Tostones and Travel

I am off to Antwerp, Belgium this weekend for our ten year class reunion. I am both excited and apprehensive as high school was not exactly a happy time for me.

I will be in Dublin tonight, if anyone is around, should be in the Temple Bar area from 8 onwards. If you're on Twitter or Facebook get my cell phone number there or email me if you're up for meeting up! :)

Before I go I thought I'd leave you with a REALLY easy but tasty recipe, tostones. I first tried tostones when my Mom's Columbian friend Beatriz brought them to a potluck affair at our house. As below she served them with guacamole. Tostones are fairly standard in Central and South America. Plantains look like big bananas but are not as sweet. You can eat them when they are green, yellow or brown! The ones below were fairly ripe and had just started to turn brown. They taste more like potatoes than bananas with a hint of sweetness. In Ireland I have seen them in Green Grocer shops or Asian supermarkets. Give them a try, you won't be disapointed. They would go well with any creamy dip or fruity relish or salsa. I just love them!

2-3 Plantains
Vegetable Oil
Guacamole*

Using a paring knife snip off the ends of the plantains and make a shallow cut lengthwise along the fruit. Use this cut to peel and remove the skin. Slice the plantain into half inch slices.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and fry the plantains 2-3 minutes on each side until slightly brown. Remove to paper towels.

Using a heavy object like the back of a knife, smash the plantains. They should ooze out around the fried section.

Place back in the pan and fry until golden brown and crispy on the outside.

Sprinkle with sea salt and serve as is or with Guacamole.

* I pureed the guacamole for this recipe, as the tostones are quite small and tend to fo better with a puree than chunks!

Right, I'm off to catch a train! :)

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Fajitas Your Way!

Who doesn't love a good batch of fajitas? Whether steak, prawn, chicken or vegetable, they are sure to go down a treat! Growing up we ate fajitas every couple of weeks. Unfortunately it was usually from a mix and my Mom insisted, and still does, on putting mushrooms into it. To this day Mom still uses a mix, but I find this recipe so easy and so incredibly tasty that there's really no need for a commercial mix. I serve this with sauteed onions and red pepper, grated cheddar, guacamole, salsa/pico de gallo and sour cream.

You can use this marinade with any meat or seafood. If using prawns or shrimp, they only need to be marinated for about an hour or the acid from the limes will start to cook them. If you're using fillet or a good cut of steak, again they would only need 3-4 hours before the acid starts to break the fibres down. If you're using a tougher cut of beef (which indeed financially makes sense and after 12-24 hours in the marinade you can't tell the difference), vegetables or chicken, go ahead and leave it marinating overnight or for at least 8-12 hours.

This recipe is fairly standard and you will find variations of it all over the place. This is one that works for us! Personally I would add a bit more heat, but himself and the kids are wusses like that! :)

Ingredients:

• 2lbs raw meat of your choice*
• 1 large bunch coriander (cilantro) chopped**
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 3 limes
• 1 heaped tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp hot or mild smoked paprika
  
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
  
• Pinch ground cloves
• Pinch cinnamon
  
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Zest one of the limes and then juice all three. Whisk the lime juice and zest with the oil, garlic, sugar, spices and cilantro. Taste and season accordingly.

Pour over the meat and marinade for the necessary amount of time (see intro). You can leave steak and chicken whole for grilling and slice afterwards, or you can just stir-fry it already sliced.

To assemble / cook:

• Olive Oil
  
• 1 large onion
• 1 large red pepper
• 1 large green or yellow pepper
• 1 package tortillas
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup grated cheese
• Pico De Gallo
• Guacamole

Saute the peppers and onions in the olive oil to just-under desired consistency. If using the stir-fry method, push them to the sides of the pan and add the meat and marinade. Stir-fry until cooked through. Serve warm with toppings above.

If using the grill method, remove the meat from the marinade and grill until done. Add remaining marinade to the onions and peppers and saute until piping hot. Slice and add in the meat. Serve as above.

