Chocolate Tostada with Salt

I recently had salty chocolate for the first time and I adore the combination. Vosges Barcelona Exotic Candy Bar is made with milk chocolate, smoked almonds and gray sea salt. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was amazing! I love salt and add it to lots of different things. So I was really excited to try it when combined with chocolate.

Inspired by that candy bar, I decided to try the Chocolate Tostada with Olive Oil and Salt recipe I found in The New Spanish Table. It is really easy to make and a very interesting little snack which would be fun appetizer at a party. But I confess, I like the candy bar better.

Chocolate Tostata with Olive Oil and Flaky Salt Tostada de Chocolate con Aceite de Oliva (serves 4 to 6) Ingredients: 5 to 6 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate (at least 70% cacao), grated 1 piece (9 to 10 inches long and at least 2 inches in diameter) dense, chewy baguette, cut in half lengthwise Fragrant extra-virgin olive oil Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon

Instructions:
Preheat the broiler.

Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler and melt it over simmering water.

Brush the cut side of each baguette half very lightly with olive oil. Broil the bread until golden, watching out that it doesn't burn around the edges. (Alternatively, you can toast the bread.)

Spread the cut side of each baguette half with the melted chocolate, lightly drizzle a little olive oil over the chocolate, and judiciously sprinkle it with salt. Cut each baguette half on the diagonal into roughly 1 1/4-inch pieces and serve at once.

Potato Gypsy's Arm

I am clearly no master of the jelly roll. But that's what a "gypsy's arm" is. In Spain the jelly roll is known as "brazo de gitano" or arm of the gypsy. Today I made the Potato Gypsy's Arm from The New Spanish Table by Anya von Bremzen. I just had to make it simply because of the fun name.

In this savory version, you use mashed potatoes to wrap up various fillings. Lots of Spanish goodies are inside such as anchovies, good canned tuna, red peppers and olives. According to the author, this dish is similarly as popular in Spain as the Tuna Casserole is in America.

I had a bit of a hard time making this one. It was all just kind of messy. I have no idea why the author had peel the potatoes after they were boiled - I broke my potato peeler! And the jelly rolling didn't go very well. I got it most of the way but it fell into pieces at the end. I just mushed it all back together and then slathered it with the sauce before popping it into the fridge to firm up.

Look for the Jihva for POTATO roundup after March 1st at Happy Burp.

Potato Gypsy's Arm Brazo de Gitano de Patata (serves 4 to 6) For the Potatoes: 2 pounds medium-size Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled 3 tablespoons milk 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Coarse salt (kosher or sea) For the Roll: 6 ounces imported solid oil-pakced tuna, or 1 can (6 ounces) Bumble Bee tonno in olive oil, drained and flaked 1 medium-size tomato, finely chopped 1/3 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed olives, plus more for decorating the roll 6 to 7 piquillo peppers (from a can or jar), or 3 to 4 pimientos, drained and slivered, plus more for decorating the roll 8 to 10 best-quality oil-packed anchovy fillets, drained and chopped 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper 1 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, preferably aged 1/2 cup mayonnaise (preferably Hellman's) 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 large garlic clove, crushed with a garlic press

Boil the potatoes until tender, about 30 minutes. Let potatoes cool and then peel. Combine in a bowl with milk and olive oil and mash until fairly smooth. Season with salt to taste.

Place a 15-inch piece of waxed paper on a large baking sheet. Spread mashed potatoes onto waxed paper in a thin rectangle approximately 15 x 12 inches. Even scatter the tuna, tomato, olives, piquillo peppers, anchovies and parsley all over the rectangle. Season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle vinegar on top. Starting at the long end, roll the potatoes up jelly-roll fashion, using the waxed paper to shape the roll without catching the edge of the waxed paper in it. When roll is finished, slide the waxed paper out from under it. Pinch together any tears in the potato roll.

Combine mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Whisk to mix and season with salt to taste. Spread the mayonnaise mixture all over the roll and decorate with extra piquillo pepper and olive slices. Place the roll in the refrigerator to chill for 2 to 3 hours. To serve, cut the roll into thick slices.

