Recipe Ideas - Week #2: Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs - Herbed Sardine/Mussels Spread - Deviled Egg Salad - Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs

Hope everyone is doing well.  Not the easiest of times.  I know I'm turning to my crafting, food and WINE (FYI - Pat is having Cirrus Vodka delivered to her home - WHAT)!  It's another week of ideas -

I featured two Rose wines.  Both are new into the store this week.  They pair perfectly with quarantine.

Day Owl is $13.99 and Diroa $15.99.  Both are California.








The first recipe is a revisit of Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs.

YES.  You can also prepare this recipe in your slow cooker.

Not in the photo (oopsies!) is Aneto Vegetable Broth.

*****

I wanted to sample this recipe out, but havnen't had the chance.  It really is yummy.  



Don't fear the sardine!

Herbed Sardine/Mussels Spread

1 c. sour cream or crème fraiche (or full fat Greek yogurt)

1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 Tbl. parsley, finely chopped

1 tsp. thyme or other fresh herbs of choice

¼ tsp. smoked paprika plus more for sprinkling

¼ c. diced red onion

1 tin Matiz Sardines (in Olive Oil - in Lemon Essence – Wild Spicy) or

Matiz Mussles in Oil and Vinegar, drained

Stonewall Kitchen Sea Salt Crackers or sliced baguette

Salt and pepper to taste

Put sour cream or crème fraiche in a bowl. Put in all of the ingredients except for the sardines/mussels, and stir well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Spread on cracker or bread.  Top with piece of sardine, or a mussel.  Garnish with onion, parsley and sprinkling of paprika.

Yields: 1¼ cups spread

*****

Lastly, another revisit - Deviled Egg Salad and Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs.

Recipe Ideas - Week #1: Candied Carrots - Seafood Stuffed Portobello - Italian Olive Bread - Shrimp and Chorizo Skillet - Spicy Italian Sun Dried Tomato Seasoning

Rodney is letting me run with my idea of setting up a table with recipe and product ideas.  With all the crazy going on, I thought it would be inspiring for customers to try new things, or revisit what I've done in the past.  Plus, for any new customers ... it's all new.  Here's this weeks inspiration.

I featured 2 wines  -

     Ruffino Orvieto: $12.99. A nice, refreshing change from your everyday varietal.  Pairs well with seafood and chicken.  

     Red Diamond Merlot: $6.99!!! Great buy. Pairs well with meat.  Nicely balanced. Perfect price point for cooking.  It's a sipper (not tannic)!

Candied Carrots

1 lb. baby carrots, steamed or 

     boiled until just tender, well drained

1 Tbl. unsalted butter

2  Tbl. Stonewall Kitchen Orange Cranberry Marmalade

Salt and white pepper

1 tsp. flat-leaf parsley, optional

Melt butter and Orange Cranberry Marmalade in a large skillet over medium-high heat until bubbly.

Add carrots and stir to cover with glaze. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in parsley, if desired, and cook until carrots are hot.

Serve at once or gently reheat over medium-low heat, adding a little water if necessary.

*****

Seafood Stuffed Portobello

1 large Portobello mushroom, cleaned, stemmed, gills removed

1 TFM seafood cake – Ultimate or Maryland Crab, Supreme Shrimp,

     Spicy Shrimp and Bacon,  World Famous Salmon

Olive oil

Paprika

butter

Preheat oven to 375^o.

Rub outside of Portobello with olive oil.  With mushroom opening face up, place seafood cake in center of mushroom and gently press so it fills center of mushroom.  Dot with butter.  Sprinkle with paprika.

Place on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes until mushroom is tender.

Yields: 1 serving

Note: This recipe is a combination of a recipe from Howard (our store Asst. Mgr. who retired this week) and one when I was a Personal Chef. 

*****

Next recipe can be a side dish, or snack; one my family enjoys.  I use Sable & Rosenfeld Olive Bruschetta, but you can use any olive salad you enjoy.  I adapted this from a recipe when I was personal cheffing.

Italian Olive Bread

1 loaf Italian Bread, sliced vertically

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 green onions, sliced

½ tsp. paprika

¼ tsp. garlic salt

1 (16 oz.) jar Olive Salad, drained Sable & Rosenfeld, Mediterranean Olive Bruschetta  or   Boscoli

1 c. shredded Mozzarella

¼ c. grated Parmesan Cheese

In a medium mixing bowl, add cream cheese, green onions, paprika and garlic salt.  Mix until thoroughly incorporated.  Add olive salad and mozzarella.  Mix until thoroughly incorporated.

Spread the mixture evenly onto bread halves.  Top with Parmesan cheese.

Place on a foil lined baking sheet and bake in a 350^o preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until warm and toasted.

Slice and serve.

