CHEESEBURGERS

Can I show you something about making burgers? I am sure I can’t. Nonetheless I will show you here how I make my own cheeseburgers.
I like to make them using ground or chuck beef. The quality of the meat will be very important, of course. And good cheese, I like it sharp.

Ingredients:

½ lb ground or chuck beef, enough for two burgers
3 slices sharp cheddar cheese
Some sliced onion
Some lettuce
2 tomato slices
Some dill pickle, sliced
Salt and pepper
2 hamburger buns

Divide the meat in two. Cut a slice of cheese in half and fill each portion of meat with that cheese. That will make really creamy burgers. I put the two burgers on a pan and cook them without any oil as the meat has its own fat already. With the help of a spatula I turn them over several times so that the meat is cooked well. Get ready the rest of the ingredients and once the meat is done you can put them in the buns. Then, on top of the burger you put the rest of the ingredients: onion, lettuce, tomato, pickle and a bit of salt and pepper.
Of course, you can have your own variations. If you like it, you can add some bacon, for example.
And finally, you know, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise… The sauce(s) you like, if any. Serve with some fries or chips. It is up to you. Happy burger!

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JERK CHICKEN

A Jamaican treat. A very popular dish originally from the Caribbean but now an almost everyday American recipe. A symphony of flavour.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup lime juice
2 cloves of chopped garlic
½ cup chopped onion
1 chopped green onion
1 chopped red chilli
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon thyme
1 teaspoon ground sage
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

First I prepare the chicken. I cut it in small pieces but if you want, you can use bigger pieces. This is what I do. I cut the chicken in small pieces and I prepare the marinade. In a container I put all the ingredients, mix well, cover and let it marinate for some hours in the fridge. I would recommend four hours at least.
Then I cook the chicken in the oven. I put the chicken on a tray along with some of the marinade, directly in the preheated oven to 400ºF for 30 minutes. Check it a couple of times and pour the rest of the marinade when the chicken is almost done.
Of course, if you have the opportunity, you can cook the meat on a grill or barbecue.
You can serve it in many ways. This time I cooked some rice with beans and a little salad. A good idea is to serve the chicken in a warm wheat tortilla along with a salad (lettuce, tomato, onion, dill pickle, green olives and corn). Enjoy.

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SPANISH OMELETTE

A simple dish, apparently. Eggs, potatoes and, if you want, some onion. Just that. This dish, tortilla de patata in Spanish, is typical of my country, Spain. You can find it everywhere, in bars, restaurants and of course in every home.

Ingredients:

You can make your omelette with or without onion. When I was a kid I preferred it without onion but now I like it with a bit of onion. It gives the omelette a special taste.
To make a small omelette you will need:

A quarter of a medium onion (if you decide to put onion in the omelette)
3 medium potatoes
2-3 eggs
Oil (olive oil or some other healthy vegetable oil)
A pinch of baking powder
A pinch of salt
1-2 tablespoons milk

It seems a simple dish but believe me, it is not easy to make a tortilla de patata. Beginners will realize soon but I encourage you to try, it is worth it.
There are different ways of making a Spanish omelette. I will describe the way I use.
First we will chop the onion, if used. Then we will prepare the potatoes. First, pealing them and then cutting them in pieces resembling a quarter of a dollar, but thicker. Some people cut them in bigger slices, others even in cubes. You choose. When I prepare the onions and potatoes, I put the cut pieces on a dish that I will use later to turn the omelette over. It must be a big dish, slightly bigger than the frying pan you will use to cook the omelette. I use a plastic dish, a light but firm one.
Well, then we have to fry the onions and potatoes. I use a frying pan that I only use to make Spanish omelette. Tortillas love their pans and don’t like sharing them with other dishes. I don’t use too much oil for frying the onions and potatoes. I don’t want my omelette to be too oily. I prefer to be stirring the pieces of potato so that they fry evenly and don’t get stuck to the pan. You can use olive oil or some other healthy vegetable oil. You choose. Once the onions and potatoes are fried, I remove the frying pan from the stove.
Then I beat the eggs, adding baking powder, salt and milk. You must be sure you will have enough to make the omelette evenly.
Once you have the eggs ready, put the pan on the stove again, at medium heat, and pour the eggs on the pan over the potatoes. Make sure the eggs are evenly spread.
You must be sure the omelette doesn’t get stuck to the pan. I use a wooden spatula to make sure that doesn’t happen, applying it in the outer part of the pan. And something very important, shake the pan, avoid the sticking.
Once you think the omelette is a bit done, take the pan out of the stove, and over the sink, just in case, put the plastic dish on the pan and carefully turn it over. You will have the omelette on the dish now. Put it now in the pan again and back to the stove so the other side is cooked. Keep on shaking the pan. I recommend that you turn over the omelette several times; it is the best way of making sure it doesn’t get stuck and it is evenly cooked. Use the spatula in the outer part of the pan to give the omelette a wonderful rounded rim.

Some people cook it in a different way. Once they have the fried potatoes and the eggs beaten, they mix it in a bowl and then they pour it in the frying pan, adding oil if necessary. Then they proceed in the same way I have said. You choose; maybe this way is easier for beginners.
You can eat the tortilla as a tapa, a little piece on a slice of bread or in a bocadillo, a sandwich made with a baguette. And on a dish, of course. Enjoy.

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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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