Tagged With: Picnic
Ancho Chili Beef Empanadas
Who doesn’t love food that you can hold in your hand? The beauty of empanadas is that the rich, buttery dough can be filled with almost anything - sweet or savory. Our Ancho Chili Powder is mild-medium in heat and adds magnificent depth to the beef and vegetable filling we chose. Ancho chiles have a wonderful, darkly sweet flavor, so we added a little Alderwood Smoked Salt for just a touch of smoky contrast. They can be served either hot or at room temperature; we like ours with salsa, sour cream and a Hibiscus Margarita. They freeze well, so make a bunch and plan to enjoy them another day, or surprise yourself at how quickly your guests devour the extras.
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Sift flour into a large bowl. Add salt and chilled, cubed butter. Using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, mix together until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, chilled water and vinegar and add to flour mixture.Combine until well incorporated.
- Empty onto a lightly floured surface and knead just enough to bring the dough together. Cut dough in half and form each half into a rectangle. Chill for at least 1 hour.
- In a heavy skillet heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Add onions, red bell peppers and garlic and saute until softened. Add Alderwood Smoked Salt, Ancho Chili Powder and Mexican Oregano, and saute for about 1 minute.
- Add ground beef, breaking up any lumps and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add olives and mix well. Taste for seasoning, adjust as needed. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate until chilled.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator. Cut each rectangle into 12 pieces. Form into discs and cover with a towel.
- On a lightly floured surface, take one of the pieces and roll it out into a circle (about 1/8 inch thick). Holding the circle in the palm of your hand, place 2 heaping teaspoons of the chilled filling in the center.
- Fold the two edges of the circle together over the filling. Press the edges to seal. Using a fork dipped in flour, crimp the edges so the filling won't escape.
- Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining dough and filling. Lightly brush the empanadas with egg wash.
- Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. They are done if they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Transfer to a wire rack and cool for at least 5 minutes.
- Serve with salsa and sour cream.
Lemon Thyme Rhubarb Cake
Tart, sweet and dramatically red, rhubarb never tasted so good in this Lemon Thyme Rhubarb cake. The cake is moist and fluffy on the inside with a slight crisp on the outside edge. The sharpness of the rhubarb combined with the delicate pungency of the lemon thyme make this a most wonderful offering of spring’s bountiful harvest.
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan or cast-iron pan
- In a small saucepan, over medium heat, add rhubarb, sugar and water
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb has softened
- Strain, reserve juice
- Set rhubarb aside to cool while you make the rest of the cake
- Cream butter and sugar together until smooth
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition (batter should look light and fluffy)
- Gently mix in the baking powder, salt, lemon thyme and flour - be careful not to over mix
- Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top of the batter
- Spoon the rhubarb compote over the top of the batter
- Using a butter knife, swirl the compote through the cake batter, being careful not to scrape the bottom of the pan
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the reserved rhubarb compote juice over the top
- Sprinkle with the rest of the lemon thyme and sugar
- Bake 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center of cake comes out clean
- Serve warm or room temperature
- Enjoy with more of the rhubarb compote mixed with whipped cream or Greek yogurt, served on the side
Kala Masala Skillet Cornbread
This savory cornbread knocked our collective socks off at first bite. Our Kala Masala spice blend is a complex one, and that complexity of flavor transfers easily to the skillet cornbread. There’s a tiny bit of heat from some guajillo chiles in the blend that is balanced perfectly by a healthy dose of toasted coconut for sweetness. Try it with a fish, lentil or vegetable soup for maximum enjoyment!
Cast Iron is essential for crusty cornbread!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven to get hot while you make the batter.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda and Kala Masala. In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg and the ¼ cup melted butter together.
- Take the hot cast iron skillet out of the oven, and add in the butter. Swirl it around until the butter starts to melt, being sure to tilt the pan to coat the sides and bottom evenly.
- Pour the wet ingredients in the dry ingredients and mix quickly, just until moistened. Do not overmix. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake the cornbread until it’s golden brown, about 20 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven, and try to let it cool for a few minutes before you dive into it. Cut into 8 wedges.
Spicy Smoked Paprika Romesco Over Grilled Trout
Grilled trout topped with spicy romesco and slivered, toasted almonds.
