appetizers – Simply Sundays

Chorizo Tapas

A smoky and slightly spicy style Spanish sausage poached in red wine, flambéed in brandy and sprinkled with garlic and parsley!

What are Tapas?

Tapa actually means lid

Back in the early days of Spain, bar keepers would lay a slice of bread to act like a lid over drinks to keep any unwanted guests out of the liquid

As time progressed the “lids” started to get elaborate with different types of food to keep the patrons happy and thus Tapas were born

We are going to make these great chorizo tapas which are simple and great as a starter

First up we will need Spanish style chorizo

Using a fork, poke holes all around the sausage through the casing

Next, we will need 1/12 cups of dry red wine (like a Cabernet)

Add the sausage to a saucepan and cover with the wine

Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a low simmer

Cover and allow to cook for 20 minutes

Halfway through cooking, turn the sausage

After the 20 minutes are up remove the sausage from the heat and allow to cool

We have poached them and now we are going to marinate them in the wine that has the chorizo flavor imparted in it

Refrigerate overnight for maximum flavor

Remove the chorizo from the wine and set aside

Slice the sausages on a bias

Strain the wine and discard any of the fats while reserving the liquid in a bowl

We will also need 2 tablespoons of brandy

Add the brandy to a saucepan over medium heat and start to slowly simmer

Carefully ignite the brandy to flambé and cook off the alcohol

As the flames start to die down, add in the chorizo and toss to coat with the reduced brandy

Pour in the reserved wine

Bring to a boil then reduce to a gentle simmer

Cook until the wine sauce is reduced by half

Chop a tablespoon of fresh parsley and grate 1 garlic clove

Toss the chorizo sausage in the reduced wine sauce and serve sprinkled with parsley and garlic!

Enjoy!!!

Simply Sundays! ~ Chorizo Tapas

Servings:
Time: Prep 30 Min, Marinate Overnight, Cook 20 Min
Difficulty: Easy
Print

Ingredients

5 fresh Spanish chorizo sausages

1 1/2 cups of dry red wine (like a Cabernet)

2 tablespoons of brandy

1 grated garlic clove

1 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley

Directions

Using a fork, poke holes all around the sausages through the casing on both sides. Add the sausage to a saucepan and cover with 1 1/2 cups of dry red wine (like a Cabernet).

Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cover and allow to cook for 20 minutes. Halfway through cooking turn the sausage. After the 20 minutes are up remove the sausage from the heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate overnight for maximum flavor

Remove the chorizo from the wine and set aside. Slice the sausages on a bias. Strain the wine and discard any of the fats while reserving the liquid in a bowl

Add 2 tablespoons of brandy to a saucepan over medium heat and start to slowly simmer. Carefully ignite the brandy to flambé and cook off the alcohol. As the flames start to die down add in the chorizo and toss to coat with the reduced brandy

Pour in the reserved wine. Bring to a boil then reduce to a gentle simmer. Chop a tablespoon of fresh parsley and grate 1 garlic clove. Toss the chorizo sausage in the reduced wine sauce and serve sprinkled with parsley and garlic

Architec Carving Board, Gripperwood

NuWave Flex Precision Induction Cooktop

Mini Prep Glass Bowl

ZELITE INFINITY Chef Knife 8 inch

February 6, 2020

simplysundaysfoodblogLeave a comment

Crab Cakes

Delicate and sweet lump crab meat mixed with herbs, scallions, garlic, lemon zest and just enough fillers to bind them, then cooked until golden brown

Whether you make these for a main dish or an appetizer who doesn’t love crab cakes?

Let’s start off with 1 pound of lump crab meat

Now even though the package states that it is picked crab meat I recommend picking through it yourself to feel for any little pesky shell remnants

Next we will need 2 eggs whisked, 1 cup of panko (Japanese bread crumbs), 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

Add these to the crab

Next we will need 2 scallions chopped, 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley 2 grated garlic cloves and the zest of 1 lemon

Add these to the crab

Now it’s time for some seasonings

We will need 1 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional) and 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper

Note: Old Bay seasoning has salt in it which is why we have omitted adding salt into the crab cakes

Add the seasoning to the crab

Gently fold all the ingredients together

At this point you can feel if the mixture will hold together or if you need anymore panko to bind it

