THAI EGG NOODLES WITH CHICKEN

Today noodles. A very rewarding dish. Easy to make and easy to eat. A good option. I like to use lots of vegetables. They are always good. In that way you can get a complete meal. Let’s go to the kitchen.

Ingredients:

1 packet of egg noodles
Some extra virgin olive oil
A pinch of salt
½ chopped onion
1 chopped carrot
½ chopped green pepper
½ cup diced squash
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
½ chicken breast, cubed
5 black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
1 dried chili
A pinch of sugar
1 teaspoon Thai fish sauce
Some drops of sesame oil
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro

First we will have to prepare the pasta. Follow the instructions of the pasta package. You normally will have to heat quite a lot of water in a pan, adding some drops of oil and some salt. Once it is boiling, add the pasta and cook it following the instructions. But do not overcook. In fact it is better to let the pasta be not completely cooked at this stage. When the pasta is ready, drain tha pasta and reserve it.
We will have to prepare the spices. Do this grinding them in a mortar. Grind the peppercorns, the cumin, the coriander seeds, the cardamom and the dried chili. Once it is ground, reserve it.
The next step is to put some oil in a wok or big frying pan. Then heat it and sauté the onion, the carrot, the pepper, the squash, the garlic and the ginger. Do this at high heat. But be careful because we do not want our vegetables to get burned.
Now we will add the chicken and we will sauté it. Then add the spices from the mortar, the sugar, the fish sauce and some drops of sesame oil. Cook for some minutes and add the lime juice and the cilantro.
Finally, add the pasta. Mix well and keep on cooking for a couple of minutes. Then we will have our dish ready. The secret is cooking fast and at high heat. But being careful so that our food does not get burned. Delicious.
Enjoy!

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PORK AND NOODLES

Some noodles for today. Pork and Noodles. I will use some egg noodles. I love this kind of noodles. They are firm and delicious. And perfect with pork. And vegetables. And spices. Les’t start cooking.

Ingredients:

A package of egg noodles
½ chopped onion
½ chopped carrot
½ cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen broccoli
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon peppercorns
½ teaspoon turmeric
Some salt to taste
Some vegetable oil
½ pound pork, cubed
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Some drops of sesame oil
Some drops of lime juice

First we will prepare the noodles. Heat some water. Bring it to a boil. Then, add some salt and oil. Add the pasta and have it boiling for the minutes the package says. Once it is ready, drain it and reserve.
While we are preparing the pasta we can cut the vegetables.
The next thing will be to prepare the spices. We will grind the cumin, the coriander and the peppercorns in a mortar.
Then it is time to prepare the pork. We will cut it in little pieces.
Now we will put some vegetable oil in a pan and we will heat it. When it is hot, we will put the onion and the carrot in it. We will sauté it for some minutes. Then we will add the pork to the pan. After cooking for five minutes, add the spices along with the turmeric. Then we will add the garlic and the ginger. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the corn and the broccoli. Now we will add the soy sauce. When we see that the vegetables are almos done, we will add the noodles and we will sauté them for two more minutes.
Finally, we will add some sesame oil, just some drops. We can add some salt to taste if is necessary. The last touch will be adding the chopped cilantro and the lime juice.
And then you will have a delicious dish, Pork and Noodles. You can adapt it to your taste, for example adding your favourite vegetables: eggplant, celery…
Enjoy!

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MINESTRONE SOUP

A delicious soup for today. Easy to make and full of ingredients: pasta, beans and lots of vegetables. I cannot wait to make it. Let’s cook.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ small squash
1 green onion
½ green pepper
½ carrot
1 clove of garlic
3 cups beef broth or water
½ cup cooked red beans
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon rosemary
½ teaspoon parsley
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small tomato
1 oz conch shells pasta

First we will start preparing the vegetables. We will chop them finely. After that, heat some extra virgin olive oil in a pan and when this is hot enough, sauté the pepper and the carrot. Then we will add the other vegetables. We should do this two minutes later. Three minutes later we will cover the vegetables with the broth or the water.
If we want a vegetarian Minestrone, something healthier, we can use water instead of the beef broth. On the contrary, if we want a more authentic Minestrone, though less healthy, we can use the broth and we can sauté some little pieces of bacon along with the vegetables.
Now we will add the cooked beans. Make sure they are well washed if they are from a can. This is the moment of adding the spices and the Worcestershire sauce. A bit later we will add the tomato, previously finely chopped. Then we will add the pasta and we will have our Minestrone Soup when the pasta is ready. We will add some salt and pepper to taste and we will serve.
Enjoy!

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LASAGNA

Pasta! A dish with lots of possibilities. I will cook a simple Lasagna. But of course, if you use your imagination, you can create your own Lasagna. It is a bit of work, but it is worth it. Let’s cook it.

