Very Easy Spanish Tortilla

While I was living in Swindon 2 years ago I was taught how to make this delicious Spanish Tortilla. I learnt it from the chef of a small Tapas restaurant in old town. It is very easy to make and is most delicious thing in the whole wide world you have to trust me on this one.

3 large potatoes chopped into small cubes
1 large onion
6 eggs
Less than half a cup of good quality olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Take a large deep frying pan
Add the onions and the potatoes and cook it for almost 45-50 minutes until they are nice and soft ( make sure they are not browned and to do that you need to stir them constantly on a very low flame)
Beat the six eggs and add in the pan once the potatoes and onions are cooked and keep mixing it ( it will look like a scrambled egg - but that is fine don't panic)
Once the egg is nicely mixed press it down so that it starts setting in the pan
After 5-6 minutes the bottom of the tortilla must be cooked
At this stage you can either slip it out and flap it over and cook the top bit grill it under a hot grill you choice.
I just flip it out and back in the pan again

It should be golden brown and crisp on the edges. Serve it with a nice tomato salsa.

Aubergine Pesto ( Vegetarian)

What a horrible day it has been today in Glasgow, rain, rain, rain and more rain. This week seems to be going really slowly. As I have said before I love pesto and pasta so last night I made grilled aubergine pesto and had it with spagetthi and lots of parmasane cheese. If you you’ve got a food processor, making your own pesto is a doddle; the quantities for each of those recipes will fill a jam jar and keep in the fridge for about a week. And this is vegetarian as well!!
75 g Mixed Nuts and Seeds
1 small Aubergine
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 Sprig of Rosemary
½ Packet of Fresh Mint
25 g Grated Parmesan
1 tbsp Tomato Purée
Black Pepper
120 ml Olive Oil
Cut the aubergine into fairly thick slices and soak in a bowl of very salty water for about 20 minutes, then drain, rinse well and dry with kitchen paper.
Heat half the quantity of oil in a large frying pan and preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6 (200c).

Fry half the aubergine slices in the hot oil for a few minutes, turning once, then transfer to a small roasting tin. Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the rest of the aubergine, again transferring the cooked aubergine to the roasting tin.

Snip the rosemary up and sprinkle over the aubergine then add the crushed garlic to the roasting tin and put itin the oven for 20-25 minutes until the aubergines are completely soft and cooked through. All the oil that was soaked up during frying should now be swimming around in the tin.

Remove the tin from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes while you get the rest of the ingredients ready then put the aubergines and all the oil into a blender or food processor with everything else and blend or pulse to make a coarse paste, scraping the pesto down from the sides every few seconds.

Pack the pesto into a clean jar and pour another 2 tsp of olive oil on top.

Store in the fridge for a week.

Poached Chicken with butter beans and Chorizo sausages

Poached Chicken with Butterbeans and Chorizo Sausages - My Medley

I came up with this concussion the other day with a bit of this and a bit of that from my refrigerator. I am so proud of it and there is a method in my madness.
So here it is - I had all this in my fridge.

A nice 6 inch chink of spicy chorizo sausage ( cut into small cubes)
1 poached chicken Breast
1 big can of butter beans
1 bell pepper
2 boiled potatoes with the skin
2 spring onion
Handful of baby spinach
1 Red onion
1 Red chilli finely chopped
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 clove of garlic
Lots of Paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh Basil
1 tsp of grain mustard
1 table spoon of Olive Oil
Half a lemon

In a large heavy based pan add the olive oil.
Add in the chillies, garlic, ginger , onions and chorizo sausages and sauté for 5-7 mins
Now add the other vegetables and the diced chicken breast and the spices and let it cook for further 10 mins or so
Serve with a nice squeeze of lemon and some fresh basil leaves

Quick, simple and delicious. Am so proud of it - please try it and let me know how you get on. Vegetarians can replace chicken with tofu or paneer.

Snake Wine, Vietnam - Wierd Food - ooohhhh

Fancy some wine with a difference? A bouquet of snake with some snake blood notes perhaps? Snake wine is a bottle of rice wine with a venomous snake inside and has ‘medicinal purposes’, but is probably more useful for display purposes than to drink.

The snake is left to steep in the rice wine for many months to let the poison dissolve in the wine. The ethanol makes the venom inactive so it is not dangerous, and snake wine supposedly has many health benefits. It has a slightly pink colour like a nice rose because of the snake blood in there.

It originated in Vietnam, where snakes are thought to possess medicinal qualities, but it has spread to other parts of South East Asia and Southern China. Snake blood wine on the other hand is made by slicing the belly of the snake to let the blood drain into the wine and this is served immediately.

