Gildas Picantes – Spicy Anchovy Olive Skewers

A classic Spanish tapa, gildas are simply made with guindilla chili peppers, pitted green olives and little anchovies.

According to several Spanish recipe sites, gilda means lollipop in Spanish. I must confess that I haven’t been able to verify that with a dictionary, online or otherwise. For me, a lollipop is a chupete or chupeta – so I was guessing those were the South American words. So gilda must be lollipop in Spain. Nope! According to the dictionaries, in Spain lollipops are called piruletas. I even searched Basque or Catalan dictionaries, thinking they might lead to a clue of the origin of gilda.  No luck.

Anyway, here I am making some because whatever you call them, these little skewers are tasty. This week my Sunday Supper friends are all sharing tapas recipes in honor of the meal many of us will be eating together at Tapa Toro in Orlando on Sunday evening. I was already in over my head getting ready for the Food Wine Conference but I couldn’t resist the opportunity to share this very simple tapas recipe that really isn’t even a recipe. It’s just assembly and anyone can do it!

Make sure you scroll down to see all the other lovely tapas dishes we’ve made.

Ingredients
12 marinated anchovies in olive oil (Mine also had some chili.)
3-4 chili peppers (I used some long local peppers that are spicy but not too spicy.)
12 pitted green olives

Method
Cut the peppers up into 1 inch or 2.5cm pieces. Wrap an anchovy around the pepper and secure it with your cocktail stick.

Skewer a green olive on the end.

Repeat until all of your gildas are assembled. Now, see, wasn’t that easy?

Serve with drinks before dinner.

Enjoy!

Join us for the tapas party and make one (or more!) of these dishes. Many thanks to our wonderful host for this event, Caroline of Caroline's Cooking.

Para Empezar, Las Tapas (Appetizers/tapas)

• Apple, Chorizo, and Manchego Crostini by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Beef Sweet Sour Meatballs with Pineapple by Asian In America
• Champiñones al Ajillo by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Chorizo and Sweet Potato Spanish Tortilla Bites by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Citrus & Fennel Marinated Olives by Go Epicurista
• Clams Casino Dip with Bacon by Girl Abroad
• Crab Enchilado Empanadas with Avocado Cream by Gourmet Everyday
• Deviled Eggs with Shrimp by Our Good Life
• Gambas al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp) by Pook’s Pantry
• Garlicky Shrimp with Pancetta Olive Oil by Grumpy's Honeybunch
• Gazpacho Cucumber Bites by A Mind Full Mom
• Gildas Picantes – Spicy Anchovy Olive Skewers by Food Lust People Love
• Herbed and Spiced Almonds by Get the Good Stuff!
• Manchego Cheese & Chorizo Bites with Saffron Alioli by Hardly A Goddess
• Margarita Ceviche by The Crumby Cupcake
• Pinchos Morunos (Spanish Pork Skewers) with Mojo Picon by Curious Cuisiniere
• Roasted Bell Pepper Goat Cheese Bites by She Loves Biscotti
• Roasted Eggplant and Piquillo Pepper Toasts by Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Roasted Red Peppers and Anchovies with Bruschetta by The Hungry Goddess
• Seared Scallops with Shredded Manchego and a Bleu Cheese Crumble by The Freshman Cook
• Serrano Ham & Goat Cheese Croquettes by My World Simplified
• Serrano Ham Bites with Melon and Cheese by Palatable Pastime
• Shrimp Romesco Bites by Cooking On The Ranch
• Smoked Sardine Crostini by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Spanish Garlic Shrimp by Life Tastes Good
• Tomato Gazpacho With Fried Avocado Bites by Nik Snacks
• Tortilla de Camarones by The Healthy Fit Foodie
• Tortilla Española by Monica’s Table
• White Wine Marinated Steak with Blue Cheese by Caroline’s Cooking
• Zanahorias Aliñadas (Spanish Marinated Carrots) by Tara's Multicultural Table

Postres (Desserts)

• Buñuelos de Viento by Dessert Geek
• Chocolate Orange Macarons by Gluten Free Crumbley
• Chocolate Toasts with Apricot Jam by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Churro Bites with Chocolate Sauce by Angels Home Sweet Homestead
• Churro Cupcakes by Pies and Plots
• Mini Vanilla Flans by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Mini Dulce de Leche Cheesecakes by The Redhead Baker

Bebidas (Drinks)

• Tinto de Verano ~ A Sangria alternative by An Appealing Plan

Pin these Gildas Picantes – Spicy Anchovy Olive Skewers!

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Feta Olive Knots #BreadBakers

Feta olive knots are made with salty feta cheese and olives baked in a soft dough, making them the perfect accompaniment to any meal. 

This month our Bread Bakers group is being hosted by Deepti of Baking Yummies. She’s challenged us to bake rolls so make sure you scroll down to see the link list of all the lovely dough, both sweet and savory, that we’ve kneaded, shaped and baked for you today.