Ingredients:

9 lasagna slices
Some drops of oil for cooking the pasta
A pinch of salt for cooking the pasta
½ lb ground beef
Some tomato sauce
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped green pepper
¼ cup chopped red pepper
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon oregano
Some salt to taste
Some freshly ground black pepper
6 cheddar cheese slices
1 cup ricotta cheese
Some olive oil
Some milk
Some flour
A pinch of nutmeg
Some grated cheddar cheese
Some grated parmesan cheese
Some grated romano cheese

First we will make our pasta. We will heat quite a lot of water and prepare the lasagna slices. Remember to put some oil and salt in the water. Once the pasta is cooked, after having cooked it according to the package directions, drain it and reserve.
Now we will prepare our tomato and ground beef sauce. You can start from scratch if you want but I will start using some tomato sauce previously prepared, at least in part.
First I cook the ground beef a bit. When it starts to get cooked, I add the tomato. To the sauce I normally add some chopped vegetables. They have to be really finely chopped. The vegetables I add are onion, green pepper, red pepper and garlic. Do not forget to add some spices to the sauce. Thyme, rosemary and oregano are perfect for the sauce. Put some black pepper and salt to taste too.
Once the sauce is ready, we can start layering our lasagna. First we will take a greased tray and we will put a layer of lasagna slices. On top of that we will put a layer of our tomato and ground beef sauce. Then we put the six cheddar cheese slices. Now another layer of lasagna slices. Then we will spread the ricotta cheese. On top of it, we will put another layer of the tomato and ground beef sauce. And then another layer of lasagne slices.
Now we will prepare the béchamel sauce. We will put two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and when it is a bit hot, we will add three tablespoons of flour. We will stir continuously. Then we will add some milk, little by little. We can add the nutmeg now. We will add more milk if we see that our sauce needs it. We want a creamy sauce, not too thick. When it is done, remove it from the fire. Finally we will top our lasagna with the béchamel sauce. We will put the cheddar, the parmesan and the romano cheeses on top of the béchamel and the lasagne is ready for the oven. This must be preheated to 375ºF. Our lasagna will be ready in 10 or 15 minutes. You only will have to enjoy it.

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SPAGHETTI PESTO

Pasta and pesto! Pasta is good. Everybody likes it. And pesto! It is a wonderful sauce. I have to admit that basil is, maybe, my favourite herb. We will make our own pesto. It is not difficult.

Ingredients:

½ package spaghetti
Some drops of extra virgin olive oil for the pasta
Some salt to cook the pasta
Enough water to cook the pasta
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon pine nuts
Some salt for the pesto
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil for the pesto
¼ cup parmesan cheese

I guess you know how to prepare pasta. So I will not say much about it. Heat some water. Bring it to a boil. Add some salt and oil. And add the pasta, of course. Have the pasta boiling for the minutes the package says and once it is ready, drain it and reserve.
Now we will prepare our pesto. It is good to do it in a mortar. We will mix the garlic, the basil leaves, the salt, the black pepper, the cheese and some of the olive oil. If you want, you can add some parmigiano reggiano or pecorino cheese as well. We will work on it for a while and then we will add half the pine nuts. We will mix it and finally we will add the rest of the olive oil and pine nuts. Now, just a gentle mixing, try it and fix it according to your taste. And now we just have to mix the pesto sauce with the pasta. We will put everything in a pan, mix it and heat it for a while. A drop of olive oil will not do any harm. And just enjoy!

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COUSCOUS SALAD

A delicacy. And something very easy to make indeed. Healthy, good for vegetarians. A perfect accompaniment to other dishes.
Now that you can find precooked couscous very easily, nobody has an excuse not to cook it. If you have not tried it, you will love it. If you have tried it before, you know what I am talking about.

Ingredients:

1 cup precooked couscous
1 cup water
1 teaspoon Ras El Hanout
¼ cup chopped onion or green onion
¼ cup chopped squash
¼ cup frozen corn
¼ cup chopped carrot
¼ cup chopped green pepper
¼ cup chopped lettuce
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped tomato
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon chopped mint leaves
½ teaspoon chopped basil leaves

First we will prepare the vegetables. We will cut them in little pieces. Then we will sauté onions, carrots and green pepper in a pan. Five minutes later we will add the squash, the corn, the garlic, the salt and the black pepper. In the meantime, we can prepare the couscous. We will heat the water with some drops of oil in it. When it is hot, remove from the fire and add the couscous. Let the couscous absorb the water and add the Ras El Hanout, a Moroccan mixture of spices. If you cannot find it, you can use a good curry powder. Mix well. Now we will add the squash, the corn and the garlic to the pan. A couple of minutes later we will add the rest of the ingredients: the tomato, the lettuce, the salt, the lemon juice, the mint and the basil. We cook it for two more minutes and remove the pan from the stove. Then we will mix everything with the couscous. If we need it, we can add more olive oil and lemon juice before serving. This is a different salad. I like to eat it a bit warm but I know that some people will like it cold also. Anyway, enjoy it.

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