Red Thai Seafood Curry with butternut squash

Sunday Blues - I get them too!! And to beat it I treated myself to this delicious Red Thai Curry - Nigela's Recipe which I had seen on the TV it came out pretty good!!

Though I have to say it is damn expensive to make it I spent around a tenner - well for me that is expensive huh.

Any choice of sea food - I took a big steak of salmon ( love the robustness of salmon - I think it can stand up to the flavours of a spicy Thai curry) and 200 gms pack of Cray fish.
1 can of coconut milk
1 small can of butter beans
3 table spoon of red Thai curry paste you can use green if you like I just love the beautiful orange colour it brings it out - like sunshine in a bowl.
1 tsp of tamarind paste
1 lime or lemon
chopped chillies and fresh ginger and 2 cloves of Garlic
baby spinach leaves
1 cup frozen peas
handful of baby-corn
handful of mange tout
any other veg of our choice I added mushrooms too
1 butternut squash copped in bug chunks
1 tsp of sugar
lemon grass
2 spring onion
1 table spoon of olive oil
Lots of chopped fresh coriander
300 mls of fish stick - you can use vegetable or chicken stock if you wish
2 table spoon of fish sauce - gives it that distinct flavour however this is not essential you can do with out it

Heat the oil in a big heavy pan
Add the chillies, ginger and garlic and let it sauté for a minute or so
Add the onions and the thai curry paste and let it cook for 2-3 minutes
Now add the can of coconut milk and stir it
Add the stock
Add all the other vegetables and butter beans and let it simmer until the chunks of butter nut squash are cooked ( should take around 15-20 mins)
Once the butternut squash is cooked add the sea food spinach, tamarind paste, peas and let it cook for 2-3 mins - it does not take time to cook the sea food
Serve with lots of chopped fresh coriander, squeeze of lime juice and some spring onion.

Vagetarians - Can make this curry by using lots of fresh vegables , panner or tofu instead of fish - Chick peas tastes wonderful as well. Instead of fish stock simply use vegetable stock.

Serve with noddles of rice,

Spicy Sweet Potato Mash

It is strange when I was in India I had never tried sweet potatoes and did not know how delicious they can be. When I was living in Swindon, my neighbours who were Portuguese invited me for lunch one afternoon and they served this delicious Spicy Sweet Potato Mash alongside a quiche and some salad. They were kind enough to share the recipe with me, And I am nice enough to share it with you.

I serve this mash with lots of things - some times with some pickle and chapatti, sometimes with poached fish or any grilled meat or with a nice dhal and some rice. Use your imagination.

What you need to make this mash:

2 -3 peeled and boiled sweet potatoes
1/2 tsp of mustard seeds/ or whole cumin
1 finely chopped green chilli
1 small chunk of fresh grated ginger
1 cloves of Garlic - chopped finely
1 small onion ( finely chopped)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of garam masala
1 tsp of coriander powder
1 tsp of mango powder
2 tsp of Tamarind Paste ( I got it from Tesco - easily available in the World Food Section)
1 lemon or lime juice
Lots of fresh Coriander ( essential adds that unbeatable freshness and colour)
2 tsp of oil ( i use olive oil but mustard oil will add more flavour)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large pan and the bay leaf and mustard seeds until they start popping
Sauté the onions chilles and ginger until brown
Now add the Garlic and all the spices, tamarind paste and two tsp of water and let the masala cook for 10-15 minutes until oil starts appearing on the sides of the pan
Now add the mashed potatoes and mix it with the spices and if needed add some more water and stir it cook it until the mixture is mixed and turns into a patty like consistency
Once ready squeeze the lemon/lime juice and add salt to taste
Serve with lots of freshly chopped coriander

Spanish Rice with Tuna or Paneer ( veg option)

Well I love nothing more than watching cookery programmes on the good food channel, curling up on the sofa with a nice cup of hot Indian tea. Last night I saw this delicious recipe on Barefoot Contessa and I am going to try this tonight. So here it is!!

1 tsp olive oil
i green pepper - you can use what you have
I small onion diced
1/2 mug of long grain rice
1/2 mug of water
1 chicken stock cube
1/2 cup frozen peas can be fresh
1/2 cup frozen sweetcorn can be fresh
1 tomato chopped
2 small can of tuna - vegetarians can use paneer ( Indian cheese easily available in all major supermarkets)
salt and pepper
olives - i am going to use the black pitted ones
1/2 cup of kidney beans and some chilli flakes( this is my own addition but it works well with this recipe)

1. Heat the oil in the pan and fry the onions and peppers
2. Add the rice and stir until glistening with oil
3. Add the water and stock cube and stir until the cube dissolves bring to the boil and then bring the heat down and let it simmer
4. Stir the rice and all the other ingredients and let it cook under cover for further 10 minutes until the rice has been cooked and all the water has been absorbed.
5.Season with lots of pepper and salt

I added some chilli flakes and fresh coriander at the end to give it that edge and the green and red specks on top of the glistening rice looked very appetising!!

