Tag Archives: smoked paprika

Marinated Red Peppers with Feta + Smoked Paprika

26 Feb

These marinated red peppers with feta and smoked paprika were the second tapas served at the recent O’Gourmet Food Hall Spanish red wine tasting. They were paired with a Gotes 2009, and the sweet-salty combination of the peppers and feta served to deepen and highlight the wine. The smoked paprika added depth and flavour without overwhelming the lush combination.

While this seems to be an easy dish, if you are preparing the peppers from scratch, it can be time consuming. When using fresh pepeprs, I blister them in a very hot oven, or over the fire on the stovetop. However, I have found that jarred or canned peppers work just as well – as long as you ensure an overnight marination in spices and herbs. I also feel that this is best assembled just before serving – the creaminess of the feta can leech into the peppers, and you end up with a scraggly looking mess. Put it all together a maximum of an hour before you serve it, and it stays gorgeous and clean. And as with the tapenade, a little fresh herb (in this case an oregano leaf) adds a pretty texture and taste to the final presentation.

This is a really easy and yet visually pleasing starter. You could serve it with, or even atop some french bread toasts, or you could add a salad and serve a few plated for a pretty starter.

I made approximate 20 individual tasters, but you could make as many as you please, by adjusting the amounts of peppers and feta.

Marinated Peppers with Feta and Smoked Paprika

 

Marinated red peppers

  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (organic if possible)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 – 2 tsp mixed Italian herbs
  • 5 – 6 garlic cloves, sliced thickly
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 4 – 6 jarred / canned / blistered red peppers

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, salt and pepper, herbs, garlic, smoked paprika and vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Prepare the peppers. They should be slick and soft. If you have blistered/roasted them from fresh, ensure that all seeds have been removed, as well as the skin. I use scissors for this next step. Cut / slice the peppers into long strips. You want something that will wrap itself around a cube of feta.

Place the strips of pepper into the olive oil mixture, cover and allow to marinate for at least 2 – 3 hours, preferably overnight.

To serve:

  • Marinated red pepper strips
  • Goat’s milk feta (approximately 2 cups), cubed
  • Fresh oregano
  • Toothpicks
  • Additional smoked paprika

Choose your prettiest red pepper strips. Wrap a strip of red pepper around a cube of feta, and place an oregano leaf on top. Skewer with a toothpick, and arrange prettily on a serving plate. Just before serving, sprinkle with additional smoked paprika for a deep bass note.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wine Tasting + Tapas at O’Gourmet Food Hall

25 Feb

Last night was really exciting in my adventures as a cook. M. Sebastien had been after me for some time to create some food pairings for his monthly wine tastings at O’Gourmet Food Hall. It was a tasting of Spanish reds … and M. Sebastien was intrigued by the notion that vegetarian food could be paired well with such bold strong wines. When people think of red wine, they almost immediately think of red meats – robust, dark and complex flavours.

M. Sebastien challenged me to think up a menu that would complement his red wines which steadily built in terms of taste and complexity. We went through the list together, and he told me the spices, notes, flavours and depth of each wine. I came up with a food pairing that I felt would match and bring out the unique attributes of the wine. Together, we refined the flavours, and discussed the cheese I would cook with (three of the courses had cheese in the recipe).

In my life as a cook, this was a daunting, and yet ultimately satisfying project. I had 24 hours to cook for 20 people, I helped to serve all the courses, and enjoyed the positive feedback and interaction. I never would have imagined I could do something like this a mere six months ago, but I have been stretched to challenge myself – by good friends and loved ones – and it has paid off.

I will post the recipes for all five courses in the coming few days, but I thought you might like to take a glance at the menu from last night.

O’Gourmet does wine tastings every month. Please contact them here to be put on the mailing list for further events. Who knows, I might be cooking again!

Santonegro Syrah 2008 – A light wine, simple and fresh.

Paired with tapenade on crusty french bread toasts. I brushed the sliced french bread with a mixture of Maldon salt, garlic and organic olive oil and baked it in the oven. The tapenade was a gorgeous mixture of black olives, green olives, organic olive oil, caper berries, a touch of garlic, and grated lemon peel. The lemon peel elevated the flavour and made the tapenade sparkle.

Tapenade on crusty french bread

Gotes 2009 – interesting palette, contrasting flavours.

Paired with red peppers and goat’s cheese feta with smoked paprika. The red peppers were marinated overnight in herbs, garlic, olive oil and a touch of old balsamic. They were then enriched by the deep dark notes of smoked paprika.

Peppers with Feta and Smoked Paprika

Luberri 2009 – a unique open taste – people have strong opinions about this wine as it stands up to you.

Paired with Turkish figs poached in red wine and baked with fourme d’ambert. These gorgeous dried figs were poached until they were velvety and succulent, split open and baked with a beautiful french blue cheese. The taste was a fascinating melding of sweet and salty, sticky and sensuous.

Wine Poached Figs baked with Fourme D'Ambert blue

 

QV Crianza 2005 – a fantastic wine, organic, deeply lush and beautiful.

Paired with a caramelised garlic and raclette tart baked with a light custard. The caramelised onions were cooked for four and half hours, in a bottle of the QV Crianza, until they were dark and sticky, almost an onion jam. They were then baked in a butter puff pastry shell, with a light kiss of savoury custard and some smooth raclette to finish.

Caramelised Wine Onion Tarts with Raclette

Humiliat 2008 – a wine that starts out closed, but opens up into complex and deep flavours.

Paired with a chili chocolate mousse with vanilla whipped cream. The chocolate mousse was made with pure bittersweet chocolate, and I made sure not to add too much sugar. However, the whipped cream gave it balance, adding sweetness and creaminess to the final taste. The chili brought everything alive, and added fire and passion.

Chili Chocolate Mousse with Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,