Cooking: Italy versus Spain Euro Cup- An Italian and Spanish Influenced Dinner

Today Italy played Spain in the Euro Cup, and Spain beat Italy by 4 goals to zero.  In an effort to celebrate both countries we decided to create a dinner with each of their culinary influences in mind. We looked to two of our favorite cook books, Tapas and My Calabria, and put together what turned out to be a terrific Sunday dinner with family.      

The Menu:

Our usual, cheese and meat plate, olives

Sweet Peppers Stuffed with Crab Salad, Tapas

Branzino Sotto Sale (Whole Salt-Baked Red Snapper), My Calabria

Potato Croquettes, The Cooking Channel's David Rocco of Dolce Vita

Garlic Tomatoes, Tapas

And to drink...

Prosecco

Rose Malbec, one from Argentina, another from France

The sweet peppers stuffed with crab was a nice little party in the mouth.  I mean, it required crab meat, cream cheese and roasted red bell peppers, so how could it taste bad? Seriously though, the sweet pepper had a spicy bite that came after the crab mix hit your pallet, which made for an interesting flavor twist.  Something worth noting is the Tapas book is a sweet little secret.  I have tried many of its recipes, and it provides perfect dishes for parties or small dinners.       

Most of the time I would have saved something like a fish dish for later in the course line-up, but I was nervous.  It was my first time to prepare salt fish, which meant I had to pay very close attention to the recipe.  And as much as I enjoy My Calabria cookbook, it doesn't provide easy to follow recipes.  For an impatient cook like myself, the book can be overwhelming.  It requires reading paragraphs to understand the directions.  Therefore, in order to limit mistakes I wanted to work on it early in the preparation process.  Now, I must say it was one of the best forms of fish I have had.  The salt crust in which the fish cooked created a moist, melt in your mouth delight.  Highly recommend you try the recipe.  

Next up were the Potato Croquettes.  Since my very first trip to Spain I have fallen hard for the crunchy, yet gooey Tapa, called Croquettes.  Croquettes made of anything cannot be missed.  They are definitely a little fried taste of heaven.  It leaves a very warm feeling in your soul.  Interesting enough the recipe comes from an Italian cook on the Cooking Channel, David Rocco of Dolce Vita, so the dish is Italian-inspired, rather than Spanish.  However, it makes no difference.  The Potato Croquettes with mozzarella cheese in the middle provided a texture we surely welcomed within the courses.  

Lastly, we served Garlic Tomatoes, which were definitely the easiest recipe to prepare.  If you have roasted anything, then you can do this recipe with your eyes closed.  The difference was the thyme, which even after it was removed, added a fabulous aromatic bite to the tomatoes.       

To finish, brownies.  Thankfully, my sister-in-law brought brownies because after the four courses we were exhausted.  We planned to slice peaches, seasoned with cinnamon and sugar, saute and add whip cream, but we will have to save it for another day.  

Overall, it was a terrific meal shared with family, even though, to our dismay, Italy lost.  Our friends and family are always our guinea pigs, and for it we are thankful.  We love trying new recipes and expanding our comfort levels with various cuisines, so hopefully you may do the same.  Xing, Xing!!

Lucy is waiting for us to turn our backs...

The Red Snapper ready to be stuffed with herbs, lemon and garlic and rubbed with olive oil

The cooked salt fish

The fish after the salt layer was cracked away and meat removed

The fish served, --and the salmoriglio also made for a great dip for the bread

The Sweet Peppers

Potato Croquette, a Spanish aioli sauce would be a nice addition

Garlic Tomatoes 

Tomatoes served-- since it is summer I went for a variety of tomatoes

THE RECIPES

Sweet Peppers Stuffed with Crab Salad, Tapas

Ingredients:

Jar of Roasted Sweet Peppers

Fresh chopped parsley

Crab Salad

8.5 ounces of crabmeat 

1 red bell pepper, broiled, peeled and chopped

2 T of fresh lemon juice

1 cup of cream cheese

salt and pepper

Directions:

First make crab salad.  Pick over the crabmeat and remove any bits of shells. Put half the crabmeat in a food processor with the prepared red bell pepper, 1.5 T of the lemon  juice, and salt and pepper to taste.  Process until well blended, then transfer to a bowl.  Flake and stir in the cream cheese and remaining crabmeat.  Taste and add extra lemon juice, if required.  