Red Rice with Chorizo

I didn't mean to make so many Rachael Ray recipes this weekend. Yet here is another one from the February, 2007 issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine. I originally planned to make this Red Rice with Chorizo around Valentine's Day -- because it's "Red". But my Superbowl plans fell through tonight and I wanted something quick.

I was excited to try out this recipe because I ordered some chorizo from La Tienda. It's the real thing - imported from Spain. Actually, the chroizo I ordered is dry-cured and I'm not quite sure if I was supposed to use it or not. But i was dying to make something with it and this recipe seemed simple.


Using the dry-cured chorizo added a tougher texture to the dish. It was less sausage-like and more pepperoni-like. I enjoyed it quite a bit. It is a quick and easy recipe that yields a very tasty meal.

This recipe makes alot of food. I think it can feed six instead of just four. Also, I think there is a typo. The recipe calls for a 15-ounce can of sliced black olives. I could not find one. The regular size can, which is a 15-ounce of something like soup, only contains 6.5 ounces. I used that one and it was the perfect amount.

Red Rice with Chorizo (4 servings) Ingredients: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 8 ounces chorizo, sliced 1/4 inch thick 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice 1 1/2 cups red salsa 2 cups thawed frozen corn One 15-ounce can sliced large black olives 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:
In a heavy medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the rice and stir for 1 minute to coat. Stir in 1 1/2 cups water and the salsa and bring to a boil, stirring once or twice. Cover the pot and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.

Fluff the rice and stir in the corn. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the olives and cilantro.

#95: Piparras (Peppers from Spain)

Ingredients: Piparras, vinegar, salt, citric acid, ascorbic acid.
100% natural containing no preservatives or artificial flavors.
On my quest to taste as many food as possible on Food & Wine Magazine's 100 Tastes to try in 2007, I found myself ordering Spanish Matiz Piparras from Casa Oliver for $6.50 a jar. Piparras are a traditional long green pepper from the Basque Country of Spain. They are noted by Food & Wine as a food that is only recently available in the United States.

Kate at Kate in the Kitchen was the first to taste these peppers. She ate them with rustic bread and sprinkled them with olive oil and salt. She liked them but I was a bit skeptical since she described them as having a vinegary taste.

I had the jar sitting in my cabinet for about a week because I hadn't decided how I wanted to try them. I know it needed more than bread for me because I only like sweet peppers that way. Casa Oliver says "they make a wonderful accompaniment to Bonito tuna and smoked fish." So last night I finally grabbed them to add to my leftover red snapper. Before I mixed it into the salsa I ate one raw. NOT my thing! There is nothing about that pepper that I liked to eat it alone. It was nice mixed in with the sweetness of the fruit in my salsa because it added a different flavor.

So tonight I went all out and tried them again. This time I took six out of the jar, covered them with Greek Olive Oil and lots of salt. I had the same reaction with the first one I ate - ick! The flavor is just overpowering. But by the time I got to the third one, they weren't so jarring anymore and by the time I got to my sixth one I decided I liked them. My mouth just needed to warm up to them. And they are a bit spicy, it just doesn't hit you until you have a few.

There is one thing I think they would be perfect for. Hotdogs! Chicago-style hotdogs are served up on a poppy seed bun topped with mustard, onion, sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato slices or wedges, sport peppers, and a dash of celery salt (and NO ketchup). Piparras taste almost exactly like those "sport peppers" except without the immediate heat.

Tampa's Cuban Food: Red Snapper "Alicante"

Columbia Restaurant's signature dish.
Anna over at Anna's Cool Finds came up with a really neat idea: food bloggers from around the world should each blog about a terroir. Except while the term is normally applied to wine or coffee, we shall apply it to food. Read Anna's A Taste of Terroir post for a wonderful definition of the term and how it can be applied to food. Basically, we are encouraged to describe a food or recipe local to the part of the world in which we live. Her inspiration came from the foods from around the world which were listed on Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try in 2007.

