HUEVOS RELLENOS

Deviled Eggs! So many memories from my childhood! Very common in many countries. Lots of ways of making them. But always with a common ingredient, of course. Hard boiled eggs. Let’s make some Deviled Eggs!

Ingredients:

5 eggs

1 3-ounce tuna can

1 teaspoon Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

10 teaspoons mayonnaise

Some salt to taste

Some freshly ground black pepper to taste

Some roasted red pepper

The first thing will be boiling the eggs. Put the eggs in a pan and fill with water. Heat it and bring it to a boil. Cook for about ten minutes. Let them cool. When they are cold, remove the shells from the eggs. Cut the eggs in half lengthwise. Remove the egg yolks and put them in a bowl or container, but reserving two yolks. Blend and mix the yolks a little. Remove all the liquid from the tuna can. Then add it to the bowl. Mix well. Now you can add one tablespoon of mayonnaise and the Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce. Mix well again. Add some black pepper and salt to taste.

When everything is well mixed, you can start filling the eggs. Once they are filled, cover them with the rest of the mayonnaise sauce. Then take the two yolks that we reserved and grate them over the eggs.

The last thing will be cutting the roasted red peppers in strips and decorating the eggs. Put two strips making a cross on top of every egg. That will make them even more delicious.

Put them in the fridge for at least two hours. They will be ready then. Perfect as sides, for parties… And of course, remember that you can give your touch to your Deviled Eggs. Use your imagination. Enjoy!

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MARLIN PRESERVE

Let’s make a fish preserve. We will use marlin today. But you can do it with tuna. And with bonito, if you can find it. Marlin will do. Let’s make it.

Ingredients:

12 black peppercorns

12 ounce marlin

Some extra virgin olive oil

Some salt

Some red wine vinegar (optional)

First a warning. To make preserves it is very important to sterilize the jars and all the tools you will be using. Otherwise it could be even dangerous for your health. So make sure you boil the jars and the tools properly before using them to make the preserve. Wash your hands properly but, anyway, do not touch the jars with them. Use a pair of tongs to handle them.

This is a recipe for preserving marlin. Of course it will be good for other kind of fish. Tuna, bonito or similar fish will be also good. In fact, tuna and bonito preserves are really traditional in my country. And almost everywhere.

Once you have sterilized everything well, you can start with the preserving. First put the peppercorns in the glass jars. Next thing, prepare and clean the fish. Remove skin and bones. The marlin must be neat.

Try to cut the marlin in pieces that will fit the jars. If you can get a piece that will fit a jar, the better. That is better that putting several pieces of marlin in a jar.

Put a good piece of marlin in every jar. Fill the jars with olive oil seasoned with a bit of salt. You can add some vinegar if you want. I like it with vinegar but it is up to you. Besides, if you use some vinegar, the preserve will be safer. Fill the jars to the rim, making sure you do not leave any air inside the jar. Then close the jars with their lids.

Put the jars in a big pan and cover with water. Make sure the water covers the jars and then add more water. We want the jars to be covered by water through the whole process. Now you will have to sure you boil the jars for at least one hour.

Let the jars cool. You are not in a hurry to remove the jars from the water.

When they are cold enough, remove from the water and let them cool completely before storing them in a dark and dry place. That is if you are not tempted already to try them. You can, you should, store them for one month at least. The taste will be better then.

You can serve it as a side. It is also good as an ingredient for a salad. It is really good. Once you are comfortable making preserves, you will find it very rewarding. I have to admit that the preserves are so good that they do not last too long in my pantry. I should be more patient. It does not matter. Whenever you eat it, enjoy it!

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TUNA SALAD

A wonderful salad. Very popular in the USA. One of those simple dishes that I love from the cooking in the USA. Simple but delicious. Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

3 5 oz cans of tuna in water, drained

A little piece of a green apple, the part with the skin

3 tablespoons chopped celery

3 tablespoons chopped onion

1 clove or garlic, chopped

Some mayonnaise sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

First open the tuna cans and drain them. With a fork “break” the tuna, but not too much. Put it in a bowl. Add the apple, diced. Add the celery, the onion and the garlic too. Mix well and add mayonnaise little by little till you get exactly the tuna salad you want. Do not add too much. Add salt and pepper to taste and then put the bowl in the fridge.

