Thursday, February 26, 2009
Cruise the Mediterranean...NOT!
Another week, and one less week of the winter blues. We can't cruise the Mediterranean, but we can think about it!
Last weekend I made a recipe that i have been hungry to try for, well, I don't want to tell you how long I put off nice things like this...I won't tell you.
It was tapenade.
I searched for recipes on the web,combined and took what i felt would taste best from each recipe, and left out the anchovies--sorry Dad.
Note: My father is not really into seafood, he had bad experiences in the Navy, and it left him scarred as far as certain ocean foods. One day while traveling to My Pap's house in Alaska, riding in first class--thanks to Dad who worked almost 40 years for TWA, and His father many years before that, way before jet engines...Dad had a Caesar salad, made right before his eyes, and he let them put anchovies on it!-I was shocked, but as always, I think I sort of snuggled up a little closer and felt so proud to be Dad's seatmate,and that he was so cool and brave and classy to eat such a gross food. He was so classy in his mandatory suit too, and In his "zone." Dad's zone was airports and airplanes. I followed suit, taking to the sky for a job as a corporate flight attendant in my late teens.Serving Classy meals to foreign Gov't and military officials, foreign dignitaries, and domestic CEO's ...and clients... I never ate anchovies though, OH Yes! ahem, Anchovies, back to the Mediterranean, and by the way again, Dad's service in the Navy included cruising the Mediterranean--maybe it got in my DNA to be attracted to this recipe I saw on TV once. I do like olives.
Tapenade1Jar of red kalamata olives
1tbsp minced garlic
(I put 2 cloves through my garlic press, but I believe the pre-chopped from a jar would be good.)
1 Tbsp Capers ( hey what are capers anyhow?)
2 tbsp olive oil
1tsp lemon juice
2-3 basil leaves
I can artichoke hearts
Pulse in the food processor until uniformly but coarsely chopped.It keeps for a week in the fridge.
BONUS RECIPE: And it will save another washing of the food processor bowl for this next recipe to make it right away before you clean up. I wanted to try another recipe for Mediterranean Tuna Salad, but I did not want to go get more olives and artichoke hearts, so I made my own fast versionof this lowfat tuna salad, by leaving some in the processor bowl, adding a few shots more of olive oil, and a few cans of water packed tuna--it was delicious. Use in the place of any ordinary tuna salad. This will be the tuna I can get my picky picky boy to actually eat! Wow!
For the classic use of Tapenade, I baked (you can grill or broil, but i was at curves while it cooked so i could not) swordfish steaks, tuna steaks would do also. At the table we that like olives and salty tart tastes topped our swordfish with tapenade sauce. It was excellent. I had this at a huge wedding last summer, and my mouth has been watering for it since--total delay gratification.The meal was appreciated by all, and the last piece of fish--yep, went to my picky picky kid who exclaimed that this was his kind of fish!
Also, for lunch a few days, I took a piece of rice bread, and toasted it like you do for grilled cheese--butter both sides and fry it till brown and crisp. I topped that with tapenaude spread thinly, then my tuna mixture form above, a few more dots of tapenade, and a piece of rice brand cheese, and put a small lid over cooking till warmed, then into the oven ob roil till that nasty cheese substitute actually melted, i cut it into four wedges with a buttered knife, and it was worthy of serving to some foreign dignitary.A Mediterranean Tuna/Tapenade Melt It was unbelievable. After the tuna ran out, I just made cheese and tapenaude grilled--also capable of being classified as a dainty dish to set before a King! There is still some left--it goes along way in the home of picky eaters. Want a Hoot? my sensory challenged child like this! he also would eat kalamata olives and artichoke hearts--off to search for more recipes.
If you are adventurous enough to try this recipe, i hope you like it! If not go find some king or foreign dignitary to share it with! Well, how about your husband, or if you are still waiting for your Prince, maybe this will charm him, if not try cookies, it worked for mine--he does not like olives.Although, he'd have probably faked liking olives before we were married, just to keep me on the hook, until he finally reeled me in!!!
Think the Mediterranean Sea, shining in the sun, and beaches and salt air,and the sun penetrating your skin and warming you, while you take a nap, dreaming that spring WILL come, it does every year, Cruise or NOT!
