Bulerias Tapas Restaurant, Chicago

We've been to Bulerias twice, once for a birthday celebration and once for Mother's Day lunch. I really want to love this place - it has so much going for it - but I'm not in love.

First, it's hard to tell online whether the dancing shows are ticketed/paid or free. Luckily for us, the first time we reserved the downstairs area and got to see the show, which is really spectacular. Unluckily, we were so close to the stage that the dancer's fringed costume swept through my food a couple of times. Blech.

On our recent visit, our group of seven made reservations ahead of time and then confirmed it in a later phone call, but they didn't have our reservation. They sat us anyway, though, so it's all good.I would note though that the tables are small and close together; if our server hadn't been on top of our used plates, we would have had trouble!

The food is wonderful. My favorites are the bacon-wrapped dates, mild grilled octopus, and flank steak on crostini with blue cheese. Oh, and the potatoes alli olio! Good sized portions, well-prepared, and all the tapas came quickly after we ordered. They have a nice wine list and good sangria. One of our guests is on a restrictive no-cholesterol diet, and while he wasn't able to share some of the tapas us fat-lovin' people ate, he found some satisfying items to order.

We spent a long time at lunch and it would have been much more enjoyable if we could hear each other talk. We really wanted to catch up with each other but it was difficult. We were in an alcove and the music was extremely loud; even the waiter had trouble hearing us and made some ordering mistakes because of it. We asked him to turn down the noise but he said he couldn't do anything about it. That seemed strange, since he said he could turn the TV to any game we wanted...but couldn't adjust the volume of the music.

There are many tapas places in Chicago so once they have the food nailed down, it's the extra touches of service and atmosphere that determine where people will dine. Bulerias has some problems that could easily be fixed.  I hope they get on it!

Bulerias Tapas Bar is at 3656 N Ashland Ave. Chicago, IL 60613 
buleriastapas.com 

Read more...

Paella (Saffron Rice with Chicken and Seafood)

Joe and I have talked about making this signature dish from Spain for a long time, but paella always seemed so daunting. I mean, the list of ingredients is huge, and the explanations for preparing all the seafood seemed like too much bother. And then there's the special paella pan, a wide shallow skillet that traditionally Spaniards used over an open fire.

Our Spain/Portugal cookbook has two pages of directions for this recipe, but it also told us we were overthinking the whole dish. At its heart, the recipe for paella is basically a rice stew with seafood, vegetables, and meat, and cooks probably threw in whatever they had at home or whatever was fresh or on sale. The cookbook has a photo of a family cooking this over a little bonfire in a park, and then eating it straight out of the pan.

So here's our recipe. I'm not going to get all Julia Child on you and describe how to cook a live lobster or scrub the beards off mussels. Choose the things you like or look good at the store, then be sure to savor each one of the flavors and scents as you cook the stew - it really is an experience! Next time you make it, the mix will probably be completely different.

P.S. This makes a big pot of paella. It's perfect for a bunch of friends. If you get each of them to chop one ingredient, it will all come together quickly.

Ingredients

2 lbs meat: cut-up chicken pieces, serrano ham, hard garlicky sausage such as andouille, salami or Spanish chorizo, bacon, boneless pork

2 lbs. seafood: raw shrimp, lobster, clams, mussels, snails, crawfish, calamari, crab claws, and cubes of firm-fleshed fish

4 cups vegetables: peas, sweet pepper strips, hot peppers, garlic, chopped onion, chopped tomatoes, and green beans

1/2 cup olive oil, divided
1 tsp ground saffron or turmeric
1 tbsp hot paprika
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 bay leaves, crumbled
6 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups short-grain Spanish rice
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a big, shallow pan, brown the fresh meat in half the oil, then set aside on a warm platter. Saute the vegetables in the remaining oil. Prepare the shellfish as needed, then add to the sauteing vegetables. Cook 3 minutes, then remove all to the platter with the chicken; keep warm.

Heat the broth with the wine, saffron and paprika. Bring to a boil, then keep it hot until ready to use. Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Saute the rice with the remainder of the oil so that it's coated and slightly browned. Pour in the broth, bay leaves, and parsley. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, then add the vegetables, meat, and seafood, pressing the large pieces into the rice.

Place the skillet in a 325 degree oven, uncovered, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover with foil, and let sit for 10 minutes or so, until the rice absorbs all the liquid and is fluffy and tender. Squeeze the lemon wedges over the rice before serving.

Serves 6-8.

Read more...

Carrot Romesco Sauce

This carrot romesco sauce came straight from Bon Appetit, and we used it as a sauce for a luscious roasted pork loin, as the editors suggested. We seem to have gotten all kinds of photos during the romesco-making part of the evening, and none of the pork. Oh well.

In fact, you don't even need to use this as a sweet-salty and unusual sauce for pork. We made scads of this (that's right, scads) and used it for a veggie dip and bruschetta topping, too.

If you're new to romesco sauce, Bon Appetit describes it as being to Spanish cooking what pesto is to Italian cooking. It finishes as a thick paste, and if we hadn't been busy slathering on to everything we ate that week, we would have planned ahead and tossed it with some pasta. Analogies give one all kinds of ideas, don't they?