If you like it, you can add some mustard.

Serve cold. Perfect as a side. Enjoy!

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FRIED SMELTS

Some fish for today. Smelts. Small and delicious fish. Easy to cook. And so rewarding! Let’s cook.

Ingredients:

20 smelts

1 egg

Some breadcrumbs

½ teaspoon ground garlic

½ teaspoon dry parsley

Some salt and freshly ground black pepper

Some extra virgin olive oil

I like cleaning the smelts well. You have to remove the head and the guts. Do not remove the bone of the fish. It is not that heavy and it is good for you. Anyway, you can do it if you want. Remove the tail and the fins too, if you want.

Once you have the fish cleaned, heat some oil in a pan.

Take the smelts and put them in a container with a beaten egg. Then pass them to a container with breadcrumbs mixed with garlic, pepper and parsley. And then to the pan with hot oil. The smelts do not need too much frying. A couple of minutes on both sides. Or less. Do not overcook them.

And then you will have your smelts ready. They are really delicious. Enjoy!

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PORRUSALDA

Cod and leeks. Those are the main ingredients of this delicious recipe from Spain. A wonderful soup. Let’s start cooking.

Ingredients:

2 pieces of salt cod

3 leeks

2 potatoes, peeled and cut in pieces

4 cups vegetable broth or water

1 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon pimentón

1 clove of garlic, sliced

Some freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Some salt, if needed

Some extra virgin olive oil

The first thing we have to for this recipe is preparing the cod. You have to soak it in water for at least 24 hours, changing the water every three hours.

You will have to prepare the vegetables. Clean the leeks properly, making sure you get rid of all the dirt that they can have. Wash them well. Once the leeks are washed, cut them in pieces.

Start cooking putting the pieces of potato in a pan with the water or broth. At the same time, sauté the leeks in another pan using hot oil but on a low fire. Three minutes later, add the cod, that you will have broken up into small shreds previously. Add the black pepper and taste it to see if some salt is needed. Let it cook for three more minutes.

Now add the potatoes and their liquid (water or broth) to the pan with the leeks and the cod.

To finish the dish, sauté the slices of garlic in another pan with some drops of hot oil, adding the pimentón at the last moment when you remove the pan from the fire. Once you have done this, add the garlic to the main pan and serve. Enjoy!

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VATAPÁ

A delicious seafood dish from Brazil. One with Portuguese and African influence in the Brazilian cuisine. Let’s cook.

Ingredients:

1 cup dried tiny shrimp (They are really small shrimp. You can get them in Asian stores or in good supermarkets. They have a very strong flavor. If you cannot get them, you can make your Vatapá without them. With the dried shrimp you will get a strong Vatapá; without them, a lighter one)

½ chopped onion

1 cayenne chili pepper, chopped (with the seeds if you want a hot Vatapá, and without seeds if you want something lighter)

1 clove of garlic, chopped

½ teaspoon pimentón

Some extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons grated coconut

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup crushed tomato

3 tablespoons bread crumbs

2 tablespoons peanut butter

15 big shrimp, peeled

1 desalted cod filet, chopped

Some cilantro, dried or fresh

Some salt to taste

Some freshly ground black pepper, to taste

You should start soaking the dried shrimp in hot water. Soak them for about 20 minutes. Then rinse them well and chop them. Reserve them.

Heat some oil in a pan. Not too much, just a couple of tablespoons. Then, when it is hot, sauté the onion. Add the chili pepper and the garlic one minute later. Add the pimentón, but be careful so that it does not get burned. Next add the dried shrimp. Then add the grated coconut, the coconut milk and the tomato. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for about ten minutes.

In the meantime, using another pan, sauté the shrimp in some hot oil, just one tablespoon of oil.

