ARAGONESE LAMB

Back to my roots. The ideal thing would to cook this with Ternasco de Aragón, a very tender young lamb from Aragón, my home land. But as I could not get that, I will cook it with the lamb I could get in the supermarket. Let’s go to the kitchen.

Ingredients:

½ lb lamb steak

2 potatoes

Some extra virgin olive oil

1 clove of garlic, chopped

½ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon rosemary

½ teaspoon parsley

¼ teaspoon sage

Some salt to taste

Some freshly ground black pepper

To start with our recipe, wash and peel the potatoes. Then slice them. Get ½-inch slices. Heat some extra virgin olive oil in a pan, and when it is hot, start frying the potato slices. Do it in both sides but do not fry them completely because they will go to the oven later. Get rid of some of the oil in the potato slices.

Then put the potato slices on an oven tray. The lamb must go on top of the potatoes. Add some salt, black pepper and some drops of olive oil. The oven must be preheated to 350ºF. Let it cook and have a look from time to time. If you see that the meat is too dry, you can add some drops of water or more olive oil. The lamb will be ready in 30-45 minutes, depending on how thick the pieces are. Always have a look to the meat in the oven. You do not want it too done.

Meanwhile you can prepare a seasoning with some extra virgin olive oil, the garlic and the herbs and spices: oregano, thyme, rosemary, parsley, sage, salt and black pepper. Mix this well. Five minutes before the lamb is done, add the seasoning to the meat, on top of it. Make sure the herbs are not burned.

Serve the lamb with the potato slices. Something delicious. Enjoy!

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BAKLAVA

A dessert from the Mediterranaean. This is really good. I love these Baklava and one day I decided to try to make them myself. Not bad indeed. I will show you how. It is some work but in the end the resultas are really good.

Ingredients:

A packet of filo dough

Some butter, unsalted and melted

2 tablespoons chopped pistachios

2 tablespoons almonds, peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts

2 tablespoons chopped raisins

½ ground cinnamon

½ cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon orange juice

1 tablespoon rose water or orange blossom water

1 tablespoon honey

To start with our Baklava we will prepare our filo dough. I buy it frozen. Making it at home is quite hard. And the one you can buy frozen is really good. Filo dough is very thin dough. You use it in many layers. It is very fragile so you have to be very careful while handling it. You can buy frozen filo dough in almost any grocery now. You will have to let the filo dough thaw by itself. Follow the instructions in the package. Once it is ready, reserve it.

While the filo is thawing, we will make the syrup. To do this, take a small pan and put in it the brown sugar, ⅓ of the volume of sugar in water, that is to say, ⅓ of half a cup water, the rose water or orange blossom water and the lemon and orange juice. Heat it, and when it boils, let it simmer for about five minutes, stirring with a spoon. Once it is done, let it cool and when it is cool enough, put it in the fridge. The syrop must not be too thick.

Now we will prepare the filo and its filling. For the filling, take a bowl and put all the nuts there. Add the cinnamon too. Mix well with some drops of honey so that the filling is a bit moist. You have to make enough so that there is plenty of it for the filling.

We will come back to the filo dough now. Prepare a shallow oven container. Spread some melted butter on it. Take a sheet of filo dough and put it in the container. Brush it gently with melted butter. Do this layer by layer. A layer of filo, a layer of butter, a layer of filo… Do not overuse butter, though. You just have to put a thin layer of butter to wet the filo. It is hard work, but in the end, the the results will be amazing. When you have used half the filo, it will time to spread the nut filling. I normally make only one layer of filling, but if you want, you can divide the filling in several layers. Once you have spread the filling, go on with the layers of filo and butter, as we have done previously. And with this, we will finish preparing the baklava.

Turn on the oven to 350ºF. Put the tray with the baklava inside the oven. Bake it for 45 minutes. When the baklava gets a golden color, take it out of the oven and then it is the time of pour the cold syrup over it. Let it cool at room temperature and when it is cold enough, put it in the fridge. Now the syrup will have to wet the filo and the filling.

