DOLLOPS and SPREADS
If you have visited the winery, you have experienced our famous Muffaletta Olive Relish on the Tasting Room bar. This is just one of several olive relishes I make, always twisting ingredients for variation. Olives are a truly Mediterranean food that can be incorporated into so many cuisines, that I never get tired of playing with them. In this section you will find other relishes, sauces and spreads to dollop on the side of grilled meats or use as a dip for vegetables and crackers.
My new food obsession is labne, sometimes spelled labneh. Labne is a middle eastern yogurt product that is thicker than Greek yogurt, and creamier, while still low in calories. It is delicious on sliced fruit, as a schmear alongside hummus or as a base for dips and spreads. The brand above is found in grocery stores either next to cream cheese or yogurt.
This sweet and a little bit spicy chutney is a great side relish to a cheese plate of Manchego, aged goat cheese and Asiago. Spread a little on a baguette slice and
top with a thin slice of cheese.
The combination of creamy tart goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and capers makes for a wine friendly spread on crackers or bread. We serve this often in the Tasting Room for special events. It pairs especially well with our Vin Gris d'Amador.
This somewhat spicy green sauce is served at room temperature as a side dollop, delicious with just about anything. Serve it with grilled meats and summer squashes, mix it with yogurt for a dip, or throw some into some sauteed vegetables. You can vary it with pistachios or almonds instead of pumpkin seeds. Add some mint to the herbs. I make a batch and have it on hand.
This relish is chunky and flavorful. Use a chef knife to chop everything, since using a food processor will result in more of a paste. It is great tossed with pasta or added to a vegetable sauté. There is no anchovy in this recipe.
I love dollops. I almost always have a small condiment bowl on the dinner table which is the "secret sauce" that transforms a meal and pulls it all together. This cooling labne-based sauce is a great contrast to spicy foods.
Mole sauce is the classic accompaniment to roasted or smoked turkey. See my recipe for the turkey under Grill It.
Mole sauce is famous for having chocolate in it, but the chocolate is just one small ingredient.
This sauce is a dark concoction of chiles, seeds, nuts and spices that is fragrant and a little bit spicy.
There are many variations of Spanish romesco sauce. My version uses smoked and unsmoked Spanish paprika instead of the dried chiles called for in many recipes. You can get smoked paprika from The Spanish Table and Penzey's Spices online.
There are so many ways to use Romesco Sauce. For an appetizer, toss grilled or sauteed shrimp with Romesco and serve warm or at room temperature.
Try as a side relish to grilled fish or chicken, as a sandwich spread, combined with soft cheese on crackers, and with breakfast scrambles.
If you are in a hurry, try my Romesco Sauce in 10 Minutes. Fast and still good.
In Provençe rouille, named for its rust color, is traditionally dolloped on bowls of seafood stew or steamed mussels. It can be substituted for any other mayonnaise when you want a little kick to your food. You can vary the spiciness by adjusting the amount of chile paste.
This versatile sauce is great on the side of grilled tri-tip, chicken, shrimp or swordfish. Cut up some still warm, steamed potatoes and toss with some of this and more chopped parsley. Top some scrambled eggs or omelet with it.
