Crostini al Pomodoro (Tomato and Herb Crostini)

The first of the four recipes featured in Diane Nocentini and Madeline Armillotta's video cooking blog entry:

Makes six servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes

8 to 10 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
1 baguette, sliced into rounds and toasted

Combine all ingredients except the bread, and mix well. Spoon into the toasted bread rounds and serve.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Champiñones al Jerez (Mushrooms in Sherry Sauce)

This week Hippocrene brings the taste of Spain to the dinner table, with recipes from the A Spanish Family Cookbook: Favorite Family Recipes (Revised Edition), by Juan & Susan Serrano.

We are fortunate enough to have access to good quality fino from the family's old sherry bodega, so this is a dish which appears regularly on our table, both as a starter or a tapa (appetizer).

Serves 4-6 as a tapa

4 cups (about 1 lb) button mushrooms
¼ cup fino (bone dry) sherry
1 clove garlic--chopped
1 small onion--chopped finely
pinch cumin
1 tablespoon chopped sweet basil
¼ cup oil
seasoning to taste

Wash the mushrooms well (or peel, if preferred) and dry on paper towel.

Put the oil in a large frying pan and saute the garlic and onions until soft. Add the mushrooms, basil, cumin and seasoning, stir well and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Pour in the fino (dry sherry), cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes (add a little water, if necessary). Serve immediately.

"Berry-ous" Delights from Germany: Blueberry Soup with Caramelized Croutons (Blaubeersuppe)

Think that German food is all bratwurst, wiener schnitzel, and sauerkraut? This week, Nadia Hassani, author of Spoonfuls of Germany, is here to disabuse of us of that notion with introductions to a variety of German recipes with berries – including cakes, desserts, and more!

Summertime is berry time, and German cuisine abounds in wonderful dishes with different berries. While some of the berries are widely available in the United States, such as blueberries and raspberries, you might have to hunt for gooseberries and other less common types, or join the growing ranks of home gardeners and grow your own.

Blueberry Soup with Caramelized Croutons, or Blaubeersuppe, is a refreshing, velvety soup and one of my summer favorites. It is a dish from the North of Germany, a cuisine that often combines sweet and sour ingredients. Traditionally it is served as an appetizer but it is also a wonderfully light dessert or a mid-day snack. The croutons are optional.

In Germany, the soup is made with “Heidelbeeren” (bilberries or whortleberries), the European cousin of the blueberry. Bilberries are smaller and tarter than the North American blueberries, which work just as well. And, as we all know as educated consumers: size does NOT matter. The important thing is that the berries are ripe, so don’t be tempted by those gigantic blueberries that almost look like purple grapes.

A note about lemon zest: Countless German dessert and baking recipes call for lemon zest. Preferably the lemons should be organic lemons but since they are not always available, or quite expensive, I have resorted to packaged lemon zest. My favorite is moist lemon zest, which is also sold as “European” lemon zest. You can also use dehydrated lemon zest, but to get the full flavor, you need to soak it in warm water for 15 minutes before adding it to the dish.

6 to 8 servings

Soup:
2 pints fresh blueberries
½ cup sugar
1 stick cinnamon
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated, preferably organic
2 cups dry red wine
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Croutons:
8 thin slices baguette, or 4 slices firm white bread
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon sugar

1. For the soup, clean the blueberries and pick them over for culls. Put them in a large saucepan with 2 cups water, the sugar, cinnamon stick, and lemon zest. Cover and cook over low to medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain the soup through a fine sieve and pour it back into the pan. Add the wine and bring the soup back to a simmer.

2. Mix the cornstarch with a few tablespoons of the soup in a small bowl until the cornstarch is completely dissolved, and whisk it into the soup. Simmer until the soup thickens and the cornstarch becomes clear. Remove from the heat. Cool and chill.

3. For the croutons, cut the bread into 1⁄2-inch cubes. Heat the butter in a large skillet and add the bread. Crisp the bread over high heat, turning frequently. Sprinkle the sugar over the bread and caramelize. Stir the soup well, ladle it in individual soup bowls, and top with a few croutons. Serve at once.

Pictures courtesy of Nadia Hassani and Wikimedia Commons.

Fried Olives (Ocvrte olive)

Heike finishes her marathon of Slovenian appetizers with a batch of fried olives:

Fried Olives make a great snack, and are served at Slovenian wine vineyards during wine tasting, to cleanse the palette. They are delicious made with a cornmeal batter, and are a hit at any cocktail party.

Makes 36 small or 24 medium-size fried olives

2 ½ ounces olives, pitted (approximately 36 olives or 24 medium-size olives), pitted, rinsed, and patted dry
1 egg
½ cup cornmeal
¼ teaspoon salt
Olive oil, for frying

Beat the egg in a shallow bowl, with a teaspoon of water.
Pour the cornmeal into another shallow bowl. Mix in the salt.
Coat the bottom of a skillet with olive oil. Heat the oil on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes.
One by one, take each olive and roll in the egg mixture, then in the cornmeal mixture, until the olive is covered in cornmeal.
Fry each olive in the oil for 5 to 8 minutes, or until lightly browned on all sides. With a spatula, roll the olives around periodically so that they brown evenly.
Remove from the pan and dry on a paper towel. Serve immediately.

