Spanish Tostadas with Chorizo and Watermelon- Tapas Night Part 3 of 3

This is Part Three of my Tapas Date Night Menu, and I think it just might be the most interesting. You're probably thinking, "Watermelon and chorizo?" Yes my friends, watermelon and chorizo indeed.
This appetizer is like a roller-coaster for your taste buds- spicy chorizo, sweet and fresh watermelon, crunchy bread- this is a dish you simply MUST try!
I've never been the biggest fan of sausage (weird I know), but when I saw that this recipe contained sausage with watermelon, I knew this was a recipe that I couldn't pass up.
These tostadas were amazing (and Mikey's favorite dish of the evening). They are a bit messy though, so I suggest you have a fork handy.

Spanish Tostadas with Chorizo and Watermelon

recipe slightly adapted from here

ingredients:

• 2 hot chorizo sausages, sliced
• 3 medium-sized heirloom tomatoes, chopped
• 2-3 cups chopped watermelon
• crusty, rustic bread, sliced
• 1 large garlic clove
• extra virgin olive oil
• baby arugula
• about 2 tbsp sherry vinegar

1. Heat a medium-sized sauté pan over high heat. Add in the chorizo (no added oil) and cook for a few minutes. Add in the tomatoes and cook for just a minute.
2. Add the chorizo/tomato mixture to a large bowl with the watermelon. Toss well together.
3. Toast the bread slices and while they are still warm, rub each with the garlic clove. Drizzle each slice with a bit of the olive oil.
4. Top each piece of toast with a few leaves of arugula. Spoon on the chorizo/watermelon mixture, and then top again with more arugula leaves.
5. Add the sherry vinegar to the hot pan that you cooked the chorizo in and stir it around to deglaze the pan. Pour the vinegar over the tostadas. Serve!

Spanish Varillas, or "Rods"- Tapas Night Part 2 of 3

As soon as I saw this recipe over on Kayotic Kitchen, I knew that it would make an awesome addition to my Tapas Date Night menu!
These little Spanish "rods" (as they are so lovingly called- "varillas"), are not only incredibly tasty, but truly unique! Have you ever seen anything like them? I know I haven't!
I switched up the recipe a bit. I used prosciutto di parma in place of serrano ham (jamón serrano) because Whole Foods didn't carry the latter. I would have really preferred the serrano though to keep with my Spanish theme. In case you aren't familiar, the difference between the two is that serrano ham has much less fat, and it is a bit drier.
I also used a goat's milk cream cheese as opposed to cow's milk. I was originally going to just substitute the cream cheese for goat cheese (which I still think would be great), but as soon as I saw the goat's milk cream cheese I was sold.

For my greens I chose baby arugula for the nice spicy bite it lends, but any green would do here- play around!
I thought these turned out incredible! They were super easy to make, but packed a ton of flavor. The tangy creaminess of the goat's milk cream cheese paired with the salty, chewy prosciutto and crisp bread stick is a combination so divine that I had to have 2! While that may not seem like a lot, these guys are over a foot long each!

Spanish Varillas, or "Rods"

recipe adapted from here

As you can see there are no exact amounts here. You can make as many or as few as you want. Everything is made to your own personal tastes!

ingredients:

• prosciutto di parma (or serrano ham), sliced very thin
• crispy bread sticks (you could get flavored ones if you want but I just stuck with the traditional)
• goat's milk cream cheese (I found this at Whole Foods)
• chives, diced
• sun-dried tomatoes (I only used one), minced
• pinch of fresh ground pepper
• pinch of sea salt
• baby arugula

1. Mix together the chives, pepper, sea salt, sun-dried tomato, and cream cheese in a small bowl.
2. Spread the cream cheese mixture over one side of a slice of prosciutto and add the arugula on top of that.
3. Carefully roll the prosciutto around a bread stick. Repeat for as many as your heart desires.
4. Serve with leftover cream cheese mixture to dip!

Soft Scrambled Eggs with Arugula and Prosciutto

Ever since I realized the glory that is slow scrambled eggs, I have been all over those babies like white on rice. While I was home, I really wanted to share their tastiness with my family so they could appreciate their wonderfulness as much as I do! Yesterday morning I woke up early and made my mom some for breakfast.
I wasn't sure about the flavor combination that I wanted to include in them so I just decided to see what I had on-hand. I saw some arugula and prosciutto di parma leftover from the tartines I made a couple of days ago and it was settled!
These eggs turned out amazing and it's safe to say that my mother was rather impressed. I served them up with some nice fresh strawberries topped with mascarpone cheese that I mixed with a bit of cream and brown sugar- utterly delightful!

Soft Scrambled Eggs with Arugula and Prosciutto

ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup cream
• pat of butter
• salt and pepper
• handful of arugula
• shaved parmesan cheese
• a couple of slices of prosciutto di parma

1. Whisk together the eggs and cream until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Wait until the butter foams up and then the foam subsides. Pour in the eggs/cream and reduce the heat to low.
3. Continually stir the eggs with a wooden spoon over very low heat until the desired consistency is reached (this should take quite a bit of time, up to around 30 minutes). Add in the arugula and stir until it wilts.
4. Scoop the eggs onto four pieces of toasted, fresh bread. Top with a sprinkling of shaved parmesan and finish with a slice of prosciutto. Serves 2-4 depending on appetites.

Asparagus, Leek, and Prosciutto Tartines

Whenever I'm back home in Florida my family takes full advantage of my love for cooking/baking and doesn't hesitate to ask for delectable treats. When my mom asked if I would make some appetizers for a holiday party her and my dad were attending, I certainly said yes!
I knew that I would be making some of the Fig Bruschetta that I had made the last time I was home because it is not only incredibly, amazingly delicious, but super easy (though I used dried figs this time as they are no longer in season and they tasted just as wonderful!). But, I wanted to make a second option as well. When I found the recipe for these tartines, I knew they would be a fun and tasty compliment.
They turned out awesome, and like the bruschetta, were very simple to make. I loved the creaminess of ricotta/asparagus puree with the saltiness of the prosciutto, and the lemon juice added a nice freshness. From what I hear, they were a huge hit at the party!

Asparagus, Leek, and Prosciutto Tartines

recipe slightly adapted from here

ingredients:

• 1 lb asparagus, trimmed
• 1 leek roughly chopped, white and light green portions only
• 4 tsp olive oil
• 1 large clove of garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 lb prosciutto
• bread sliced into rounds for serving (you could use a baguette or ciabatta)
• olive oil for drizzling

1. Boil the asparagus in a shallow pan until it turns bright green, around 5 minutes. Remove from pan and run under cool water to stop the cooking; pat dry.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and leeks and season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft, about 7 minutes.
3. Roughly chop the asparagus and add it to the bowl of a food processor. Add the ricotta and the sauteed leeks/garlic and pulse until combined. Ad the lemon juice and the other 2 teaspoons of olive oil and puree. Season with sat and pepper if necessary.
4. Drizzle olive oil over the bread slices, sprinkle with black pepper, and toast in an oven until golden brown. Smear a dollop of the puree on each slice and top with a piece of the prosciutto.