New Year, New Recipes

Lifestyle

To celebrate our rich heritage, both collectively and as individuals, Tuuci has begun an annual tradition of compiling favorite recipes from our teammates and sharing them with customers each holiday season. Each recipe includes a brief story of why the dish has become such an important part of the contributor’s family culture.

“It is when we come together, blending talent from every area of the company and from every corner of the world, that we find the recipe for success we’ve enjoyed over the past quarter century,” said Dougan Clarke, founder, CEO and chief product architect for Tuuci. It is with that spirit of teamwork and collaboration that these recipes are compiled and shared.

There’s something for everyone in our Taste of Tuuci Tapas & Appetizers book, from Mediterranean to Asian cuisine and every dietary preference. Here are a few highlights, paired with complementary refreshments from our Taste of Tuuci Cocktails book.

Vegan / Vegetarian

Impossibly Vegan Street Tacos

Whether you ascribe to Meatless Mondays or have resolved to eat more veggies in the new year, these vegan tacos are filled with plant-based protein for a simple and satisfying dinner on busy weeknights.

Serves: 6 | Prep Time: 20 Minutes | Difficulty: 3 of 10

Ingredients

12 oz. Impossible Meat ground crumbles package
½ cup red or white onion, diced
½ – ¾ cup baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsp. chickpeas, cooked
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. vegan/plant-based butter
1 tsp. ground paprika
2 tsp. garlic powder, or to taste
1 Tbsp. BADIA complete seasoning, or to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
6 cauliflower or almond soft tortillas
1 Hass avocado
½ cup vegan/plant-based Cheddar cheese
1 bunch of cilantro (optional)
1 tomato, diced (optional)
Vegan buffalo style dip sauce (Trader Joe’s) or diced jalapeños for spice (optional)

Directions

Mix Impossible crumbles, onion, mushrooms, chickpeas, spinach, paprika, garlic powder, and BADIA complete seasoning in a pan with olive oil and plant-based butter. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until done.
Warm the soft tortillas and build the tacos by layering the cooked mixture, cheese, avocado, cilantro, tomato, and diced jalapeño on the tortilla.
Serve, share, and enjoy!

Cocktail Pairing: El Hortelano

Strength: 4 of 5 | Difficulty: 4 of 5

Ingredients

2 oz. jalapeño-infused Herradura tequila
1 oz. lime juice
1 slice cucumber, for garnish
3 leaves cilantro/culantro, for garnish
Margarita salt, for garnish

Directions

Add 3 sliced jalapeños to a bottle of Herradura tequila and let sit for at least five hours for a spicy kick.
Add jalapeño-infused tequila and lime juice with ice in a shaker.
Shake for 20 seconds.
Strain into a salt-rimmed margarita glass and garnish with cucumber and cilantro/culantro.

Seafood

Oysters Rockefeller

Celebrate special occasions with a memorable appetizer. If you live near a coastline, finding your own oysters for this dish can be part of a new family tradition.

Serves: 12 | Prep Time: 1 Hour | Difficulty: 10 of 10

Ingredients

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
2 shallots, minced
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
2 Tbsp. Pernod
Salt and pepper, to taste
Dash of red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
Lemon wedges, for garnish
Rock salt
12 fresh, locally available oysters

Directions

Melt butter in a skillet. Place the panko breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl and add half the melted butter. Mix and set aside.
To the remaining butter in the skillet, add shallots and spinach. Cook for 3 minutes until the spinach wilts.
Deglaze the pan with Pernod and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Add cream and allow mixture to cook down for 2 minutes. The Rockefeller sauce can be made up to two days in advance and refrigerated.
Place oven rack on second to top row. Preheat oven or set grill to 400° F.
Line a rimmed baking pan with rock salt (¼ – ½ inch deep) and place in oven to preheat the salt as the oven comes to temperature, about 10 minutes.
Rinse oysters in the shell; discard any open shelled oysters.
Shuck oysters, remove top shell and loosen muscle from bottom shell.
Keep oysters and liquid in the bottom shell and set aside on a clean baking sheet or plate.
Remove baking sheet with salt from the oven and place on a heatproof surface.
Working quickly, spoon 1 heaping teaspoon of the spinach mixture onto each oyster, followed by a sprinkle of the breadcrumb mixture.
Once all oysters are topped, return the pan to the oven or grill. Bake for 5 minutes, until the sauce begins to bubble.
Finish under the broiler for 1 minute, just to brown breadcrumbs. Serve on a platter over warm rock salt with a lemon wedge garnish and oyster forks or toothpicks.

