KBKabaret

Chorizo With Marinated Mushrooms – Typical And Popular Tapa Cooked In Sherry

Ingredients for four people

• 1 lb Chorizo
• 1 1/2 mushrooms
•  2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 small garlic cloves
• 8-10 skinned almonds
• Salt and black pepper
• 3 1/2 cups sherry
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• Small bunch of parsley

Preparation

For this tapa peel the chorizo and cut into thin slices. Peel the garlic cloves, but do not squeeze or cut. Roughly chop parsley. The parsley may be omitted.
Clean the mushrooms and cut them into quarters.
Put a little olive oil in the frying pan and fry the chorizo slices in it. The oil is only for the taste, 1-2 tablespoons are more than enough.
The chorizo soaks up the fat very strongly. Take the fried sausage from pan and set aside for later.
Add the mushrooms, the whole garlic cloves and the almonds to the fat and fry over medium heat. Be careful with the almonds and garlic as these ingredients can burn easily.
Then add the sherry and sherry vinegar to the whole mix and cook until the moisture has evaporated.
Season with little salt and pepper.
Then add the chorizo and parsley, and briefly heat it all up again.
This tapa is served in a bowl, each person gets their portion with a spoon on their own plate.
Serve warm.

Preparation time: around 30 minutes.

Beer matches: Extra Special Bitter, India Pale Ale, Saison, English Barleywine, American Barleywine, Biere de Garde, Old Ale, Saison

Lager Marinated Peppers – Tasty Vegetarian Tapas

Ingredients for 4 servings

• 3 red and 3 yellow peppers
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 lemon
• 200 ml olive oil
• 1/2 cup lager (your choice…finish the rest ☺ )
• Salt, pepper, paprika powder

Preparation

Wash peppers and cut in half lengthwise. Cut out the cores. Cut the halves in half again lengthwise.
The peppers must now be peeled. Preheat the oven to 220°, place the pepper strips to the side with the skin side up on a lightly oiled baking tray and then grill until the skin blisters. This takes about 8-12 minutes.
Then place the peppers in a medium sized bowl and cover. Let the peppers cool and remove the skin. The resulting water vapor facilitates the removal of the skin.
While the peppers are in the oven, peel the garlic cloves and cut into thin slices.
Fry the peeled peppers in olive oil and season with salt, pepper and paprika.
Put the oil, lager and lemon juice in a bowl and mix well. Then add the garlic slices.
Then add the peppers to the bowl so that they are completely covered. Then let them rest in the refrigerator for about 2-4 hours.
Place alternate layers of red and yellow pepper strips in a bowl and serve cold.

Tips and variations
You can also pickle the peppers quite easily. Put the peppers in a jar with screw cap and then add the oil with the garlic slices until the peppers are completely covered. Then seal the jar well and store in the fridge.
The marinated peppers are also good as an accompaniment to grilled meat. Here you can briefly put the peppers in tin foil and let them roast on the grill.

Preparation time: about 30 minutes. Cooking time 10 minutes. Leave to rest for 2-4 hours.

Beer matches: Witbier, ESB, Altbier, American Wheat Beer

Rum Soaked Prunes And Dates Wrapped In Bacon – Delicious Contrast Of Sweet And Savory

Ingredients for four servings

• 12 dried prunes (without stones)
• 1/8 cup rum and 1/2 cup water
• 12 dried dates
• 12 thin slices of bacon
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

Preparation

Presoak prunes in rum mixture for 12 hours in refrigerator. Pat dry before use.
Cut the bacon slices in half and use them to wrap the dates and prunes. If the bacon is too short, it can also be split lengthwise.
Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry the wrapped fruit until the bacon is golden brown and crispy. When you turn them make sure that the bacon does not open.
After cooking let the oil drain on kitchen paper.
The tapa tastes best when warm.

Tips and variations
The prunes and dates can be filled with an almond.
In principle, the recipe works with almost any kind of dried fruit that can be wrapped with the bacon.

Preparation time: About 20 minutes.