Once the shrimp are done, reserve them and sauté the cod in the same way. Just a couple of minutes.

Now we will add the bread crumbs and the peanut butter to the pan. Mix well and keep on simmering it.

Finally, add the shrimp and the cod to the pan. Mix well and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. The last touch is adding the cilantro. If you have it fresth, the better. It can be served with cooked rice.

A delicious recipe, different but really good. Cook it! Enjoy!

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POMFRET RACHEADO

More fish for today. And a recipe from India, from Goa. Delicious. Very easy to make, too. Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

2 pomfrets

3 tablespoons Racheado masala

Some salt to taste

Some flour

Some drops of extra virgin olive oil

2 papadums

To start with our recipe you will have to prepare the fish. Pomfrets are easy to clean. Remove the insides of the pomfrets. The fins and the tail too. You can leave the head if you want.

Once the pomfrets are clean, make some cuts on the sides.

The next thing is using that wonderful masala. Racheado masala. You can find it easily in Asian stores. Put the masala inside the pomfrets and through the cuts you made to the sides.

And now to the grill. Heat the grill and drop some extra virgin olive oil. Cook the pomfrets for some minutes. Both sides. Make sure they are not overcooked.

You can serve them with pappadums. To prepare the pappadums first you have to heat a pan. When it is really hot, put a pappadum and let it cook. You have to be careful. Be alert so that the papadum does not get burned. When you see the papadum is changing colour, turn it and cook it for some seconds on the other side. Remove it from the pan and let it cool. Repeat the procedure with the other papadum.

And now you will have everything ready to serve. Serve one pomfret per person along with one papadum. Good fish. Enjoy!

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BONITO IN TOMATO AND PEPPER SAUCE

A wonderful fish dish for today. Bonito! I love Bonito. If you cannot find it, you can use regular tuna. Let’s cook.

Ingredients:

½ chopped green pepper

½ chopped onion

1 clove of chopped garlic

2 good cuts of Bonito or tuna

Some extra virgin olive oil

1 cup crushed tomato

½ teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon oregano

Some salt to taste

Some freshly ground black pepper, to taste

First, prepare the vegetables. Chop the onion, the green pepper and the garlic. Next prepare the bonito. Cut it in pieces.

Heat some oil in a pan and when it is hot, fry the bonito for a couple of minutes. Remove the bonito from the pan and reserve.

Next, add some olive oil to the pan, heat it and sauté the onion and the green pepper for about two minutes. Then add the garlic. Cook for one minute and then add the tomato. Add the herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for some ten minutes and then add the bonito to the pan. Simmer for two more minutes, till the bonito pieces are warm. When the bonito is warm again, the dish is ready. Ready to eat. Eat it with some good bread and enjoy!

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HAKE PAPILLOTE

Some fish for today. We should eat more fish. Hake is a very popular fish in Spain. It is considered one of the best in my country. I will cook it in a different way today. Papillote. Let’s cook.

Ingredients:

2 green onions

½ carrot

1 clove of garlic

¼ red pepper

¼ green pepper

1 pound hake

Some salt to taste

Some freshly ground black pepper, to taste

½ teaspoon parsley

½ teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon Sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

First prepare the vegetables. They have to be finely cut. Carrots and peppers in julienne. Garlic and green onions chopped. Then prepare the hake. We want clean fillets  Remove the skins and bones from the hake. Once the fish is clean, put it on a piece of foil and add some salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. On top of it, put the vegetables. Then add the parsley and the oregano. Finish it with the vinegar and the olive oil. Close the foil and take it to the oven, preheated to 350ºF. Bake it for about 25 minutes. After that time, remove from the oven and let it rest for five minutes. Open the foil and serve.

A wonderful papillote. Enjoy!