Ingredients

¼ cup pine nuts or chopped pecans
1½ pounds carrots, peeled and cut lengthwise into quarters
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
Salt and black pepper to taste
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, divided
1 tsp marjoram, minced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450°.

Toast nuts in a small skilled for a few minutes, until slightly browned and fragrant. Let cool.

Spread half the oil on a baking sheet, then arrange the carrots on the sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and slightly browned, about 15 minutes. Let cool.

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender, along with 1 tbsp of water. Process until it forms a thick paste, scraping down the sides occasionally and adding more water if necessary.

While spreading this on thick slices of juicy pork loin is optional, I recommend it highly. Or spread it on toast rounds and place under the broiler until bubbly. Or toss with a green salad and more wine vinegar. Or...?

Makes about 2 cups of sauce.

Read more...

Spanish Spiced Red Pepper Bisque

This velvety pepper soup is super-healthy and packed with vitamins, but the title is what really made me want to make it. "Spanish" and "bisque" are two words that always attract my attention.. Barcelona is next on our world-travel bucket list (Ibiza! Sparkling Mediterranean! Tapas!), and bisque....oh, myyy!

So here's to a gorgeous dose of smooth, creamy, satisfying vegetables. You know how we love roasted peppers. We added sweet potatoes for texture and sweetness, and a whole lot of herbs and spices. As usual, we departed the text when it came to seasoning this luscious soup.

When Joe was stirring up these veggies, I was thinking of all of you and wishing you could smell what I was smelling. Oh my, this is good, and good for you.

Ingredients

10 medium red peppers, halved, cored, and seeded

1 tsp olive oil

1 cup chopped onions

Salt and pepper to taste

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 cup fat-free chicken or vegetable stock

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp sweet curry

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika (trust me, the smoked kind is the best - buy a lot!)

1/4 cup low-fat yogurt

Instructions

Heat broiler to high. Line two baking sheets with foil. Lay out the halved peppers on the sheets and broil the peppers until they are slightly soft and the skins are well blackened. You're going to remove the skins, so let them get nice and charred.

While they are cooking, heat the sweet potato chunks in the microwave until they are just barely tender.

Put the blackened peppers into a paper bag and seal; let cool until they are easy to handle. Peel off the skins (Joe uses a knife to strip the skins where they are stubborn) and chop into small pieces. 

Heat the oil in a large pan and saute the onions and garlic until they start to become tender. Add the broth, peppers, herbs, paprika, salt and pepper, and sweet potato chunks. Simmer 5 minutes, then turn off heat, take out the bay leaf, and stir in the yogurt.

Using an immersion blender or your food processor, puree the soup until it's smooth. Serve with extra oregano scattered on top, as Weight Watchers suggests

Serves 6. 

If you're on a Weight Watchers plan, this recipe is 3 points for a one-cup serving. Each cup is one serving of veg.

Read more...

Turkey / Chicken Croquettes with Aioli Sauce

Croquettes are traditionally served as tapas in Spain. My Spanish teachers have told me that in many places in Spain, the large meal of the day is around noon and people sometimes take off a couple of hours for lunch. After work, people often go to the bar/restaurants for a drink and a few little bites to eat - tapas. If you live in a small town, you might have to make the rounds of the two or three pubs around you, for fear of insulting one of the innkeepers.

Like many places in Europe, bars are not intended as adults-only spots, but as an extension of a family's living room. Kids play on the floor, people take turns singing with the band, teens giggle in the corner, and everyone catches up with their neighbors before going home for a light meal and bed. Doesn't that sound wonderful?

The original recipe comes from Kim and Ellory's Kitchen, a fantastic personal chef and catering service in the Northern Suburbs of Chicago. They gave fun tapas cooking demonstrations for Joe's business clients and friends each year. Sadly, Ellory has passed away and Kim is cooking in New Orleans, but they left behind wonderful memories with us.

Ingredients

Aioli Sauce (Garlic Mayonnaise)

3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 egg, at room temperature
1 cup olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp chili powder

In a blender, mix the egg and garlic for 15 seconds. Gradually add the olive oil while continuing to blend, then slowly add the lemon juice and chili powder while blending. Chill before serving.

Croquettes

4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
3/4 cup milk
1/8 tsp nutmeg
6 oz cooked turkey, chicken, ham, or fish, finely minced
2 oz cooked pancetta or lean bacon, finely minced
2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp red or green pepper, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup fine bread crumbs

Directions

Follow the aioli directions above, then refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

In a small sauce pan melt the butter. Add the flour and stir until well mixed. Slowly pour in the milk and keep cooking until thickened and creamy. Stir in the nutmeg.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the turkey, parsley, red pepper, salt, and pepper. Add to the white sauce. Put it in the refrigerator and allow it to cool at least 2 hours.

Divide the mixture into 20 balls and dip into the beaten eggs, then roll in the bread crumbs. Return to the refrigerator to cool for 30 minutes more.

Deep fry the croquettes until golden brown, or bake on a greased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until golden and crunchy.

Serve with aioli sauce for dipping.

Makes 20 croquettes.

Read more...