Panna Cotta

I made Panna Cotta for a dinner party Oscar and I hosted last weekend and it was a huge hit. I love it but wasn´t too sure if my guests were going to be crazy about it since it has an interesting texture. I went ahead and made a plate of cream puffs to go along with it, just in case I didn´t have any takers.

To my surprise, they loved it. Before I knew it, I heard spoons clanking against empty glasses as everyone was trying to enjoy the last bite. I had a few left over and Oscar and I devoured them the next day. I can´t take credit for the recipe, though. It is a classic from Giada de Laurentis, Everyday Italian.

Recipe courtesy of Giada de Laurentis

1 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon unflavored powdered gelatin

3 cups whipping cream

1/3 cup honey

1 tablespoon sugar

Pinch of salt

2 cups assorted fresh berries

Place the milk in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over. Let stand for 3 to 5 minutes to soften the gelatin. Pour milk mixture into a heavy saucepan and stir over medium heat just until the gelatin dissolves but the milk does not boil, about 5 minutes. Add the cream, honey, sugar, and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat. Pour into 6 wine glasses so that they are 1/2 full. Cool slightly. Refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours. Spoon the berries atop the panna cotta and serve.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Oscar loves any kind of pizza, Joes Pizza especially, but BBQ Chicken Pizza is one of our favorites. I am not crazy about Telepizza or Pizzahut, our only options here for take-out pizza, so I brought back an old recipe I used to make in college. It is one of Oscar´s favorites and a great option for a super simple supper.

1 package ready pizza dough
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, diced
1 cup shredded colby-jack cheese
1/4 red onion, sliced
1/4 cup corn
2 tblsp chopped cliantro
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 350º (or whatever temperature indicated on the pizza dough package)

In a small skillet over high heat, sauté chicken in a little olive oil. Don´t move the chicken until it starts to brown on bottom then shake the skillet every so often to brown on all sides (about 5 min). Salt and pepper to taste then add 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce. Set aside.

Follow directions on pizza dough package. Some ask you to brown the dough first in the oven before adding toppings, others don´t. Then top dough with 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce (add more if needed), chicken, red onion, corn, cliantro and cheese. Bake for about 20 min until cheese browns and bubbles.

Rock in Rio

A couple of weeks ago, Oscar and I were invited to the VIP tent at Rock in Rio Madrid. Rock in Rio is a music festival that started in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was so successful that it later went to Portugal and now Spain.

They built an amazing outdoor venue called La Ciudad del Rock where the festival took place. During two consecutive weekends, hot artists like Shakira, Amy Winehouse, Alejandro Sanz, Estopa, Alicia Keys and Sting performed. Oscar and I went on opening day and saw a famous Spanish musician, Manolo García. I would have loved to have seen Alejandro Sanz or Alicia Keys ... maybe next time.

The main stage.

Me and Oscar. He finally makes it on my blog! Isn´t he cute?!

Kanpai

Oscar and I are by no means sushi experts but we do enjoy a nice sushi dinner every once in a while. The best sushi we have ever had was at KOI Restaurant in Los Angeles. We were rookies and didn´t know what to order. The waiter was extremly helpful and told us that he would bring out dishes for us to try and if we liked them, great, if not, he would bring it back to the kitchen and bring out something else. We ended up loving everything he recommended. It is probably one of the best dinners we have ever had.

I read an article in the paper a few weeks ago that recommend places in Madrid ¨a la Sex in the City¨ since the movie was about to premier here. Of course, no NY night on the town would not be complete without a little sushi. We hadn´t been to a sushi restaurant in Madrid and decided to try it.

We arrived early for our reservation and, since it was a nice summer night, decided to walk around downtown a bit. We peaked in the restaurant, Kanpai, on the way. It was after 9pm and the restaurant was empty - not a good sign. Oscar had his doubts but we decided that we would take another peak closer to our reservation. When we came back the place was buzzing. After a little encouragment, Oscar agreed to stay.

The restaurant décor was simple and modern. The service was good and the ambiance was much better than we had expected. We started with a vegetable and langostine tempura (house speciality) along with some dumplings. The tempura was outstanding but the dumplings didn´t wow me. We then had a california roll and a salmon cream cheese roll followed by noodles with chicken in a delicious sauce.

Even though this restaurant didn´t compare to KOI, we enjoyed the dinner and would go back another day.

Pasta Primavera

Looking for a light, fabulous, summer dinner? I have just what you need - Pasta Primavera. I make several versions of this dish but this one is by far the lightest and easiest of them all. Pair it with a peppery argula salad with cool gorgonzola cheese and you have the perfect summer dinner.

(Note: This serves at least 8. I normally make half and have some left over for the next day.)

2 zucchini
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
3 carrots
1 medium yellow onion
1 medium red onion
1 small box of cherry tomatoes
1 lb bowtie pasta

1/2 - 1 cup of reserved pasta water
½ cup olive oil
Salt
Pepper

1 tblsp herbs de provence (optional)

1 cup of frozen peas
¼ cup parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Vegetables
Cut zucchini, red and yellow pepper, and carrots in two inch sticks. Slice yellow and red onions and halve the cherry tomatoes. Put vegetables in a large mixing bowl and add ½ cup of oil and salt and pepper to taste. (Add herbs de provence, if using.) Mix well coating all of the vegetables; then pour onto a baking sheet. (Make sure to top with any of the extra oil left in the bottom of the bowl.) Bake for about 25 minutes until the vegetables get brown on the tips and are cooked through. Toss once about half way through. Defrost peas and set aside.

