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One Day Café

~ good eats from a small kitchen

One Day Café

Tag Archives: tapas

Pintxos at Sagardi in San Telmo

03 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by Anonymous in buenos aires, restaurants, travel

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

bar food, basque, dinner, pintxos, San Telmo restaurants, Spanish food, Spanish restaurant, tapas

Finally! We passed this restaurant so often on our evening dog walk that the route was officially dubbed The Sagardi Walk. (“Let’s grab the pup and go on The Sagardi Walk!”). We finally decided it was time to stop talking about it, and be about it.

Pintxos at SagardiSagardi is a Spanish restaurant, and the focus is pintxos. These tapas-style snacks offer a seemingly endless variety of options, all on top of small slices of bread and held together by a toothpick; hence the name that literally translates to “thorn” or “spike”. They’re especially popular in the Basque country of Spain.

Sagardi has a dining room for formal, sit-down dinners with a menu full of delicious-sounding entrees, but there’s really no need to go beyond the bar area where the pintxos are lined up along the counters.

bar at Sagardi

At Sagardi, you can choose to sit along the actual bar where the pinxtos are showcased or at a large communal table that offers enough room for different dining parties to be separated and comfortable. You basically serve yourself, grabbing a plate and piling it high with options ranging from thick slices of smoked salmon to wedges of tortilla española. I recommend taking it slow. Hang out for a while. As the evening progresses, piping hot pinxto varieties will be passed around the restaurant by the waitstaff, and you’ll be sorry if you filled up too quickly. Options like grilled squid and shrimp, mini-burgers with caramelized onions, and filet mignon with grilled mushrooms come out of the kitchen in a steady, tempting stream.

pintxos at Sagardi

Pintxos are paid for individually at $12 pesos a pop, and your bill is determined by the number of toothpicks you’ve accumulated. Choose wisely!

SAGARDI – Humberto Primo 319 in San Telmo

Check out reviews on TripAdvisor.

Recipe: Paella Mixta

02 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by Anonymous in entrees, recipes

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

chicken, chorizo, Madrid, paella, seafood, Spanish food, tapas, Valencia

For the longest time, to me, Spanish food meant tapas and tapas only. Baked goat cheese in tomato sauce, calamari a la plancha, sautéed mushrooms, pinxtos…what’s not to love? I’d always been so firmly focused on the small plates, I never bothered exploring the array of more filling options. And after staring down the beady-eyed shrimp topping my first paella during a trip to Madrid, I wasn’t quite sure that I was up for the challenge.

But once I got past my fear of picking apart the little creatures, I was on a mission to learn to make paella at home. It just seemed a little overwhelming, what with hunting down the special pan, special rice, special who the hell knew what else. So being the thoughtful man he is, upon our return to Chicago Gaspar made us reservations at Café Ba-Ba-Reeba’s paella cooking demo. Of course, I suspect he was thinking about how he could benefit from me learning to make paella, as much as he was thinking about making me a happy lady. For anyone living in the area, I wholeheartedly recommend signing up for the class. It’s reasonably priced, includes lunch and vino, and they sell super convenient paella kits. For the rest of you, check out La Tienda for kits or individual ingredients.

Once you gather the key items, you will get plenty of use out of them. Trust me. The first must is a paella pan. The pans are shallow and have sloping sides, which helps the rice cook evenly and develop a more intense flavor. In addition to the proper pan, it’s important to use high-quality paella rice. Calasparra or Bomba rice is the best. These are classic short grain varieties grown in Spain that are super absorbent, expand in width when cooked, and maintain their separate shape without becoming creamy or sticky. Then there’s the saffron, which gives the paella its rich yellow color and an additional depth of flavor. I also consider the sweet smoky Spanish paprika a must.

Beyond these key ingredients, I tend to mix it up, and you should too. Chicken, monkfish, rabbit, chorizo, shrimp, mussels, peas, red peppers…whatever strikes your fancy.

Real, Valencian paella is almost always cooked over an open fire, which helps it develop the delicious socarrat, a caramelized crust of rice. I’m not really in the proper situation to be cooking over open flames, so my methods are modified accordingly and sadly, that means no socarrat. But if you have the time, patience and equipment for it, you can cook the paella either over an open flame or completely on the stovetop, rotating it often. Whichever way you choose, tranqui, it’ll still be delicious.

This version is adapted from the recipe for Arroz el Principe in Paella Cookbook from Café Ba-Ba-Reeba.

PAELLA MIXTA

4 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 pound (approx. 1/4 kilo) dark meat chicken, diced

Seafood of choice (I recommend 15 raw shrimp or 1/2 pound shelled mussels)

1/4 pound hard Spanish-style chorizo sausage, diced

2 tsp. garlic, minced

1 tsp. sweet pimentón (paprika)

3 ounces tomato puree

1 can peas

1 1/4 cup Calasparra or Bomba rice

3 threads saffron

4 cups chicken stock

salt, to taste

Before you start, I recommend prepping all the ingredients. The cooking process goes pretty quickly, so it’s best to have everything on hand.

