easy brunch

Brunch is not a meal I usually prepare. On Sunday mornings I tend to linger in my pajamas over the real estate section of the NY Times, clucking at the prices of condos and occasionally spotting stories featuring people I happen to know. I think my own story should be featured in the Times real estate section, having moved after 30 years from a rent stabilized apartment in the West Village to an attached house in Rego Park, Queens with a new husband and four teenagers. Ah, but that's another story.

Brunch at home here in Queens is usually a batch of scrambled eggs with chives from the garden and re-fried rice with lots of sauteed onions; my husband's favorite meal.

This Sunday, I was honored by a visit from some of my favorite families bearing young children in their arms, arriving to spend a few hours in my garden to share a meal and splash in the wading pool on this sunny late-July day. Brunch was a must, but what to make?

The excellent August issue of Savour magazine is all about Mexican food, and it got me hankering for a Mexican inspired breakfast.

Fruit served in a single color looks so lush! Watermelon always knocks my socks off with its shocking scarlet flesh. I don't really even eat it,  I just love the way it looks. Fortunately kids seem to love watermelon so it disappears quickly.

I didn't want to serve guacamole, it felt too predictable. While thumbing through Deborah Madison's cookbook Local Flavors I came across a recipe for a Tomato and Avocado Salad with a Cilantro Lime dressing. Her salad had a lot of other ingredients in it but I thought simply sliced tomato and avocado on a bed of lettuce would be more what I had in mind. The cilantro dressing is my own variation on her theme.

Cilantro Lime Dressing

juice of one lime
1 clove garlic
3 Tbs. chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of sugar
-blend above ingredients in a food processor, or with an immersion blender,
to puree the garlic and the cilantro.
With the motor running, slowly add in about 1/4 cup olive oil.
-pour over the salad just before serving.

Corn salsa seemed like a great way to use up the last few ears of farm stand corn I brought home from Long Island.

Corn Salsa
3 ears of corn- boil in salted water for five minutes, remove corn from the pot and let it cool till it can be handled. Slice the corn off the cob and place the kernels in a bowl.
add:
3 Tbs red onion, minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 Tbs cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 lime juiced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine all the ingredients and taste to adjust seasoning. Let marinate for an hour before serving.

Quesadillas are an easy crowd pleaser. I made some plain, with just cheese, for the fussy, and then another batch with roasted vegetables.
The recipes and cooking tips in Savour 's Mexican Issue gave me the idea for roasting the vegetables to deepen their flavor. Normally I saute peppers and onions for quesadillas, but when I read the suggestion, it was a "duh, aha!" moment and I will never go back to the saute pan for this dish. At least, that's what I'm saying now!

Quesadillas with roasted vegetables.

-use what you have-
I placed a tomato, a bell pepper and a couple of slabs of sliced vidallia onion on a baking sheet and doused them with a bit of olive oil. Bake in a hot oven (400) for at least 1/2 hour-45 minutes, till the vegetables are soft and charred. Roughly chop the roasted vegetables and spread them over the flour tortillas and top with cheese. I cook my quesadillas on a hot oil-free skillet, for about two minutes per side.

This brunch was very easy to put together. Easier even than expected and I found myself with lots of free time to enjoy my young guests and their parents, who I plied with mimosas spiked with a very inexpensive Jaume Serra "Cristalino" Cava at under $10 a bottle. I would not pay more for a wine I was diluting with orange juice after all!

trying tapas

Deborah
Tapas are such a treat for those doing the eating. For the ones doing the cooking it is another story. This traditional small plates bar food of Spain can make a great party theme, as Amanda suggested in the last post, but not for the feint of heart. Tapas, like hors d'oeuvres, are labor intensive - lots of little things need to be prepared. Such is the case with the classic Spanish tapas dish croquettes. I was curious about croquettes because they seem to be featured on all tapas menus. Having never made them before a little research was needed.

The classic recipes I found on-line described a bechamel sauce based paste that is chilled and then rolled in breadcrumbs and egg and then deep fried. Really, just a thick bechamel sauce? Um, yeah. Bechamel is a classic white sauce of butter and flour that is thinned with milk. I have tasted traditional croquettes in tapas restaurants and it had never occured to me that this was how they were made.

Ok, let's try it. Most of the recipes call for chopped ham to be added as the flavoring. In keeping with our vegetable point of view I decided to go with swiss chard, sauteing it with some onions and garlic.