Beer matches: Weissbier, Witbier, Belgian Tripel, Fruit Lambic

Ingredients

•  2 tablespoons unsalted butter
•  1/4 cup packed brown sugar
•  4 tablespoons Chartreuse
•  4 1/2 cups sliced peeled Golden Delicious apple (about 1 1/2 pounds)
•  4 1/2 cups sliced peeled Granny Smith apple (about 1 1/2 pounds)
•  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•   1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•   1/4 teaspoon cayenne
•  1/2 (15-ounce) portion refrigerated pie dough (*see recipe)
•  1 teaspoon ice water
•  1 teaspoon granulated sugar
•  1 tablespoon apricot preserves
•  1 Chartreuse

Preparation

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add brown sugar and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; cook 2 minutes or until sugars dissolve. Stir in apples and next 4 ingredients (through cayenne). Cover, reduce heat, and cook 20 minutes or until apples are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 400°. Set oven rack to lowest third of oven.
3. Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper. Roll dough into a 14-inch circle. Place dough and parchment paper on a baking sheet. Arrange cooled apples in center of dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold the edges of dough toward center, pressing gently to seal (dough will only partially cover the apple mixture). Brush dough with 1 teaspoon ice water, and sprinkle evenly with 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Bake the tart at 400° for 45 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Place the apricot preserves and 1 teaspoon Chartreuse  in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH for 30 seconds or until bubbly. Brush the mixture over warm tart. Cut into wedges, and serve warm or at room temperature.

All Butter Pie Crust

Notes

You can make this dough either by using a pastry cutter by hand or a food processor, but it’s harder to overwork the pie dough when using a pastry cutter. It’s very important to keep all the ingredients cold throughout the assembly process. If the butter starts to soften, then stick it in the freezer for 10 minutes to allow it to firm up. If you’re not using the dough within two to three days, then wrap the plastic-wrapped discs in tinfoil, or place them in a heavy-duty resealable bag, and freeze until needed. Thaw in the fridge overnight before use.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed and very cold
• 1/2 cup very cold water, plus more as needed

Directions

To Make by Hand:

1.    Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
2.    Add the cubed butter to the flour mixture, and cut it using a pastry cutter [6] (rubbing it in with your fingertips also works in a pinch). Keep working the butter into the dough until the largest pieces of butter are in between the diameter of a dime and a nickel.
3.    Scrape off any residual butter-flour mixture from the pastry cutter, and drizzle in the water. Gently work the water into the dough with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon until it becomes a shaggy but relatively cohesive mass. Give the dough a few kneads with your hands (fewer than 10) so that it forms a rough ball.
4.    Divide the dough ball into two, and flatten each half into a rough disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap, and chill for at minimum one hour (this allows the water to fully hydrate the dough, making for a more cohesive product that’s easier to roll out).

To Make in a Food Processor:

1.    In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar, and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds.
2.    With the machine running, add about half the water through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream; stop when the dough holds together without turning wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of dough together; if it is still too crumbly, then add a bit more water, one tablespoon at a time.
3.    Divide the dough ball into two, and flatten each half into a rough disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap, and chill for at minimum one hour (this allows the water to fully hydrate the dough, making for a more cohesive product that’s easier to roll out).

Basic Pizza Dough

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110F-115F)
• 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Pizza Marinara Topping

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
• 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 24 oregano leaves, and 2 minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Pizza Formaggio e Pomodoro Topping

INGREDIENTS

• One 8 ounce ball fress fior di late mozzarella cheese, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.

Pizza Margherita Topping

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• One 8 ounce ball  fresh fior di latte mozzarella cheese, cut into small pieces
• 12 fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

PIZZA DOUGH DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/2-cup warm water. Allow the yeast to proof until it is foamy, about 10 minutes.
Add the remaining 1-cup of warm water, combining it well with the yeast. Add 3 cups of the flour and the salt. Mix the dough with your hands or use a mixer with a dough hook, adding the remaining flour as needed to make dough that holds together.

