PAPAS CON MOJO

A Spanish dish today. From the Canary Islands, to be more precise. Potatoes and a delicious sauce. Simple but delicious. The Canary Islands. That paradise off the African coast. A bridge between Spain, Africa and America.

Ingredients:

4 red new potatoes
4 tablespoons of salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
½ teaspoon Spanish pimentón
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
Some drops of Tabasco sauce

First we will wash the potatoes thoroughly. It is better if the potatoes are not too big. I prefer small red potatoes for this recipe. We will put the potatoes in a pot that can be closed with a tight-fitting lid. We will add water just to cover the potatoes. Now we will add the salt. It is not a problem to add so much salt. In fact, that will make our potatoes to be delicious and they will not seem too salty. I promise. We have to boil the potatoes on a strong fire. We will cover the pot with the lid. If the lid is not tight-fitting, we can put a kitchen cloth between the lid and the pot so that it is tighter. We will shake the pot from time to time. We will do this to make sure that the potatoes do not get burned. When there is not much water left the potatoes will be ready. We will turn off the fire then.
We will have to prepare the sauce, the mojo. To do this, we will mix the olive oil, the vinegar, the garlic, the pimento, the parsley and the Tabasco sauce.
Now we will only have to serve our potatoes, our papas. Open the potatoes in half and pour some mojo over them. Put the rest of the mojo in a bowl to have more sauce at the table. Enjoy!

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STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

More stuffing. We will stuff some chicken breasts today. This is one of those recipes that I remember from my childhood. Chicken breasts, cheese and red pepper. Something creamy and delicious. You can make it using other ingredients. I will show you how I make it though. Let’s cook.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast
Some flour
1 egg
Some breadcrumbs
Some grated parmesan cheese
Some parsley
Some salt to taste
Some freshly ground black pepper
2 pieces of roasted red pepper
2 slices sharp cheddar cheese
Some vegetable oil

First we have to start with the chicken. I normally use frozen chicken breasts for this recipe. I do this because I can cut the chicken in the way I need it in an easier way. The trick is cutting the chicken breast before is completely thawed. Then it is easy to cut the chicken breast to be stuffed later. Do not cut the chicken completely. It is important to leave the chicken in one piece but with a bit cut in the middle, like slicing a pouch in the meat. I do not usually pound the meat thin but you can do it. Add some salt and pepper to the chicken.
Now we will have some flour ready and prepare one container or bowl with one beaten egg and another one in which we will mix the breadcrumbs, the parmesan cheese and the parsley. We will mix the contents of this container and then we will start with the meat. First we will dredge the chicken in the flour. But do not use too much flour. The next step is to put the chicken in the bowl with the beaten egg. Now we will put the roasted pepper and the slice of cheddar cheese inside the chicken breasts. Now we will coat the chicken breast with the mixture of breadcrumbs, parmesan and parsley.
While we do this, we will heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan. When it is hot enough, about 325ºF, we will start frying the Stuffed Chicken Breasts. We will cook the breasts on both sides for some minutes. When they are done, being sure they have been cooked thoroughly inside, we will remove them from the frying pan and will put them on kitchen paper towel. You will get rid of some oil by doing this.
And then your Stuffed Chicken Breasts will be ready to serve. Enjoy them with your favourite side!

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MACKEREL RACHEADO

Let’s go back to India today. In fact, we will go to Goa. A paradise in India, with an important Portuguese influence. We will cook some fish today. Mackerel. A cheap but delicious fish. You can cook it in many ways. We will cook it with a masala today. Racheado.

Ingredients:

2 mackerel
3 tablespoons Racheado masala

I normally use prepacked Indian Racheado masala. It is very convenient and not very difficult to find. But of course, you can try to make it at home. To make your own masala grind five red chillies (kashmiri, for example), two cloves of garlic, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon coriander, three cloves, five peppercorns and a piece of ginger. Then mix all that with vinegar and two tablespoons of tamarind water. With this you will get a paste that will be a good masala for your mackerel.
Racheado, or recheado, in fact, is a Portuguese word that means “stuffed”. So what we will do is stuffing the mackerel with this wonderful masala.
First we will prepare the fish. We will clean it thoroughly. We have to be sure it is well cleaned. Remove the bones of the fish. The fins too. And of course the head. Once the fish is cleaned, we will have to stuff the mackerel with some of the masala. Apply some masala outside also. Then we will let the mackerel marinate for a couple of hours.
And after that we will only have to grill our Mackerel Racheado. Grill the fish for 4-5 minutes on each side. Do not overcook.
And now, enjoy your Mackerel Racheado!

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