The secret is the difference in temperature. If the filo with the filling are hot, the syrup has to be cold. It can also be done the other way around: the filo and the filling cold, and the syrup hot. I have not tried it this way, though.
To serve it, cut the Baklava in little pieces with a very sharp knife. Now you only have to do once thing. Enjoy your Baklava!

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SCOTTISH GUINNESS STEW

A stew for today. And one with a beer touch. And not any beer. We are talking about Guinness. A stew made with Guinness. Delicious. Let’s cook!

Ingredients:

1 chopped carrot

1 small chopped onion

2-3 cubed potatoes

2 bay leaves

1 clove of garlic, chopped

½ can Guinness Stout (not bottled)

Some beef stock or water (better results with stock, of course)

1 pound stew beef, cubed

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried parsley

Some extra virgin olive oil

Some salt to taste

Some freshly ground black pepper

Some flour

I will use the pressure cooker to make the stew. However, you can do it in a regular pan too. And even in a crock pot with really wonderful results. Slow is better from my point of view, but if you are in a hurry, you can use the pressure cooker. I will show you how today.

First we will prepare all the vegetables.

Get a Guinness can. Do not use a bottle.

Then we will seal the meal a bit in the pressure cooker using some drops of extra virgin olive oil.

Then we will add carrots, onion and potatoes and cook for a minute. Add the rest of ingredients except the flour and cover it with the beer and the beef stock. Close the pressure cooker and follow the instructions to cook the stew for about 20 minutes.

Once it is cooked, and when the pressure cooker is ready to open, remove the bay leaves. Then add some flour, spoonful by spoonful, stirring thoroughly to make the stew thicker. Add only the necessary flour to get this. Do not use too much flour. Let it cook for a couple of minutes.
And it will be ready to be served. A wonderful stew. Enjoy!

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EGG ROLLS

Chinese comfort food. Egg Rolls. Who has not eaten Egg Rolls? I will make my own Egg Rolls today. Let’s go to the kitchen.

Ingredients:

Egg Roll Wrappers

1 chopped carrot

¼ cauliflower or white cabbage

1 small can beansprouts or fresh ones

1 small can water chestnuts

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Some salt to taste

Some freshly ground black pepper

Some vegetable oil

To start with the preparation, chop the carrot. Scald the cauliflower or cabbage for some minutes. Then drain and shred it. Put carrots, cauliflower, beansprouts, water chestnuts and black pepper in a container. Add the soy sauce and mix. Add some salt if needed.

We will have the egg roll wrappers ready. Thaw the amount you consider you will be using. Put a wrapper on a surface with one corner pointing at you. Pour about three tablespoons of the mixture across the wrapper, parallel to you. Fold the corner closer to you to cover the mixture. Do the same with the right and left corners. Finally do the same with the remaining corner. Do this with all the wrappers and the filling.

Then the only thing we will have to do is frying the Egg Rolls. Heat some vegetable oil in a pan and deep fry the rolls. Do this in badges so that the rolls do not stick to each other. When they are brown, remove from the pan and let them get rid of some of the oil by putting them on kitchen paper towel.

Now you have your rolls ready. You can serve them as an appetizer. And you can serven them along with some oriental dish.

Rewarding and delicious. 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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DULCE DE LECHE

A delicious danger for dessert today. Dulce de Leche. A danger because it is delicious but very caloric. One has to be responsible when eating Dulce de Leche. If you want to take the risk, here you have the recipe. In fact this is like a fake Dulce de Leche recipe. The original one implies more work. I am giving you a recipe which simplifies the way of making it. But it is really good. Very tasty. Let’s cook.

Ingredients:

A 14oz can sweetened condensed milk (in fact, if you want, you can use 2 or 3 cans if you want)

Some water for the pressure cooker

Not many ingredients, right? That is because this is a very easy recipe. I normally do it with one can, but if you want, you can put two or three cans in the pressure cooker. Again, think about your weight.

First thing is preparing the can or cans of condensed milk. Remove the label from the can or cans. Then put the can or cans in the pressure cooker. Put them horizontally, not vertically. Cover the cans with water. Close the pressure cooker and, starting to count when the cooker starts steaming, have it cooking for 50-55 minutes. When the time is over, wait for some minutes and then open the cooker. The water will be very hot, so the best thing is to let it cool by itself. It you want, you can remove the water. But be careful when you are doing it. Anyway, you will have to wait for several hours. It will take time. When it is completely cold, store it in a cold place or open it.

