(please pardon the terrible pun that is the title - best we could come up with!)
Well all, with COVID-19 seemingly upon us, now is definitely going to be the time to start recreating our favorite meals at home. Keep supporting your local businesses, but stay safe out there!
For us, Round 2 of the Restaurant Recreation attempt coincidentally takes us to another Jamaica Plain restaurant. Since our honeymoon, we’ve been suckers for Spanish tapas and Tres Gatos (@tresgatosjp) has been on our list for some time. This tapas-bookstore-record shop-restaurant checks off almost every box on the Booknerd’s list of favorite things. We highly recommend making a trip out to JP to check this place out, but build in some buffer time into your trip because its easy to spend time enjoying the small plates or perusing the record selection.
We went 100% vegetarian for our meal selection, and it was definitely the maple glazed Brussel sprouts and leek churros that stole the show.
I will admit that I had to look up a recipe for churros, but I did my best to wing the incorporation of the leeks & how that affected the dough. Its safe to say, I didn’t nail it on the first try and the standard dessert churros came out significantly more delicious.
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that this is my best guess and I claim no professional culinary skill!
Plate 1: Patatas Bravas
Using canola oil I fried some standard red-skinned potatoes. From there I coated them with a mixture of olive oil, dill, and salt/pepper and popped them into the oven to finish them off at about 300° for 15-20 minutes.
Mix two table spoons of lemon juice, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper into ½ cup of light mayonnaise to may a lemon aioli. (Probably doesn’t need to be friend AND put in the oven, one or the other should suffice, but this was a good way to keep them warm…)
Ingredients:
- Canola oil (2qts - most of this can actually be reused for other frying purposes)
- Red skinned potatoes (3-5)
- Olive Oil (2 tbps)
- Dill (we used 2 sprigs from our plant at home!)
- Salt/Pepper to taste
- Lemon Juice (1 lemon)
- Cayenne Pepper (to taste)
- Light mayonnaise (1/2 cup)
Plate 2: Maple-glazed Brussel sprouts
I claim no healthiness to this combination of dishes, so….using the same fry oil…take your halved Brussel sprouts and fry them until the tips of the leaves are golden brown. Similar to the potatoes, after 20 minutes, I made the move to pop these into the oven for a bit to keep them warm, while the other dishes were being finished.
While the Brussel sprouts are finishing, start a sauce by caramelizing a ½ red onion and 2 minced cloves of garlic in a bit of olive oil. I added ¼ stick of butter, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Lastly add ½ cup of maple syrup and stir together until it has a consistent appearance. (We had a great ghost chili pepper syrup that had the perfect balance of sweet/heat.) Take your browned Brussel sprouts and toss them in this sauce when you’re ready to serve!
Ingredients:
- Canola oil (same from the potatoes)
- Brussel Sprouts (1 bag)
- Red onion (1/2)
- Garlic cloves (2)
- Olive Oil (1tbsp)
- Butter (1/4 stick)
- Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes for taste
- Maple Syrup (1/2 cup)
Plate 3: Leek Churros
Heat 2 quarts of oil on high heat to bring to frying temperature. Slice the leek leaves into small rings. Combine leek slices, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of oil, and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling turn down the heat and let cool. Strain out the leek and mince. Whisk together the water, minced leek, and flour to make a dough. Put the dough in a pastry bag with a star tip. With the oil at temperature, pipe in long strips of the dough into the oil. The dough should be heavy enough to hold its form, but light enough that after entering the oil, it will float. Have a spatula ready to help prevent the dough from creating blobs as opposed to long churro-like structures. Once they are golden brown, remove from the oil and dry on a paper towel.
Optional: Cheese sauce- I used about ½ cup of cheddar cheese and melted this with several tablespoons of milk and some red pepper to make a side cheese sauce for these savory churros.
Ingredients:
- Canola oil (same as potatoes)
- Leeks (1 large stock)
- Sugar (2 tbsps)
- Olive Oil (1 tbsps)
- Water (1 cup)
- Flour (1 cup)
- Cheddar Cheese (1/2 cup) - optional
- Milk (3 tbsps) - optional
Once all three are ready to go, plate your trio & accompanying sauces and enjoy! If there is anything that I learned on this endeavor, it was that it may be easier to make less of a mess if I stick to one method of cooking…
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