I confess I was feeling skeptical about the whole deal. A sludgy paste of flour dipped in bread crumbs and FRIED! I dont know. Didn't really sound healthy or good.

Making the bechamel did nothing to assuage my skeptism. It comes out like grade school paste. Not really appetizing. I folded in my cooked chard and then refrigerated the mush overnight as the various recipes suggested. Next day: form the croquettes, dip, dip, dip and fry.

The assembly line.

Still not convinced I took a bite. YO that is GOOD!!! I can't believe how yummy they came out! Creamy and crispy with a rich flavor from the chard. Kind of like a savory doughnut, which seems obvious now. I am stunned.

When would I make this again? I don't know, it isn't really everyday cooking as it is so time consuming and wont be appearing on any weight watchers list. I almost want to plan a whole tapas party around them. Eat them right out of the fryer and bliss will follow!

Swiss Chard Croquettes
-adapted from Tapas Recipes, small plates from Spain

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 bunch swiss chard, washed and chopped
2 cloves garlic finely minced
½ cup onion, chopped
7 Tbs. Butter
¾ cup flour
2 ½ cups cold milk
1/2 teas. ground nutmeg
salt and pepper
1 cub of bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
olive oil or vegetable oil for frying

Heat oil in a sauté pan and add the chard, garlic and onions. Cook for 10 minutes until the chard is tender. Drain chard and set aside.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and add the flour, stirring continuously. Allow the flour to cook in the butter for a couple of minutes, continuing to stir.
Start adding the cold milk little by little, stirring all the while until you have a thick, smooth sauce.  Season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add the cooked chard and continue to cook for 3- 4 minutes. The end result should be quite thick. Let the mixture cool completely - it is usually a good idea to leave it overnight.
Take a scant tablespoon of the mixture and form into a croqueta, a 1 1/2 - 2 inch cylinder. Roll the croqueta in the breadcrumbs, then coat in the beaten egg, then roll in the breadcrumbs again. Make sure the breadcrumbs are always dry to ensure an even coating.
Heat the oil for deep-frying in a large, heavy-based pan until the temperature reaches 350ºF or a cube of bread turns golden brown in 20-30 seconds. Fry in batches of no more than 3 or 4 for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Remove with a slatted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately.

makes about 36 croquettes

Amanda
I'm definitely willing to give this one a try! I had a very light lunch and now it is 3:30 and my stomach is growling reading this post! By the way, in case you were wondering - guess what I had for lunch? Brussel Sprouts!!! Leftover from last night. The ones I made following Denise Landis' recipe! Outstanding! In fact, not only did I have them for lunch, but my mother in-law is coming for dinner tonight and guess what is on the menu?! Yep - you got it - Brussel Sprouts with Sherry and Pecans. Can't wait. Might even shake things up a bit and add some carmelized shallots. Serving them alongside salmon.


Back to the croquettes and the Tapas idea...my first inclination was to suggest Pinot Noir. But, if I were to do a Tapas themed night at my house, I would be pouring Spanish wines. And I would have both red and white. So, starting with red - I want something simple. Again, the context in which you are drinking the wine is important. I don't want an expensive, complex, serious wine for a fun, light-hearted night with friends. If "fun" food is served, I want a "fun" wine to match. Something light, fruity and food-friendly to match a variety of the foods that will be enjoyed. Go for a Grenache, or perhaps Tempranillo.

These days, I am enjoying a delicious, affordable Garnacha (Grenache) from Spain called Evodia. The Garnacha comes from old vines, and the wine offers sweet fruit, and is very smooth drinking. It's easy-going, and not overly complex. I love the idea of this wine with these croquettes! Evodia can be found for around $8.99. If you can't find the Evodia, ask your local shop for a recommendation on a nice, affordable Garnacha.


For white, Cava would be a wonderful choice. Cava is a sparkling white - Spain's answer to Champagne. Just a great option for a Tapas themed party. Cristalino Brut Cava is a big seller here at Wine and Spirit World. And at $7.99 a bottle, it's just the perfect crowd-pleasing sparkler! The Spanish varietals used are Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarel-lo. This is such a crisp wine with bright citrus flavors and hints of green apple. A terrific match for fried foods! And, extremely versatile. Renowned wine critic Stephen Tanzer from the International Wine Cellar calls the Cristalino an "extraordinary sparkling wine for the price".

Tapas, sparkling white and wonderfully fruity reds - this is definitely a recipe for an incredible night with friends!