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ONIONED TUNA

This is lovely. Another recipe from my childhood. Onioned Tuna. I really love it. Tuna is so good. And in this recipe it is really delicious. Let’s cook

Ingredients:

A big cut of fresh tuna

1 onion, julienned

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon oregano

Some salt to taste

Some freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Some extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon sweet pimentón

To start with our recipe, heat a pan with olive oil. When it is hot, add the onion and sauté it. A couple of minutes later add the garlic and the tomato. Add the spices too: the bay leaf, the parsley and the oregano. Then add the vinegar and water if it is necessary. When the tomato and the onion are a bit done, add the tuna to the pan. Cook it about five minutes on one side and then do the same with the other side. Add the pimentón just at the last moment. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pan and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. The fire must be very low. You can even turn the fire off. It depends on the piece of tuna. If you cook the tuna in small pieces, it will be faster. But I love those big tuna slices.

Serve hot, though cold it is also delicious. And enjoy!

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MARLIN WITH GRILLED VEGETABLES AND ROMESCO SAUCE

A wonderful fish for today. Not very known but really good. I love this kind of fish. Firm and perfect for grilling. Let’s go to the kitchen.

Ingredients:

1 tomato

3 green onions

2 cloves or garlic, chopped

Some extra virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon thyme

¼ teaspoon parsley

Salt to taste

Some freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 good pieces of marlin

First thing is preparing the vegetables. Cut the tomato in stripes. Chop the garlic. Do not chop the green onions. Keep them long.

Heat some oil in a grill pan and when it is hot, sauté the vegetables lightly. Once done, reserve them. Now we will cook the fish. Sauté the pieces of marlin in the same grill pan. Do not cook it too much. But do it on both sides. At the last moment add the vegetables to the pan. And it will be ready to be served.

Serve with Romesco Sauce and good bread. Delicious. Enjoy!

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GRILLED SARDINES

Sardines! So many memories! We should eat more fish. And more kind of fish like Sardines. They are delicious and healthy. If you are not eating them, you do not know what you are missing! Let’s cook them today!

Ingredients:

4 sardines

Some salt

Some extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

Some fresh parsley, chopped

½ teaspoon pimentón, sweet or hot, to taste

Some drops of lemon juice

First, clean the sardines. Remove the head and the inner parts. Basically everything. We only want the fillets. You can also cook them without removing anything if the sardines are small. They are good in both ways. But I prefer to have just the fillets.

Then put some extra virgin olive oil in a grill pan. Just some drops. Heat the pan and then put the sardines. Fry them around three minutes and then turn them and cook them for 2-3 more minutes on the other side.

In the meantime, you can prepare a delicious seasoning. Mix three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil with the garlic, the parsley and the pimentón. You can use sweet or hot pimentón. It is your choice but I prefer the hot one. Add some drops of lemon juice and mix well.

And everything is ready for our sardines. Serve them along with the seasoning. Use it generously on the sardines. And why not? Serve them with a good white wine. A recommedation: Portuguese Vinho Verde. I love it. You will. Enjoy!

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FISH AND SEAFOOD BISQUE

Soup. Soup. Soup. A Fish and Seafood Bisque for today. This is delicious. And really comforting and rewarding. Let’s cook.

Ingredients:

A fillet of amberjack

10 peeled shrimp

2 bay leaves

3 tablespoons chopped carrot

3 tablespoons chopped onion

3 tablespoons chopped celery

4 tablespoons chopped tomato

3 tablespoons frozen corn

1 clove of garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

½ liter milk

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon sherry

Some salt, to taste

Some freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon sweet pimentón

1 teaspoon thyme

Some drops of Tabasco

First we will have to prepare the fish. Clean it and remove the skin. Then cut it in little pieces. Then we will prepare and cut the vegetables.

And now to the pan. Put the butter in a pan and heat it. When it is hot, add the bay leaves, the onion, the carrot and the celery and cook for two minutes. Then add the tomato, the corn and the garlic. Cook for three more minutes. Now we can add the fish and the shrimp. Mix the cornstarch with the milk and then add it to the pan too. Some drops of sherry are perfect too. Add them now. And the following to add to our delicious bisque is the salt and pepper, the pimentón and the thyme. Turn the fire low and cook for some minutes. When the fish is cooked the bisque will be ready. If you want it to be a bit thicker, you can add more corn starch. But be careful.