I know I know pictures would be nice but I cannot be bothered it is just too much of work - For the moment this will have to do!!

Sffron infused Indian Tea (Chai)

I love my Indian tea - this morning I workup a bit early and had the luxury of making a big flask of tea to bring it to work. To my surprise all my colleagues were keen to try my tea as the fragrance was overwhelming and they said it was wonderful. I thought westerners always found India Chai a bit to fragrant and sweet - but apparently I was wrong. So today I am going to share my secret for a perfect cup of tea - there are hundreds of ways people make tea in India and every household has its own style - the one I going to share with you is my Mum's - she loves her tea. Hope you all try it.

Note - you can either use a whole cup of milk , or 1/2 milk 1/2 water I like to use 1 full cup of milk.

I cup Milk
1 cardoon pod
1 clove
1 small chunk of raw ginger
2 tsp of Assam chai leaves or any other tea you may have tea bags would do as well
sugar to taste - I add 2 tsp to mine
saffron

Using a mortar and pestle ground the cardoon, clove and ginger until soft and into a pulp. Mix it with milk and tea leaves and leave it to simmer for 10-15 minutes- leaving it to simmer for a while. Towards the end add a bit of saffron and let it simmer for another minute or so.

Using a tea strainer strain it into your favourite tea pot and enjoy!!

Homemade Spinach & Basil Pesto

Tuesday - I am not in the mood to do much today - just want to have a quick nice meal and crash on the couch. Before coming to work had a look and I have some pine nuts and basil in the fridge so I thought this evening I will make my own basil and spinach pesto.

I love pesto so much. It’s so versatile that you can use it for a whole lot of different things, mix it with pasta, cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella for a quick pasta salad. You can just eat it on fresh bread, use it for pizza. It’s a great starting point for all sorts of things.

Blend 1 1/2 cups spinach leaves, 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (omit if you are freezing the pesto), 2 chopped cloves garlic, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest and 1/2 cup olive oil in a food processor until nearly smooth. Taste the pesto and add more lemon juice, salt, or garlic if desired.

Serve with some hot pasta and lots of cheese. Yummy!!

Pour into ice cube trays to freeze, or store in the fridge in an airtight container.

Caribbean peas and rice

I am not a big fan of Monday :-) so to cheer myself I am going to make this delicious Caribbean peas and rice and eat it with a delicious home made tomato chutney. I tasted this dish in Swindon - in a community fair - I was brave enough to ask the women for the recipe and she was nice enough to give it to me. I have made it several times since then but not in a while so it will be good to make it again this evening.

You need:

3 cups cooked rice (cold leftover rice is OK - it will have to be as I have it ready in my fridge from yesterday!!)
3/4 cups of coconut milk
A couple shakes of dried thyme, or three or four fresh sprigs
1 clove of garlic, minced
Salt to taste
1/2 cup red kidney beans, canned are OK


Heat a good pan over medium heat and add about a spoonful of vegetable oil. When hot, add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds.
Immediately add the coconut milk, the thyme and the kidney beans, along with a couple of pinches of salt, and bring to a boil.
Boil for a couple of minutes, until the coconut milk has reduced by more than half.
Add in the rice, and mash it around until it uniformly absorbs the coconut milk.
Add salt to taste.
Serve with some tomato chutney or a tangy salad with lots of coriander.
That's it. If you have some leftover rice on hand, this can be made in about 5 minutes...and it is really good. Can't wait to go home and make it.

Oatmeal and Chocolate Cake

Better late than never - I am so stupid-have not been able to log into my blog for almost 6 weeks now. Well I made this most delicious oatmeal and chocolate cake on Friday so here it is !

1 cup of easy cook oatmeal
3/4 cup of brown sugar
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 cup of dark chocolate chips
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of salt
2 medium size eggs
1/1/2 cup all purpose flour
vanilla essence
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1,1/2 cup boiling water
20 cm cake tin -

Procedure:
In a large bowl mix the oatmeal and the boiling water and sprinkle the chocolate chips do not stir. Leave aside for 20 mins.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a separate bowl whisk the butter sugar and the vanilla essence adding one egg at a time until nice and creamy.
Mix the butter egg and sugar mixture with the oatmeal mixture and add the flour, baking soda and salt folding the batter gently.

Add the cake batter to the tin and bake it in the oven for 35-40 until a tooth pick inserted in the centre comes our clean.

Let it cool down on a wire rack and then decorate it with a butter icing of your choice. I used a delicious coffee icing but can't be bothered typing about that now.

Enjoy!!