I like to chill the mixture for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and also make it easier to form the cakes

While the crab mixture is chillin’, let’s make a Remoulade sauce

Remoulade is a mayo based sauce so you can let your creativity flow here

I’m basically making a jacked up tartar sauce

We will need 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of ketchup, 2 tablespoons of chopped pickles (or pickle relish), 1 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional)

Add all of these into a bowl

Mix to combine and place in the refrigerator to chill

Now that the crab mixture has had some time to meld we can start forming some cakes

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and give it a spray of oil

Using a 1/3 measuring cup start scooping out the crab mixture

If your making these for appetizers you can use a smaller measuring cup

After the mixture has been scooped out gently form them into crab cakes

We were able to get 8 crab cakes out of this mixture

I like to place this back into the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes

This will help them stay together through cooking

Heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a pan over medium heat

I’m using my flat top which allows me to cook all 8 at the same time

If using a pan on the stove top cook the crab cakes in batches so you don’t overcrowd them

Cook 3-4 minutes and then flip them and cook 3-4 minutes more or until they are golden brown and cooked through

Remove them from the heat and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt

Remember to share with your friends afterall you don’t want to be shellfish!

Serve with the Remoulade Sauce!

Enjoy!!!

Simply Sundays! ~ Crab Cakes

Servings: 8
Time: Prep 10 Min, Cook 6-8 Min
Difficulty: Easy
Print

Ingredients

For the crab cakes

1 pound of lump crab meat

2 eggs whisked

1 cup of panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

2 tablespoons of mayonnaise

1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley

2 chopped scallions

2 grated garlic cloves

zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning

1 teaspoon of ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional)

2 tablespoons of canola oil

1 pinch of kosher salt

For the Remoulade

1/2 cup of mayonnaise

2 tablespoons of ketchup

2 tablespoons of chopped pickles (or pickle relish)

1 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning

1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions

For the crab cakes

Place the lump crab meat in a large bowl and pick through it to ensure there are no remnants of shell. To the crab add in 2 whisked eggs, 1 cup of panko (Japanese bread crumbs) 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

Next add in 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley, 2 chopped scallions, 2 grated garlic cloves and the zest of 1 lemon. Add 1 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning, 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional)

Gently fold all the ingredients together. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper that has been sprayed with oil

Using a 1/3 measuring cup scoop out the crab mixture onto the parchment paper. Come back and gently form the mixture into crab cakes. Chill for 15 minutes

Heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil over medium heat. Cook the crab cakes for 3-4 minutes then gently flip. Cook 3-4 minutes more or until golden brown and cooked through

Remove from the heat and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt

For the Remoulade

In a bowl add 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of ketchup, 2 tablespoons of chopped pickles (or pickle relish), 1 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional)

Mix to combine and chill in the refrigerator

Tools used to make this recipe

Blackstone 28 inch Outdoor Flat Top Griddle

Architec Carving Board, Gripperwood

Mini Prep Glass Bowl

Pyrex Mixing Bowl

Reynolds Kitchens Parchment Paper

Royal Classique 10 Piece Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons Set with Silicone Handles

Wilton Recipe Right Non-stick Cookie Sheet Set, 2-Piece

October 8, 2019October 9, 2019

simplysundaysfoodblog3 Comments

Tsukune – Japanese Meatballs

Tsukune which is pronounced ‘sue-koon e’ is a form of Japanese meatball that gets a lot of flavor from ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms, ginger, garlic and soy

We are preparing this dish as an appetizer but these are so good they can definitely be a main

Make them a bit bigger and serve them with some steamed rice and salad and you have a full meal

You can use any protein that you want, beef, pork, even seafood but we are taking a more traditional approach and using ground chicken

So let’s start prepping

First off, we will need 4 ounces of shiitake mushrooms

Shiitake stems are woody so let’s twist them off and give the caps a slice

Discard the stems

Repeat until they are all sliced

Next we will need 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 2 grated garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger and 2 tablespoons of dry sherry

Heat the sesame oil in a pan over medium heat

Add in the mushrooms, garlic and ginger

Cook stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes or until the mushrooms and garlic start to soften

Deglaze the pan with the sherry and cook another 2-3 minutes or until the sherry is mostly absorbed

Remove the mushrooms from the heat and allow to cool

Once cooled you will need 2 teaspoons of red miso which is a fermented soybean paste

Add the mushrooms and miso to a chopper or blender

Pulse until finely chopped

Time to start making some meatballs!

