BARBECUE PORK SANDWICH

Today a wonderful sandwich. We can use loin or tenderloin pork. Pork and barbecue sauce. The perfect combination. Let’s cook.

Ingredients:

1 pound pork loin or pork sirloin

Some salt and freshly ground black pepper

Some extra virgin olive oil

Some barbecue sauce

First, you will have to prepare the meat. Put some salt and pepper to it and if the meat is too big, you can cut it in two pieces. This time, I cooked the meat in a pressure cooker. But first put a couple of teaspoons of olive oil in the cooker and heat it. Put the pork inside and sear the meat for about 5 minutes. Then cover the meat with water and close the pressure cooker. Follow the instructions of your pressure cooker. What I do is setting the fire to high first and when the cooker starts to release steam, I set it to low and then I start counting the time. In this case, we should have the meat in the cooker for about half an hour, counting from the moment it starts to release steam. After that, turn the cooker off and let it cool before you open it.

Next, when it is safe to handle the pork, shred it finely. Once it is shredded, put the meat in a not too hot pan and add the barbecue sauce little by little. The fire must be low. Keep on stirring so that all the meat gets the sauce and add more sauce if necessary till you get the results you want. You do not want to add too much sauce, believe me. If you think that it is too dry, you can add a bit of the liquid from the pressure cooker. Have the meal in the pan for about five minutes.

You only have to make the sandwiches with your favourite bread. You will really love this sandwich. You can cook the pork in a slow cooker too. The results are amazing. Enjoy!

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CHINESE SAUSAGE STIR-FRY

I will not pretend to make this sound as a Chinese recipe. I use Chinese Sasauge. It is different, but it is good. You can try it. Let’s start.

Ingredients:

1 egg

½ chopped onion

½ chopped carrot

½ chopped red pepper

½ chopped green pepper

½ chopped squash

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

7 small Chinese Style Sausages

A bunch of bean sprouts

½ cup sliced canned water chestnuts

Some vegetable oil

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon duck sauce or plum sauce

Some salt if needed

Some freshly ground black pepper

Some rice vermicelli

First we will prepare an omelette. I bet you can make it. Frying pan, oil, beaten egg. Easy. I will not expand on it. Once you have done it, reserve it.

Cook the rice vermicelli following the instructions in the package. Easy too. Reserve it too.

The next thing will be preparing the vegetables. We will prepare the sausages too, slicing them.

And then we can go to a wok or frying pan. Heat some oil and when it is hot, add the onion, the peppers and the carrots. Cook for a three minutes. Then we will add the squash, the garlic and the ginger. Cook for a couple of minutes and add then add the sausage. These Chinese Sausages must be cooked. You can’t eat them without cooking them as it happens with some Spanish chorizos. After two more minutes, we will add the bean sprouts, the water chestnuts, the soy sauce and the duck sauce. Go on cooking for some minutes. Then, add the omelette cut in stripes.

You will have everything ready then. Serve it hot along with the rice vermicelli. Instead of rice vermicelli you can use rice if you prefer it. Enjoy!

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PORK VINDALOO

Let’s come back to Goa! We will make a delicious vindaloo today. Vindaloos are dishes with meat, some vegetables and vinegar. Yes. Vinegar. It gives the flavor to this dish. A dish with influences from Portugal. A mixture of Portuguese and Indian cooking. Let’s cook!

Ingredients:

10 Kashmiri red chilies
1 pound pork, cubed
4 green cardamom pods (without the pods)
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
8 black peppercorns
1 teaspoon ground Kashmiri red chillies
3 cloves
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
Some salt to taste
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
2 potatoes
Some vegetable oil
½ cup chopped onion
2 bay leaves
Some red wine vinegar
Some basmati rice

To make our Pork Vindaloo first we will have to prepare our vindaloo paste. To do this, soak the Kashmiri red chilies in warm water for about half an hour. The next step is grinding the spices. Grind the cardamom, cinnamon, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, ground Kashmiri red chillies, cloves, turmeric and black mustard seeds in a mortar.
Then we will put the soaked Kashmiri red chilies, garlic, ginger, vinegar and the mix of the mortar in a blender. Blend everything well to get the vindaloo paste, adding some water if necessary.
Once we have the vindaloo paste, we will have to mix it with the meat. Mix well and let it marinate for some hours. Doing it overnight it is a good idea.
When ready to start cooking, first we will peel and cut the potatoes in little pieces. We will bring to a boil but do not cook them completely. Reserve them.
Next we will put some oil in a wok. Once is hot, add the chopped onion. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the bay leaves. Then add the pork with the marinade. Cook for some minutes and if we see we need to add more liquid, add some vinegar or a little water, depending if the acidity you want for your vindaloo. But just do this, if it is necessary. We do not want too much liquid.
When the meat is almost ready, add the potatoes and mix well. Let it cook for a while so that the potatoes get the vindaloo flavor. Serve with cooked basmati.
A very delicious dish. Indeed. Enjoy!

