Last night we had our inaugural Third Sunday Supper Club and what a response we had. Vino, gambas, paella, flan, rice pudding, tortilla, croquettes with saffron aioli, gazpacho, y sopa de carne were just a handful of the masterpieces we enjoyed. The theme was a wild success, bringing out the “cocinero” in our friends.
This dinner party is one that we’ll likely continue through the year, with varying themes. We’d love your input on what to do next. Thai or Indian? Orange or square food? BBQ or Cajun? There is no gastronomical limit to what we can pull off as a group, and I have no doubt that each month will ebb and flow with new faces inspiring all to try new dishes and just see what happens. If we can keep fostering a desire to get into the kitchen and make something new, then we’ve done our job.
From an environmental standpoint, we were concerned about excessive waste. The last thing we wanted to do was add to the landfill just because we were having friends over for a dinner. We ended up using 8″ woven wood plates as well as our own dishes so that we didn’t end up dumping a ton of paper or styrofoam into the refuse system. As for glassware, we broke out everything that we had. Tumblers, stemware, stemless wineglasses from Ikea as well as Cost Plus. Not a single one was broken nor did we toss any plastic silverware or plates away.
As for wine, we ended up drinking 5 bottles of mostly Spanish wine over the course of the evening and one home brew Sangria from our neighbors that was deliciously sweet and flavorful. Here’s the rundown on the bottled rioja: 2008 Castaño Monastrell (Yecla red wine), 2008 Terracita Tempranillo, 2008 Ergo Tempranillo, 2009 Santa Ema Cab Sav D.O. Maipo Valley (a Chilean misfit that really fit right in), and lastly a 2007 Campo Viejo Crianza. All were delicious and paired perfectly with their reunited plated counterparts.
For those that attended, please provide your links to any photos you shot during the dinner … amazingly the photo-a-day guy didn’t shoot a single photo during the event … as well as links to your recipes. Third Sunday Supper Club will attempt to share the power of cooking with those beyond our four walls. If only smell-o-vision were available to give you a sampling of the lingering saffron infused air we’re still enjoying today.
Until next month, where I’ll be sure to snap a photo or two. Gracias por su gran comida, amistad, y risa.
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Gambas Basquaise
* 3 T olive oil
* 8 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tsp chili flakes
* 1# medium prawns, peeled and deveined
* juice from 1/2 lemon
* 2 T Basque cidre (or, any dry cider…)
* 2 T chopped parsley
* 1 tsp sweet paprika (I actually used a Spanish smoked paprika, but usually have to go to specialty store to get this)
* kosher salt and pepper to taste
Saute aromatics: Heat a large pan over medium high heat, saute garlic, chile flakes, and paprika in olive oil until a nice aroma develops (about 2 min).
Add prawns: Raise the heat on the pan and add prawns. Saute for 2 minutes and then add lemon juice and cidre; suate until prawns are done (pink and opaque throughout). Season well and garnish with parsley.
Patatas Bravas
* 2# new potatoes, cut into chunks
* 1 tsp sweet paprika
* 1/2 tsp chili flakes
* 2 T red wine vinegar
* 1/4 cup tomato puree
* 2 T flour
* 1 cup beef stock
* olive oil for frying (generally several cups, so make sure you have a bottle of the cheap stuff on hand)
* kosher salt to taste
Fry the potatoes: In a large frying pan over medium heat, pour in the olive oil to a depth of 1-1/2″. When the oil is hot, add the potatoes and more oil if necessary to cover. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minues until potatoes are tender. When tender, raise heat to high to brown the potatoes. When they are golden brown, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Keep warm (but best when piping hot).
Make sauce: Drain off all but 1 T of the oil and return the pan to medium heat. Whisk in the flour to make a roux. Add the paprika and chili flakes and stir for a few minutes. Whisk in the beef stock, tomato puree and red wine vinegar. Bring up to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to meld flavors and season to taste with salt.
Toss: Pour the sauce over the potatoes and toss to coat. Serve warm with toothpicks.
Add prawns: Raise the heat on the pan and add prawns. Saute for 2 minutes and then add lemon juice and cidre; suate until prawns are done (pink and opaque throughout). Season well and garnish with parsley.
soooo looking forward to getting others’ recipes also. thanks to kim and bill for hosting such a fun evening and thanks to all for the yummy contributions.
Such a lovely night indeed! Again I will say…I Love Our Friends!! Thanks all for joining…can’t wait to see what the next gathering delivers!
So, we made the Ultimate Paella borrowed from Tyler Florence of the Food Network, with a *few* edits
Original recipe is here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/the-ultimate-paella-recipe/index.html
The edits were a collection of recommendations found in the comments and just my own wherewithal for taste:
* For the chicken marinade, I opted for Roasted Paprika instead of Sweet Paprika
* I subbed chicken broth for water and infused the broth with the saffron
* I upped the seafood by half as much more and swapped out 1lb large sea scallops for lobster tail
* I upped the rice to 6 cups rice and 8 cups broth (not water)
* 6 cloves of garlic not 4
* 4 large chorizo sausage instead of 2
[The last 5 edits were to accommodate for a crowd of 16...but honestly we had a TON left over...I would say the original recipe is plenty next time!]
I’d say it all worked…and worked well!! So good! Even the next day
What a fantastic time – wonderful company, heavenly food, the best hosts ever!
Here’s the flan recipe. I doubled it and put it in a bundt pan. Super easy.
Spanish Flan
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/spanish-flan/Detail.aspx
Ingredients
* 1 cup white sugar
* 3 eggs
* 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
* 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt sugar until liquefied and golden in color. Carefully pour hot syrup into a 9 inch round glass baking dish, turning the dish to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Beat in condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla until smooth. Pour egg mixture into baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil.
4. Bake in preheated oven 60 minutes. Let cool completely.
5. To serve, carefully invert on serving plate with edges when completely cool.
Great idea! Thanks for inviting me. I’ll be winging back from NYC next month, but pencil me in for future suppers.
Gazpacho
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 slices bread, crusts removed, torn into pieces (I used wheat sammy bread)
6 tblspns red wine vinegar
6 tblspns olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
6 cups (48 oz) V-8
3 cups cucumbers (2 medium), peeled, seeded, diced
1 cup green pepper (1 medium), diced
1 cup onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste
In a blender, make a paste of garlic, bread, red wine vinegar, olive oil, cumin. Scrape into a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients, stirring thoroughly. Chill. Best if prepared at least a day in advance.
Sausage and Cheese tortilla
5 tblspns olive oil
6 oz chorizo
1.5 lbs potatoes, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 eggs
2 tblspns chopped parsley
1 cup grated Manchego (or other hard cheese)
salt and pepper to taste
Heat 1 tblspn of oil in non-stick pan, and fry sausage until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from pan, reserving oil.
Add 2 more tblspns oil to pan and fry onions and potatoes together. Stir and turn over for 3-5 minutes, then cover and cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, occasionally shaking pan and stirring mixture.
In large mixing bowl, beat eggs and add parsley, cheese, salt and pepper. Gently stir in potato-onion mixture until all are coated with egg.
Wipe out non-stick and add last 2 tblspns oil. Add potato-onion-egg mixture to pan and cook until egg begins to set. Put pan under broiler and cook until top becomes golden brown, 3-5 minutes, rotating pan.
Spicy Shrimp Tapas – we sorta improvised so here’s the general idea:
1lbs Shrimp – deveined
Garlic – crushed
Olive oil – 2-3 tbps
Coat shrimp with above
Roast at 500 degrees for 5-7 minutes
Remove from oven and top with
Red Chili Oil & Fresh Thyme…