Fried olives being served at a wine tasting at Movia Vineyards.

Images courtesy of Heike Milhench and Wikimedia Commons.

Zucchini Fritters (Ocvrt jajčevec)

Another Slovenian appetizer, straight from Heike's kitchen:

Zuchinni Fritters, showing the Italian influence on Slovenian cuisine, are a delicious treat. Served with a salad, they also make a nice lunch.

Makes 24 small fritters; 12 medium-size fritters

1 pound zucchini (2 or 3 medium-size), trimmed and grated
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 egg, slightly beaten
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
Olive oil, for frying
Optional garnishes: sour cream; Parmesan cheese, grated; chopped fresh parsley or basil

Place the grated zucchini in a large bowl. Add the flour, Parmesan cheese, egg, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir until you have formed a thick batter. Add an additional tablespoon or two of flour if necessary to get the right consistency.
Pour olive oil into a large heavy-bottomed skillet until the oil is ½ inch deep. Heat over medium heat. Heat until the oil sizzles when water is sprinkled in the pan.
Place large spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil, and flatten them with a spatula, not letting the fritters touch. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the fritters are browned on one side. Then flip them over, and cook them for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are browned on the other side. When the fritters are browned evenly on both sides, remove them from the pan, and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve immediately; they will get soggy if you try to keep them warm. Serve with sour cream, additional grated Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, or plain, as you wish.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Fried Small Fish (Pečene Sardele)

The first of three recipes, in Heike's Slovenian appetizer series:

In Slovenia and Croatia, fried small fish, whether it be sardines, mackerel or smelts, make a wonderful appetizer with a cold beer.

Serves 4
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
Olive oil, for frying
1/2 pound fresh sardines or smelts
Lemon wedges

Beat the egg in a shallow dish with a teaspoon of water.
Place flour in a second shallow bowl. Mix in the salt and pepper.
Coat the bottom of a skillet with ¼ inch layer of olive oil. Heat on medium heat until the oil starts to sputter.
Take each fish and roll it in the egg mixture, then roll in the flour mixture, until it is covered in flour.
Fry each fish for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it is browned on one side, then flip it over and cook 3 to 4 minutes on the other side, or until it is browned on the other side.
Remove from the pan and dry on a paper towel.
Sprinkle with freshly squeezed lemon juice and serve immediately.

Picture (Head Chef at Grand Hotel Toplice, in Bled, frying trout) courtesy of Heike Milhench.

Slovenian Appetizers: Lightly Fried and Delicious

Heike continues taking us on a tour of the culinary gems of Slovenia, with an introduction to three Slovenian appetizers. The recipes for each of these dishes looked so delicious that we decided it would a travesty to put them all together in just one posting and will, instead, be posting one a day for the next three days.

Here's Heike's introduction to Slovenian appetizers:

In Slovenia and other parts of Central Europe, fried appetizers make tasty treats. Whereas in the US where the term “fried food” has a negative connotation, in Europe, food is fried lightly in a small amount of oil with a flour or cornmeal batter. The results are delicious, and not overly heavy or filling.

Enjoy!

All three recipes will be posted soon, we promise! If you can't wait, though, you can use the map below to refresh your knowledge of Slovenian geography, in case you want to trek to find these dishes at their source:

Photos courtesy of Heike Milhench. Map copyrighted by David Liuzzo.

Yogurtlu Havuc (Carrots with Garlic and Yogurt)

Think that carrots are only for donkeys, or for giving your eyesight a boost? This recipe from A Taste of Turkish Cuisine may just change your tune.

Sheilah provides some more background on Turkish food in general:

Many other cultures have left their mark on Turkish cuisine. Arab influences, especially in the south and southeastern parts of Anatolia included many spices—hot peppers in particular. The Persian, Hittite, and Byzantine Empires introduced different vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, and parsley—all of Mediterranean origin. Turkish cuisine was also greatly influenced by the Persian practice of combining meats and fruits as well as vegetable stews (yakhni). The word “kebab” is of Persian origin. Pilav (pilaf) is the Turkish version of pulau (Persian). This confluence of Turkish and Iranian elements gradually led to a cuisine that the Moguls transplanted to India, where it was further enhanced and altered.

Serves 8

7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 pound carrots, coarsely grated
3 to 4 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup Drained Yogurt
2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper or paprika
Olives, optional

In a 3-quart pot, heat 5 tablespoons of the oil and sauté the onions, stirring over medium heat for 5 minutes. Do not let them brown or burn. Add the carrots, stirring to mix well, and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Crush the garlic and salt in a mortar and pestle. Place the cooled carrots in a large bowl and add the drained yogurt and the garlic mixture. Mix well and place in a serving dish. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the paprika and drizzle in a design over the top of the carrots, decorate with olives if desired. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Pictures courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Have pictures of your own attempts to cook this, or another recipe on our blog? Send them in, and we'll post them!