And from that moment, it is up to you. Be responsible. Do not eat too much at a time. Use it as an ingredient to make different desserts. And from time to time, indulge!

Enjoy!

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FALAFEL

One of my favourite foods. Falafel. A wonderful dish with chickpeas and sometimes with fava beans too. You can find it in many countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. They know how to eat over there. Let’s make Falafel.

Ingredients:

A 15 oz chickpeas can

A 15 oz fava beans can

½ chopped onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 tablespoon parsley, fresh if it is possible

Some flour, 2 or 3 tablespoons

Salt to taste

Some freshly ground black pepper

Some vegetable oil

Pita bread

Pickles

Sliced tomato

Tzatziki sauce

First we will have to make the paste for the Falafel. We will use chickpeas and fava beans. Open the cans and wash the chickpeas and beans a bit. Chop the onion and the garlic. Blend the cumin and coriander seeds in a mortar. Put the chickpeas, the fava beans, the garlic, the onion, the parsley, the cumin and coriander in a blender and start blending. You have to get a paste. If the mixture is not thick enough, you can add more flour.

Then we will have to make the balls with the paste. It is helpful to make them with the help of a tablespoon.

The next step is frying our falafel. Heat some oil in a frying pan. When it is hot, fry the falafel in batches. Fry them on both sides. Once they are done, leave them on kitchen paper towel or on a metal rack to get rid of extra oil.

Then we will only have to prepare our pitas. Heat them for a couple of minutes in an oven. And after that, just put some pieces of falafel inside along with the sauce, tomato and pickle. You can add some lettuce if you want. In fact, you can add other favourite vegetables. Delicious. Enjoy!

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BEEF AND PROVOLONE SANDWICH

Today we will prepare a delicious sandwich. A Beef and Provolone Sandwich. Perfect for lunch. But very good for dinner too. Let’s start.

Ingredients:

2 pounds Angus beef chuck

2 cloves of garlic

Salt to taste

Some freshly ground black pepper

Sliced tomato

Some sliced onions

Some pickles

Some sliced Provolone cheese

Your favourite bread

Your favourite sauce, optional

First slice the garlic. Then we will prepare the meat buy making some cuts in the Angus beef chuck. Do not make them too deep. Now put the slices of garlic in the cuts of the meat. Put the meat in a pressure cooker and add some salt and pepper to the meat. Cover the meat with water and cook the meat in the pressure cooker for about 30 minutes, starting counting when the pressure cooker begins to steam. Let it cook and when you open the cooker, if you see that the meat needs more cooking, you can do it with the cooker open. You can remove the garlic if you do not want it.

Carve the beef, as finely as you can.

Once you have the beef cooked and carved, you will only have to prepare the sandwich. Take your favourite bread and put pieces of beef inside. Then add tomato, pickle, onion and cheese. You can take the sandwiches and put them in the oven for a couple of minutes. This will melt the cheese.

And then you will have your sandwiches ready. You can add some sauce if you want. I do not think it is necessary though. But make it your way. Get a beer. Or two.

Enjoy!

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GROUND BEEF WITH SQUASH

Something different for today. Spicy and tasty. Simple ingredients but delicious. Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

½ chopped onion

½ chopped squash

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

1 green chili, chopped

Some vegetable oil

½ pound ground beef

½ teaspoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

Some salt to taste

Some water

Some chapatis

We will start cooking and to do this we will heat some oil in a wok. When it is hot, we will add the onion and sauté it for a couple of minutes. Then we will add the green chili, the garlic and the ginger. Keep on cooking for two more minutes. Stir continuously. Then we will add the meat and the squash. One minute later, add the spices: chili powder, ground cumin, ground coriander and some salt. Keep on cooking and add a couple of tablespoons of water. Cover and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.

Serve hot with chapatis. Enjoy!

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PEACH COBBLER

A delicious dessert I saw in the USA for the first time. When I tasted it, it was something great. Let’s make it today.

