They have not been processed as olive oils and other nut oils, so are not stripped of their natural fiber, vitamins, minerals & phytochemicals. They are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids which we do not eat enough

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Posted in cookies and tagged antioxidants, candy, flavanols, ghirardelli, whole plant foods. Bookmark the permalink.

Fresh Cheese with Honey & Figs/Mel I Mato Amb Figues

Posted on February 15, 2012 by nina in the kitchen

This is a traditional Catalyan dessert made with a cheese only a day or two old. This cheese that is barely a cheese is traditionally made with goat’s, sheep’s or now cow’s milk. The best examples are from Montserrat, outside of Barcelona. When purchased there, the cheese is wrapped in large green leaves to keep it’s shape and freshness. The best substitute available is whole milk ricotta and when sprinkled with a little sugar is also a delicious popular breakfast in Catalonia.

For each serving place on a small plate:

One 1/2 inch slice or a spoonful about 1/2 cup in size of whole milk ricotta cheese

One fresh fig, stem removed, cut in quarters, flesh side up; dried figs are a good substitute

Drizzle evenly with honey

Serve at once!

Nutrition Note: This cheese is a rich source of calcium and protein and a very healthy dessert lower in fat & sugar than most!

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Posted in breakfast, Cakes and desserts and tagged honey, ricotta. Bookmark the permalink.

Cantaloupe & Arugula Salad with Spanish Jamon & Cheese

Posted on February 15, 2012 by nina in the kitchen

Per each salad layer the following on a serving plate:

5 bite size pieces of cantaloupe

A small handful of arugula that has been tossed with 1 teaspoon olive oil and ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 or 2 small thin slices of Spanish jamon

1 or 2 thin slices, shaved with a vegetable peeler, of Spanish cheese such as Cabra de Murcia

Drizzle with ½ teaspoon honey (you can also mix the honey with equal parts olive oil)

Sprinkle entire salad with ground black pepper

Nutrition Notes: Arugula is one of the dark green leafy vegetables very rich in many antioxidants, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals. Cantaloupe is an orange colored food also rich in these nutrients. The more color, the more the nutrients! The jamon and cheese is high in salt, but the quantity used is very small. No other salt is added here. Jamon is a dry cured ham, similar to proscuitto. This is a small portion that can be used as a tapas. Increase as desirserving size ed for a side salad or entree.

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Posted in appetizers, salads, side dishes, spanish/tapas, vegetables and tagged antioxidants, arugula, cantaloupe, cheese, jamon. Bookmark the permalink.

Variantes: Spicy Marinated Olives with Pickled Vegetables and Garlic

Posted on February 12, 2012 by nina in the kitchen

This bar-top snack is commonly served in Barcelona with a midday apertif. It is very high in sodium, so balance this with other low salt foods through the day.

12 cloves garlic, unpeeled

1/3 pound carrots, peeled & cut in bite size pieces (may use beets, green beans or other firm colorful vegetable)

24 mixed olives

12 cocktail onions in vinegar, drained

12 baby gherkins, drained

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch of hot chile powder

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

Generous teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves

2 stalks of fresh thyme about 3 inches in length

Bring a small saucepan 3/4 filled with water to a boil. Add the garlic and simmer 3 minutes.
Add the carrot and boil 2 minutes; Drain.
Place carrot and garlic in a bowl of cold water; Drain.
Place in another bowl of cold water; Drain again. Peel garlic.
Transfer carrot and garlic to a medium bowl
Add olives, onions, and gherkins and mix well.
Add olive oil, vinegar, chile powder, paprika and thyme.
Stir gently and evenly. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Mix once or twice.
Serve in a small glass bowl with toothpicks.

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Posted in appetizers, spanish/tapas and tagged olives. garlic. Bookmark the permalink.

Pan con Tomate or Pa amb Tomaquet or Tomato Rubbed Bread

Posted on February 12, 2012 by nina in the kitchen

This Catalan dish has Mediterranean links to Italian bruschetta. Pan con Tomate lies close to the heart of the Catalan way of life. They have a passion for this simple food which is unrivaled. It is often the first thing brought to the table and is a classic served with ham, cheeses and pickles or with barbecued foods. Famous Catalan chefs have made their own versions from Carles Gaig’s fresh tomato pulp in a cone of crispy bread to Ferran Adria’s tomato ice cream with a wafer-thin bubble of pastry. I served this with a toothpick of serrano jamon, manchego cheese & a grape tomato!

1/2 lb. ciabatta or coarse country white bread, preferably sourdough

4 cloves garlic, halved, optional

4 small ripe tomatoes, about 1/3 lb

Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Salt, optional or used flaked sea salt

Preheat grill or broiler to high
Slice the bread on an angle about 1/2 inch thick or less
Grill or broil the bread on a baking sheet on both sides until light golden brown
While warm, rub one side of the bread with the garlic, if using.
Cut each tomato in half. Rub the cut sides of the tomato on top of the toasts until only the skins are left. Discard skins.
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt if desired.
Pile the toasts on a serving platter and serve

Nutrition Note: Tomato contains the carotenoid antioxidant lycopene which helps prevent gastrointestinal cancers. When finishing, use flaked sea salt because you can visualize & limit it more easily.

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Posted in appetizers, side dishes, spanish/tapas and tagged bruschetta, easy, ethnic, lycopene, tomato. Bookmark the permalink.

Easy Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce

Posted on February 11, 2012 by nina in the kitchen

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or with a stick emersion blender in a medium bowl. Process until smooth. Serve warm as a sauce over pasta or quinoa and cold as a condiment as you would use ketchup. Quinoa is a seed which is similar to couscous. Cook as you would rice. Rinse well before cooking to remove any bitter taste. It is pronounced Keen-wah and originates in South America. Yield: 2 cups

1 -12 oz jar or 1 1/2 cups bottled roasted & peeled red peppers, drained (packed without oil)

1/2 cup tomato juice

1 Tablespoon aged thick and flavorful balsamic vinegar

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 cloves garlic

Nutrition Notes: Red peppers and tomatoes are rich in the antioxidants Vitamins C and A, other carotenoids and other antioxidants which help protect healthy cells from damage caused by free radicals which attack healthy cells. Weakened cells are more susceptible to cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancers. Quinoa is rich in fiber and gluten free.

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Posted in appetizers, italian, main dishes, side dishes, spanish/tapas, vegetables and tagged quinoa, roasted peppers. Bookmark the permalink.