Pasta
Boil a large pot of water. When it starts to boil, add salt and pasta. Stir to make sure pasta doesn’t stick together and boil according to the package (about 12 minutes). When the pasta is cooked, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta and add back into the pot. Mix with vegetables, peas, and reserved pasta water. (Add enough pasta water just to moisten the pasta.) Top with grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Cake-tastrophe

Oscar and I made the trek down to the beach this weekend to celebrate my father-in-law´s birthday. We got a late start on Friday because Oscar didn´t leave the office until 9pm. He promised me that at the half-way mark we would stop for dinner. I had a feeling that there would be slim pickings for dinner and boy was I right. We were hoping to find a cute little restaurant nestled in a forgotten pueblo in Castilla-La Mancha but all we got was gas station after gas station. We had to stop for gas anyway so we bought a bag of potatoe chips and a coke to hold us over. It ended up being dinner since I dozed off shortly after, which was a good thing because nothing else ever came along.

My father-in-law, José, the birthday boy.

We took my in-laws out for paella on Sunday at Soqueta, a small restaurant in Oliva close to their beach house. We enjoyed fried calamari (Spanish style) and Arroz a banda. Arroz a banda is similar to paella but all of the shell fish come already peeled and diced so you don´t have to get your hands dirty. (I know Angela would love it because she doesn´t have to see the shrimp with the heads still on.) We had a nice, long lunch before heading back to Madrid. My father-in-law came back with us because he has to do a few errands in Madrid this week. Since I didn´t have time to make him a birthday cake before we left, I promised him one when we got back to Madrid.

Arroz a banda from Soqueta.

We didn´t end up getting home until after 10pm on Sunday but I was excited about making his cake. He requested chocolate - one I hadn´t tried to make yet in Madrid so this was the perfect opportunity. We decided to make cupcakes since they would be easier to bring back to the beach. I pulled out my recipe and went at it. Everything was going really well ... I had all the ingredients, the batter tasted right, timing was good ... I peaked in the oven close to the time they should be done only to find this:

Talk about a dissapointment. What went wrong? I´ve had some bad cakes in the past but this way by far the worst. I didn´t have time to freeze the flour or try to make Kate Flour but can I really only blame the flour for this one? What a disaster. I surprisingly took the defeat quite well. For those of you who know me, that is a big deal. The cupcakes went straight in the trash and I went to bed.

You win some, you lose some. Now, I will have to find use for the bowl of chocolate icing I have in the fridge ...

P.S. - I want to send a very special birthday wish to a very special friend - HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALISON!

Proud to be an American

Happy Fourth of July! May your day be filled with sunshine, hamburgers and hotdogs, Dr. Pepper, Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream, fireworks, family and friends.

Oscar and I were going to barbecue tonight in honor of the big day but we are leaving for the beach this afternoon since his dad´s birthday is on Sunday. The people in Valencia are crazy about fireworks so maybe I can find some sparklers or something to celebrate from here :)

Be careful and have fun!

A Lovely Day

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of giving my first tour of the vineyard to an old colleague and dear friend, Keith Stephens. He was in Madrid on business and was able make time to come out and visit us. We lucked out because it wasn´t as hot as it has been recently and the vines are absolutely beautiful this time of year.

Later, we met Oscar for dinner downtown at the Taberna del Capitán Alatriste where we sampled a variety of authentic Spanish dishes, including Spanish ham, a partridge pastry, Spanish migas, baked cod, buey, and a special pastry for dessert. On our way there, we had to make a stop at the Mesón del Champiñon for a delicious grilled mushroom tapa that is one of my favorites. While the food was outstanding, the company was by far the best part of the evening.

Halibut in Papillote with Vegetable Medely

The American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least twice a week because it is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which benefit heart health. Fish is also a good source of protein and it’s not high in saturated fat. Even if you are not a fish lover, I recommend trying halibut. It does not have a strong ¨fishy¨taste to it and is easy to cook, especially in ¨papillote¨, which means in its own juices. According to the George Mateljan Foundation, it is one of the worlds healthiest foods.

2 filets of halibut
1 zucchini
1 red pepper
1 carrot
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 large lemon
½ cup olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Aluminium foil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Vegetable Medely
Cut zucchini, red and yellow pepper, and carrots in two inch sticks. Slice onion and chop garlic. Put in a mixing bowl. Add the juice of one large lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper and mix well.

Halibut
Pat fish dry and cut each fillet in half horizontally to get four rectangular fillets. Cut four pieces of aluminium foil to make papillotes for the fish and put on a baking sheet. Place one fillet in the middle of each piece of foil and season with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Spoon a quarter of the vegetable mixture on top of each fillet. To seal the papillotes, bring the ends of the foil together and fold the edges together. Make sure to leave some room between the edge of the papillote and the fish so it can steam adequately. Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully open each papillote (there will be a lot of steam). Place fish and vegetables on a plate and top with the natural juices from the papillote – they make for a great sauce. You can serve as is or over a bed of white rice.

Mix vegetable medely in a good size bowl. Make sure to distribute any olive oil left in the bowl among the papillotes.

Halibut assembled with veggies before making the papillote.

Finished papillote.

Halibut in Papillote with Vegetable Medely.