ROMESCO SAUCE

This is one of my favourite sauces. Romesco Sauce. You can use it with fish, meat, vegetables… A very rewarding sauce. Let’s cook.

Ingredients:

2 dried red peppers

2 small mature tomatoes

1 garlic bulb

12 roasted almonds

12 roasted hazelnuts

A slice of bread

Some extra virgin olive oil

Some red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon pimentón

Salt to taste

Some freshly ground black pepper, to taste

A pinch of cayena pepper

First we will have to prepare the dried red peppers. Soak them overnight in a container. The next day, open them and remove the seeds. Then take the flesh of the peppers and discard the skin. Reserve the flesh.

The next step is roasting the tomatoes and the garlic. The oven has to be preheated to 400ºF. Roast the tomatoes for about 20 minutes and the garlic bulb for 10 minutes. When they are roasted, remove the skin from the garlic and cut them in little pieces. Wrap the tomatoes in paper for 10 minutes and then remove the skin from them. Get rid of the tomato seeds too. Then cut them in little pieces.

Take the bread and fry it a bit with some drops of olive oil. Then break it into pieces and reserve.

You can use a food processor or a mortar. I will use a food processor because it is more convenient.

Once we have all the ingredients ready, put them in a food processor. Add a bit of olive oil and a bit of good red wine vinegar. And start blending. What we have to do is blending, stopping and stirring the sauce so that we get a well blended sauce. And add more olive oil little by little. You might have to add some more vinegar too. Check that too. If you want, you can add some spicy ingredients, but do not add too much.

The secret is to taste the sauce so that we get the correct taste and consistency. You can get the consistency you like. I do not like it to be too soft. It is important not to add too much oil or vinegar at the beginning. It is better to be adjusting it in the process. Add some salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

You can serve the Romesco Sauce once it is prepared or preserve it in a glass jar and let it rest. It is tastier after some time. Really delicious. Enjoy!

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CILANTRO AND COCONUT CHUTNEY

A delicious chutney from India. Cilantro and coconut. And spices, of course. Perfect to go with Indian curries. And very easy to prepare. Let’s make it.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
3 cloves
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 inch cinnamon stick
8 black peppercorns
1 dried chili (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 coconut
Some water
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
Some vegetable oil
Some salt
Some sugar
A bit of butter

First we will prepare some spices. To do this, in a mortar grind the cumin, the fennel, the cloves, the turmeric, the pepper corns and the cinnamon stick. If you want, you can add a dried chili. I do not like my chutney to be hot, but some people love it like that. It is up to you.
The next thing is preparing the coconut and the cilantro. As for the coconut, you will have to open it, remove the liquid, and keep the pulp. Break it in little pieces and reserve. I know, I know. Sometimes it is hard to do this. If you want, you can also buy frozen coconut. It is very convenient because you can find it frozen in little pieces.
Preparing the cilantro is the next thing. You have to discard the stems and keep the leaves.
Once you have the coconut and the cilantro ready, put them in a food processor. Blend it properly. Add the garlic and ginger too. If you need it, add some water. But do this little by little. Too much water is not good for our chutney. Add the spices at the last moment and blend well.
The next step is heating some vegetable oil in a pan. Use very little. Then, heat the black mustard seeds. Do not let them burn. Add the blender contents and cook slowly for some minutes. If you need it, add some water little by little. At the last moment add the butter. When everything is well mixed, add some sugar and/or salt to your taste.
And then you will have your chutney ready. It is better to let it cold and serve it with your favorite food. Enjoy!

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TZATZIKI SAUCE

We will make a delicious sauce today. A sauce from the Mediterranean. Something delicious and easy to make. Perfect for gyros, kebabs, falafels…
Let’s cook.

Ingredients:

1 cucumber
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon mint leaves
½ teaspoon dill herb
1 teaspoon lemon juice

First we will prepare the cucumber. After peeling it, we will grate have of it, and we will cube the other half. Make the cubes very small. Then we will chop the garlic.
Now we will put the oil in a bowl. Then we will add the yogurt and we will mix. We will add the cucumber and the garlic. Then we will add the mint and the herb. We will mix well. Finally we will add the lemon juice.
We can add some drops of extra virgin olive oil. And it will be ready to be served or to be used with your choice of gyros, falafels, etc. Enjoy!

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