I live in Tampa, Florida USA. I have lived her just under two years so some things are very new to me. Grouper is the most popular fish here because it is caught in the Gulf of Mexico. A grouper sandwich can be found on the menu at almost every restaurant. It is as common as hamburgers in the rest of the United States. We have "seasons" for lots of foods like crab and strawberries. And when people think of THE food from Tampa, it is a Cuban sandwich. That surprised me because I always thought of Cubans in Florida being in Miami. But Tampa has a rich and important Cuban history.

In 1886 Vicente Martinez Ybor established a cigar factory in Tampa. From the steps of Ybor's factory, José Marti, sometimes called the George Washington of Cuba, exhorted the cigar workers to take up arms against Spain in the late 1800's. Hispanic culture enlivens Ybor City, which covers about 2 square miles between Nebraska Avenue, 22nd Street, Columbus Drive and East Broadway.

I did not choose the Cuban sandwich to represent a terroir of Tampa. Without fresh Cuban bread and a sandwich press you can not recreate the authentic version. Instead I went with something deeper. It is a recipe for Red Snapper "Alicante" which is the signature dish of the famous Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. Ybor City is the historic Cuban district in town. Cuban cigar makers brought their leaves from Cuba to this part of Florida and assembled their "Cuban cigars" for the United States in their cigar factories located in Ybor City. The factories are now long gone and the area reminds me of a toned down version of the French Quarter in New Orleans. There are lots of old buildings where many bars and restaurants have opened up. And Columbia Restaurant is the cornerstone of Ybor City.


One of the first things you will notice about Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City are the hand-painted Spanish tiles that decorate the outside of the building. Some are even laid in the sidewalk. Once you step inside you will immediately feel that you have entered a place that has captured a snapshot in time. There are several different connected dining rooms each expressing a slightly different feeling. In the middle of them all is a two-story atrium featuring a large Spanish fountain. Each night there are two Flamenco shows in the main dining room. There is also cigar bar in the cafe and a shop where you can buy several Spanish items and Columbia Restaurant souvenirs.


The day I signed the papers for my new home down here, I asked where we should to to celebrate. Everyone I talked to recommended Columbia Restaurant as the place to go for a special dinner. We got a great spot so that we could see the Flamenco dancers and enjoyed all the courses. The Ybor City location is the original Columbia Restaurant but they have opened other restaurants around the Tampa Bay area. I have also been to the Columbia Restaurant in St. Armand's Circle on Longboat Key off of Sarasota, Florida. That one has the same traditional design, but it has a much more casual feel because it is all open air and near the beach. The food is the same and you still can get all the yummy classic Spanish dishes.

The seafood at Columbia is amazing. And if you order the Caesar Salad they mix it all together for you table-side. They do the same with their amazing mojitos and sangria. Those are really nice touches. It is really fun to get your pitcher of drinks made right there. You can get tapas at Columbia as well but I usually find them very rich due to their heavy use of Spanish olive oil.

Tonight I made the Red Snapper "Alicante" for myself and two friends. The recipe was very simple to make. All you need to do is slice some onions and peppers and into the oven it goes. For some reason the cooking time included in the recipe did not get my fish cooked thoroughly. Maybe it was because the red snapper filets I had were thick, but I cooked it for an additional 15 minutes. Breaded fried eggplant is a garnish that I suggest you take the extra time to make. The crispy eggplant was a wonderful compliment to the snapper and was actually our favorite part.

Columbia Restaurant's Red Snapper "Alicante"
(Serves 4)

Ingredients
2 to 3 large Spanish onions, sliced into rings
2 pounds Red Snapper fillets
4 green peppers, sliced into rings
1/2 cup Spanish olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup brown beef stock gravy
1 cup white Spanish wine
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
Garnish recipe below (optional)

Instructions
Place onion rings in bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch casserole; place fish on top of onions. Place pepper rings on top of fish. In a bowl mix together remaining ingredients; pour over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes.

Garnish
1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds
8 large shrimp, cooked and cleaned
9 pieces eggplant, breaded and fried
fresh parsley sprigs