World Cup Party ...

The people that know me, know that I have a big mouth. This time my big mouth had me cooking for about 30 people for the FIFA World Cup Final game between Spain and the Netherlands. It all started when I was at my friends son's second birthday party. I was discussing international soccer with some friends over a few cocktails....This is always the point when I open up my big mouth and commit myself to something. So I blurt out "I will throw a World Cup Final party, and cook dishes that represent the two teams in the final game". I immediately thought...what if the two teams in the final are Algeria and Ghana? I never tried to cook anything that resembles authentic cuisine from either country. So for the next three weeks that followed I struggled with what was I going to cook and what teams were going to be in the final. As much as I wanted Argentina to win it all(I cook a lot of Argentine dishes), it came down to Spain and the Netherlands. Spain was easy, there are so many dishes to choose from, The Netherlands on the other hand was a bit harder. Now I start doing research, and thinking about who I am cooking for, I realize that many of the traditional dishes from The Netherlands would not go over well until I discovered Slavinken (Bacon Wrapped Pork Parcels). I thought that this might work but I wanted to tailor it for my guests as well as put my own flair into it. I altered the recipe a bit by adding ground beef to the pork, also using a simple chimmichurri dressing to help bind the meats together. I choose to grill the parcels almost like a hamburger as opposed to cooking them in a pan. The grill allowed me to cook more at once and add a nice smokey flavor to it. I also put a cast iron skillet on the grill to cook the bacon, It added a real nice edge to the already smokey flavor of the bacon. To complete the dish I steamed white and green asparagus and baked (on the grill, in a roasting pan)red "new" potatoes and purple potatoes. A funny little side note...While my guests are watching the game and eating...(and I'm running around like a madman), one of my friends asks "Why are the potatoes purple?" The only answer I could come up with was "I don't know". Yes I admit it...I do not know everything, but now I do. They have the same antioxidant makeup of a blueberry, albeit taste and look like a potato. They were originally cultivated in Peru, but can be found all over the world. Finally with the help of a friend (Thanks Dan), we made a Hollandaise sauce for the asparagus.

Now on to Spain.

There are so many different things one could cook that are indigenous to Spain, and my first thought was Seafood. Now I wanted to cook a lot of food for a lot of people, but didn't want it to be to generic. My first choice was to use Cod fillets, but when dealing with fresh fish, you have to go with whats available. So I went with theses really nice Whiting fillets that I baked on the grill in an oval terracotta casserole that was given to me by a friend. Terracotta bake-ware is a traditional vessel for Spanish and Portuguese cooking. I used a simple dressing of olive oil, the juice of two lemons, 1 cup of "Vinho Verde" (A very dry Portuguese white wine), and 1, 11 oz jar of capers. I let the fish slightly cook in the marinade for a few minutes, then took out the fillets and placed them on the grill for a quick sear and returned them to the casserole. Simultaneously I had two large stock pots with 50 giant Northern Cherrystone Clams steaming in 3 cans of beer, 4 tbsp of butter and some fresh Thyme. Over the years I have come to realize that not everyone is willing to experiment with food or be willing to try something different, so I also threw on some chicken breast marinated in the same chimmichurri dressing on the grill, as well a some traditional Bratwurst. So I unfortunately did not get a picture of the Whiting with the clams,(there was too much traffic around the table to try to plate at that time). Everything was served family style due to the fact that there were too many people to seat, and everyone was focused on eating and watching the game at the same time. Now just to keep up with the theme of this blog... Everything I cooked is all natural whole foods, I only used organic fats (extra virgin olive oil, and organic butter), all the seafood, meat, and poultry as well as the produce was fresh. Some of our guests asked if they could bring something such as an appetizer or snack...I said sure as long as its a healthy non processed dish such a fresh cheeses, artisan breads, and a vegetable platter. Yes this was a long day of cooking, but anyone of these meals can be prepared in less than an hour individually. Actually the amount of time I spent cooking, with some help was about two and a half hours, for all that food that's not too bad. Of course the clean up is the worst part.
If you're anything like me, and let your big mouth get you into situations like this one...Don't stress, keep your focus and go cook something!!!!


Dan

Directions for Slavinken.

