Espinacas Con Garbanzos

My friend Erin is in living in Barcelona (so jealous!) and is loving all the delicious Catalan foods that she is sampling over there.  Luckily, we get a little peak into her Barcelona kitchen to enjoy one of her favorite new recipes that she learned in Spain.  You can follow more about Erin's adventure on her blog paellasabbatical.tumblr.com.  Thanks, Erin!

Hola guapos! I'm Erin, DC area native and long time fan of CSK. (Emily, you are my Thanksgiving feast spirit guide.) I've been spending the last year in Barcelona, Spain, learning the language, culture and food. What I love so much about the food here is that the dishes are almost always simple and fresh. They have truly mastered how to bring out the best qualities of individual ingredients. The Mediterranean climate is perfect for growing most fruits and vegetables year round, which means the markets are always stocked with delicious, fresh and cheap produce.

This is my all time favorite place to buy my fruits & veggies. It's located about 50 meters from my front door, has great quality and is dirt cheap. You know a place is good when it is regularly swarmed with older Catalan ladies.

Santa Caterina market is one of the most famous in the city (2nd to La Boqueria) and is less than a five minute walk away. You can find just about anything you would want in here.

My preferred produce stand in Santa Caterina. If you are traveling to a European market that is frequented by tourists, go past the first few stalls and find the gems hidden in the middle and the back. They will be more affordable and frequented by the locals.

Here's the view from my kitchen. A faltering herb garden (hey, not bad for February) lots of trees, old buildings and a playground.

I present to you one of my favorite dishes, espinacas con garbanzos (spinach with chickpeas), which can be served tapas style over bread, as a side dish to grilled pork/fish/chicken, or on its own for a quick lunch. This particular recipe serves 6-8, so feel free to cut it in half as it does not taste quite as good leftover the next day.

Espinacas Con Garbanzos (Adapted from Jose Andres)
2 15oz cans of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1/4 cup EVOO, then extra for drizzling
5 garlic cloves, peeled and whole
1 lb fresh spinach, washed and stems removed
Medium sized slice of hearty bread, crust removed
2 tablespoons paprika, I used the Smoked Spanish variety from Penzeys
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

1.  Place chickpeas in a large stockpot, cover with cool water, just enough to cover them. Place on medium heat to warm up while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

2. Heat 1/4 cup EVOO in a small skillet over medium heat. Brown the garlic cloves for 3 min, then set in a bowl. Brown the bread in the same skillet, 1 min each side.

Place the bread in the bowl with the garlic. Remove the skillet from heat, allow to cool for a few minutes.

This would be better with a mortar & pestle, but I had an ice cream scooper. Worked just fine. Expats gotta be resourceful.

3. Mash the bread & garlic for several minutes to make a thick paste. Add a bit of EVOO as needed to get the desired consistency.

4. Add paprika, cumin, vinegar to semi-cool skillet, mix and allow to sit

5. Bring chickpeas to a low boil. Add spinach, one handful at a time, pausing in between to press into the water. Simmer for 5 minutes.

6. Add paprika mixture and garlic/bread paste to chickpeas & spinach, creating a thick stewy sauce. Simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally mashing some of the chickpeas.

7. Add sea salt and pepper to taste

8. Serve immediately on slices of baguette, tapas style, or as a side dish to grilled fish, chicken or pork.

For more musings about expat life, feel free to check my blog: paellasabbatical.tumblr.com

Sweet Potato Risotto

Risotto is one of those dishes that seems much more difficult to make than it really is. It doesn't take long to make and it isn't tricky.  The catch is that you do need to be nearby, adding stock or water ever 5 minutes or so, while it is cooking. My solution to being stuck in the kitchen for 20-30 minutes while something is simmering away on the stove is to pour myself a nice big glass of wine and watch the magic happen. The result of this cooking style and this particular variety of rice is a thick, creamy dish that warms you up to the core.  Perfect for the winter months.  To make this risotto even more fun, I added sage and roasted sweet potatoes.  This would make a great vegetarian dinner or lunch and I served it as a side dish with a roast chicken.