Pat the sweet peppers dry and scoop out any seeds that remain in the tips.  Place crab mixture in Ziploc bag, cut a hole and squeeze it into each sweet pepper.  Arrange on serving dish, then cover and let chill until ready to serve.  Just before serving, sprinkle the stuffed peppers with chopped parsley.   

Branzino Sotto Sale (Whole Salt-Baked Red Snapper), My Calabria-- NOTE: I halved the recipe and only prepared a 3 lb fish; ( http://www.calabriafromscratch.com/?page_id=1536)

Ingredients

• For the fish
• 2 whole fresh striped bass (each about 3 lbs.; see Notes), cleaned and scaled, fins trimmed and tails trimmed to 1 in.
• 6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 6 to 8 sprigs fresh oregano
• 6 to 8 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 4 medium garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 pounds Diamond Crystal kosher salt (see Notes)

• 8 large egg whites
• For the salmoriglio
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 2 small fresh or dried hot red chiles, such as peperoncini or Thai, minced or sliced

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Move rack to middle of oven. Stuff cavity of each fish with herb sprigs and slices of lemon and garlic, dividing evenly. Coat fish with olive oil.

2. In a very large bowl, combine salt with egg whites and 2 cups water. Mix with your hands, then add in another 2 cups water, mixing, until the salt feels like moist sand (you may need a little more water).

3. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with 1/2 in. of the salt mixture. Arrange the two fish nose to tail on the salt, leaving at least 1 1/2 in. space between them. Cover each with an even 1/2-in. layer of salt mixture, patting to adhere (no part of fish should remain exposed) and leaving a crevice between the fish so they cook evenly. Bake 30 minutes, or until salt crust is very pale gold and hard to the touch, like ceramic.

4. Meanwhile, make sauce: Whisk all ingredients in a bowl. Set aside for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to marry (but not more than 2 hours ahead or the herbs will lose their fresh taste).

5. Working with one fish at a time, tap hard salt crust with a small hammer or meat mallet to crack it. Lift off chunks of crust and brush any remaining salt off fish (a pastry brush is useful here).

6. With a large fork, carefully peel back skin, starting at spine and working toward belly. Lift off chunks of meat with fork and transfer to a platter. Lift out skeleton with the head attached and discard. With fork, transfer the rest of the meat to the platter.

7. Repeat dismantling of salt crust and filleting with remaining fish, adding meat to the platter. Serve with dressing spooned over top and more served on the side.

Potato Croquettes, The Cooking Channel's David Rocco of Dolce Vita, (http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/potato-croquette-recipe/index.html)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled

• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 eggs

• 1 mozzarella ball, cut into thin strips
• 1 cup dried bread crumbs
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for frying

Directions:

Boil the potatoes until fork tender, and let cool for 20 minutes. 

In a large bowl, mash the potatoes. (For a creamier texture, use a potato ricer.) Add the Parmigiano cheese, chopped parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Add one egg and mix well, until all the ingredients are evenly distributed. 

Grab a handful of mashed potatoes and press into logs that are 1 1/2-inches thick by 3 inches long. With your finger, create an indentation in the middle of the log and add a slice of mozzarella. Close up the logs and make sure the mozzarella is fully covered. Reshape if necessary. 

For the batter, dip potato logs in a beaten egg and cover with breadcrumbs. 

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a large pot to 350 degrees F. 

Fry in the oil in batches until the potato croquettes are crispy and golden brown. 

Let drain on a paper towel lined plate, and serve warm.

Garlic Tomatoes, Tapas       

Ingredients:

8 deep red tomotoes

3 fresh thyme sprigs

12 garlic cloves

2-3 T of olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut the tomatoes in half, length-wise and arrange, cut-side up, in a single layer in a large oven proof dish.  Tuck the thyme sprigs and garlic cloves between them.

Drizzle olive oil all over the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.  Bake in the preheated over 40-45 minutes or until tomatoes are softened and beginning to char slightly around the edges.  

Remove and discard the thyme sprigs.  Season the tomatoes to taste with salt and pepper.  Garnish with extra thyme sprigs and serve hot or warm.  Squeeze the pulp from the garlic over the tomatoes at the table.