I like to add some drops of Tabasco. It makes it tastier.

Serve hot and enjoy!

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FLOUNDER BALLS

Fish for today. We will cook fish in a different way. They are delicious and easy to make. I will serve them with a tomato sauce but you can do it with the sauce you want. Let’s cook.

Ingredients:

2 fillets of flounder (or a similar fish)
1 boiled potato and then mashed
1 egg
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
2 chopped shallots
1 teaspoon parsley
½ teaspoon turmeric
Salt to taste
Some freshly ground pepper to taste
½ dry chili (optional)
Some flour
Some extra virgin olive oil
Some tomato sauce

The first thing we will do is blending the fish in a food processor. We have to get like a fish paste. Then, we will put the fish in a bowl and will add the mashed potato, the egg, the garlic, the ginger, the shallots, the parsley and the turmeric. Mix well all this. Then we will add some salt and pepper to taste. Add the dry chili too, seeded and cut in little pieces.
The next step will be to shape the fish balls. We will do this with the help of some flour. Once they are made, we will fry them in a frying pan with hot oil. When the fish balls are brown, we will leave them on kitchen paper towel to get rid of some oil. You can serve them with the sauce you prefer. This time I will serve them with tomato sauce. Put the fish balls in a frying pan with the tomato sauce and let them simmer for some minutes.
Serve hot. Enjoy!

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ARAGONESE SALAD

A salad for today. A salad from my land. A salad from Aragón. Especially good for the summer. But good for all seasons too. Let’s make it.

Ingredients:

1 egg
1 potato
1 tomato
1 clove of garlic
Some fresh lettuce
2 green onions
2 tablespoons chopped pickles
1 tablespoon capers
1 cup bonito del norte (high quality tuna from Spain, from a can) or albacore tuna
½ cup Spanish olives
Some freshly ground black pepper
Some Spanish extra virgin olive oil
Some red wine vinegar
Some salt to taste

First we will have to boil the egg and the potato. Once they are done, let them cool.
Then prepare the vegetables. Cut the tomato, the green onions, the lettuce the pickles and the garlic. Instead of pickles you can use regular cucumbers, of course.
Season your salad with the olive oil and the vinegar. Add some salt and pepper.
Mix everything well with the bonito del norte. I am normally careful when I do this because I do not want to break those beautiful pieces of bonito.
Taste it and if you do not have to add more salt, your salad will be ready. Really good for the summer. Fresh and delicious. Enjoy!

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DRIED ANCHOVIES

A Korean recipe for today. Anchovies. It can be a perfect and different appetizer. You must use dried anchovies that can be found in Asian stores. They are very small but really good. Let’s go to the kitchen.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 dried chili
Some dried anchovies
Some vegetable oil (I will use extra virgin olive oil)
Some brown sugar
Some water
Some paprika or Spanish pimentón
Some sesame seeds
Some drops of sesame oil

My adaptation of this Korean recipe. I love it.
First we will prepare the garlic and the dried chili. Then we will heat the anchovies in a pan or wok for a couple of minutes. Do not use too much oil. Reserve them.
In the same pan or wok, heat the garlic and the dried chili. Add some brown sugar, a little of water and a bit of paprika. Cook for a minute and then add the anchovies. One more minute and then add some sesame seeds and some drops of sesame oil. Stir well and serve. Enjoy!

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TUNA STUFFED RED PEPPERS

A delicacy from my childhood. I remember these red peppers from an eatery in my home city. There were delicious. Today I will cook them.