4 lb ground pork (preferably 80%/20% lean)
4 lb ground beef (preferably 80%/20% lean)
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tbsp dried)
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil (or 1 tbsp dried)
2 tbsp fresh marjoram (or 1 tbsp dried)
1 cup of Chimmichurri Dressing

Directions for an authentic Argentine Chimichurri Sauce.

1/2 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 cup freshly chopped Oregano
1/2 cup freshly chopped Parsley
4 Garlic Cloves very finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

3 16 oz packages of bacon or prosciutto
(you can never have enough bacon !!!)


Mix the ground pork, beef and herbs. Add salt and pepper (don't add too much salt, because the bacon is salty).
Wet your hands and form small sausages with the ground pork and beef mix.
Brush grill grates with olive oil and place parcels evenly. Cook over a medium flame for about 5 minutes per side, remove from the grill and let them rest for 5 minutes. Wrap bacon strips around each one .

Directions for Hollandaise Sauce.

3 lbs butter (clarified)
6 egg yolks, beaten
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon freshly minced parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in the top of a double boiler. Stir in butter and beaten egg yolks. Whisk together. Add salt and lemon juice. Cook over boiling water in a double boiler until mixture thickens, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and beat with a whisk until light. Stir freshly chopped parsley, if desired.

Directions for Whiting in white wine and lemon sauce

6 lbs of fresh Whiting fillets (boneless and skinless)
1 cup of white wine (Vinho Verde)
1 11 oz jar of Capers in water
4 tbsp of freshly minced parsley
The juice of two Lemons
4 tbsp of olive oil
salt and pepper

Cook the fish in a oval terracotta casserole (if you don't have one, use any other type of high heat bake-ware) for a few minutes. Remove the fish from the sauce and place on the grill for a quick sear. Return the fish to the casserole for a few more minutes and serve. You can add some more fresh parsley, or lemon zest at this point.

All the recipes are for making large amounts of food, you can adjust the ingredients based on how much of the main ingredient you are using.

This is a quick and easy recipe that has interchangeable parts that compliment the main ingredient. So this weeks main ingredient is Yellowfin Tuna . I used 6oz. tuna steaks that are about 3 to 4 inches wide and about 1/2 inch thick . As with any recipe, you can substitute most of the side ingredients, for example you can replace the asparagus for broccoli . The mushrooms and onions can be replaced with a potato or rice of some sort . The list goes on and on, but all the ingredients in this dish seems to work quite nicely together. The sides are steamed asparagus , saute baby bella mushrooms and vidalia onions, and my favorite side...Kumato tomatoes. The Kumato is a brownish green like tomato that has an exceptional flavor and can be found in most supermarkets . If your sick and tired of generic tomatoes that taste like cardboard, give Kumato a try its a nice change from the ordinary. So with three pans on the stove you can cook this meal in twenty minutes from prep to table. You need a steamer of some sorts, I use a rather inexpensive bamboo steamer with two levels. place it in 12 to 14 inch pan and fill the pan up half way with water. Set on high flame, cover and let steam, takes about 5 minutes. Next add a little olive oil in a saute pan with some garlic and add your sliced up vidalia onions and baby bella mushrooms. Cook them on a medium flame until the onions clarify . Now you start your fish. Remember, Prior to cooking the tuna you should wash it gently with cold water a pat it dry with a towel.(make sure its dry before putting it in your pan with hot oil, or else it will splatter and could be dangerous). I feel the mixing two different fats in preparing a meal is perfectly OK. I used olive oil to cook the fish but then added a pat of butter at the end to give it a silkiness and round out the flavor of the garlic and herbs.

Directions for cooking the Yellowfin Tuna Steaks .

4. 6oz Yellowfin Tuna steaks. (boneless and skinless)
4. Garlic cloves
1. Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
2. Tbsp of butter (2 pats)

Season the steaks with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat up a non stick pan add the olive oil and finely diced garlic . Place the tuna steaks evenly around the pan and cook at a medium heat for about 1 minute and a half to two minutes per side. (you will see the steak change color up the side to a lighter gray). Add the butter close to finishing the second side, pour the melted butter with garlic over the top of the steaks. Garnish with diced parsley and a shot of fresh lemon juice .


Don't be afraid of cooking fresh fish, it's is fast and easy and worth every penny when done right .
Now go cook something ...

Dan