We will need 2 pounds of ground chicken

We’ll need the miso mushroom mixture, 3/4 cups of panko (Japanese bread crumbs), 2 scallions chopped, 1 egg white, 2 grated garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch

Add all of these ingredients to the ground chicken

Sprinkle with kosher salt and ground black pepper

Using your hands, gently mix the ingredients all together

Since we are using these as starters, I’m going to use a 1/8 cup as a scoop, you can the increase the size of the scoop and change the size of the meatball

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and give it a light spray of oil

Start scooping the meat, we will come back and roll them later

Once they are all scooped, start rolling

I find that wetting my hands a bit makes rolling easier

We actually made a perfect 30 meatballs out of this mixture

Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow them to meld and solidify

You can also do these a day ahead

Preheat the oven to 350 F

You can also grill or pan fry these

Place in the oven and cook 18-20 minutes or until lightly brown and firm to the touch

While the meatballs are in the oven doing their thing, we are going to make a sauce

To start we will need 1/3 cup of mirin, 1/3 cup of soy, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar

Place these four ingredients into a sauce pan and whisk together

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook 6-8 minutes or until slightly reduced and thickened

Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly

To finish the sauce we will need the juice and zest of 1 lime, 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger and 1 serrano pepper sliced thinly

We will also need a tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds for a garnish

Add the lime, ginger and pepper to the sauce

Mix to combine

I believe in full transparency… I’m going to admit to a blog blooper

Remember those toasted sesame seeds from a couple pictures back?

The ones I labored to toast perfectly myself, the ones that would have added some extra flavor and texture to these meatballs?

Well, they remained in their bowl behind a roll of paper towels on my counter after we completed our photo shoot!

That’s right folks, I left a basket ingredient off the plate

I guess I’m chopped!

You, however, don’t have to be chopped so feel free to add some toasted sesame seeds as a garnish!

To serve, we are using flat skewers with 2 meatballs on each

Place the meatballs on a serving platter and spread the sauce over them

We also served this with extra serrano peppers and slices of lime!

Enjoy!!!

Simply Sundays! ~ Tsukune - Japanese Meatball

Servings: 30 Meatballs
Time: Prep 20 Min, Chill 30 Min, Cook 18-20 Min
Difficulty: Medium
Print

Ingredients

For the mushroom mixture

4 ounces of shiitake mushrooms

2 tablespoons of sesame oil

2 grated garlic cloves

1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons of dry sherry

2 teaspoons of red miso paste

For the meatballs

2 pounds of ground chicken

mushroom mixture (see above)

3/4 cup of panko (japanese bread crumb)

2 scallions chopped

1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger

2 grated garlic cloves

1 egg white

2 teaspoons of cornstarch

kosher salt

ground black pepper

For the sauce

1/3 cup of mirin

1/3 cup of soy sauce

2 tablespoons of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar

1 lime zested and juiced

1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger

1 thinly sliced serrano pepper

For garnish

1 lime sliced

sliced serrano

toasted sesame seeds (apparently optional, see above)

Directions

For the mushroom mixture

Remove the stems from 4 ounces of shiitake mushrooms and slice the caps. Heat 2 tablespoon of sesame oil over medium heat and add in the sliced mushroom caps along with 2 grated garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger

Cook stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes or until the mushrooms and garlic start to soften. Deglaze the pan with the sherry and cook another 2-3 minutes or until the sherry is mostly absorbed

Remove the mushrooms from the heat and allow to cool. Add the mushrooms and 2 teaspoons of miso to a chopper or blender. Pulse until finely chopped

For the meatballs

Place 2 pounds of ground chicken in a large mixing bowl. Add the miso mushroom mixture, 3/4 cups of panko (Japanese bread crumbs), 2 scallions chopped, 1 egg white, 2 grated garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, then sprinkle with kosher salt a ground black pepper

Using your hands gently mix the ingredients all together. Use 1/8 cup as a scoop for the meatballs. You can use larger scoops for larger meatballs

