Ingredients

• 12 thin slices of French bread
• 1 large clove of garlic, cut in half
• 1/4-cup extra virgin olive oil
• 20 large calamata or other cured olives
• 1/2 7-ounce jar roasted peppers
• 2 pieces of sun-dried tomatoes

Preparation Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Rub o­ne side of each slice of bread with the cut sides of the garlic. Brush the olive oil over the garlic-seasoned sides.
3. Place the bread o­n a cookie sheet and bake for 5 minutes or until golden.
4. Meanwhile, make the tapenade.
5. With the flat side of a heavy knife, crack the olives and remove the pits.
6. Place the olives in a processor work bowl and process until fairly smooth. Scrape down the sides of the work bowl.
7. Drain the roasted peppers and pat dry. Add the peppers and the sun-dried tomatoes to the olive mixture and process until smooth.
8. To serve, spread tapenade over the bread crostini and serve at room temperature.

Additional Notes

This mixture can be stuffed into mushrooms, covered with a little mozzarella and baked until mushroom is hot and cheese has melted! A small amount of blue-veined cheese such as spanish Cabrales can be used as a garnish as in the picture.

A large clove of garlic can be processed with the original ingredients as well.To easily peel a clove of garlic, smash it with the broad side of a large knife. The skin will split and easily fall off.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces Membrillo-Quince Paste
• 8 ounces manchego cheese
• Assorted crackers or thin slices of French bread, toasted

Preparation Instructions

1. Wet a sharp knife and cut the paste into ¼ inch slices.
2. Cut the slices into rectangles, or diamond shapes. You may also use small cookie cutters to make little flowers out of the membrillo.
3. Cut the manchego cheese into slices and then cut the slices into squares or rectangles small enough to fit o­n a cracker.
4. Place the cheese o­n the cracker and then place the membrillo o­n top of the cheese. That’s it! Makes 2 – 3 dozen appetizers depending o­n how thick you make the slices.

Ingredients

DOUGH

• 3 cups flour
• 1-teaspoon salt
• 3/4-cup ice water
• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
• 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup Crisco

FILLING

• 2 Tablespoons raisins
• 1 ½ Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed very dry
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 6 anchovies mashed
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 3 Tablespoons Pine Nuts
• 1 egg, beaten with 1-teaspoon water for glaze

Preparation Instructions

1. To make the dough, combine the flour and salt in a processor workbowl and pulse on and off to “sift”.
2. Combine the water, vinegar, and egg yolks and add to the processor as it is running. Do not allow a ball of dough to form, just allow the dough to begin to hold together. Let the dough rest for 20-30 minutes.
3. Roll the dough into a 10 x 15 rectangle and spread 1/4 cup of the Crisco on the dough. Fold the dough into thirds starting the folding from the bottom up and then the top down just like you would fold a letter. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
4. With the fold on your left, roll the dough out again into a 10 x 15 rectangle and spread another 1/4 cup Crisco. Fold up again and refrigerate in plastic wrap for 15 minutes. Repeat this procedure one more time but let the dough rest for at least 1 hour or overnight. The dough can also be frozen until later use.
5. To make the filling, cover the raisins with water in a small bowl and microwave for 3 minutes. Soak until needed.
6. Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the spinach until it gives up its juices. Add the salt, pepper, anchovies and garlic and cook for a minute.
7. Drain the raisins and finely chop them with the pine nuts in a food processor or by hand. Stir into the spinach mixture.
8. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut the dough into 2-3 inch circles.
9. Place a teaspoon of the filling on the dough and fold in half. Seal the edges by crimping with the tines of a fork and brush with the egg glaze.
10. Bake on parchment paper at 350F for 15 minutes or until golden. Serve hot or at room temperature.

The only difficulty is turning the half-cooked pancake over. The trick is to use a plate larger than the frying pan and to wear an oven mitt while turning to prevent any stray oil from burning you. Well worth the effort and really not that hard.

Ingredients

• 1-cup olive oil
• 3-4 large white baking potatoes, peeled
• Coarse salt
• 1 large onion
• 4 large eggs

Preparation Instructions

1. Thinly slice the potatoes by hand or with the 3 mm cutting blade on your processor.
2. Thinly slice the onion.
3. Heat the oil in a 10-inch frying pan.
4. Layer the potatoes and the onion in the hot oil alternating potatoes and then onions and sprinkling each layer with a little coarse salt.
5. Every few minutes turn the mixture over in the pan to cook the potatoes and onions lightly. The mixture should not brown and care should be taken to not break up the slices of potato.
6. When the potatoes are tender, drain the mixture in a colander and reserve 3 Tablespoons of oil.
7. Beat the eggs in a large bowl and add the potato mixture. Gently press down on the mixture to allow the eggs to cover. Let sit for 15 minutes.
8. Heat 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet until very hot. Quickly add the potato mixture and spread it out evenly.
9. When the mixture begins to brown on the bottom, invert a large round platter over the pan and flip the pancake onto the plate.
10. Slide the pancake into the frying pan, raw side down and cook until light brown on the bottom. Repeat the process 2 more times so that each side has been cooked twice. If the mixture sticks the first 2 times, don’t worry, just patch it up. The egg mixture will hold it together.
11. Serve the tortilla at room temperature either cutting it into wedges or into bite-sized squares for appetizers.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup Hellmann’s Mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Wasabi powder
• 1 Tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Cream Sherry
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons sesame seed oil
• 8-12 ounces Ahi Tuna steak-about 1 – 1 ½ inch thick
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons black sesame seeds
• 2 Tablespoons white sesame seeds
• 1 Tablespoon peanut oil
• 1 cup or more peanut oil for deep-frying
• 20 wonton skins-about 8 ounces
• 2 Scallions thinly sliced

Preparation Instructions

1. Mix the mayonnaise in a small bowl with a whisk until smooth.
2. Combine the Wasabi powder with the water to make a smooth paste.
3. Add the Wasabi paste and the soy sauce, sherry, ginger and sesame seed oil to the mayonnaise and whisk until well combined and smooth. Set aside until needed.
4. Combine the two sesame seeds on a flat plate.
5. Cut the tuna steak into 1-inch wide strips.
6. Season the strips with salt and pepper and then roll in the sesame seed mixture pressing down firmly to make the seeds adhere.
7. Heat a heavy frying pan for 30 seconds. Add 1 Tablespoon of peanut oil and heat for 15 seconds until hot, but not smoking.
8. Sear for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. Remove from pan and set aside on a cutting board.
9. Cut the wonton skins in half on the diagonal to create triangles.
10. Heat the remaining oil to 375F in a wok or deep fryer to a depth of 1”. When the oil is hot, fry the wonton skins in small batches until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.
11. To assemble Tapas, put a dollop of seasoned mayonnaise on a wonton triangle. Slice the tuna ¼ inch thick and place one slice on the mayonnaise and sprinkle with some of the chopped scallion.
12. Serve as a finger food.