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FRIED EGGS AND CHORIZO

I am just salivating. I cannot avoid it. One of the easiest recipes for today. Fried Eggs and Chorizo. Not for every day but let’t make it today.

Ingredients:

Fresh eggs
Some extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Some freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Some good Spanish chorizo
A pinch of dried parsley (optional)
Some good bread

It is not difficult to fry eggs. The eggs must be really fresh. That is very important.
First, heat some olive oil in a frying pan. Once it is hot, quite hot, cook the eggs one at a time. Crack an egg and add it to the frying pan. Let it cook for a while. From time to time take some oil from the frying pan and pour it over the egg. That will make our fried eggs fantastic. Add some salt to taste. And some pepper and parsley if you want.
At the same time we can prepare the chorizo. Just slice it and heat a bit in a pan.
We only have to serve our eggs. Pour some of the chorizo oil over the eggs if you want. Serve the eggs with the chorizo and some bread. Enjoy!

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STUFFED POTATOES

Today potatoes. This is a dish that you can find in some places in Spain. They are made in different ways depending on the places. But the recipes are similar. Something very good as a tapa or appetizer. Let’s cook.

Ingredients:

Some potatoes, washed and peeled
Some ground beef
Some ground pork
1 small onion, finely chopped
½ squash, finely diced
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon oregano
Some salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 beaten egg
Some extra virgin olive oil
Some tomato sauce

The first thing that we will do is washing and peeling the potatoes. Then we will put them in a pan with water. We will have to boil them but it is important that they are not too done. After cooking them, when they are a bit cold, we will remove the inside of the potatoes with the help of a teaspoon. You have to empty the potatoes and do it carefully so that in the end we have whole potatoes with a big hole inside. Reserve.
In a frying pan with some extra virgin olive oil, not much, we will sauté the onion, the squash, the garlic, the meat and the spices. Add some salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. When this is ready, we will have to stuff the potatoes. Do this carefully. Stuff the potatoes with the meat and vegetables and cover the hole with a piece of potato as if it were a lid. Then we will paint the potatoes with the beaten egg. Sauté the potatoes lightly.
Now we will have to prepare the tomato sauce, in case you do not use already made tomato sauce. To make our tomato sauce you can sauté onion, tomato and garlic. Cook it gently. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Add some herbs if you want too. Once the tomato sauce is ready, add the potatoes to the sauce. Simmer the potatoes in the tomato sauce for a while and serve.
Something good and rewarding. 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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MEATBALLS IN ALMOND SAUCE

A wonderful recipe from Spain. And a wonderful recipe from my childhood. I remember my grandma cooking it. Then it was my mom’s turn. And now it is my turn. I hope it will also be yours from now on. You will enjoy it a lot.

Ingredients:

¼ lb ground beef
¼ lb ground pork
1 egg
1 slice of bread
Some flour
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
A pinch of salt
1-2 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Some extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons ground almonds

Meatballs in Almond Sauce! When you taste them, you will love them.
First we will prepare the meat for the meatballs. But before we will take the slice of bread and shred it. Then we will have to mix the ground beef and the ground pork with the egg, the bread, half of the garlic, one teaspoon of parsley, some salt, some milk, the black pepper and the cinnamon. And now we will shape our meatballs. To do that we will take a piece of the mixture, and with the help of some flour we will make the meatballs. We will heat some oil in a pan and fry the meatballs. It is important that the oil is hot and we have to make sure that the meatballs do not break. Stir the meatballs in the pan but do this gently. Once they are done, remove them from the pan and keep them on kitchen paper towel to get rid of the oil they might have.
Now we will work on our almond sauce. First, if there is too much oil in the pan, we will remove some. Then we will add some flour to the pan. We will stir the flour so that it cooks. Be careful. We do not want it to burn. Then we will have ready a mixture with the ground almonds, the other half of the garlic and one teaspoon of parsley. We will add that to the pan now. We will keep on stirring and we will be adding warm water little by little to get the sauce we want. When the sauce is almost ready, we will add the meatballs to the pan and will let them simmer for a while before serving.

