CRAB & SPAM TERRINE

Cooking with Spam? Why not? It is not the best meat but if you mix it with good ingredients, you can get something delicious. This is what I will try.

Ingredients:

1 can Spam (or similar)
1 can crab soup
Some extra virgin olive oil
1 green onion
¼ cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 eggs
12 shrimp
Some freshly ground black pepper

First we will prepare the vegetables. We will chop the celery, the green onion and the garlic. In a frying pan with extra virgin olive oil we will sauté the vegetables, starting with the celery and leaving the green onion and the garlic for the last moment. We will turn the heat off and then we will add the shrimp.
We will pour the crab soup in a container and then we will add the Spam. We will mix it so that we get a paste. Then we will add the vegetables and the shrimp to the container. We will beat the eggs and add them to the container, mixing everything well. You do not need to add any salt. Canned food contains already a lot of salt.
Then we will poor the mix in a terrine mold. And that terrine mold in an oven tray which will contain some water. So we will use a bain-marie to cook our terrine. We will take both the terrine mold and the oven tray to a preheated oven to 350ºF for about 60 minutes. Once it is ready, we will have to let it cool for a while. When it is cool, we will remove our dish from the terrine mold. And you will only have to slice it and serve it. A delicious Spam terrine!

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CORNED BEEF

Another classic. Wonderful beef. With vegetables. For sandwiches. Lots of possibilities. You can buy your canned corned beef but I am going to show you how to cook your own Corned Beef. You will find it far more delicious. It will be something different.

Ingredients:

1 corned beef brisket
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme
2 potatoes
1 carrot
12 mushrooms
1 bottle of beer
Some water
Some salt to taste
Some freshly ground black pepper

I normally use my pressure cooker to cook my Corned Beef. It is fast ant it works very well.
First we will prepare the vegetables. We will peel the potatoes and the carrot. Then we will cut them in little pieces. We will cut the mushrooms as well.
Once everything is ready, we will put the beef brisket in the pressure cooker. We will put the beer and some water so that the meat is almost covered. We will add the bay leaves and the thyme now. Then we will close the pressure cooker and following the directions of the cooker maker, we will let the brisket cook for 30 minutes, starting counting when the pressure cooker begins to steam. At that moment you will have to lower the temperature.
Once the brisket has been cooking for 30 minutes, we will open the cooker and then we will add the rest of the ingredients: the potatoes, the carrot, the mushrooms and the black pepper. We will add some salt to taste as well.
We will close the pressure cooker again and cook for 30 more minutes. And then, after those 30 minutes, our Corned Beef will be ready. We will open the cooker again and remove the liquid. Now, just cut the Corned Beef in thin slices, always against the grain. And finally, serve it with the vegetables. Your own Corned Beef. What a difference!

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ANCHOAS EN VINAGRE

More anchovies! One of the tapas you can find anywhere in Spain. I really miss those tapas, those authentic Spanish tapas you can enjoy in the bars in Spain. And I love anchovies. And vinegar, olive oil and garlic. What else can you ask for?

Ingredients:

20 anchovies
1 teaspoon dill herb
Some red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon Spanish pimentón (paprika)
Some salt to taste
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
Some extra virgin olive oil

First of all we will prepare the anchovies. This time I used frozen anchovies. It is important to do something if you used them fresh. It is a bit risky to eat uncooked fish, so I think that it is a good idea to freeze the anchovies before we prepare our Anchoas en Vinagre. Then it will be safe to eat them without using heat to cook them.
We will have to remove head, bones and guts from the anchovies. You also have to remove the sort of spine they have on their back.
Once the anchovies are clean, we will put them in a container. We will add the dill herb, the pimentón and the red wine vinegar, just to cover all the anchovies. We will close the container and put it in the fridge. The anchovies should be for some hours in the fridge. I would say that the best option is having them in the fridge overnight. To serve them, just remove the anchovies from the container and add the chopped garlic and the extra virgin olive oil. Add some salt to taste and if you want, you can also add some chopped parsley. And enjoy them! I will!

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