* For a vegetarian option, simply replace the meat with a selection of your favourite vegetables. Large flat or portabella mushrooms, aubergine, asparagus and sweet potato all work well and hold the marinade.

** Use all the fresh herb, stalks and everything. You will maximise flavour and minimise waste!

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Carniverous Cannelloni

I've blogged a cannelloni recipe before, a rather tame vegetarian option. I had a hankering for some cannelloni this weekend, but wanted a luscious meaty version. I came up with this and everyone was thrilled. The tubes are stuffed with a rich and flavoursome ragu and are nestled in a bed of cheesy bechamel topped with buffalo mozzarella and parmesan. I used 1lb of sausage meat and 1lb of ground beef. You could really use any combination of ground meal you like. Veal, beef and pork would be lovely, but you could go for a lighter option with turkey or vegetarian with soya, TCP or quorn mince.

The longer you can simmer the ragu, the better it will taste. I will be submitting this to Ruth's Presto Pasta Night. It's been too long! :) This is such a filling and wholesome meal and would be perfect for a big crowd. Enjoy!

Ingredients
For the ragu:

• Olive oil
  
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced
  
• 2 onions, diced
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb sausage meat
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• Grating fresh nutmeg
  
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups tomato sauce (passata)
• 1 tbsp sugar (or more to taste)
• salt
• pepper

Heat olive oil in medium saucepan and add the vegetables. Saute until slightly softened and add meat. Brown and ensure that any clumps are broken up. Add herbs, spices and garlic. Saute for a minute or two until aroma is released. Add in tomatoes, tomato sauce and sugar. Lower heat to medium-low and allow to gently simmer for an hour or so. Season to taste.

For the bechamel:

• 4 tbsp butter
• 4 tbsp flour
• 2.5 cups milk
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
• grating nutmeg
• white pepper
• salt

Heat butter in medium saucepan. Once melted, add flour and stir for 2-3 minutes to form a light roux. Gradually whisk in the milk and bring to a boil until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in cheese and seasonings.

To assemble:

• 1 box cannelloni tubes
• Bechamel Sauce
• Ragu Sauce
• 2 balls buffalo mozzarella, thinly sliced
  
• Handful grated parmesan
• Pinch dried oregano
• Pinch paprika

Grease a large oven dish. Carefully spoon the ragu into the cannelloni tubes. I find the best way to do this is to hold the tube vertically with it's bottom end in the oven dish. Once filled move it to position whilst upright and then lay it down. This ensures the mixture remains in the tube.

Once tubes are filled, spoon any remaining ragu over top of the tubes as pictured above.

Pour bechamel on top of the cannelloni and top with the mozzarella and parmesan. Sprinkle with oregano and paprika for a colourful finish.

Cover with greased foil and bake at 200C/400F for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for a further 5-10 minutes or until pasta is tender. Serve with garlic bread!

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Simple Salmon Cakes

My girls have been going through a bit of a vegetarian phase lately. Well, with the exception of sausage and deli ham, because they are cool like that! But I can't exactly feed them pig for the rest of eternity now, can I?

I decided I would have to try some stealth cooking and sneak some super-healthy salmon into them. Like their Dad, they are mashed potato fiends, so I figured the only way to disguise the "pink meat" would be in a potato pancake. Sort of. I had leftover mashed potato, so this was a quick and easy dinner to throw together.

I had mine with a green salad and some honey mustard dressing. You could add more vegetables to the patties and substitute any other flaky fish for the salmon. Indeed I would have enjoyed adding some red pepper and diced chillies to the patties, but then there would have been "red bits" and all hell would have broken loose! As it was Ella sussed right away that these weren't normal potato pancakes but I shushed her up before Ciara became infected with parrotitis, meaning she does and says everything her big sister does. After some threats and bribery a little persuasion, they each managed to eat about one and a half. I was relatively happy.

