Rumaki is a dish that was served at every dinner party in the 70's. When my dad was an officer in the Navy, we entertained a lot. I know as a kid I always made a beeline for the rumaki. Don't be afraid of the chicken liver, it's delicous, inexpensive, easy to make and perfect with Zinfandel.
12 Chicken Liver Halves
12 Water Chesnut Halves
6 pieces of Bacon, cut in half
Soy sauce
Sherry
Port (preferably Zin port)
Tooth picks
Sprinkle some soy sauce and sherry over the chicken livers and let marinate for 15 minutes. While the livers are marinating, soak the chestnuts in port wine.
Assemble:
Place one chicken liver half and one water chesnut half on one half slice of bacon. Roll up and secure with tooth pick.
Place the rumaki on a large baking sheet and bake at 395 degrees until bacon is cooked.
¼ cup white wine (preferably the wine you are serving the crepe with)
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 TBSP fresh times, stems removed
2 cup shredded gruyere cheese
Melt butter in a skillet. Add mushrooms and shallots. Deglaze with wine. Stir in thyme
Crêpe Batter
2 large eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
canola oil for frying pan
1. In a blender, combine the eggs, water, milk and salt. Blend briefly at medium speed to combine. Add the flour and blend. After the flour has been thoroughly incorporated, with the blender still going at medium speed, add the melted butter in a slow stream, and blend until combined. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. To make the crepes, you can either use a crepe pan (follow the instructions that came with the pan) or a plain 10-inch nonstick skillet. Heat the pan on medium heat and add a small splash of oil. Ladle 2 ounces (1/4 cup) of batter into the pan and tip the pan to spread the batter evenly across the bottom of the pan in a thin layer. Cook briefly on this side until it lightly browns and then flip it over (you can use a rubber spatula to assist with this) to cook the other side for 30 seconds.
3. Remove from pan and layer on a plate, repeating with the remaining batter and a little oil in the pan. Recipe makes about ten 8-inch crepes. Keep covered with plastic until needed.
To Assemble:
Sprinkle each crepe with cheese. Add mushrooms and roll. Serve with Gustavo Thrace Chardonnay. Delicious!
Empanadas can be found on the streets of Argentina. These little pies can be filled with meat, cheese, spinach, or made as a dessert. We have included a recipe for empanadas, but why make them when you can buy the best. We ordered ours from Richard Visconte, an Argentinian caterer in Novato, CA. We chose the beef, raisin, and olive filling which danced perfectely with the 2004 Spelletich Bodog Red.
If you have the time, here is a recipe both for the dough and filling of traditional South American Empanadas.
Empanadas
Every empanada recipe starts with the dough. Here is a simple empanada dough made with flour, salt, water, egg, vinegar and shortening.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 00 minute
Ingredients:
3 cups flour (plus a little more for kneading)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold water
1 egg
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 tablespoons shortening
Preparation:
1. In a bowl, beat the water, egg, egg white and vinegar together. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the 3 cups of flour and salt.
3. Cut the shortening into the flour mix with a pastry blender or two butter knives. Make a well in the center of the flour mix and pour the liquid ingredients from the first bowl into the center.
4. Mix the wet and dry ingredients with a fork until it becomes stiff.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it just until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth.
6. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but never more than 24 hours.
Tip: If you want to keep the dough longer than 24 hours, you can freeze it.
Servings: Makes approximately 10 six-inch empanadas.
This picadillo recipe is a cuban picadillo recipe made with ground beef called picadillo santiaguero. You can serve it with rice or use it as a filling for empanadas and papas rellenas.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
4 cloves garlic
1 medium white onion (chopped fine)
4 cloves garlic
1 medium white onion (chopped fine)
1 small green pepper (chopped)
1/2 cup beef stock
3/4 cup tomato sauce
2 small potatoes (peeled and diced)
8 to 10 green olives (pitted) and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil for sautéing
½ cup chopped raisins
Preparation:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper.
2. In a fruing pan, heat the olive oil. Sauté the onions, green pepper, and garlic until soft.
3. Add the ground beef mixture, beef stock, and tomato sauce. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes.
4. Add the diced potato. Cover and cook another 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are done.
5. Remove the cover. Add the olives and raisins, cook uncovered 15 minutes or until the liquid is fully evaporated, but the meat is still moist.
6. Serve the picadillo warm with rice or let cool and use as a filling for empanadas and papas rellenas.
2 black Russian heirloom tomatoes - chopped 4 pancetta slices (thinly sliced Fatted Calf) 4 slices baguette - sliced on bias extra virgin olive oil - good quality Salt and freshly ground black pepper basil leaves - torn
2 Garlic cloves, halved
Method:
Chop heirloom tomatoes and toss with enough olive oil to coat. Season well with salt and pepper. Allow to sit for 10 minutes for natural juices to marinate – set aside.
Cook pancetta in 350o oven until golden brown and crisp, set aside.
Toast bread until golden brown, brush with olive oil and rub with garlic clove. (crostini)
Assemble: Toss torn basil leaves into tomato mix and spoon onto crostini. Crush crisp warm pancetta over the top of tomato mix and serve.