Ingredients:

Some roasted red peppers (from a jar or can)
Some bonito del norte (high quality tuna from Spain, from a can) or albacore tuna
1 beaten egg
Some flour
Some beer
Some extra virgin olive oil

To start with our recipe, take some roasted red peppers and remove as much water from them as possible. Do this carefully so that they do not break. Then, fill them with pieces of high quality bonito. If we need it, we can use some toothpicks to help hold the peppers. If you do that, remember to remove the toothpicks before eating.
The next step is to coat the peppers in batter. We will have prepared this batter before. To prepare it, mix the beaten egg, some flour and a little beer. What you have to do is try to get a quite sticky and thick batter. Peppers and bonito are already salted so I do not add any salt but you can add some if you want.
Once the peppers are well battered, put them in a frying pan with some very hot extra virgin olive oil. Fry the peppers till they are brown. Make sure that the peppers are well fried in a uniform way. When we can see that that they are brown, remove the peppers from the pan and put them on kitchen paper towel to get rid of some oil.
You can serve them hot or cold. Perfect for an entrée, perfect as a tapa or appetizer, perfect as a side. I can’t wait to make them.
Enjoy!

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GARLIC AND PARSLEY COD

Fish today. My beloved cod. Cooked in a very simple way but so delicious. Cod, garlic, parsley and olive oil. Let’s cook!

Ingredients:

Some cod fillets
Some flour
Some extra virgin olive oil
Some salt to taste, if necessary
Some parsley
Some chopped garlic.

If we use salt cod, first we will have to soak it for about 48 hours, changing the water several times. You can also use fresh cod. Frozen cod is another option, too.
We have to make sure that the pieces of cod are dry. If they are wet, we can dry them with some kitchen paper towel. When we have our cod ready to start cooking, we will coat it with flour, lightly. Then we will fry it in a frying pan with hot extra virgin olive oil. Not much oil and not for long. Do it in both sides. When the fish is ready, reserve it.
Then we will have to make a little sauce. Mix some extra virgin olive oil, some salt, some parsley and some chopped garlic.
To serve, spread some of the sauce on the fish and keep some aside to add more sauce if needed.
Ready to eat. Enjoy!

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SALT COD IN TOMATO SAUCE

We will cook some fish today. Cod, one of my favourite. Cod in Tomato Sauce. I will use salt cod. I prefer it to fresh cod. In Spain salt cod is very common. It has been used for centuries as a perfect way of preserving cod. Really delicious.

Ingredients:

½ pound salt cod
Some extra virgin olive oil
1 can crushed tomato
Some fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon thyme
Some salt to taste
Some freshly ground black pepper

First we will have to prepare the fish. And to do that, we will have to start by soaking the cod in water overnight. We should change the water every three hours. It is important to be careful when you change the water so that the cod does not break. In general, depending of the salt water, you should soak the water from 12 to 24 hours. Nonetheless it is better to soak it for 24 hours. If you do that, you can always add some salt while cooking if necessary.
Once the cod is desalted, we will have to cook it. We will put some olive oil in a frying pan and when it is hot enough, we will cook the cod for some minutes. Not too much. When the cod is ready, we will reserve it.
Then we will start preparing the tomato sauce. We will heat some oil in a frying pan. When it is hot, we will add the garlic and half a minute later we will add the crushed tomato. Cook the sauce gently. Add salt and pepper to taste. At the last moment we will add the spices: thyme and parsley.
Finally, when the sauce is almost ready, we will add the cod to the sauce.
And in a couple of minutes we will have our Salt Cod in Tomato Sauce.
Serve hot and enjoy!

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ANCHOVY AND PICKLE SALAD

A very easy salad for today. Easy and delicious. Perfect as an appetizer. If you like anchovies and pickle, you will love this salad. Let’s start.

Ingredients:

1 can (2 ounces) anchovies in extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons roasted chopped red pepper
1 teaspoon capers
12 pitted black olives
12 pitted green olives
A piece of dill pickle
Some garlic (fresh or dried)
Some extra virgin olive oil

Ingredients:

It will not take us long to prepare our Anchovy and Pickle Salad. We just have to cut the anchovies, the roasted red pepper, the dill pickle and the olives in little pieces. Then we will put all that in a bowl. The next thing is adding the capers and the garlic. You can use fresh garlic, previously chopped, or dried garlic grounded at the very moment of serving. Finally, we will add some extra virgin olive oil.
Really delicious. Enjoy!

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