Personally I thought the cakes were fabulous. I used a low ratio of salmon to potato to keep the strong taste to a minimum, but if making for adults I might add more salmon and definitely a little heat. If you are using leftover mash, you might not need the egg. If your mash is quite moist when reheated you shouldn't need it. If you are making mash especially for this recipe, don't add butter or cream, just mash the potatoes! You don't want these to fall apart in the pan, so add more breadcrumbs as necessary to make a firm patty. This made me twelve 3 inch diameter patties



Ingredients:

• 2 salmon fillets*, cooked(approx 100g each)
  
• 2 cups mashed potatoes
• 4-5 scallions, diced
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (more if necessary)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2-3 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Oil for browning

Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F.

Mash the fish into the potatoes. Add scallions, parsley, seasoning and breadcrumbs. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Add beaten egg and form into patties.

Heat oil in large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Brown the patties until lightly golden on each side and remove to an oven tray. Repeat with remaining patties.

Bake for about fifteen minutes until piping hot and firm. Serve with greens.

*You could use tinned salmon for this as well. Personally I hate the stuff, but in terms of health benefits I believe it is actually better for you. You might need to add more breadcrumbs as it can be much more oily.



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Ten Tips to a Tasty Efficient Kitchen

Image via Wikipedia

I for one am sick and tired of notable chefs and cooks selling out and buying into the whole "30 minute meal" phenomenon. I won't mention any names Nigella... Delia... ahem! I cook 98% of my food from scratch and it rarely takes me more than 30 minutes to prepare a meal, usually much less. I am of the persuasion that you should not substitute quality to get something on the table quicker.

So instead of bringing you ten ways to save time in the kitchen I am bring you a list of simple changes you can make in your kitchen to ensure fresher, more efficient and better tasting food whilst making the kitchen a more enjoyable place. Ultimately some of them will save you time and money, but taste wise you won't sacrifice a thing!