And now, just enjoy your meatballs in almond sauce.

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PORK IN TOMATO SAUCE

A Spanish recipe. One that brings back to my memory home meals.
It is an easy recipe. The main ingredient is pork. Then tomato sauce. It is simple but delicious.

Ingredients:

1 pound pork loin chops
Some flour
Some salt
Some extra virgin olive oil
½ green pepper
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Some tomato sauce
2 tablespoons roasted chopped red pepper
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon oregano

First we will coat the pork with some flour, but not too much. We will put some salt to the meat too. Once this is done, we will start frying the meat in a pan with hot oil. A bit later we will add the green pepper, which will be cut in little pieces. We will keep on frying and then we will add the garlic to the pan. When we see that the meat is almost ready, we will add some tomato sauce that we will have prepared previously. At this moment we will also add the red pepper and the herbs. We just have to let it finish for a while at medium heat. Easy, isn’t it? But delicious. Enjoy.

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PINCHITOS MORUNOS

Pinchitos, Kebabs, Kabobs, Brochettes… Food on skewers. Grilled, boiled, even roasted. They are popular in many countries. And delicious. I will make my own pinchitos. This is the way we call them in Spain. Pinchitos Morunos. Moorish Kebabs in English. They are called like this because Arabs were the first ones to introduce this delicacy in Spain. My pinchitos are pork pinchitos, something that Arabs, of course, would never do. Mix of cultures. This is one of the many things I like about food. You can mix cultures, you can mix ingredients. You can adapt a good recipe to your culture. And that is what pinchitos morunos are. Of course, you can adapt your pinchitos as well. Use lamb, beef or even chicken. Use vegetables too: red or green pepper, tomato… Use your imagination.

Ingredients:

1 pound pork, cubed
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

First we will marinate the meat. To do this we will put the pork in a container. And then the rest of the ingredients. We will mix well, cover the container and put it in the refrigerator for at least four hours. If you let it marinate overnight, it will be really good. The longer, the better. I use the oven to make my pinchitos. You, of course, can grill or barbecue them. They will be good no matter how you do it. You can use metal or wooden skewers. If you use wooden skewers, you should wet them before threading the pork. That will prevent them from burning. Take the skewers and thread the pork. Put the skewers with the meat on the sides of the tray so that they do not touch the bottom of the tray. When you are doing it, put every piece of garlic and ginger onto the pieces of pork. We want to make the most of every piece of garlic and ginger. And now to the oven, which must be preheated to 400ºF. You will cook your pinchitos for about 30 minutes. And enjoy. They are perfect served with a Couscous Salad. You can serve some mayonnaise sauce as well.

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PORK BALCHAO

The perfect mixture. That is what Goa is. This is a dish with influences from very different worlds. Pork, vinegar, Indian spices: Goa.

Ingredients:

1 inch cinnamon stick
1-2 dried red chillies
3 cloves
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
4 green cardamom pods (without the pods)
8 black peppercorns
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 pound pork, cubed
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ cup warm water
1 small chopped tomato
1 teaspoon ground chilli powder
1 small chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons wine vinegar

Grind the cinnamon, red chillies, cloves, cumin seeds, cardamom pods and peppercorns in a mortar.
Heat half the oil in a wok and add the ginger and garlic. Fry them slightly for half a minute, then add the mortar mix and fry for another half a minute stirring constantly.
Then, add the pork and the turmeric and raise the heat a bit. Fry for five minutes stirring regularly.
Add the water, tomato, chilli powder and bring to a boil. Cover the wok and cook gently for 20 minutes. Stir from time to time.
In another pan, heat the other half of oil and fry the onion till it is golden, stirring regularly.
When the onion is almost done, add it to the wok with the pork. Add the salt, the sugar and the vinegar too. After stirring a bit, cover the wok and simmer till the pork is done.
It is possible to cook the balchao with more vegetables but I only would add some carrots, finely chopped.
Serve the pork balchao with some basmati rice, cooked separately.
It is a good idea to prepare this dish in advance. In fact, it tastes better if you eat it the following day. It is safe to keep it in the fridge for several days.

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