Mediterranean cuisine is my hands down favorite.  It’s my passion, my obsession, my … oh my … well, you get the picture.  While the culinary diversity in my hometown was somewhat limited as I was growing up, some of the early settlers of that little mid-western town did leave a legacy which would help develop my taste buds:  Il Ristorante Italiano.  As I grew up and the world grew smaller, my culinary horizons expanded, and the food of Spain, France, and Greece were added to my list of favorites.

Defining Mediterranean cuisine is, of course, the influence of the sea by the same name.  Shellfish and seafood are front and center.  A mild marine climate yields great abundance from the land as well.  Olives, olive oils, tomatoes, garlic, herbs, nuts, vino … delicioso!  A cuisine that features fresh, local ingredients is the only logical outcome of this culinary perfecta.

Last night I paid homage to my favorite cuisine, with a light, three course dinner featuring the flavors of the Mediterranean.  Kicking off the meal, I sauteed padron peppers in a little grapeseed oil until they were blistered all over and finished them off with a little blast of Maldon salt after they came off the heat.  I had our table (ok, countertop) all set so we could enjoy these rare gems hot out of the pan.  One in about 10 or 15 of these little green peppers from Spain are hot … water and wine was on standby just in case!

For the next course, I served a mixed green salad with sherry vinaigrette.  This little salad is really a potpourri of Mediterranean flavors.  The sherry vinegar evoked memories of Spanish fare, while the feta reminded me more of a Greek salad.  Since I substituted fresh, Greek oregano in for the dried, we had a Greek double header on our hands.  With a couple varieties of vinegar and some good quality olive oil in your pantry, a fresh, delicious, healthy salad is always right at your fingertips!

To wrap this meal up, I brought out the big gun sauce of Spain … Romesco.  Typical ingredients for Romesco include peppers, tomatoes, bread, nuts, vinegar, olive oil, garlic and more.  Roasted (usually) and whirred up in a food processor, folks won’t be able to guess just what is in this sauce, but they’ll know it’s amazing.  On this night, I was lucky to have a little leftover sauce in the freezer, so I thawed it and used it over baked scallops for a quick finish to this delicious meal.

Mediterranean, Take Two!

Tonight was Mediterranean night, part deux!  I had a few scallops left over and prawns so I gave a culinary shout out to Spain again with a light rendition of their gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp w/ a few scallops for good measure).  I still had a little of the romesco sauce leftover from yesterday so I decided to take a different spin on a recipe I saw a couple years back.  I whipped up a pot of garlic mashed potatoes, but instead of incorporating the butter suggested, I stirred in the romesco sauce.  Yum.  Since it was a weeknight, I did not use the food mill suggested, but just mashed them up with a potato masher.  I also lightened it up by substituting low fat milk for the cream.  Didn’t miss it.  Two of two taste testers gave them a thumbs up 😉

As you can see, I adore the cuisines of the Mediterranean … and love dreaming of ways to honor fresh, local ingredients in the spirit of the cooks, chefs, and fans of Mediterranean cuisine.