In my growing up family, we often had rolls at big family dinners for Thanksgiving or Christmas but they were more than likely those bake and serve ones that come in their own little foil baking pans. Man, I loved those things. All soft and buttery and melt in your mouth. I liked to mash them into small balls so they became almost like dough again and nibble on them.

I’m a grown up now and my tastes have changed. Not that I would reject a soft white roll, but I’m looking for something a little stronger in flavor, something that can stand up to a tasty bowl of soup, for instance. These feta olive knots are perfect! The feta gives the dough a little tang and each bite with an olive delivers a small burst of saltiness.

Ingredients 
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup or 180ml warm water
About 2 3/4 cups or 345g all-purpose flour start with 2 1/2 or 312g
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 oz or 50g feta
1 egg yolk (save white for brushing on rolls)
1/2 cup or 70g pitted, sliced olives (color of your choice)
Olive oil for bowl

For glaze:
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water

Method
Put the warm water in a bowl with the yeast and sugar and leave to prove. The yeast should turn foamy if it’s active. If not, go buy some more yeast and start again.

Assuming you’ve got foam in your bowl, add in the 2 1/2 cups or 312g of the flour and the salt. You can knead by hand but this will be easier with a dough hook if you have a stand mixer.

Add in the crumbled feta and keep kneading with the dough hook until it’s incorporated.

Now add the egg yolk and knead again with the dough hook until it is incorporated. It's kind of like adding butter to brioche dough or eggs to choux pastry. These ingredients loosen the dough and it looks like they'll never mix in. Just keep mixing and they do!

Turn your dough out onto a floured surface and knead for a few good turns by hand, adding just a little more of the flour if necessary.

Press the dough out into a rectangle and spread the sliced olives all over it.

Worst rectangle ever. I straightened it out after I took the photo, I promise. 

Fold one third in from the right and then fold the other third in from the left. Turn the dough so it is horizontal to you again, and press it out slightly. Repeat folding it over in thirds.

Make one more turn so it is horizontal to you and press it out again. Repeat folding it over in thirds. In other words, you are going to do the "fold, fold, turn" three times. The olives should be fairly evenly distributed by now.

Oil your mixing bowl and put the ball of dough in. Turn it over to coat with oil. Set aside in warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a floured surface.

Cut it in quarters and then cut each quarter in three equal pieces to make 12 rolls. Roll each piece out until it’s about 8 inches or 21cm long. Cross the ends of each piece and tuck one end through the loop.

Place the knots on baking pan lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Whisk the egg white with the water and use a pastry brush to glaze the knots.

Leave in a warm place to rest for about 15-20 minutes and preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C.

Bake in your preheated oven 18-22 minutes or until they are puffy and lightly browned all over.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool a little before serving.

Enjoy!

Such beautiful rolls, we've baked for you this month!

• Anadama Rolls from Passion Kneaded
• Bulochki (Russian Sweet Yeast Rolls) from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Cinnamon Rolls from Bakingyummies
• Crescent Rolls from Sara's Tasty Buds
• Feta Olive Knots from Food Lust People Love
• Flax Oat Wheat Dinner Rolls from Cook's Hideout
• Einkorn Parmesan and Garlic Rolls from The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls from A Baker's House
• Hokkaido Milk Rolls from Baking in Pyjamas
• Kahvalti – Turkish-style Breakfast Buns from A Shaggy Dough Story
• Masala Bread Rolls from Sneha's Recipes
• Mini Cheddar Bialys from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Oatmeal Dinner Rolls from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pesto Rolls from Veg Nation
• Raspberry Sweet Rolls from Kylee Cooks
• Savory Cheddar Rolls from Magnolia Days
• Stuffed Vegatable Masala Buns from Spill the Spices
• Twisted Knotted Mint Garlic Rolls from Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Wholewheat Low Fat Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls from Sizzling Tastebuds

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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Rough Puff Tomato and Olive Tart

Hands up, who has been to Paris?  Who’d like to go?  And what is one of the number one destination for tourists in Paris.  The Louvre, of course.  Well, guess what?  I saw some treasures from the Louvre today.  In Abu Dhabi.  Yes, that’s right.   Right here in the Sandpit.  Apparently, a new Louvre is being built, and it is scheduled to open in 2015.  The plans look fabulous and there is already a small museum to introduce the bigger one to come, full of painted treasures by the likes of Picasso, Gauguin, Klee, Magritte, Mondrian and Twombly, as well as sculptures, ceramics, metalwork, tapestry and even a fascinating mobile by Alexander Calder.  Appropriate to the educational mission of the Louvre Abu Dhabi - bridging and connecting cultures - two ancient religious texts, the Koran and the Pentateuch, sit side by side in one protective glass case.  Entrance to the current exhibit - Birth of a Museum - is free, along with the narrated audio guide.  Now I can’t wait for the whole Louvre Abu Dhabi to open.  It’s going to be a beautiful place filled with beautiful things.

And now you know why I am late in posting this recipe.   Let us tarry no longer.  We have tart to bake!