Ingredients:

4 or 5 fresh peaches, depending on their size

4 oz butter

4 oz flour

8 oz sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

A pinch of salt

1 cup of milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or imitation vanilla

½ teaspoon cinnamon

First we will prepare the peaches. Wash them and then peel them. Cut them in little pieces. We also have to melt the butter. Do it the way you usually do it. But be careful. Melt the butter always at very low temperature. Otherwise it could get burned. And that is not good.

Once we have the butter melted, we will put it on an oven tray. Then, in a bowl, mix the flour, the baking powder, the salt and all the sugar except a couple of tablespoons that we will reserve. Then we will add the vanilla and the milk. Mix well and put the contents of the bowl in the tray with the butter. Put the pieces of peach on top of it. Add the cinnamon and the rest of the sugar. But now do not mix, do not stir. Take it to a preheated oven to 400ºF and bake it for about 25 minutes.

Once it is done, let it cool for a while but serve it when it is still a bit warm. You can serve it with some cream. But make sure the cream is not too cold. Enjoy!

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BEEF SANDWICH

A sandwich for today. Meaty. Easy, delicious and rewarding. Let’s go to the kitchen.

Ingredients:

1 thin beef steak
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Some water
2 tablespoons chopped onion
Some salt to taste
Some freshly ground pepper to taste
1 slice of favourite cheese
Some roasted red pepper
Your favourite bread
Some sauce to taste (tartar sauce, horseradish sauce, mayo… you choose)

First we will start preparing the meat. Cut the steak in little pieces and put it in an oven tray with the vegetable oil. Put that in a preheated oven to 400ºF. Twenty minutes later add the onion and some water. We add some water, a tablespoon, so that the meat does not get too dry. Cook it for ten more minutes. Remove from the oven.
Now we will prepare our sandwich. Prepare your favourite brand and put a slice of cheese. Put it in the still hot oven for one or two minutes. Remove it from the oven and then fill the sandwich with the pieces of steak and the onion. You can also add some roasted red pepper. I love it. Add some salt and pepper. And top it with your favourite sauce.
Ready to serve. Enjoy!

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MELOCOTÓN CON VINO

We will go to my land again. Peaches and wine. A delicious dessert. Easy and delicious. I probably tasted wine for the first time enjoying some Melocotón con Vino. Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

8 peaches
8 teaspoons sugar
A pinch of cinnamon or a stick.
A good red wine, if it is from Spain good, if it is from Aragón, the better.

Very easy to make. First, wash and peel the peaches. Then cut them in little pieces. Put them in a bowl and add the sugar and the cinnamon (if you use a cinnamon stick, remove it before serving). Add some wine, enough to cover all the pieces of peach. Mix well. Let it cool in the fridge for some hours before serving.
A fresh and delicious dessert. Enjoy!

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CUMIN CHICKEN

We will cook an Indian recipe today. Cumin Chicken. Simple but delicious. Cumin gives the chicken its special flavor. Let’s cook!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 green chili
1 chicken breast, cubed
4 green cardamom pods
3 black peppercorns
Some vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Some salt to taste
1 teaspoon garam masala

First we will heat a frying pan or wok. When it is hot, put the cumin seeds in it and heat them for about two minutes. Be careful so that they do not get burned. Remove then from the pan or wok and reserve them.
Prepare the garlic, the ginger and the chili.
Heat some oil in the fan or work. When it is hot, add the cumin, the cardamom seeds and the peppercorns. Just for a minute. Then add the chili, the garlic and the ginger. Cook for one minute and then add the ground cumin and the ground coriander. Cook for another minute. Add then add the chicken. Stir well. Cover the pan, turn the fire low and let it cook for 15 minutes.
Finally, add the garam masala and some salt to taste if necessary. Cook for a couple of minutes. Then you will have the chicken ready.
Serve it hot. You can serve it with some basmati rice, cucumber raita or chapatis.
Enjoy!

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CHICKEN CURRY PIZZA

We will cook a different pizza today. Pizza made from scratch but with a chicken curry flavor. Italian and Indian together. Let’s cook it!