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and give it a light spray of oil. Start scooping the meat. Lightly wet the palms of your hands and start rolling the meatballs. I find that wetting my hands a bit makes rolling easier

We actually made a perfect 30 meatballs out of this mixture. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow them to meld and solidify. You can also do these a day ahead. Preheat your oven to 350 F. You can also grill or pan fry these. Place in the oven and cook 18-20 minutes or until lightly brown and firm to the touch

For the sauce

In a saucepan add 1/3 cup of mirin, 1/3 cup of soy, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar and whisk together

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook 6-8 minutes or until slightly reduced and thickened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly

To the sauce add the juice and zest of 1 lime, 1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger and 1 thinly sliced serrano pepper. Mix to combine

Serve the meatballs covered in the sauce and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Garnish with more serrano peppers and slices of lime

Tools used to make this recipe

<br />

Cuisinart Boxed Grater

Architec Carving Board, Gripperwood

Mini Prep Glass Bowl

NuWave Flex Precision Induction Cooktop

Pyrex Mixing Bowl

Reynolds Kitchens Parchment Paper

Royal Classique 10 Piece Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons Set with Silicone Handles

Wilton Recipe Right Non-stick Cookie Sheet Set, 2-Piece

ZELITE INFINITY Chef Knife 8 inch

OXO Good Grips Balloon Whisk

August 11, 2019

simplysundaysfoodblogLeave a comment

Jalapeño Poppers

So… we get invited to parties. We love parties

“What can I bring?” I say. “Can you make your Jalapeno Poppers??” they say.

Yes, of course I can.

I’ll show you why this 4 ingredient appetizer is so highly requested

I have 8 jalapeno peppers, 8 slices of bacon cut in half, 4 ounces of cream cheese, 4 ounces of pepper jack cheese and a teaspoon of garlic powder

First off, we need to seed these peppers

The seeds and membranes are what make them spicy and while we want some heat, we also want to be able to eat them without calling in the fire department

I generally choose to wear a disposable glove on my pepper-touching-hand. Just a precaution, but I cannot tell you how many times I’ve cut jalapenos and then rubbed my eye with soul burning agony

Maybe a little dramatic, but it’s better to be safe, right?

Slice the peppers lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and membranes

Using a spoon makes de-seeding the peppers an easy job

Let’s mix up our cheese stuffing

Add 4 ounces of room temp cream cheese, 4 ounces of shredded pepper jack cheese and a teaspoon of garlic powder to a bowl and stir to combine

It’s stuffing time. Divide the cheese mixture equally between the 16 pepper halves

I’m sure these jalapenos would be delicious if we cooked them right now

But, uh… bacon

Wrap each pepper with a bacon strip and now we’re ready to rock and roll

I’ve lined a sheet pan with foil for easy clean up. I’m using a wire rack so the bacon cooks evenly and doesn’t sit in it’s own fat

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until the bacon is cooked to your liking. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes to crisp up. Let rest for about 10 minutes (the hardest part of this recipe) and serve!

Enjoy!

Simply Sundays ~ Jalapeño Poppers

Servings: 16 poppers
Time: 10 minutes prep, 27 minutes cook
Difficulty: Easy
Print

Ingredients

8 jalapeño peppers

8 slices of bacon cut in half

4 ounces of cream cheese

4 ounces of pepper jack cheese

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

Directions

Slice the peppers in half lengthwise; scrape out the seeds and membrane

Add 4 ounces of room temp cream cheese, 4 ounces of shredded pepper jack cheese and a teaspoon of garlic powder to a bowl and stir to combine

Divide the cheese mixture equally between the 16 pepper halves; Wrap each pepper with a bacon strip

Line a sheet pan with foil for easy clean up. I’m using a wire rack so the bacon cooks evenly. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until the bacon is cooked to your liking. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes to crisp up. Let rest for about 10 minutes and serve!

Tools used to make this recipe

Architec Carving Board, Gripperwood

Mini Prep Glass Bowl

Pyrex Bakeware Scalloped Pie Plate

Simply Bamboo Maui Bamboo Cutting Board

Wilton Recipe Right Non-stick Cookie Sheet Set, 2-Piece

Spring Chef Baking Rack

ZELITE INFINITY Chef Knife 8 inch

January 25, 2019December 28, 2019

simplysundaysfoodblog12 Comments