Sipping into Summer

Cast Iron and Cocktails

Kay:

Let’s start with the inspiration for this segment…cast iron. We all have a favorite well seasoned cast iron skillet, right?  Oh, maybe you’re not from Texas!!!! I have my Grandmother ‘s. Talk about well used and well seasoned. I’ll be using it for my cast iron appetizer—Cajun Glazed Mushrooms.

I first made this appetizer years ago and they have been a go-to ever since.They’re great for a barbeque—easy, spicy and you can use cast iron on the stove top or on the grill.

Even though these go great with an ice cold beer, I thought we’d try a new (to me) summertime cocktail, but first the mushrooms.

Get out your favorite cast iron skillet and let’s get this going!

CAJUN GLAZED MUSHROOMS

Serves 4-6 (2 – 4 Texans).

1 lb fresh, whole, small to medium sized button mushrooms

3/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons black pepper

1/2 cup Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

Clean mushrooms using a dry wash cloth or a paper towel. If you wash them with water they will get soggy, so don’t get them wet if you don’t have to. You can keep the stems or remove them, your preference.

In an 8 – 10 inch cast iron skillet, melt butter over low heat. Raise heat to medium, add mushrooms stirring to coat with butter. Add the black pepper; Worcestershire Sauce and salt, stir well. Cook, stirring often, for about 10 – 12 minutes or until the Worcestershire Sauce starts to reduce and form a glaze on the mushrooms. Serve them straight from the skillet or, if they last that long, remove to a serving dish. Provide toothpicks for guests and enjoy.

Cocktails

What better to serve with appetizers than the perfect aperitif. This one is made with Aperol, a one-of-a-kind, zesty orange and herbal scented liqueur imported from Italy. Created by Luigi and Silvio Barbieri in 1912, it took the brothers seven years to perfect the aperitif now know as Aperol. While there are usually many brands and variations of any alcohol product, there is only one Aperol. One brand, one source, one-of-a-kind liqueur made with the same recipe the Barbieri brothers perfected in 1912.

The Aperol Spritz, made Aperol popular in the 1950s and Aperol claims the rights to the original recipe, still found on the back of the bottle. The version I am presenting was dubbed Venetian Spritz by Jim Meehan due to a bitter used in the making of Aperol which was released in 1920 on the Venetian island of Murano.

Aperol just became available on the U.S. market (officially) in 2006. I believe it is now fairly easy to obtain, I found it at Spec’s (love my Spec’s).

Side Bar

Lynda here. After Kay filled me in on the cocktail she was making this week, I happened to be watching the Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie movie, The Tourist. The movie is set in Venice, Italy. In an early scene in the movie where Frank and Elise (Johnny & Angelina’s characters) are having dinner on a floating restaurant, I’m sure they are having a Venetian (or Aperol) Spritz.

VENETIAN SPRITZ

2 ounces Aperol

1 ounce prosecco  (some affordable options, Zardetto, La Marco, Zonin, Cupcake)

1 ounce club soda

garnish 1/2 orange wheel

Build in a chilled rocks glass; then add ice cubes. Garnish with the 1/2 orange wheel.

This was cool and refreshing, low alcohol and stood up great to the spicy mushrooms. Great summer drink.

Hey Lynda! When are we going to get to brunch? Mom is willing to give up her recipe for “Migas” for the cause. I can’t wait to get my hands on that.

Lynda:

Kay, I can’t wait to try that Venetian Spritz!  We’ll be getting to brunch soon I’m sure. I have several favorite brunch drinks and I know you do too. But for today…

Here in South Texas summer has arrived. Temps are in the high 80s to 90 and humidity is off the charts. That scenario calls for summer sippers and spicy snacks. This week I stirred up a pitcher of white wine Sangria and grilled sizzling stuffed jalapenos. For a non-alcoholic sip there’s peach, orange and mint infused water.

 

 

White wine Sangria hits the spot on a steamy summer afternoon and it’s super easy to make. Just be sure to give yourself enough time to let everything sit for a few hours—overnight is even better.

Ingredients

1 – 750 ml bottle of white wine (make this something you’d like to drink on its own but it doesn’t have to be the most expensive bottle on the shelf) I chose a Texas wine: St. Genevieve White.

1 ripe peach

1 small orange

5 or 6 strawberries

Simple syrup to taste

2 to 3 ounces brandy

Sparkling water or club soda

Cut up the fruit and put in a pretty pitcher. Add the wine, simple syrup and brandy. I used about an ounce of simple syrup but it depends on how sweet you like your drinks. Stir and refrigerate,  preferably overnight. To serve: pour over ice and top off with sparkling water or soda. Enjoy with some spicy, stuffed jalapenos on the grill!

Stuffed Jalapenos

I was looking for a way to keep my stuffed jalapenos from slipping through the grates on my grill. My DH suggested a cast iron cornstick pan. The indentations are a good size for a large jalapeno and the cast iron helps crisp up the bacon.

You can stuff jalapenos with almost anything. Here’s my latest iteration.

7 large jalapenos or 4 if you’re cutting in half.(No idea why but a cornstick pan has 7 spaces—if anyone out there knows why, let me know. My google search didn’t yield an answer.)

A strip of  bacon to wrap each jalapeno.

For the stuffing:

1- 8 oz package of good chorizo

1 small onion, chopped

¼ lb. cheddar cheese

¼ lb. Queso Quesadilla (or Monterey Jack)

Crumble the chorizo into a skillet with the chopped onion and cook until done. Chorizo is very fatty (some brands more than others) so be sure to drain the fat. Set aside this mixture to cool.

Pre-heat your grill to medium high. If you’re using whole jalapenos, cut off the top of each pepper. Using a paring knife or a special jalapeno corer (nice if you do these a lot), remove the seeds and core of the pepper. Or, cut your jalapenos in half and scoop out the seeds and cores.

Grate your cheeses together and toss in a tablespoon or so of flour, then mix with the cooked chorizo. Stuff each jalapeno or half with the cheese/chorizo mixture.

Wrap each jalapeno with bacon. Secure with a toothpick if needed. Place a jalapeno in each space in your cornstick pan. Grill with the cover closed until bacon is cooked and cheese is oozing out—20 to 30 minutes. You can also do these in a 400 degree oven but be sure to put your cornstick pan on a cookie sheet in case the bacon grease overflows.

Enjoy with Sangria.

 

For a Non-alcoholic Sip

I’ve been making a lot of infused water these days. I had peaches and oranges left over from the sangria so I made this peach, orange and mint infused water. Just muddle the mint a bit in the bottom of your container, add peach slices, orange slices and fill with water. Let sit for a few hours for flavors to develop.

 

Leave us a comment below and tell us about your favorite summer sippers and snacks. We’ll be back next week.