Heat the olive oil in your paella pan over medium heat, and sauté the chicken until golden brown. Add the garlic, sweet pimentón, tomato puree, peas and chorizo. Then add the rice, stirring so that the grains are thoroughly coated with the oil mixture. Finally, add the saffron and chicken stock. Turn heat to low. Continue to cook until 1/4 of the liquid is reduced. Add the seafood, without stirring the rice (I just sort of tuck/dunk the seafood into the mixture, so as not to disturb the rice too much). Season with salt and bring to a boil. Place in the oven at 350° Fahrenheit for 15 – 20 minutes. Before serving, let it rest for a few minutes, covered with brown paper or foil, so that the rice absorbs the liquid completely and the outside edges crisp.

Recipe: Sautéed Garlic Mushrooms

09 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by Anonymous in appetizers and sides, recipes

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

mushrooms, sautéed mushrooms, side dishes, tapas, vegetarian

I was never a huge fan of mushrooms growing up. Something about eating a fungus that grows in manure never struck me as particularly appetizing. But when I don’t care for a food, it nags at me. So I continue to try it. You know, just to confirm. Sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised to find my tastes have changed. The rest of the time, I’m gagging on olives. (So gross. Still. Every time.)

This recipe for sautéed mushrooms is inspired by dishes I’ve enjoyed at Spanish restaurants. Heavy on the garlic as always, and cooked to slightly caramelized perfection. They’re quick and easy as an appetizer, side or part of a tapas-style meal.

SAUTÉED GARLIC MUSHROOMS

400 grams of white mushrooms (about a pound)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

squeeze of fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper

4 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Clean the mushrooms and trim the stalks close to the caps. Depending on the size of your mushrooms, you may want to cut larger ones in half or fourths. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and sauté over high heat, stirring most of the time, for about a minute. Turn heat to low. When the juices have come out of the mushrooms, return heat to high and sauté for another 4 – 5 minutes or until mushrooms are brown and beginning to caramelize and juices are almost completely evaporated. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the parsley and cook for an additional minute. Serve piping hot or warm.

Recipe: Chorizo Empanadas

05 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by Anonymous in appetizers and sides, entrees, recipes

≈ Comments Off on Recipe: Chorizo Empanadas

Tags

chorizo, empanada, Spanish food, tapas

Empanadas are everywhere in Argentina. In Buenos Aires, not a block goes by where you can’t pick up this fast food, and many people make them at home as well. Common fillings including ground beef, chicken, ham and cheese, and tomato and mozzarella.

Empanadas differ all over the country, and most would agree that you can find the best empanadas in the northern provinces like Salta and Tucuman. I concur, and add Mendoza to the list as well. For me, the pastry makes a lot of difference, and I prefer an empanada encased in a crisp, flakey crust.

I became a fan of chorizo empanadas before we moved to Buenos Aires, and haven’t seen a chorizo version here. If you’re noticing a theme, yes, I’m a big fan of chorizo. These don’t take long at all to put together, and do well as part of a tapas style meal. In the States, I made them using ready-made puff pastry and would buy raw Spanish chorizo from Whole Foods. Here in Argentina, I’ll use store-bought empanada pastry and hard chorizo sausages.

This version’s adapted from a cookbook I picked up at World Market called “Spanish: a collection of over 100 essential recipes.”

CHORIZO EMPANADILLAS

4 1/2 oz chorizo sausage

flour, for dusting

9 oz ready-made puff pastry, thawed if frozen

beaten egg, to glaze

paprika, to garnish

If you’re using raw chorizo sausages, remove the casings and cook the sausage. If you’re using hard, cut the sausage into small dice. On a lightly floured surface, thinly roll out the puff pastry, if using. Cut into circles using a round 3 1/4 inch cookie cutter. Gently pile the trimmings together, roll out again, then cut out additional circles to produce 12 in total. Put a spoonful of the chopped chorizo onto each of the pastry circles. Dampen the edges with a little water, then fold one half over the other half to completely cover the chorizo. Seal the edges together with your fingers. Using the prongs of a fork, press against the edges to give a decorative finish and seal them further. With the tip of a sharp knife, make a small slit in the side of each pastry. Place the pastries onto baking sheets and brush each with a little beaten egg to glaze. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed. Dust the top of each pastry with a little paprika to garnish. Best served warm.

Recipe: Chickpeas and Chorizo

11 Friday May 2012

Posted by Anonymous in appetizers and sides, entrees, recipes

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

chickpeas with chorizo, garbanzos con chorizo, Spanish food, tapas

When Gaspar and I were living in Miami Beach, one of our favorite restaurants was Tapas y Tintos on Española Way. We’d loll away the evening with plates of queso de cabra al horno, garbanzos con chorizo, and calamares a la plancha. And maybe a watermelon martini or five. My mouth still waters when I think about it.

This recipe for chorizo and chickpeas always takes me back to those evenings. It’s quick and easy to make, super flavorful and works well as part of a tapas-style meal.

Depending on where you live, pimientos del piquillo may not be readily available. You can find them at Tienda.com, along with an array of high-quality Spanish food and cooking products, but standard roasted red peppers work as well.

CHICKPEAS & CHORIZO

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

9 oz hard chorizo sausage, casing removed and cut into small cubes

14 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

6 pimientos del piquillo, drained, patted dry and sliced

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar, or to taste

salt and pepper

fresh parsley, to garnish

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottom skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened but not browned. Stir in the chorizo and continue cooking until it is heated through. Add chickpeas and peppers and cook until just hot. Splash with red wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot or at room temperature, sprinkled with parsley.

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