Ingredients
1 rectangle rough puff pastry dough from this recipe
7 oz or 200g large grape or tiny Roma tomatoes
2 spring onions
2 cloves garlic
4 1/2 oz or 125g (drained) fresh mozzarella
3 1/2 oz or 100g feta
15 whole black olives
2 eggs lightly beaten
Sprinkle cayenne – optional

Method
Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C.

Roll out your chilled rough puff pastry, with a floured rolling pin on a lightly floured surface.

Laying your tart pan on top, cut a circle out of the dough with a sharp knife.

Transfer the circle of dough to the tart pan.

Fold the top under to neaten the edge.

Use a fork to dock the bottom and sides of the dough.

Pop this back in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

(Stack the leftover dough and wrap in cling film and freeze for later use. Don’t make it into a ball or you will lose your layers.)

Thinly slice your garlic, chop your green onions and crumble your feta cheese.

Pit your black olives and halve them and then halve the little tomatoes.   In a small mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs.

Okay, now, in a larger mixing bowl, add in your tomatoes, olives, green onions, garlic and the beaten eggs.  Stir to mix.

Fold in the feta.

Pour the mixture into your tart pan.

 I like to straighten out the tomatoes and olives and make the rounded sides face up, because I think it’s prettier that way, but if you don’t care, skip this step.  The flavor will be just as lovely.  Probably.

Now slice the fresh mozzarella into little pieces and poke them in and around the tomatoes and olives.

Sprinkle with a little cayenne pepper if desired.

If your tart pan has a removable bottom, you’ll want to put it on top of another pan before putting it in the oven.  This will make it easier to remove from the oven when hot.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the crust is nicely golden and the cheese on top is too.

Allow to cool for a few minutes and then remove the tart pan.  Slice into pieces.

Enjoy! 

Olive Parmesan Cocktail Muffins #MuffinMonday

This weekend we celebrated the achievements of our elder daughter, the beautiful and talented Victoria.  But her graduation from Rhode Island School of Design was tinged with sadness for our family because, as we flew north for the weekend, we lost one of our patriarchs.  If you have been reading for a while, you’ve heard about my wonderful mother-in-law and how she has cared for her ailing husband, through increasing infirmity throughout this last year.  As she held that sweet, caring man in the wee hours of Friday morning, he passed peacefully from this world and was freed.

We had just been up to their home for a quick overnight after arriving in from Dubai, and before leaving for Providence.  As I usually do, I cooked dinner (this time with help from my own dear mother) and my mother-in-law invited her friends for drinks and a meal.  It’s my way of giving her a break and repaying the many kindnesses and constant support her closest friends provide when we are away.  I made these little olive Parmesan muffins for appetizers.  Bob ate one as part of his evening meal that night.  We didn’t expect that when we left the next day, we would never see him again.  After all, this time, we would only be gone three days.  But the ache of missing is there and real.

A couple of years ago, I wrote Bob a letter, which my sister printed for me and gave to him on the occasion of the joint celebration of his birthday and Fathers’ Day, thanking him for the part he played in raising my husband to be the wonderful father and husband he is.  When he married their mother, Bob took on day-to-day responsibility for three more young boys, in addition to his two.  Together, he and Heather had one more.  The stories of “yours, mine and our” holidays with six boys were rollicking and joyous, but I am sure they required a logistical mastermind and a firm hand and an enormous sense of humor.  I am more grateful than ever today that I wrote down the words and that Bob read them and knew of my gratitude.  It is a debt I can never repay, no matter how many meals I cook or muffins I bake.

Ingredients
2 cups or 250g all purpose flour
1 cup, grated, or 90g Parmesan cheese (plus a little extra for after baking, optional)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 240ml milk
1/4 cup or 60ml canola oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup pimento stuffed olives

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and liberally grease your two 12-cup mini muffin pans.

Grate your Parmesan, if not already grated, and cut the olives into three or four slices each.

Set aside 24 middle slices for decoration, making sure you have red and green represented in each slice.

In a large mixing bowl, combine your flour, salt, baking powder and Parmesan.

In a smaller mixing bowl, whisk your eggs, milk and oil.

Fold your liquids into the dry ingredients until just mixed.

Fold in the sliced olives.

Divide the batter between the prepared cups in the muffin pan.

Top each with a reserved olive slice.

Bake in your preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the muffins are lovely and golden.

Sprinkle on a little more Parmesan, if desired.  More cheese always equals better.

Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes then remove to a wire rack to continue cooling.

These are fabulous warm and go great with a glass of wine or whatever cocktail you are serving.

If there is anything my father-in-law enjoyed, it was a good meal.  Bob didn’t talk much in his later years because, after surviving cancer of the larynx 30 years ago, he spoke with esophageal speech, using swallowed air and his stomach muscles to create sound.  As he aged, and his muscle tone declined, he was less able to muster the strength required.  But Bob was lavish with his smiles and his  “thumbs up” whenever he was pleased.  The twinkle in his eyes said more than words ever could anyway.  He was one of my most generous supporters and, except for onions, he ate everything I made with relish and two thumbs up.

On 20 June, he would have been 85.  Happy almost Fathers' Day and almost Birthday, Robert Martin Lane.  You were one of the good guys and you are deeply missed.