Ingredients:

Dough,

1 cup and 1 tablespoon water
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
½ tablespoon salt
3 ¼ cups flour
½ tablespoon yeast

For the curry,

1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
A little piece of star aniseed
½ ground cinnamon
3 cloves
½ teaspoon cardamom seeds
½ teaspoon ground garlic
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ chopped onion
1 chopped shallot
½ chopped green pepper
½ chopped red pepper
½ chopped squash
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 chopped tomato
Some extra virgin olive oil
½ chopped chicken breast
Some salt to taste
Some freshly ground pepper to taste
½ cup coconut milk
Some shredded cheese

First we will make the pizza base. I use a bread machine to make my pizza but, of course, you can knead your dough by hand. Using my bread machine, I put the ingredients in this order: water, oil, sugar, salt, flour and yeast. I select the program just to knead the dough and turn the bread machine on. The machine will do its job and then it will let the dough grow. If you want to make your dough by hand, you can do it placing the flour on a table making a well with the water inside. Add the rest of the ingredients and make the dough. And then you will have to knead the dough properly. Knead and knead till the dough is elastic. Let it rise in a bowl covered by a wet cloth.
Once we have kneaded the dough, either by hand or with a machine, we will shape the pizza with a rolling pin. Remember that a floured work surface is always important. With that amount of ingredients you can make two pizzas.
Using a pizza stone will make your pizza crispier because these stones distribute the heat evenly. Nonetheless you will have to preheat the oven earlier and maybe use a pizza peel to transfer your pizza to and from the oven. Anyway, if your oven is powerful, your pizza will be good.
In the meantime, we will have prepared our curry. To do that, we will start preparing the spices. In a mortar we will grind the coriander seeds, the cumin seeds, the black peppercorns, the star aniseed, the cinnamon, the cloves, the cardamom seeds and the fennel seeds. Add to that the ground garlic and the turmeric. Reserve the spices.
Heat some olive oil in a wok and when it is hot, add the green and red pepper, the onion and the shallot. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the garlic, the ginger, the squash and the chicken. Then we will add the spices. Mix well and keep on cooking. Then we will add the coconut milk. Add some salt and black pepper to taste. Let it cook for some minutes and reserve.
Then we will go to the oven. Preheat it to 450ºF. With the help of a rolling pin, shape the dough into a pizza on a greased tray. Then we will paint the pizza with a little olive oil. Then spread the chopped tomato on top of the though. Add the curry to the pizza. Do this so that the curry is well spread in all the pizza. Add the cheese evenly.
And your pizza is almost ready. You will only have to put it in your oven. Let it cook for about 15 minutes. Let it cool for a minute and serve. A good and original Chicken Curry Pizza. 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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BABA GANOUSH

A delicacy from the Middle East. Aubergines or eggplants. Easy and delicious. Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

1 eggplant
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon onion powder
¾ teaspoon freshly ground cumin
1 teaspoon parsley
Some extra virgin olive oil
Some drops of sesame oil
Some salt to taste

First we will have to roast the eggplant in the oven. Slice the eggplant and take it to a preheated oven. The temperature should be around 400ºF. Roast the eggplant for about 40 minutes. When it is done, remove the skin of the eggplant. You can remove the seeds too. Now put it in a processor along with the garlic, the lemon juice, the onion powder, the cumin and the parsley. Blend for a while and then add some olive oil. Not too much at the beginning. I prefer to use olive oil instead of tahini. It gives it a softer flavor. I prefer it like that, but you can use tahini instead of olive oil. It is up to you. Keep on blending till you get the texture you want. Add more olive oil if necessary. Finally add some drops of sesame oil. Add some salt to taste.
A perfect dip. Enjoy!

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DRIED SHRIMP CURRY

A different curry for today. Dried Shrimp Curry. Made with my own green curry paste. Rewarding. Delicious. Let’s make this curry.

