Trial by Spice

My foray into the world of food

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Barcelona

In our travels together, nowhere have we found such unique food experiences. At La Boqueria, just steps from our AirBnB on La Rambla we found fresh foods and just-squeezed juices to enjoy.

The sangria and paella was rich and full of flavor no matter where you went (we chose 7portes for its history- been around since 1836!).

One of our most memorable nights started with the hospitality of our bartender at Cachitos: There I was, speaking in my hesitant Spanish and deciphering the man’s Catalan all while being served delicious shavings of Iberian ham.

In looking for places to eat, we discovered the chic barrio of Eixample. We ate one night at Catalana and the next at Vinitus. Both were delightful meals but Vinitus takes the cake with its creative huevos cabreaos. As a note- both places are extremely popular after around 9pm (peak dining for barcelonians seemed to be around 10PM).

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Lettuce Wraps

Every few weeks, some iteration of this recipe is made in our kitchen. This time, we used some decidedly indian flavors: cumin, black pepper, a little ground cayenne pepper.

Last week, it was Trader Joe’s Soy Chorizo and some fajita veggies.

The lettuce is a great substitute for the traditional corn or flour tortilla. And it quietly complements whatever filling you’re in the mood.

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Caprese Zoodles

Our love of zoodles is no secret. But this was a nice departure from our usual repertoire of pesto and zoodles. Just a little balsamic, tomato, and fresh mozzarella.

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Flavors of the Mediterranean

tabbouleh, cauliflower, and yogurt-marinated chicken.

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Salted Caramel Pot De Creme

Inspired by a Brown Butter pot de creme (garnished with lava salt, no less) available at a local favorite, Juju.

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Tomato, basil, and mozzarella quiche

This was an easy sunday morning brunch- and became often requested last summer. Our herb garden allowed for an seemingly limitless supply of fresh basil to garnish this recipe with. The secret incredient? Plain greek yogurt. Fluffy quiche, every time.

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Green Chef

Despite my love of cooking whatever my tastebuds are calling for on any given day, I decided to try Green Chef for a few weeks. Though I quickly missed my leisurely strolls through the produce section of the local grocery store, I have to say that the recipes from Green Chef expanded my normal cooking routine.

Pictured above: Pesto Polenta and Mushrooms

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Those trusty Mozzarella stuffed meatballs add a quick flavor to the most basic of pasta dishes.

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Shakshuka

I made this first in February 2016 and cannot wait to make this again. The taste of Harissa and the fresh tomatoes balanced the eggs out perfectly.

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Pumpkin Bread

This turned out well! Perfectly spicy. I divided the recipe into three 8x2.5″ pans. Made for two shareable loaves and one mini loaf. 

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White chocolate and cranberry cookies

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Donut Muffins | “10 minutes after I made these for my family they were gone, and everyone was begging for more.” – MCakes

Get the recipe for Donut Muffins & make them, snap a photo & share it: http://bit.ly/1nVknwF

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April 7: National Coffee Cake Day | Raspberry Almond Coffeecake

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next!

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Sundried tomato and Parmesan loaf From the book 'the new artisan bread in 5 minutes a day' Didn't mess around too much with this recipe. A little change in my bread making this time around with the new baking stone and pizza peel (merry Christmas to me). Turned out well. Not too crispy on the outside and warm and fluffy inside

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"Couscous with tomato and onion"

I should just rename this blog to 'Trial by Ottolenghi' considering how many recipes are bound to come from his books.

This recipe is out of Jerusalem. Simple ingredients and didn't take more than 30 minutes to make. I even have leftovers to pack for work tomorrow.

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BAKED ORZO WITH EGGPLANT & MOZZARELLA  (via Smitten Kitchen)

Grade: A+

notes:

- This pasta bake is soo much better than it looks. The pictures do not do it justice. 

- I used 2 small-medium eggplants and so probably ended up using more than the recipe called for. I would do that again.

- I used 3 carrots and 4 celery stalks as per the original Ottolenghi recipe. I liked this because it made it a more veggie-forward dish. 

- I did not have/could not find fresh oregano so I used dried and it was fine

- Be liberal with the lemon zest

- This dish served 3 people for 2 dinners and 1 person for one lunch

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baked butternut squash and spinach/green pepper salad with buttermilk dressing

this one was a bit of an experiment

- butternut squash recipe from Jerusalem by Ottolenghi

- he mentioned buttermilk enough times that i mixed some with parsley, celery seeds and sea salt for a new take on dressing.