Place the dough on a floured surface and knead it for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is soft and not sticky. Grease a bowl with the olive oil. Put the dough in the bowl and turn a few times to coat with the oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it rise for 2 hours in a warm place.

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

Punch down the dough and knead it for a few minutes on a lightly floured surface.

Divide the dough in half and roll each piece out on a floured surface into a 12-inch round and place the rounds on lightly oiled 13-inch pizza pans. Turn in the edges  of the dough about  1/2 inch to form a rim. You can stretch the dough to fit an even larger pan if you wish. Place the dough on 2 wooden peels, dusted with cornmeal, if you plan to use baking stones to bake the pizza.

Brush each round with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Divide any of the toppings of your choice.
Divide and sprinkle on the salt and the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.

Bake the pizzas for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top and bottom crusts are nicely browned. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

If using baking stones, preheat the stones in a 500ºF. oven for 20 minutes. Just before placing the pizza on the stone from the baking peel, sprinkle each stone with a handful of cornmeal. Bake  the pizzaz for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crust in nicely browned on the bottom.

Beer and Wine Pairings

Moretti Lager or a Coca-Cola is great with this incredible dish
However, Beulah prefers a lovely clean white wine like a Vernaccia or a Friulano…Both citrusy and bold.
Or if you like Red wine then a lovely Sangiovese or Barbera which has a cherryish/ smokey quality.  Mmmm mmm.
Both of them rustic/ clean and enjoyable with the incredible taste of the crusty/cheesy goodness of the Original Napolitana.

Ingredients for Biscotti Cookies

• 60 grams (2.25 oz) softened butter
• 250 g (9 oz) caster/superfine white sugar
• Grated zest of either 1 orange or lemon
•  2 eggs
• 400 grams (14 oz) flour
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 150 grams (1 cup) whole almond with the skin
• 3 tablespoons Rum/Cognac.
  (makes about 45 cookies)

Ingredient for Triple Chocolate Dip

• 3 pounds of White
• 3 pounds of Milk Chocolate
• 3 pounds of Dark Chocolate

Recipe

Turn oven to 180 C/ 350 F

1. Mix the butter and sugar till smooth with a big spoon. Add zest and the eggs and beat well. Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the almonds and the booze. I use whatever liquor I have (rum is good).

2. First, line your cookie sheet with parchment. Then dust your work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Divide your dough in 3 masses and form 3 salami style rolls of cookie dough (about 1.25 inches high/2 inches wide/and shorter than the length of your tray).

3. Put your dough logs on your cookie sheet and leave room between them for spreading. Bake for 20 minutes till they start to turn golden. They will be a little soft.

4. Get them out of the oven and lift them gently onto your work surface while they  are still hot.

5. Cut them in slices, slightly at an angle. They should be about almost an inch wide. You should gently saw the surface of the cookie with a very sharp knife to break through the surface, but then chop down straight to shear the almonds cleanly for tidy little cookies.
Rearrange the cookies on the baking sheet cut side up. They will be fragile before
their second round in the oven so don’t rush that step.
(This is where you should really pay attention. I’ve overcooked these poor babies at this stage and made teeth breakers. My suggestion is to re-bake them for 5-7 more minutes. I think softer is better than harder as they do dry out as the days pass.)

6. Cover with clean towel not cellophane.  Wait 1 hour before dipping in chocolate.

7. Melt each chocolate in large separate bowls (In a microwave or on a double boiler)

8. Dip all in White Chocolate.  Cover the entire Biscotti Let rest for half hour

9. Then Dip the White Chocolate dipped cookie into the Milk Chocolate.  This time only covering 3/4  of the cookie.

10. Again, let rest of half hour.

11. Finally take white and chocolate dipped cookie and dip half into the Dark Chocolate mixture.

12. While still wet you can grate powdered almonds, or coconut flakes, or even shaved white chocolate for decorative look.

Store in an airtight container and they can go a couple weeks – but they won’t. They never do.