Note that this mixture can be made a day ahead and served warm or at room temperature on top of toasted slices of baguette. The recipe pairs with Campo Viejo 2006 Crianza.
Serves 8
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
8 ounces Spanish (not Mexican) chorizo sausage, removed from casing and diced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons dry sherry
1/4 teaspoon hot chili flakes
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
In medium skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat and stir in onions and garlic for 2 minutes.
Add chorizo and cook for about 3 minutes, or until it’s cooked through.
Add mushrooms, sherry, chili flakes, and salt and pepper.
Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 7 minutes or until most of the liquid is evaporated and the mushrooms are browned. Stir occasionally. Stir in parsley and add salt and pepper to taste.
NOTE: If you cannot find Spanish chorizo, substitute a fully cooked, spicy, smoked sausage such as andouille.
Fiona's Almond and Olive Sandwich
Recipe from "Nuts In The Kitchen" by Susan Herrmann Loomis
Serves 4
9 ounces soft goat cheese
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
One baguette, sliced in half, lengthwise
4 ounces green olives, cut in half and pitted
1/4 cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped
Place the cheese, olive oil and herbs in a medium bowl and mix. Taste to be sure you've added enough herbs for your taste.
Spread each side of the baguette with cheese mixture, using all of it. Arrange the olives on one side of the bread, the almonds on the other. Press them firmly into the cheese. Firmly press the bread together. Slice into four sandwiches and serve with a big green salad on the side. http://www.onruetatin.com/
Portuguese Chicken and Rice
Serves 8
8 chicken thighs, skinned and fat removed
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 bay leaves (or 4 if you like them as much as I do)
1 tablespoon crushed dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder or chipotle powder (more if you like it spicy)
1 tablespoon crushed dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder or chipotle powder (more if you like it spicy)
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 pound Spanish style chorizo (not Mexican. That's what I used and it was sub-standard)
1/2 cup red wine
2 cups canned tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups brown rice
Salt to taste
Cilantro for garnish
Salt to taste
Cilantro for garnish
Salt both sides of chicken thighs. Pour oil into a pan and heat to near smoke-point. Carefully add chicken thighs, making sure not to crowd the pan. Cook on medium-high heat until both sides of the chicken are nicely browned. Remove to a dish and cover.
Drain any excess fat from the pan and add onion and chorizo. Cook on medium heat until onion is translucent and tender and chorizo has rendered its fat. Drain fat and add garlic. Continue to cook until the skillet and onion are nicely browned. Dump in tomatoes and wine and stir. Add bay leaves and other herbs. Simmer about 10 minutes.
Add broth and brown rice to the pot. Stir and cover. Cook for about 10 minutes over medium-low heat. Add chicken thighs to the pot, nestling them down into the rice and recover. Cook over medium-low heat until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Serve with red table wine.
Manresa's Mushroom-Truffle Soup
Serves 8 Manresa's Mushroom-Truffle Soup
6 ounces clarified butter
6 ounces shallots, sliced very thin
4 medium garlic cloves, chopped fine
12 ounces enoki mushrooms, roots removed
10 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin
10 ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced thin
3 cups milk
6 ounces cream
2 ounces mushroom water
1 cup chicke stock (or more mushroom water)
2 ounces creme fraiche Sherry vinegar to taste Black truffles (optional)
Use a large enough pot to hold all of the mushrooms. Heat the butter over high heat until the surface starts to shimmer. Add the mushrooms and saute, keeping the mushrooms moving. After the mushrooms have wilted, add the garlic and shallots.Saute for another minute or more, then add the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat.
While the mix is still very hot, add the mushrooms and liquid to a food processor. Add enough cream to make a thick paste. Process until the paste is homogenous, but not totally smooth. Allow the paste to cool. Once cool, thin the puree to the desired consistency with milk and the mushroom juice You want it slightly thick.
The last step is to season the soup with salt, pepper and sherry vinegar. Heat soup until just hot. Serve with shaved truffles on top if desired.
*Note: Mushroom juice is made by putting extra stems and such into a pan and boiling them for about 20 minutes.
This recipe was one of two that Chef David Kinch of Manresa in Los Gatos prepared during the first session of Chef's Holidays at the Ahwahnee in Yosemite. For details on Chef's Holidays, go to http://www.yosemitepark.com/
