Aperitivo

Tomato with Spring Pea-Mint-Feta Puree

 Croquetas de Espinaca

Several countries around the globe have a name for small plates before one's evening meal. Greece has mezzes. Spain has tapas. Italy has aperitivo. These plates are meant to be shared, and usually are never too heavy. What better way to start summer than a plate of small bites made from local produce? 

In Italian bars (specifically in Milano),  aperitivo is common and free as long as you purchase a drink. This is also a great travel tip. You are going to want a glass of wine at happy hour,  right? You're on vacation! In that case,  sit at a bar, take a drink, and enjoy a "free" dinner while you are at it. You serve yourself and can take as much as you wish. 

Tonight I could not make up my mind on what to make. Don't get me wrong, I love salads in summer, but if I have another bowl of spring mix I just might go bonkers. While reading Bon Appétit magazine today, I saw a recipe for Mint, Parmesan, and Pea puree. Sounded fantastic. One problem: I only had goat cheese and feta in the house. (How Greek, right?) I figured Parmesan is somewhat salty, so let's swap it for feta. Of course I forgot the recipe at work, but how hard could this be? I pureed about 10 ounces of spring peas with a big handful of mint. After adding a dash of salt (for good measure) I gave the processor another whirl. Tasted awesome. Like summer just exploded in your mouth. Trying to cut down on carbs is tough, so I resisted the temptation of grabbing the crackers in the pantry. Instead, I sliced a tomato and stuffed it with the puree and feta. De-lish. But crackers would have been even better!

Perhaps it is because Spain has been on my brain recently (this month is the 1-year anniversary of my returning to the US), but I wanted to eat croquetas just as bad as I wanted to taste those darn peas with mint. Lo que sea, as we say in Spain, whatever. I simply made both. I have taken a stab at making these spinach croquettes in the past, but did not have the energy to even take a look at past posts on my own blog! Having just made the pea puree, I figured why not just chop everything together and throw it in the oven. You know what? It worked. I love it when that happens. 

One of the best things about these two aperitivo dishes is that the materials are minimal. Fresh, simple ingredients always make the best-tasting food. Have a go at these, and trust me, both couldn't be easier to make. Happy summer!

SPRING PEA PUREE

Handful of fresh mint

10-12 oz. of frozen spring peas or blanched fresh ones

1/4 cup feta cheese

sea salt

dash of olive oil

PROCESS

1. Puree

2. Serve with feta on crackers and/or sliced tomato 

CROQUETAS

10-12 oz. frozen spinach or 1 bunch of spinach, chopped 

1/2 large onion

1/2 cup of roasted, salted almonds

a couple ounces of the goat cheese of your choice (I used Portuguese Queijo de Castelo Branco)

sea salt

Spanish pimentón or smoked paprika

PROCESS

1. In a food processor, grind the almonds into a fine meal.

2. Sautee the spinach with the onion, both finely chopped. 

3. Add salt, pimentón, and let cool.

4. In a bowl, roll your crumbled goat cheese pieces in the almond meal.

5. Add the cooled vegetables and stir well.

6. Form into patties and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. 

7. While warm, sprinkle with an extra dash of salt and pimentón. Serve warm.

French-Inspired Vegetable Soup

We entertained guests last weekend. Our New York City readers (in particular) know the amount of effort this takes: Sightseeing, museum-hopping, souvenir shopping… It is always fun, but it is tough to cram Manhattan in a mere three days. Some might say "exhausting"!

When the sun started to set on Sunday evening, time was all mine once again. To the cutting board I went. I had no energy to grocery shop, but to stand by my sink in pajamas and chop veggies? Yes. This I could do. When all one wants to do is sit on the couch and call for take-out, even the most amateur home cook will try to  gather enough energy to make the smallest culinary effort. At least I think so.

"No energy" (to us at the Piccolo Gourmet) means "soup". Chop, throw in pot, season, done. The fridge was bare, to say the least, but the produce left over from last week was still (somewhat) plentiful. To throw all these items in a pot, warmly called "Fridge Soup", was the decision for a quiet dinner. And you know what? It was delicious. I would never blog something from an exhausted Sunday evening unless I thought it was worth the effort in re-creating. The secret ingredient here is the wine, at least we think so. Julia Child always added a splash or two to her soups. Why mess with the pros, right? Thinking about her, and French soups in particular, I picked out Julia's usual "go-to" herbs (marjoram, tarragon). It was the right decision. And especially since I had a touch of white wine left over from Friday.

(Serves 2)
Ingredients:
4 stalks of celery with leaves
1 small onion
1 bunch of carrots (6-7 medium-sized carrots)
1 red pepper
1 glass of white wine
1-2 large tablespoons of garlic paste (found in most groceries)
1 tablespoon of each: dried marjoram, tarragon, coriander
sea salt
good olive oil

Seriously, this could not be easier.
1. Chop all veggies.
2. Add olive oil to a pot and add your vegetables. After a few minutes, after the vegetables are warmed, add the salt. This will help extract the water from the celery and onion.
3. Add the herbs and garlic.
4. When you start to smell the garlic cooking, add a full glass of white wine, and simmer the wine until the alcohol is burned off, and most of the liquid is gone.
5. Add water (2 cups or so), and puree with a hand blender.

Done.