Note: Can slice bread, as if for sandwiches, and make above for individual slice.

*****

Recipe for customer favorite - Shrimp and Chorizo Skillet.  Oh so delicious. 

*****

Spicy Italian Sun Dried Tomato Seasoning  

Add to: 

    - pasta sauce 

    - seasoning your breading.  

    - EVOO with some salt for a bread dipping sauce.

Hi All!

Soooo crazy these days.  I miss seeing you and sampling.  I have been shopping at my TFM and one day Rodney asked me if I'd help out as they were short handed (===>).  


By the time the weekend rolls around, our meat department seems to be the only store stocked, with no limit on purchase.  I can only hope that customers who shop elsewhere, and are now coming to us, continue to come to us. 

Not working every day.  That would be a "real job".  But I will be working tomorrow, Tuesday, Chuck and Chicken.  If you haven't quarentined, maybe you'll shop at my store?  My fellow TFM team tell me how my regulars haven't been in.  But early on, they told about their sighting of grazers.  

Pat and I have exchanged humorous posts about all this crazy.  Here are two that fit me to a tee!

Stay well.  Hope to be back to sampling wine and cheese ... eventually?

XOXO

Food & Wine Tasting - February 29th

Change in my plans and I'll be working this Saturday!!!

February 28th

12:00 to 4:00 PM

I have some great recipes/samples with Sardines, Cockles, Mussels, Anchovies ... you get the drift.

Food & WIne Tastings - UPDATE

Hey all!  Hours are being cut at the store;  I'm the first one to get cut.  I have a client who wants food demos, so I'll be working for myself.  Might as well go where the money is.  Also going back to NY to see my parents.  If the store needs me,  I'll be back sometime in April.

You know how to reach me!

XOXO

Recipes: Sesame Cream Cheese - Unexpected Company Seafood Spread - Summer Sausage with Jarlsberg Spread and Cornichon - Beef Chili

I'm finally getting around to posting recipes from my previous couple of tastings.  I'll start with the 3 recipes that received rave reviews from customers and my fellow TFM teammates.  It was rated as one of my best sampling assortments/ideas.

First up is an ever so easy recipe that can be quickly prepared.  It's one of those "who knew" recipes.  The most commented "who knew" was - "who knew you could marinate cream cheese in soy sauce?"

Sesame Cream Cheese

1 block (8 oz.) cream cheese         

Soy sauce
toasted sesame seeds
Sesmark Plain Rice Crackers

In a medium-small container, place cream cheese.  Add enough soy sauce until the block of cream cheese just starts to float.  Cover and refrigerate. Marinate 3 hours up to overnight; turning halfway through.

Note:  If marinating  3 to 5 hours use 100% soy sauce. If marinating overnight, use 50/50 mixture soy sauce/water. 

Remove from soy sauce and coat with sesame seeds.  Serve with Rice Crackers.

*****

Loved, loved, loved by everyone who tasted.

Unexpected Company Seafood Spread

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 Tbl. TFM Original Cocktail Sauce

1½ tsp. Old Bay seasoning

1/3 c. diced red onion

8 oz. TFM (Deli) prepared seafood salad

In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, cocktail sauce and Old Bay until smooth.  Stir in onion and seafood salad.  Cover and chill 4 hours or overnight.  Serve.

A few comments on Saturday were 'not enough cocktail sauce' and other 'not enough Old Bay'.  You can add these ingredients to taste.  However, I must say, that I prepared double recipe so I would have it for both Saturday and Sunday.  Sunday the flavors were much more pronounced and no one commented on lack of flavor for either ingredient. 

*****

I'm not a summer sausage fan, but we had some, in the shape of a football no less.  It looked like the perfect product to sample out.  But ... you know me ... let's do something with hit.  This was perfect - easy to prepare, delicious, and a nice change from the "usual".

Summer Sausage with Jarlsberg Spread and Cornichons
1 Olympia Provisions summer sausage
1 container TFM Jarlsberg Spread
1 jar Maille Cornishons
crackers

Drain a few cornishons and slice horizontally.  Set aside.

On your favorite cracker layer - a slice of summer sausage, Jarlsberg spread and top with a cornishon. Serve.

*****

This last recipe was on the meat counter at the store.  I gave it a go.  This recipe just parts ways with the "love, love, love".  It was more of the okay, nice, it's good.  Most of the customers, TFM teammates and I enjoy more of a meaty, thick, hearty chili.  The flavor/spices in here were nice, but it wasn't close to thick and hearty. Definitely not meaty.  Way too much bell pepper.  But here it is.

Food and Wine Tasting - January 25th & 26th

The week got away from me.  Forgot to post.

YES.  I am working this weekend.  12:00 to 3:30 PM.  I'll see what's in stock and take it from there.  We shall all be surprised together.