Last weekend I made a recipe that i have been hungry to try for, well, I don't want to tell you how long I put off nice things like this...I won't tell you.
It was tapenade.
I searched for recipes on the web,combined and took what i felt would taste best from each recipe, and left out the anchovies--sorry Dad.
Note: My father is not really into seafood, he had bad experiences in the Navy, and it left him scarred as far as certain ocean foods. One day while traveling to My Pap's house in Alaska, riding in first class--thanks to Dad who worked almost 40 years for TWA, and His father many years before that, way before jet engines...Dad had a Caesar salad, made right before his eyes, and he let them put anchovies on it!-I was shocked, but as always, I think I sort of snuggled up a little closer and felt so proud to be Dad's seatmate,and that he was so cool and brave and classy to eat such a gross food. He was so classy in his mandatory suit too, and In his "zone." Dad's zone was airports and airplanes. I followed suit, taking to the sky for a job as a corporate flight attendant in my late teens.Serving Classy meals to foreign Gov't and military officials, foreign dignitaries, and domestic CEO's ...and clients... I never ate anchovies though, OH Yes! ahem, Anchovies, back to the Mediterranean, and by the way again, Dad's service in the Navy included cruising the Mediterranean--maybe it got in my DNA to be attracted to this recipe I saw on TV once. I do like olives.
Tapenade1Jar of red kalamata olives
1tbsp minced garlic
(I put 2 cloves through my garlic press, but I believe the pre-chopped from a jar would be good.)
1 Tbsp Capers ( hey what are capers anyhow?)
2 tbsp olive oil
1tsp lemon juice
2-3 basil leaves
I can artichoke hearts
Pulse in the food processor until uniformly but coarsely chopped.It keeps for a week in the fridge.
BONUS RECIPE: And it will save another washing of the food processor bowl for this next recipe to make it right away before you clean up. I wanted to try another recipe for Mediterranean Tuna Salad, but I did not want to go get more olives and artichoke hearts, so I made my own fast versionof this lowfat tuna salad, by leaving some in the processor bowl, adding a few shots more of olive oil, and a few cans of water packed tuna--it was delicious. Use in the place of any ordinary tuna salad. This will be the tuna I can get my picky picky boy to actually eat! Wow!
For the classic use of Tapenade, I baked (you can grill or broil, but i was at curves while it cooked so i could not) swordfish steaks, tuna steaks would do also. At the table we that like olives and salty tart tastes topped our swordfish with tapenade sauce. It was excellent. I had this at a huge wedding last summer, and my mouth has been watering for it since--total delay gratification.The meal was appreciated by all, and the last piece of fish--yep, went to my picky picky kid who exclaimed that this was his kind of fish!
Also, for lunch a few days, I took a piece of rice bread, and toasted it like you do for grilled cheese--butter both sides and fry it till brown and crisp. I topped that with tapenaude spread thinly, then my tuna mixture form above, a few more dots of tapenade, and a piece of rice brand cheese, and put a small lid over cooking till warmed, then into the oven ob roil till that nasty cheese substitute actually melted, i cut it into four wedges with a buttered knife, and it was worthy of serving to some foreign dignitary.A Mediterranean Tuna/Tapenade Melt It was unbelievable. After the tuna ran out, I just made cheese and tapenaude grilled--also capable of being classified as a dainty dish to set before a King! There is still some left--it goes along way in the home of picky eaters. Want a Hoot? my sensory challenged child like this! he also would eat kalamata olives and artichoke hearts--off to search for more recipes.
If you are adventurous enough to try this recipe, i hope you like it! If not go find some king or foreign dignitary to share it with! Well, how about your husband, or if you are still waiting for your Prince, maybe this will charm him, if not try cookies, it worked for mine--he does not like olives.Although, he'd have probably faked liking olives before we were married, just to keep me on the hook, until he finally reeled me in!!!
Think the Mediterranean Sea, shining in the sun, and beaches and salt air,and the sun penetrating your skin and warming you, while you take a nap, dreaming that spring WILL come, it does every year, Cruise or NOT!
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