Tapas anyone?

I was trying to think of something different to make for my wine and food pairings we have on Saturday afternoon. I remembered one time when traveling, for my job at the time, going to a restaurant that served tapas. According to Wikapedia, " Tapas (Spanish Pronunciation:['tapas] is the name of a wide variety of appetizers or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or warm (such as chipitos, which are battered, fried baby squid.) In select bars in Spain and maybe in North America or the United Kingdom, tapas has evolved into and entire, and sometime sophisticated, cuisine. In Spain, patrons of Tapas can order many different tapas and combine them to make a full meal."

We recently added products from Elki that were great tasting examples of tapas ingredients. Roasted red peppers, grilled artichokes and a sun dried tomato and olive relish among them. I made 4 combinations using the following items:

Combination 1:

1 roasted red pepper
plain Chevre cheese
dried basil
crostinis made with herbs and cayenne pepper.

Add 3/4 teaspoon of basil into 1/2 cup chevre cheese. Cut the pepper in half and fill each with half the cheese mixture. Roll the pepper to enclose the cheese and refrigerate for 1/2 hour to firm the cheese. Slice the peppers in 1/4 slices and lay on top of the crostinis.
These were very flavorful and I paired these with Childress Cabernet Sauvignon or Childress Syrah and the taste was great.

Combination 2:

grilled asparagus
Savory Pecan & Herb Wind& Willow Dip mix
Crostinis with herbs and cayenne pepper

Mix the Dip as directed using 1 cup Mayonnaise and 1 cup sour cream. Spread the crostini with the dip mix then cut a section asparagus long enough to reach the length of the bread and split down the side. Lay the asparagus over the dip mixture. I paired this with Mattie Hatchet Semi-sweet Red wine from Valley River Vineyards. The smooth gentle sweetness blended well with the herbs and spice from the tapas.

Combination 3:

grilled artichoke
Greek Seasoning Blend (a lemony blend of herbs and spices)
plain crostinis

Pull the leaves of the artichoke apart and sprinkle lightly with the Greek seasoning. Allow them to marinate for about 20 minutes. Spread the leave over the bread to cover. This was great with Our Dog Blue Riesling from Chateau Marchette or Autumn Leaf Gold from Old North State Wineries. The light sweetness from the wines and the lemon flavor was a great combination.


Combination 4:

Stonewall Kitchens Sun dried Tomato and Olive relish
Plain chevre goat cheese
plain crostinis

Mix 1/2 cup chevre with 3T of the Relish mixture. Allow the mixture to sit for 20 minutes to let the flavors combine. Spread the mixture on the crostinis. The relish has a sweet taste that blended nicely with the cheese. I paired this one with Rockhouse Meritage. A dry blend of Cabernet, Merlot and petite verdot. The dryness of the wine made the cheese and sweet taste even better.

Why not have a Tapas party and get a few friends to bring thier own versions. Good food, good friends , it doesn't get any better.For Questions or more info, you can call us at the shop at 828-586-1600.

Happy Eating,
Janet

Stuffed Mushrooms Ala Janet

Recipes for stuffed mushrooms are a dime a dozen. Keeping this in mind, I wanted to make it a little different. We have gourmet vinegars and any flavor would add to this recipe but here's what I did:

Stuffed Mushrooms Ala Janet

12 large mushrooms

4 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup bread crumbs

3T French Herbs ( This is a blend of Herbs with chives and basil along with other herbs)

3T Black Fig Vinegar (we carry Cuisine Perrel's Brand)

Pecan or grapeseed oil. ( We carry both. Pecan is exceptionally high in antioxidants)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Wash and destem the muschrooms. (Option: you can also add the chopped stems as part of the stuffing in place of the bread crumbs.) Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature the mix the mozzarella cheese, herbs and bread crumbs into it. Pour 1/4 teaspoon vinegar into the bottom of the cap and allow it to soak in. Stuff the mushrooms with the mixture then sprinkle the top lightly with oil. Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

I found the tang of the vinegar added great taste to this appetizer. Let me know if you try it.

Janet

Janet and John's Pizza War

Not to brag, but John conceeded that my pizza was better than his. Last week we wanted something different for dinner and he thought of making our own pizza. I know this isn't an original idea but hey, we thought it would be fun. John and I have a very different idea of what a great pizza is. He is more traditional with tomato sauce and lots of meat, I like white pizza. Since he agreed mine was better, I will post what I did for my pizza. Oh, by the way, he ate half of my pie.

Janet's White Pizza

pizza dough (I cheated and bought the box mix)

2/3 cup Feta Cheese (we get ours from Three Graces Dairy in Marshall, NC)

2/3 cup shredded mozzarella chese

1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers (I used a brand Elki's that we will be stocking soon because they were so delicious)

1/2 fresh green bell pepper chopped

chopped garlic (I like a lot obut add to your own taste)

1T French Herbs (this is one of the blends we sell bulk. It has chives, basil and a few other herbs)

Roll out the dough on a pizza stone or tin. Sprinkle the feta cheese around and follow it with the mozzarella. Cut the peppers into 1 inch pieces and ditribute both over the face of the pie. I used the garlic in a jar and since I love garlic, I used 3 generous tablespoons. You can use garlic powder but the crunchiness of the chopped garlic really added something of it's own. Cover the top of the pizza with the herb mixture. Bake for 20 minutes ar 425 degrees. Makes one 12" pie.

Enjoy ,

Janet

Who says you can't be gourmet in the country?

We discovered Dillsboro back in 1997. We were heading to Sylva to visit my brother and sister-in-law for the first time. We took a wrong turn off 441 and drove into a delightful village. I immediately fell in love with the shops and quiet streets. I had no idea at that time that I would move to the area like so many other Floridians.

Today, John and I own our own shop in Dillsboro and love it even more than the first time we rode into town. It has expanded from the small country store I bought to much more. I love to cook and thought that it was a shame that locals had to travel 40 miles or so to get great products to cook with. We carry products made by Stonewall Kitchens, Rothchilds and many North Carolina based companies. I have added a dried foods section with rice and lentils as well. The lastest additions to our product line are wine and beer with wines from wineries all across North Carolina.

We sample many of the products we sell so you are guaranteed that you will enjoy your purchase when you get it home. I create recipes using the items we sell to give our customers ideas. I have had many of you ask for them so I am starting this blog to get them out there. Keep posted. Janet