My first taste of romesco was not, sadly, in Catalonia. I first encountered this crimson sauce in Walla Walla, Washington at a going away party for a dear foodie friend. I prepped ribs, halibut, and vegetables while my compatriot raced around the kitchen preparing “the sauce”. He toasted almonds, blistered heirloom tomatoes, roasted peppers and garlic, and (after several stops in the Cuisinart) it came out like ruby velvet. We served it with the halibut, where the rich sauce found its perfect match in the clean taste of the firm white fish.
That meal was my inspiration for this recipe. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but Seattle is my first city. I grew up in northeast Wisconsin, deep in the Northwoods, on the banks of the Wolf River. My home lies on Rocky Rips Road, a dead end named for the Class II whitewater that flows not 50 feet from my back porch. The rushing water was my lullaby as an infant, my playground as a child, and when I found my love for food the river continued to provide. Smallmouth bass hid out in the deep holes at the bottoms of rapids. I pulled gallons of crayfish out of the water with a pair of diving goggles and my bare hands (they’re amazing boiled like lobster and served over linguine with a spicy sauce of diced tomatoes, lemon, chiles, and heaps of garlic). My favorite, though, was the trout. It’s delicious, simple to prepare, and environmentally sustainable. You can pick up Idaho-farmed rainbow trout at many grocery stores for $5-$6/lb and they only take a few minutes to prepare. We grilled ours and served it with our very own romesco. We bumped up the sauce’s heat by adding some Pimenton Picante, spicy Spanish smoked paprika, while reducing the prep time by using jarred peppers and canned tomatoes. You wind up with a dish that’s impressive enough for date night and simple enough for any week night. It even gets Delilah’s paw of approval!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Put almonds in a food processor and process for about 2 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and roasted peppers and process for another 2 minutes.
- Then add vinegar, salt, Pimenton, olive oil, and lemon, processing until smooth.
- Taste and adjust salt and vinegar if needed.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate in a covered container.
Salami Wrapped Melon With Candied Fennel, Anise, Coriander and Pink Peppercorns
This easy and refreshing starter is a playful take on the favorite Italian appetizer, Prosciutto e Melone. Featuring Finocchiona Salami and Salumi Salami from our friends at Salumi Cured Meats we finish it all off with colorful, crunchy and exquisite candied anise, fennel, Indian coriander and pink peppercorns. The salty savoriness of the salami is a perfect compliment to the super sweet melon.
You’ll want a completely ripe melon for this dish so look for melon skins that are firm and free of bruising or soft spots. The stem end should not be green, and the end of the melon opposite of the stem should have a nice strong pleasant aroma.
A great offering for the upcoming Labor Day BBQ’s and picnics. Enjoy!
Salumi Wrapped Melon with Candied Seeds
Ingredients
Instructions
- For Candied Seeds:
- Toast fennel, anise and Indian coriander seeds, lightly, in a dry skillet. Transfer to a plate.
- Put sugar, water and butter in a saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Once the sugar dissolves, increase heat and boil for about 2 minutes (or until the liquid is thick and syrupy.
- Remove from heat and add the baking soda, toasted seeds and pink peppercorns. Mix rapidly to coat seeds and peppercorns with syrup.
- Pour mixture on a parchment lined cookie sheet, pressing them lightly to separate.
- Allow to cool completely and they are ready to use with the melon recipe
- Store remaining in a tightly covered container in a cool dry place.
- Slice melon in half and remove seeds
- Using a melon baller, scoop out the melon balls
- Place melon balls atop a lovely slice of salami and secure with a toothpick
- Sprinkle each melon ball with the candied seeds and pink peppercorns
- Arrange on a platter and serve
Chaat Masala Butter and Grilled Corn
One of the best things about summer is the abundance of fresh corn on the cob. I was excited to see the first of the season’s crop available at my local Farmer’s Markets and was inspired to spice-up this classic BBQ side. Adding Chaat Masala to butter makes a perfect addition to grilled corn. This beautifully flavored butter is delicious on just about anything that comes off your grill… fish, steak, veggies, you name it!
Chaat Masala Butter and Grilled Corn
Ingredients
Instructions
- For perfectly grilled corn, heat your grill to medium. Pull the outer husks down the ear to the base, and strip away the silk from each ear of corn. Fold the husks back into place and tie the ends together with kitchen string. Place the ears of corn in a large bowl of cold water with the kosher sal for 10 minutes.
- Remove corn from the water and shake any excess water. Place the corn on the grill, close the cover and grill for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, or until kernels are tender when pierced with a paring knife. Remove the husks, slather the corn with the Chaat Masala Butter.