Sweet Potato Risotto
Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato
fresh sage (12-16 leaves or so)
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
1 cup Arborio Rice
1/2 cup white wine (room temperature)
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (or water)
1/4 cup grate Parmesan cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 375.  Peel and chop the sweet potato into 1/2 inch cubes.  Set the cubes on a lined baking tray and toss with 1 Tbs. olive oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper and 6-8 whole sage leaves. 

Bake for 20-30 minutes, until tender and starting to caramelize.

2.  Heat the stock (or water) in a pot on the stove to a low simmer.  You want the stock to be hot while you are adding it to the risotto.

While the sweet potatoes are baking and the stock is warming, start on the risotto...

3.  Finely dice the onion and garlic.  Heat 2 Tbs. oil over medium-high heat and sauté the onions and garlic with 6-8 sage leaves and a sprinkle of salt and pepper for 3-4 minutes.

4.  Add the rice and continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes.

5.  Add the room temperature white wine and stir until it is incorporated into the rice - about 5 minutes.  Then add 1/2 cup hot stock to the pot and stir.  The stock will slowly become absorbed by the rice to transform this from a rice, into a creamy risotto. 

6. Continue to add 1/2 cup of stock every 4-5 minutes, until the stock is fully absorbed and the rice is tender.

7.  When the sweet potatoes are finished cooking, remove them from the oven.  Your risotto should be about finished now too, so turn off the heat and add the potatoes and Parmesan Cheese.  Stir to combine.  

Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Lemon Artichoke Pasta
Two Years Ago:  Cinnamon Chocolate Almond Granola (say that three times fast)
Three Years Ago:  Stuffed Cabbage

Overnight Crock Pot Apple Butter

This has been a very happy week in our family. We welcomed our newest little family member on a very special day for math nerds everywhere: 11/12/13! I can't wait to meet little Miss Maisie and give her tons of smooches and snuggles! In her honor, I am getting back in the saddle and posting a delicious treat. Mark took me away to the Inn at Little Washington for my birthday. We stayed in a beautiful cottage a few blocks away and it was one of the loveliest places I've ever been. Amazing food aside, the views alone were magnificent. Rolling hills and fall colors as far as the eye could see. It was really the perfect weekend...the perfect weekend for being suckered into buying a bushel of apples when all we really wanted was one small bag. In fairness, the bushel was only twice the price of the small bag and I can never walk away from a good deal. We found ourselves the happy owners of more apples than any two people could ever want or need. In an effort to use as many apples as possible, I made apple butter. It turned out to be so smooth, creamy and rich. The perfect treat for toast, a peanut butter sandwich, or a sweet treat after dinner. It is so perfectly fall and so easy to make that I can't wait to be suckered into mass apple purchasing in the future. This made 6 pints of apple butter, so it is also great to give as a gift.

Overnight Crock Pot Apple Butter
Ingredients:
10 large apples (I used 6 large granny smiths and a combination of 6-8 random small apples)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup apple cider (or juice)
1/2 cup champagne
1/2 cup orange juice

1.  Turn your crock pot on High and add the sugars, spices, salt, and liquids.  I had a leftover, open bottle of champagne, so I used some of that in the recipe.  You certainly don't need it.  Dry white wine, apple cider/juice or water will work just fine too.

2.  Peel and slice your apples into about 1-inch pieces.  This will take a while, but turn on some good music and try to enjoy the process.

3.  Add the pieces of apples to the crock pot as you chop, so they are in the cooking liquid and you won't have to worry about them oxidizing and turning brown.
4.  Once you've peeled and chopped all the apples, you're crock pot will be full!  Toss the apples to coat evenly with the sugar/spice liquid.  I used my best tools...my hands. 

5.  Cook for 2 hours on high heat.
6.  Turn down to low and cook overnight (8-10 hours).  In the morning, your house will smell amazing.  Also, you will be ready to make your apple butter.
7.  You will NOT need all the cooking liquid for the apple butter, so use a slotted spoon to gather the apples from the crock pot into your food processor or blender.  Add 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid to start blending.  You can add more, as needed to get the consistency you like.  I like it thick, so I only used about 3/4 cup total.