Ingredients:

1 potato
5 mushrooms
½ squash
½ onion
½ green pepper
½ red pepper
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
¼ pound dried shrimp
Some vegetable oil
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon lemon grass
1 can coconut milk

Thai Green Paste:

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
12 black peppercorns
12 small dried shrimp or 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
20 Thai green chillies
2 shallots
1 lemon grass stalk
3 kaffir lime leaves
Some grated kaffir rind
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh galangal (or ginger, if you cannot get galangal)
½ teaspoon salt
½ tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

First we will make our green paste. We will take the cumin and the coriander seeds and we will dry-roast them in a pan. Be careful, do not burn the seeds. Once this is done, put them in a mortar and grind them along with the peppercorns and the dried shrimp.
Prepare the green chillies. You will have to remove the seeds and chop them a bit. Now we will start mixing all the green paste ingredients in a blender. We will chop the shallots and lemon grass and then we will put them in the blender. We will do the same with the kaffir lime leaves, the galangal and the garlic. We will add the grated kaffir rind. Now we can blend a little. After this, we will add the rest of the ingredients for our paste: the green chillies, the mix with cumin, coriander, dried shrimp and peppercorns. We will blend again and then we will add some sugar, some salt to taste and some vegetable oil. We have to use the oil to get a delicious green paste, so use it to get the paste to your taste. And with this we will have our green paste.
Then we will prepare the potato. Peel it and cut it in pieces. Boil it and when it is ready, reserve it. Now cut the vegetables. Not in very big pieces. Chop the garlic and the ginger.
Once the vegetables are ready, we will start by heating two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok. Then we will sauté the onion and the green pepper. Two minutes later, add the squash, the mushrooms, the red pepper, the garlic and the ginger. Then we will add the shrimp and two or three tablespoons of the curry paste. The rest of the paste you can freeze for the future. Add the fish sauce and the lemon grass, fresh or packaged, as it is more conveniente for you. Cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the coconut milk and keep on cooking for two more minutes. Add the boiled potatoes now. Cook for five more minutes. You can add some fresh cilantro if you want.
Serve hot with rice. Enjoy!

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GOAN CROQUETTES

Let’s go back to Goa today. Goan Croquettes. So delicious. Let’s cook them.

Ingredients:

2 eggs
½ onion
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 dried red chili
1 jalapeno
7 cloves
Some vegetable oil for sautéing
½ pound ground beef
1 slice of bread
Some breadcrumbs
Some vegetable oil for frying the croquettes

First we will prepare the vegetables. Peel the onion, the garlic and the ginger. Remove the seeds of the chili. Cut the jalapeno, the garlic, the ginger and the chili.
The next step will be to sauté the onion, the jalapeno, the garlic, the ginger and the chili. After a couple of minutes, we will add the meat. Cook for a while so that the meat loses all their liquid.
Blend that preparation but make sure it is not too much.
Soak the slice of bread for ten minutes and after that, try to get rid of all the water from the bread. Beat one egg. Mix the egg with the bread and then with the blended meat and vegetables.
Prepare some breadcrumbs and beat the other egg.
Now we will start frying our croquettes. First heat some oil in a frying pan. Make the croquettes with the blended mixture. Soak them in the egg, then in the breadcrumbs and then put them in the frying pan with the hot oil. Make some at at time but not too many at the same time. Get them brown in both sides and when they are done, let them get rid of some oil on kitchen paper towel. Serve hot.
A perfect appetizer. 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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ROASTED CHICKEN WITH POTATOES AND PEPPERS

Roasted chicken. A classic in many places. At least it is in Spain. With potatoes and pepper it is wonderful. I am already salivating. To the kitchen we go!

Ingredients:

1 red pepper
1 green pepper
3 potatoes
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 chicken
Some extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
Some salt to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Some lemon juice

First we will prepare the vegetables. Cut the peppers in strips and slice the potatoes. Chop half the cloves of garlic. If the chicken is not clean, clean it.
Mix some oil with the thyme, the oregano, some lemon juice, some salt and some black pepper. Brush the chicken with that oil, spices and lemon marinade and let it rest for a while.
Then take the chicken in a greased tray to the oven. This must be preheated to 375ºF. Cook it for 20 minutes.
After those minutes, add the vegetables and let it cool till the chicken is done inside and the potatoes are tender. It will be around 40 more minutes. But check it so that our dish is tender enough. It is a good idea to check if the chicken needs some liquid. We do not want our chicken to be too dry. Add some water or even more lemon juice.
And then the chicken will be ready. Something really good and easy to make. Roasted Chicken with Potatoes and Peppers. Carve and enjoy!

**more pics**