1. Use fresh herbs. Most recipes require seasoning of some sort and if not, adding some can make quite a difference. Even if you insist on making casseroles with canned soup (and I'm not judging, I made one last week) adding a pinch of fresh chopped thyme brings it to a different level. Most supermarkets carry fresh herbs these days, but it's also very easy to grow a small herb garden on your kitchen window. Currently I have basil, parsley, thyme, oregano, chives, bay leaves and flat-leaf parsley growing. I would have coriander (cilantro) as well, but I haven't been able to get it yet. If you don't have green fingers, like me, I suggest buying the plants already grown. I love just being able to snip a bit here or there and really enhance my cooking. Before growing them myself I would make sure to always have parsley in my fridge and usual a bit of basil too. Ultimately growing your own will save you money and time! I am not opposed to dry herbs, except for parsley, but fresh makes such a taste difference!
2. Grate your own cheese. Seriously. This takes maybe thirty seconds longer, but the taste difference is unbeatable. Pre-shredded cheese usually has a flour or starch coating added to it to separate the pieces. You can often buy one block of cheese for the same price as 3-4 bags of an equal amount of grated cheese. Yes, it will take you a little longer to grate your own, but it's cheaper, tastier and just plain cheese!
3. Buy free-range eggs. As someone on a budget I often have to make concessions and pass up on the lovely organic food I long to buy. However, one thing I will not concede on is eggs. I know battery chickens have a terrible life, but that in itself is not why I choose free-range. I truly believe they have a superior taste and texture. If you don't believe me, buy a battery egg and an organic or free-range egg. Crack them both and look at the colour difference. The free range will have a lovely yellow yolk and a nice thick white. Now fry them up. Add a little salt. Which tastes better? Honestly now! It is worth the small price difference even in baking.
4. Get a good knife. Yes I did say a knife. If you can afford it and want the whole set, don't let me stop you, but really all you need is a decent chef's knife. Some brands to look out for include Wusthof, Global, Sai and Henckel. Personally I love global as they are contemporary looking and weighted. Chefs knives come in all sizes, so pick one that works for you. Personally I don't like a big blade and use a 6.5 inch chefs knife. I also have the hots for Global's smaller santoku knife, which my Mom has. Keep your knife sharp. I give mine a little love every day before using it. Just a few swipes on a steel. If it cuts through a tomato without any pressure you're all set. Take care of your knife. Name it, mine is Al. Never put it in the dishwasher. Learn how to use it. You don't need to go to culinary school to have good knife skills. Just buy some cheap vegetables like onions or cabbage and start practicing, it's all in the wrist. You can even watch some videos here. Ultimately you will save so much time with a good knife and it's a lot less dangerous than a blunt or poor quality knife. Easy and fun!
5. A stick (immersion) blender is all you really need. From someone who at one point had everything BUT a stick blender, take it from me, these babies rock! I used to have a beautiful Kitchen Aid (sniff) and a fabulous Cuisinart food processor as well as various other chopping gadgets back in the US. Now I have a stick blender. It chops, it whisks, it purees, it makes smoothies, it rules! I do have a very nice food processor, but I rarely get it out as the stick blender is sufficient for nearly everything I do and a big time saver in terms of the hassle in getting the processor out and put together and then cleaned up again. Now having said all that if my US KitchenAid worked here I would take it back in a flash, but mainly for the dough hook.
6. Use real garlic. I know how easy it is to buy the jar of already minced stuff, but don't, compared to the real stuff it is NASTY! If you have a garlic press it will take you just as long to crush a clove as it would to open a jar and spoon some garlic flavoured goop out. And for goodness sake no garlic powder in place of fresh garlic in a recipe ok??? I use Al to chop my garlic and I keep promising myself a garlic press, so it takes me a good bit longer than using the jar, but if you have a press or other handy garlic chopper you've no excuse! Use some caution with fresh garlic. I never trust a recipe that has me add garlic with the onions. Garlic burns SO easily and burnt garlic is bitter and horrible. I usually saute onions first and add the garlic for a minute at the end and then follow the recipe as written. Same goes for ginger. Use the real deal and grate it. And lemon juice too. Buy the lemon. Please.
7. Use good chocolate. If you enjoy baking, try not to sacrifice on chocolate. I used to pass on the organic cocoa powder, but I have yet to find anything remotely comparable to Green and Blacks. It is top notch and makes your brownies SO much better. I also always have some high qulaity chocolate bars on hand. This means at least 70% cocoa solids. My favourite at the moment is the Lindt 80% bar, although I plan on trying some of mad Willy's 100% bar as soon as I can source it.
8. No substitute for real butter. If a recipe calls for butter, use butter. If a recipe calls for margarine, use butter. Forget the fat, it's just milk, whereas that other stuff is full of chemicals and tastes like crap. I'd rather cut back on butter than spraying my food with chemicals. A little butter goes a long way. If you like eggs on toast but don't want to sacrifice calories on the butter, add 1/4 teaspoon of butter to the eggs as they are cooking and you will get the taste with less of the fat. I love sauteeing everything in butter, but to cut down on saturated fat I usually use extra virgin olive oil, but toss in a sliver of butter to get the taste I crave. Add a sliver of butter to finished sauces for a velvety finish. If you are in the US and can afford it, I strongly recomment you buy a European butter, as the taste and colour are far superior. I used to buy the French President butter when we lived over there, but you can get our own lovely Kerrygold here as well!
9. Alliums are your friend. Onions, shallots, scallions, leeks, chives and garlic are essential in cooking. No matter how much you think you hate them I can guarantee that all your favourite restaurant foods are full of them. Most soup bases are full of onions and would be tasteless without them. Try sauteeing a few diced shallots before making your normal bechamel or risotto. It adds such a wonderful dimension. Shallots are my favourite in the allium family as they add an almost wine-like presence to food. Leeks are another wonderful vegetable. Just sauteed in a little butter they make the most wonderful acompaniement to any dinner. If you don't like the strong taste of onions, then leeks might be for you. I use alliums in everything. If I looked at my most frequently purchased grocery onions would top milk or bread!
10. Try baking your own bread. I used to be terrified of yeast breads, but now I love them. There is something so incredibly satisfying about kneading your own bread and after awhile it becomes instinctive. I recommend starting with pizza dough and working your way up. It's really not hard - I promise, but if you're still scared, try some beer bread instead.
    