8.  Scoop the apple butter into you waiting jars, seal, and enjoy! 

Tip:  Since I am not canning the apple butter for use much later, I do not go in for the full canning process.  I wash the jars and lids in the "sterilize" cycle of my dishwasher and use them right away with the hot apple butter.  The jars are best when stored in the fridge and enjoyed withing 3 weeks.

I am eating it on everything!

If this isn't the perfect setting to buy a whole bushel of apples, I don't know what is...

One Year Ago: Peruvian Roast Chicken
Two Years Ago: Cauliflower Gratin
Three Years Ago: Katie Thomas' Kennedy's Award Winning Meatballs

Green Beans with Almonds and Lemon

Keeping with the Breaking Bad theme this week, I give you the Green Beans with Almonds and Lemon that Jessie loved so much at the impromptu White family dinner party with Walt and Skylar. Jessie particularly liked the almonds and hint of lemon, even though it turned out that Mrs. White bought her green beans from the store ready made. This is a simple and healthy preparation for green beans that is classic for a reason. It is delicious. I am getting more fond of things like pre-washed and trimmed green beans these days - especially when they are on big sale at the grocery store.  They are portioned well for a dinner side dish and they make life SO MUCH easier.  Don't get me wrong.  I still love spending time idling in the kitchen, but anything I can do to make weeknight meals faster and healthier are a winner in my book.

Green Beans with Almonds and Lemon
Ingredients:
12 oz. bag green beans
1/2 lemon
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1.  I nuked my green bean bag for 4 minutes, so that the beans maintained some of their crunch, but only a bit.  You could certainly use beans that are not in a microwave ready bag, and just cook them in boiling water until they are tender and retain a bit of their crunch.

2.  Dump your cooked green beans in a bowl and sprinkle over the olive oil, salt, pepper, and juice from the half lemon.

Toss to combine.

3.  Add the slivered almonds and toss.

They are ready to eat.  Can't get much easier or more delicious than this.

It makes a great weeknight side dish for almost any meal.

Mini-Beer Biscuits

Since I grew up in the Northeast, I really don't crave a biscuit with every meal. However, when the mood does strike, it strikes hard so I just go with it. I wanted a biscuit for dinner the other night and I didn't have any milk. I figured I'd just have to spend the night suffering in biscuit-less agony, when I remembered that, while I don't always have milk in the house...I DO always have beer. How about a beer biscuit? It is still flaky and tender, but with a hint of extra flavor from the beer. I used a wheat beer because, why not? I also make them "mini" because the only biscuit cutter that I have is the "letter O" from an alphabet cookie cutter set taht I have and it is smaller than a normal biscuit.  I like the mini biscuits because then I can have two!  This wouldn't be great with jam for breakfast, but I could still see it with bacon and eggs. It really stood out for dinner and I loved it.

Mini-Beer Biscuits (make 8 mini-biscuits)
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
1/2 stick cold butter
1/4 cup cold beer (drink the rest!!)
1 egg (for egg wash)
fresh cracked pepper

1. Add dry ingredients to your food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
2. Add the cold butter, cut into cubes.

3. Pulse a 5-6 times until the consistency is like wet sand.

Now it's time to add the beer. We went with Goose Island Wheat because we had it.

4. Slowly add the beer and continue to pulse 5-6 more times until the dough forms a ball and comes away from the sides a bit.

5. Turn out onto a floured board and roll out 1 inch thick. Cut into biscuits.

6. Set biscuits onto a lined baking sheet.

7. Beat egg slightly and brush beaten egg lightly onto biscuits. Sprinkle with cracked black pepper, if desired.

8. Bake in a hot, 425 degree oven for 10 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm.

One Year Ago: Quick Lemon Thyme Chicken
Two Years Ago: Summer Vegetable and Goat Cheese Bake
Three Years Ago: Lemon Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta