RISSOTO EXPRESS

INGREDIENTS

- One of rice per person
- 1 carrot
- 1 small onion
- A piece of pumpkin
- 1/2 zucchini
- 60g of grated parmesan cheese
- 100 ml white wine
- 600ml vegetables or chicken soup (or make some soup with a bouillon cube eg. Avecrem)
-  Basil and salvia (optional)
- Olive oil and butter

PREPARATION

- Chop the vegetables and grate the carrot.

-  Heat some oil and butter in a saucepan when it gets very hot stir in the onion. Cook it until it gets soft.

- Reduce the heat and mix in all the other vegetables.

- Once the vegetables are ready, throw in the rice and stir a few minutes more. Let it cook until the wine is evaporated

- Add the soup little by little. Remove frequently and add more stock when necessary until the rice is almost cooked.

- At that point switch off the heat. Add the parmesan cheese and cover with a lid. The remaining heat will melt the cheese and will finish to cook the rice

- You can very easily adapt this recipe to take advantage of the veggies of the season or the leftovers of your fridge: mushrooms, sweet potato, leek...

LENTILS " A LA JARDINERA"

INGREDIENTS

- 300g lentils ( Soak the lentils overnight)
- 100g carrot
- 100g onion
- Olive oil
- A spoon of sweet paprika (pimentón dulce)
-100g tomato (previously fried)
- 100g pumpkin
- 80g green pepper
- 150g potato
- 3-4 segments of garlic
- 60g chorizo
- 100 ml white wine
- 30 ml vinegar
- 500 ml water
-Salt

PREPARATION

- Chop up the veggies and slice the garlics.

- Fry the garlic and the onion slightly until it get soft. Later add the carrot, the pumpkin, the potato and the pepper.

- When it is almost cooked add the tomato sauce or a grated tomato

- Add the chorizo.

- Mix in the lentils and add paprika to taste.

- Cover with the vinegar and some white wine. Let it cook together for a while so that it leaves all flavour come out.

- Add some water until covering the mixture. Finally add some salt and let the pot simmer until the lentils get soft. In my case it took around 1h. And enjoy this delicious pot on winter.

BABA GANOUSH - MUTABAL OR AUBERGINE HUMMUS (Pict coming soon)

INGREDIENTS

- One big aubergine
-  the juice of 1 medium lemon
- One small segment of garlic (or even half )
- 2 tbsp of tahini (sesame paste)
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- salt and ground cumin
- sesame seeds, parsley or  paprika (pimentón dulce) on the top to decorate

PREPARATION

- Preheat the oven and place the aurbergines next to the top part on a rack (remember to prick it or it may explode and you will have to clean the overn later....)

- Let it cook around 20 min . Turn it frequently to blacken equally all the skin. Once it is toast placethe rack  in a middle position in the oven and let it cook for another 20 min or till the flesh is soft.

- Let the aubergine chill and mash it with a fork until  you get a paste. If you don't have time you can also use a blender as I did (Trick to peel: When the vegetable is still hot wrap with a  newspaper or put in a plastic bag, the skin will come out more easily)

-  Transfer the paste to a bowl and add the lemon juice, the tahini, the salt and the cumin and mix well. Taste it and correct for salt, lemon or tahini if needed

- Decorate the top and enjoy it with  some pita bread with Ana's recipe ;)

Ricotta Gnocchis

INGREDIENTS

- 210 g Ricotta cheese
- 1,5 tbsp sugar (I would use even less)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tbsp water
- 3/4 cup flour + some to work
- 2 tbsp butter

PREPARATION

- In a bowl  mix the egg, the sugar, the salt and the ricotta cheese

- With the help of a spatula add the flour and work the mixture till you can form a ball. Do not overknead it!

-In a floured surface cut the dough into portions and form stripes

- Cut the stripes with a sharp knife into pieces of 1,5 cm aprox

- Boil the pasta around 2 minuts. It is easy to know when they are cooked because they will float on the water!

- Pour in in a sieve and put some cold water. Add butter (optional)

Figs Jam! Yummy

From the blog of my baking teacher: thediaryofacakemaker.com

INGREDIENTS

- 600g fresh figs
- 450g sugar
- 200ml water
- 100ml freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 cinnamon stick

PREPARATION

- Chop up the figs into pieces and put in a heavy based pot along with the rest of the ingredients.

- Turn on the heat and bring the ingredients to the boil. Then once it’s at the boil, lower the temperature and simmer away for around 20 – 25 minutes. I used a sugar thermometer to maintain the temperature of the ingredients at 104ºC which is perfect for jam.

-To test that the jam is ready, what I did was put a plate in the freezer for five minutes. I took the plate out and put a blob of the jam liquid on the plate and leave for a minute or so. If the jam forms a skin then it is ready. Remove the cinnamon stick from the pot.

-(Optional)Take a sieve and strain the ingredients into a bowl or pot.

- Once strained, pour the jam into a sterilised jar or two (boil the jars). Let the jam cool without the lid.

- Once cooled, put the lid on and keep it upside down to take out the air

 

Pà de Sant Jordi

This is another super tasty and easy recipe from the Cuina per Llaminers blog!

INGREDIENTS

- 400 g bread flour
- 200g lukewarm water
- 10g fresh yeast
- 80g sobrassada
- 100g granted chesse ( I used parmesan)
-5g salt

PROCEDURE

- Take the yeast into pieces and mix it with a small part of the lukewarm water

- In a second bowl, add the flour, the salt and the remaining water. Knead until you get an elastic texture. At that point add the mixture od yeast and water.

-Knead the dough in a surface with flour for 20 min

-Divide the dough into two portions. One should weight 100g more than the other one. Now add the sobrassada broken into small pieces in the small portion and the granted cheese in the other one. Knead separately the two doughs until they are smooth and homogeneous.

- Place them in to bowls with flour and cover it with a cotton fabric. Let them rise until dobled size.

- Put the two balls on a surface with flour and divide the cheese one into 5 equal parts and the sobrassada one in 4. Now shape stripes with the portins and place them alternated in a baking tin that will have previously greased.

-Let it rise again until doubled size again (1 hour aprox.)

- Cook in the oven at 180ºC for 35 - 40 min

- Chill it on a rack and enjoy!

TORTELL DE REIS

With three moths of delay here it comes the Tortell de Reis...

I've been following for quite a long time a blog which I love that it is called CUINA PER LLAMINERS
I highly recommend you all to take a look. This reciepe is an example of what can you find there.
The link is: www.cuinaperllaminers.com
And moreover she is a researcher too ;)

INGREDIENTS

* FOR THE 1st DOUGH

- 20g fresh yeast
- 35g full fat milk (lukewarm)
- 75g Flour type 405 (Harina de fuerza)

* FOR THE 2nd DOUGH

- 50 ml full fat milk
- 125g sugar
- 2 eggs
- 70g butter
- 400g flour type 405
- 5g salt
- 15g deshidratated milk
- Zest of a half lemon and half orange
- Pinch of vainila
- Pinch of cinammon

* FOR THE "CREMA PASTISSERA"

- 5 egg yolks
- 125 g sugar
- 50g maizena
- 625ml full fat milk
- Cinnamon sticks
- Lemon zest

* FOR THE DECORATION

- Water with sugar (must be dense)
- Candied fruit
- Beated egg
- The king and the broad bean! (wrapped with film)

PROCEDURE

* 1st DOUGH

- Take the yeast into pieces and dissolve it in the lukewarm milk. Let the mixture rest for 10 min.

- Add the flour and stir together until getting an homogeneous and elastic dough

- Cover the bowl with a cloth and let in rise in a warm place away from any  draught. For example into the oven. It will be ready when it will have doubled the size. At that point the dough can be stored in the fridge in case you want to continue another day and take it out one hour before using it.

* 2nd DOUGH

- In a bowl mix together the flour, the powder milk, the sugar, the salt, the cinnamon, the vainila, the zest of the lemon, the butter and the beaten eggs

- Knead and add lukewarm milk little by little until getting and homogeneous texture

- Add the first dough to the mixture and work the two together until totally combine them (10min). If it is too sticky correct it by adding some extra flour.

- Let it rest in a floured bowl covered with a cotton cloth. It should doble the size again (5h aprox)

- Knead the dough around 2 minuts and make a hole in the middle to shape the tortell.

- Put it in a baking tray with a baking paper under and place any round object (like a little bowl) in the hole you made so that it does not close with the next rising. Remember to grease it or put flour to make it easy to remove afterwards ;). Let it rest covered with a cloth until the next day

- Now the cake is ready to be decorated with the candied fruits. When you have it, paint it with beaten egg and cover it with the water with sugar.

- Cook for 20 - 25min at 180-200 ºC. If it is getting brown to early remember you can cover it with aluminium paper at any point.

* CREMA PASTISSERA

- Boil the milk with the lemon zest and the cinnamon stick yo aromatize it. Drain it when ready and reserve it.
- In the meantime beat the eggs and mix them with the sugar. Finally add the maizena little by little with a coulander to avoid lumps and add the milk.
- Put the mixture back to the heat and do not stop stiring until getting the desired thickness. Let it chill and it will be ready to use. If you want to keep it in the fridge cover it with a plastic film directly in contact with the cream.


Now cut the the tortell and fill it with the cream. Do not forget to add the king and broad bean and remember where you placed it or you will have to pay the cake :)