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Luscious Links April 8, 2008

Image via WikipediaJust some groovy foodie links from around the web and other random stuff.

Top Ten Tastiest Food Photography Tips - Some awesome advice here, God knows I could use all the help I can get, but I have a light box on it's way, which should counteract my late night cooking. Hat tip to Red Mum!

Ireland's first Vegan Food Blog is born and I have to say I think it has the best Food Blog name ever - Ommnomnom! Stop by and welcome Victoria to the blogosphere and check out some of her super tasty recipes - I especially love the Mac Cupcakes! ;-)

I've mentioned a few times that Anthony Bourdain is one of my personal food heroes. Turns out he has a blog - woo!

Grannymar has been featuring fabulous recipes every Monday. I can personally attest to the fact that her Gingerbread is spectacular. Rich and moist with an old-fashioned flavour, it is the perfect comfort food and gets even better as it is left to sit! A real winner!

Per Damien - another warm welcome is in order - for a new food blogger to Ireland all the way from Romania, Cristian Roman! Welcome to the Irish blogosphere Cristian.

Fiona from The Waiting Game has released her new site and her book is soon to follow. Congratulations Fiona!

Last in the links, but certainly NOT least is our own Kieran at Ice Cream Ireland, with the announcement of their book release! I am trying to coordinate a camping trip to Kerry to coincide with their launch. Paul doesn't know that yet, but he's an ice-cream fiend, so I am sure there will be no objections! ;-)

*****

On another note, I happened to be in Limerick this past weekend as I do some craft demonstrations on the side and happened to have one scheduled there. The lovely Maz of Style Treaty got everyone together for drinks and tapas on Friday night. I once again got the chance to meet the mischievous Bock the Robber, albeit briefly and learned some interesting facts about Hitler. Does Bock know everything? Hmmm....

Although I had briefly met Val from Val's Kitchen at the blog awards we were really able to chat and she finally understands the complete and utter irony at the title of my blog! Of note is that she is dating Bono. He was there too, and bought a round. You heard it here first folks! ;-)

Margaret, Maz's partner in crime at Style Treaty was also a riot. We were reminiscing about our days living in the Windy City. Does anyone live in Chicago and not fall in love with it? *SIGH*

I got to meet the lovely Lette and her boyfriend Keith, who had me in stitches with his views on child rearing! I finally got to meet the wonderfully talented and incredibly nice Lorraine of Italian Foodies. I also got a fabulous tour of La Cucina the next day, had some , got to meet the absolutely adorable Princepessa and bought loads of Italian storecupboard staples! I brought Paul home some fabulous canneloni too. Thanks Lorraine!

It was a fabulous weekend and thanks to everyone for meeting me and making me feel so welcome in Limerick. Which, by the way, is nowhere near as scary as the media would make you believe. I did not witness one instance of violent crime. I was quite disappointed really! ;-)



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Sabbatical & Stuff

Well it would seem I'm on a sort of unannounced sabbatical from blogging. I do apologise for the inconvenience. Things have been manic here trying to get everything ready for the business launch which keeps getting pushed out. I know some of you have requested samples, but I am waiting on the printing to go with them. As soon as I have that I will contact you for your address.

There's also a contest to announce the winner of! I ended up choosing a name that was not entered into the competition, but I did promise that there would be a winner one way or another! The winner is Darragh with uMix! I loved the name and wish the dot com wasn't taken! :( But Darragh, as soon as everything is up and running I will be in touch to get you your prize of a lovely hamper with all the products! ;-)

EDIT: As much as I love uMix, it's not the name we've gone with, as the dot com is unavailable. The real name will be kept under wraps until the launch, which HOPEFULLY should be May 1! Sorry for the confusion!

