By the Sea in the South of France

The south of France and the area around Provence are the next stop on my culinary trip around the Mediterranean.  The Table this week centers around a seafood dish; bouillabaisse.  Seafood, all kinds of seafood are welcome in my kitchen.  However, in searching for an authentic recipe, I discovered that almost all of them 'required' eel heads.  I don't know about you, but I don't want my food watching me from the bowl!  Then I remembered I had a recipe from Old Fort Pub on Hilton Head Island.  Some of my family and I ate there when we stayed on the island last summer.  Chef Josefiak was kind enough to share the recipe with me so I prepared that one instead. Here is my Table:

Old Fort Pub's Sea Island Bouillabaisse
Pain de Provence

The bouillabaisse begins the night before by preparing a saffron aioli.  Egg yolks, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, garlic, salt and Tabasco sauce are blended  until smooth.  A couple of pinches of saffron are added. The mixture is refrigerated overnight.  The bouillabaisse itself begins with heating EVOO in a large pot.  Whole shrimp (in the shell) and large scallops are added and seared lightly adding a bit of salt and pepper.  Mussels, crab meat, Tasso ham, white wine and clam juice are added and simmered covered until the mussels are completely open (those that don't open, throw away!). Add thinly sliced, blanched collard greens, the aioli and roasted Roma tomato slices.  Cook just until heated through, but not boiling.  Season to taste with S&P and Tabasco sauce.  Serve in warm bowls.

I remembered the broth being fabulous and decided a hardy bread for sopping it up was in order.  I have not made a yeast bread in many years.  I came across a recipe for a herb bread that sounded interesting. The night before a poolish (sponge) is made with bread flour, warm water and a bit of yeast.  It is covered and left on the counter overnight.  To make the dough , combine flour, the rest of the packet of yeast, and 1/2 cup of Herbes de Provence.  Add the poolish and a small single serving bottle of Grand Marnier (yes you read that right, orange flavored liquor is in the mix) and more water to make a workable dough.  Knead for about 10 minutes and place in a lightly oiled bowl.  Cover and let raise to double.  Punch down, cover and raise again.  After the second raising, I divided the dough into two round loaves, covered with a damp towel and let it raise again.  While they are raising, preheat the oven and two pizza stones.  Before placing the loaves on the hot stones, score the tops with a sharp knife.  Place a pan of boiling water under the stones and bake the loaves until browned and 'hollow sounding'. The water in the oven helps form a crust.  Let cool.  This is a VERY fragrant bread and was perfect for dipping in the broth.

I took the suggestion of the gentleman at the liquor store bought a nice inexpensive French white wine that was excellent with the seafood.  All around this was a spectacular meal.  Because there are so many excellent French dishes I will revisit after I have made my way the rest of the way around the Mediterranean.

Next week I will take a break for this tour.  It's National Grilled Cheese month and I am working on a recipe to possibly enter in the Wisconsin Cheese Board contest.  We shall see how it turns out.  Stay tuned.

Spanish Tapas

After the interesting spices of North Africa, we go north to the flavors of Spain.  The foods that come to mind are paella, gazpacho and sangria.  None of these will appear on this weeks Table.  I wanted to try something different.  I chose tapas or 'small plates'. There are so many to choose from, it was difficult, but I was quite happy with all but one of those on my Table.  Here is what I had:

White Garlic Soup

Sauteed Peppers and Garlic

Marinated Mussels

Three Spanish Cheeses with Figs and Toasted Pine Nuts

On paper the soup sounded excellent; garlic, almonds and grapes.  However the garlic took over and the rest of the flavors were lost.  After a couple of spoons, it went into the garbage.  I have not done that in a long time.

So we move on to the 'good stuff'. A red bell pepper is cut in strips along with an Anaheim chili and sauteed in EVOO with a bit of garlic and lightly seasoned.  A colorful dish with excellent flavors.  It could not have been easier.

The next plate were the mussels.  I steamed them in a small amount of water, just until they opened. They are removed from the heat and cooled in a colander.  In a fry pan, onion and garlic are sauteed until softened. They are removed from the heat and salt, paprika, white wine and a bit of red wine vinegar are added.  The mussels are removed from the shells and heated in the broth for a few minutes.  They are served with toasted thin slices of French bread.  This is my new favorite preparation for mussels.

The last plate was a simple one.  The recipe called for Manchego cheese, but I found a package with three different Spanish cheeses and selected that instead of just the one.  They were Manchego (a sheep milk cheese), Tipsy Goat ( goat cheese), and Iberico (a mixture of sheep, goat and cows milk cheese).  They are thin slices and topped with slivers of dried figs and toasted pine nuts.  This was a very nice ending to my tapas meal.

All in all I was happy with the Table and I think I will do more tapas again soon.  So many possibilities!!

Next week is Easter and I will travel north to my family in Wisconsin.  We shall see what dinner brings. I am sure it will be amazing as always.

Have a good week!