- For the butter, mix together the unsalted butter, the Chaat Masala and 1 tsp. Murray River Flake Salt in a small bowl . Roll butter into a log using parchment paper or transfer to a small covered container. Refrigerate until needed.
Svaneti Seasoned-Salt Kale Chips
I adore kale. The moment I discovered this particular leafy green it immediately beat out broccoli and chard at the top of my favorite vegetable list. Luckily for me it is available practically year-round here in the northwest, and right now there are some exceptionally beautiful bunches showing up in the Farmer’s Markets and grocery stores. My favorite way to prepare kale is to bake it into chips with a little bit of salt to bring out its natural savory flavor. Whether you are new to kale chips or they are an old favorite of yours you’ll love mixing it up with some of our seasoning salts. Along with our Svaneti Salt, some of my favorites are Celery Seasoned Salt and Osaka Seasoned Salt.
Kale Chips
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 °F.
- In a bowl, toss kale with just enough olive oil to lightly coat each piece.
- Spread the kale pieces in a single layer, touching but not overlapping, on a baking tray (parchment paper or aluminum foil on your baking tray makes for an easier clean-up).
- Sprinkle Svaneti Seasoned-Salt lightly over the kale.
- Bake for ~15 minutes until crisp but not browned. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
- If you are using a scrambler, sprinkle to taste over the baked chips after cooking and enjoy!
- Leftovers they will keep for a day or two in an airtight bag.
Ranch Potato Salad
I’ve lived all over this great country, and while there are some pretty big differences between Boston and the Carolinas, one summer constant nationwide is barbeques, and for my family, that meant potato salad! Mom’s potato salad was full of mayo, hard-boiled eggs and bacon – delicious, yes, but it needed an update. I came up with this recipe to combine my love for mom’s cooking with my equally unhealthy love of tangy, delicious ranch dressing into a potato salad that even my doctor would eat. Instead of mayo, I use Greek yogurt, so it still has that traditional creaminess I crave without the fat, and it gives the World Spice salt-free Ranch Seasoning a little extra tang, too. (I still use bacon because, after all, potato salad wouldn’t be the same without bacon!) The festive and unusual colors of heirloom varieties of red, white and blue potatoes are perfect for enjoying the Fourth of July fireworks at Gasworks Park in downtown Seattle. And since I work at World Spice Merchants, I have to garnish it with something fun, right? I like to use a little bit of Piment d’Espelette, or maybe some Aleppo pepper, or some Urfa Biber . . . decisions, decisions!
Ranch Potato Salad made healthy – no mayonnaise!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cut the potatoes in bite-sized pieces, and boil until just fork tender. (They will have some carry-over cooking - you just don't want them to be "mushy". Drain, and spread out on a cookie sheet to cool. (You can also roast the potatoes, too. Just toss them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them until done. Also allow them to cool before making the salad.)
- While the potatoes are cooling, you can make the dressing. In a large bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, salt and Ranch Seasoning. Mix well - it will be a little thick. (You can always use a little water or milk to thin it out, if you like, but the natural liquid from the chopped veggies will also thin it out a little.)
- Add the cooled potatoes and chopped veggies and bacon to the bowl, and toss well to make sure everything is coated with the dressing. Taste for seasoning - you might want to add a little more salt or Ranch Seasoning.
- Transfer the finished potato salad into a serving bowl and garnish with Piment d'Espelette for an extra-special treat.
Classic Hummus
Hummus is one of those things best made fresh from scratch, and neither grocery store nor restaurant versions can compare. Served with crunchy veggies, olives, feta and warmed pita bread, hummus is always a crowd pleaser! Our hummus always comes to the table with a hearty sprinkle of spice right on top. Our taste-testers couldn’t agree on just one, so we recommend, Israeli Zahtar, Syrian Zahtar or Sumac.
Perfect hummus!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Soak garbanzo beans overnight. Discard soaking water, and place in a pot and cover with water by about an inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 30-40 minutes until tender. Strain and reserve cooking liquid.
- Place all ingedients in a food processor or high-speed blender. Add just enough of the cooking liquid to get the mixture moving. Process to desired consistency.
- Note: You can also substitute 2 15 oz. cans of garbanzo beans, drained, for this recipe - just use water in place of the cooking liquid.
- Garnish hummus with a sprinkle of sumac (or Israeli Zahtar or Syrian Zahtar) and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. (This would be where you could use that good extra virgin olive oil you have.)