Ciara seems to have had it out with the camera cable and I have not been able to upload pictures, also contributing to my lack of blogging. More importantly my ability to report on the fabulous package I received from Blogging by Mail! I just figured out today that my new laptop has a universal card reader, which means I could have been posting since last week. I thought it was just for SD cards, but I'm an eejit as we say here in Ireland! ;-)

I received all the fabulous goodies above from Chef Barbie in California! It was such an awesome package and everything was so me! There was an adorable pink heart ice cube tray, which the kids just love, lots of handy chip clips, mini-cupcake cases, a little bottle of tequila, a Cocktails for Dummies book, lots of wonderful artisan chocolate, the cutest Easter tea towel, a dish cloth, a pretty heart silicon spatula, some delicious organic honey sticks and some useful recipe cards! I was bowled over - such fabulous stuff - all so tasty and practical! Thank you so so much Barbie! Absolutely wonderful. My husband enjoyed lots of the dark chocolate and the tequila (I had planned on making a margarita, but he beat me too it!) and the kids adore the honey sticks! I used the cake cases to make mini-vanilla cupcakes last week and have been using the ice-tray religiously. Heart shaped ice cubes are just too cute! You have excellent taste and I can't thank you enough! Thanks also to The Happy Sorceress for organizing this fun event and putting up with my idiocy! My package should have arrived in, ironically enough, my husband's hometown in Missouri by now. I hope!

Now onto a recipe!

Carrot Soup with Mustard and Leek Welsh RarebitI saw this delightful recipe in the March issue of Delicious and knew I had to make it. Up until maybe two years ago I thought I hated carrots. They were the staple vegetable in our household growing up and I could not stand them cooked (or overcooked as it were) or raw! Since I discovered how sweet and tasty they are I am hooked. I'm making up for all the years carrots were on my black list somewhere between courgette and lamb.

This recipe is really very good. The soup uses a handful or rice to thicken it. This gives it the most aromatic silky background and is a trick I will use again. The soup is sweet and velvety and it scored big with the whole family. The Welsh rarebit was a first for my American hubby, but as it featured beer he was suitably impressed. Welsh rarebit is basically a fancy grilled cheese sandwich. Even the kids ate it, which I didn't expect due to the leeks. All in all this is a wonderfuly flavourful, inexpensive and healthy lunch that impressed all. I was really tempted to add some toasted cumin seeds to the soup, but I restrained myself and am glad I did.

For the Soup (serves 4)

• 50g butter
• 500g carrots, sliced
  
• 300g sweet potato, diced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2tbsp uncooked rice (I used basmati)
• Grating nutmeg
• 1.2 litres begetable stock or water, hot
• 4 bay leaves

Melt butter in large pot. Toss in vegetables and toss until coated in butter. Cover and cook for ten minutes, adding a little water if necessary. Add rice nutmeg and stock and cover and simmer for another 20-30 minutes. Use a stick blender to blend to desired consistency or whizz in batches in a food processor or blender.

For the Welsh Rarebit

• 25g butter
• 2 leeks, washed and finely sliced
• 150g strong/mature cheddar
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 egg yolk
• 1-2tsp English mustard (I used Dijon)
• 2 tbsp beer
• Pinch cayenne pepper or tobasco sauce
• 2 slices square cut bread, lightly toasted

Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the leeks. Cook for about five minutes until soft and wilted.

Combine cheese, Worcestershire sauce, egg yolk, mustard and cayenne in a small bowl, mashing well. Add the leeks and mix well. Add the beer and mix into a spreadable paste, adding more if neccessary.

Spread the cheese mixture over the toast and put under your grill until bubbling. Slice into triangles. Serve with the soup and place a bay leaf on each bowl for a simple but flavoursome garnish.

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