Cocktail Pairing: French 75

Strength: 4 of 5 | Difficulty: 2 of 5

Ingredients

1 oz. gin
½ oz. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
½ oz. simple syrup
3 oz. Champagne
Lemon twist, for garnish

Directions

Add gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup to a shaker with ice.
Shake until well chilled.
Strain into a Champagne flute.
Top with Champagne.
Garnish with a lemon twist.

Summer Sizzle

Garlic Butter Calamari Fry

You’ll want to tuck the next couple recipes away for hot summer months, while sitting beneath the shade of a Tuuci parasol.

Serves: 6 | Prep Time: 45 Minutes | Difficulty: 5 of 10

Ingredients

2 egg whites
2 Tbsp. corn flour
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup all-purpose flour
Oil for deep frying (sunflower oil recommended)
½ lb. cleaned calamari, cut into rings and measured post cleaning
¾ – 1 cup breadcrumbs
1½ – 2 Tbsp. garlic butter
Chili mayonnaise or cocktail sauce for dipping

Directions

In a bowl, whisk the egg whites lightly. Add corn flour and 2 to 3 Tablespoons water to make a thick batter. Season with salt and pepper.
In a shallow pan, season the all-purpose flour with salt and pepper.
Pat dry the cleaned calamari rings with paper towel. Dip the calamari rings in the egg white mixture, then roll in seasoned flour.
Shake off excess flour and dip in the egg white mixture again.
Roll in breadcrumbs until well coated.
Deep fry calamari, in batches, until golden brown in color.
In a wide pan, melt garlic butter. Add the fried calamari rings to the melted butter and toss well.
Serve hot with dipping sauce.

Cocktail Pairing: Alberto’s Poolside Painkiller

Strength: 3 of 5 | Difficulty: 2 of 5

Ingredients

4 oz. Zacapa rum
4 oz. pineapple juice
1 oz. cream of coconut
1oz. freshly squeezed orange juice
Freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish
Pineapple wedge, for garnish

Directions

Add rum, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, and orange to a shaker.
Add ice and shake until your friends come to the bar.
Pour over ice in a highball glass and garnish with nutmeg and a pineapple wedge.

Meat Lovers

Lewis-5 Lamb Lollipops

When the weather cooperates, take food prep outdoors. These grilled lamb chops are perfectly seasoned for a savory first course and easily eaten by hand while mingling with guests.

Serves: 5 | Prep Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes | Difficulty: 4 of 10

Ingredients

5 single bone lamb chops
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 lemon, juiced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Red chili pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

Season lamb chops on both sides with salt and pepper.
Mix olive oil, rosemary, garlic powder, lemon juice, and red chili pepper flakes in a bowl.
Rub olive oil mixture over both sides of chops.
Place chops in a sealed plastic bag to soak in the spices and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Bring chops back to room temperature.
Grill on medium-high heat, 2-3 minutes per side, depending on how rare you like them.
Let sit for a few minutes and serve.

Cocktail Pairing: The Woodford

Strength: 2 of 5 | Difficulty: 1 of 5

Ingredients

2 oz. Woodford Reserve bourbon
4 oz. Polar ginger ale
Lime wedge, for garnish

Directions

Fill highball glass halfway with ice.
Pour ingredients over ice and give it a stir.
Garnish with a lime wedge.

We hope you’ll enjoy sharing these dishes with family and friends—especially while dining al fresco beneath the comfort of a Tuuci parasol. It is the memories made with old friends and new that keep our souls nourished and our hearts full.

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