TaraMATTsalata

My friend, Matt, who I loving refer to as the Cynical Chef, brings this dish to all the potlucks and office parties he attends.

TARAMASALATA a la MATT

Just whipped up some delicious taramasalata from an improvised recipe:
1 10-ounce jar tarama (carp roe). Make sure not to buy already-made taramasalata sold in similar jars. You could substitute other fish roe that hasn't been given a caviar treatment.
1-2 cloves garlic
approximately 1/4 small onion, finely grated (I used a microplane)
dash salt
juice of one lemon
about 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
four slices cheap white bread and some stale pita, soaked in water
fresh-milled black pepper
Ingredients should be at room temperature. I used a large mortar and pestle, but a food processor or blender would also work.

Crush the garic, onion and salt into a paste. Add the lemon juice and tarama and pound for a while to break up some of the eggs. Whisk in olive oil in a thin stream as if making a mayonaise (which, indeed, you are). Squeeze out excess water from the soaked bread and pita; break up and whisk into the mixture and season with fresh-milled pepper. Adjust seasonings (if too salty, add more lemon juice).

Serve with wedges of pita, veggies and a side dish of olives.

NOTE: Our friends at www.cellartastings.com recommend this greek wine with taramasalata.

Try this dish with: Amethystos dry white wine, Constantin Lazaridis
From the wine region of Drama, located in Greece’s mountainous beautiful Macedonia wine producing area, in the community of Adriani, lies one of our favorite wineries in Greece- Constantin Lazaridis. Leaders in top Greek wine production and also in wine tourism in Greece, Lazaridis makes a range of wines from the Amethystos brand, to Chateau Julia, the flagship range. They also have an interesting distillery where they produce Eau-de-Vie.

The white Amethystos wine is made with principally Sauvignon Blanc, in an ultra dry, very zippy style. It tastes quite similar to how you would imagine a Bordeaux “Entre-deux-Mers”, as indeed it is blended with Semillon blanc and also the Greek varietal, Aegean Assyrtiko. The color is pale straw with hints of green and the bouquet is pure peaches! The flavours and aromas are intense and there is a lovely, long finish. Highly recommended.

Ensalada Española Magnífica De Guillermo Cornett

In keeping with our theme of what works in a small kitchen and staying seasonal...any meal that ends up in one big serving dish certainly fits the bill. Ah, speaking of Bill...

Bill Cornett's Superb Spanish Salad
aka Ensalada Española Magnífica De Guillermo Cornett

Culinary change of pace for you: Make the following
spanish salad.... three or so juicy valenica or blood
oranges (more if you use the latter, which tend to be
smaller), cut into 1-2 inch chunks. Chop, not too
fine, but smaller than the oranges, a spanish
onion--any white onion will do if you lack the latter,
and they need not be sweet, even though that may seem
necessary. Add a dozen or so pitted olives--kalamata
are a bit briney, but something along that line only
perhaps a bit milder will do nicely--if you do use
kalamata, go lightly until you've developed a taste
for what ratios work for you. Also, a few spoons of
sun dried tomatoes, but less is more with them. Stir
lightly and let sit (chilled if you wish) for a bit to
let the flavors blend.

Dog Days of Summer Picnic

It’s hot out, its hot in, you really don’t want to cook. How about making a great picnic, packing it up and taking it to your favorite spot – the beach, the lake, the backyard. Relax, soak up that sunshine – watch the sailboats, clouds or just the kids on the swings, remember how it used to feel when it was almost time to go back to school and you treasured every single moment of the last few weeks of summer.

A few notes: You need to be careful in this heat not to pack food that spoils easily or needs to be temperature specific to be enjoyed. We have proposed a mayonnaise free menu here and only one thing needs to be cooked – the cobbler – and it’s better to make the night before anyway.

Packing checklist – plates (enough for separate cobbler serving), fork-knife-spoon sets (put each setting plus a napkin and a packaged handi-wipe in a ziplock baggie), a roll of papertowels, a corkscrew, bottled water (stick it in the freezer for twenty minutes before you go), glasses (ceramic mugs are better if you don’t mind the weight – the wine will taste better and the water stay cooler), a blanket, hats, mosquito repellant, and sunscreen.

DOG DAYS PICNIC MENU
• Herb Roasted Chicken – purchased at the deli of your grocery, carved while warm and packed in a pretty casserole dish.
• French Bread with Herbed Cheese – from the deli, too (we like Rondele)
• Cold Corn Salad
• Chase’s Farmer’s Market Peach & Blueberry Cobbler
• A bottle of Spanish Rose or Beaujolais (chill it ahead of time and take it in an insulated sleeve) – see the sidebar for more suggestions

Cold Corn Salad

Package of frozen whole kernel corn, nearly thawed
8 slices of crispy bacon, crumbled
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 chopped fresh jalepeno peppers, seeds & such removed
1 vine-ripened tomato, chopped
1 cup grated jack cheese
1 cup ranch dressing

Mix veggies together, then stir in enough dressing to coat them. Stir in grated cheese and bacon. The corn will keep thawing but its chill will help keep the salad cool on the way to the picnic.

Enjoy!

Dana Delish's Easy Blender Peanut Sauce

(good for your tiny kitchen! one appliance!)

4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp peanut or veg oil
4 tsp chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Chop the garlic in the blender first, then add all of the rest of the ingredients, pulsing until combined.

Obviously this makes a TON. But take your grill pan and make some chicken skewers on it (chicken breasts and thighs in bite size chucks and veggies--remember to soak the wooden skewers first or they'll catch on fire!)

You can refridgerate the rest for up to a week...but it won't last that long...it's SO FLIPPIN GOOD!

THANKS TO DANA OSTERMAN FOR CONTRIBUTING THIS RECIPE!!

Small Space, Big Style

It stands to reason that your kitchen isn't the only tiny spot in your house. HGTV is finally addressing our concerns. Their new show, Small Space, Big Style, premieres on August 4th! We attached a link for you...

Love grows best in tiny houses!