Plantain Patties

People tend to think that making a wholesome vegetarian meal is harder than it really is. This idea came to be because my brother found green plantains on sale 10 for $1 and bought 10. There were 6 left in my father's fridge and I thought...what can I do with these...? I know, I'll make plantain patties! This was a complete invention, but I was very happy the result, and not one patty was left out of the 12-14 that were made, which is always a good sign!

Ingredients for Plantain Patties:

-6 peeled and mashed semi-green plantains
-2 eggs
-5 diced scallions
-1/2 yellow onion
-a whole head of garlic
-fresh parsley
-fresh cilantro
-1/2 cup of white flour
-a spoon of salt
-pepper
-a spoon of paprika
-vegetable oil for frying

Ingredients for Sauteed Mushrooms:

-a package of whole mushrooms
-1/2 yellow onion
-5 pieces of garlic
-salt and pepper to taste
-olive oil for cooking


How to make Plantain Patties:

Take the semi-green plantains and make a slice on the side and pop the plantain out of it's peel. If the peel doesn't come off then use a knife to slice it off. Dice the plantains up and place them in a bowl. Then use your hands to mash them up. Cut the ends off of the scallions and remove the outer layer and rinse. Dice the scallions and 1/2 onion up and add them to the plantain mixture. Crush the head of garlic using a garlic press into the bowl. Break two eggs into the mixture along with some salt, pepper and two hands of chopped parsley and cilantro. Mix the ingredients and then put the bowl in the fridge for a little while to allow the mixture to marinate.

In the meantime you can prep the mushrooms. First cut the ends off of the whole mushrooms, fill a big bowl with water and place the mushrooms in the water and push them down and allow them to rise to the surface a few times. Then pour out the water and repeat 2-3 times until clean. Try to shake the excess water off of the mushrooms. Next, cut them in quarters and put them in an oiled preheated pan. Add the 1/2 diced onion to the pan and the sliced garlic and saute on low. If you've got some white wine add 1/4 cup and allow to evaporate. Sprinkle with salt and continue sauteing until done. If the ingredients get too dry, add some water and continue sauteing until the mushrooms are done.

To finish making the Plantain Patties, remove the mixture from the fridge, pour 1/2 inch of vegetable oil into a pan and put on medium heat. A trick to see if the oil is hot is to throw a piece of garlic into the oil and if it starts to fry then you know it's ready, if it doesn't then heat the oil until the garlic starts to cook. I tried to premake the patties, but the mixture was too wet and sticky, so it's best to make them and drop them into the hot oil as you go. To do this, take a handful of the plantain mixture and form a patty shape, sprinkle some flour on each side while in your hand and drop the patty into the pan. It may seem too liquidy, but believe me, the patty will harden and stick together when fried. Allow to cook until brown and then flip. Make sure that each side is nice and brown to ensure that the patties are completely done.


As the patties are done, place them on a plate with paper towel to soak up some of the excess oil on the patty. Serve the patties with the side of sauteed mushrooms and a little salad. Feel free to eat the patty with your favorite sauce. My father ate them with hot sauce.

I hope that you enjoy this recipe and keep on keeping on in the kitchen!

Spanish Tortilla

It has been a while since I've added a dish, I am very sorry! I will say, I have taken pictures of quite a few dishes, but in the end opted not to add them...yet...
What you need for this dish:

3 potatoes
2 onions
7 eggs
olive oil and vegetable oil




First, peel and wash the potatoes and cut them into squares. Fill a pot with vegetable oil and begin frying the potatoes. You want them to be done, but take them out before they turn brown. Next, slice the 2 onions up and saute in 2 to 3 spoons of olive oil. Continue sauteing until lightly brown and turn off. As the potatoes are done, scoop them up with a utensil with holes in it so that the oil drains a little, but not completely as the oil will help the egg not stick to the pan, put in the plate sized (or slightly smaller) pan with the already cooked onions. When the potatoes and onions are done, sprinkle some salt on them and put on low heat stirring as you beat 7 eggs. To know how much salt to use, sprinkle a little salt on each egg in the bowl prior to mixing. When mixed, evenly spread the potatoes and onions in the pan and pour the eggs on top. Leave on medium heat and let cook for about 5 minutes. Then, use a spatula and make sure that the sides of the tortilla are not stuck to the sides of the pan.

The trick* Place a large plate over the pan and flip the tortilla over after the initial 5 minutes. It'll still be only half cooked and some egg may leak out, but no worries! Slide the tortilla back into the pan and allow to cook for another 5 minutes...repeat this process two more times or until you think that the tortilla is fully cooked. Here in Spain, people like to eat it still wet in the middle, I am not a fan of this though and like to cook the tortilla through.

Serve with your choice of side. In the photo below I served it with Spanish pisto that I also made. Enjoy and keep cooking!!

Mushroom and Cheese Empanada

This recipe was created like most, by default! I had some seta mushrooms in the fridge and thought, what should I do with them? Then I had some leftover scraps of empanada dough too that had to be used soon. So I said 1+1=2 isn't it? I'll make an empanada!

Ingredients needed:

-100g of seta mushrooms
-an onion or leek
-a quarter or half of a tomato
-two tbsp. of tomato sauce or paste
-a tbsp. of olive oil
-150g of the cheese of your choice
-two tbsp. of butter
-1/3 cup of milk
-empanada dough
-four tbsp. of flour
-an egg
-salt

First rinse the seta mushrooms off and dry off with some paper kitchen towel. Slice the mushroom up in strips, dice up an onion and/or leek and cut the tomato up. Pour a spoon of olive oil in a pan and saute the lightly salted vegetables on medium heat for about 10 minutes. You don't want the vegetables to be too done, but you want them to have released their juices and have browned a bit.
When the vegetables are done, turn them off and allow them to cool for several minutes. In the meantime, make the cheese sauce! Melt the butter in a pot. Add two tbsp. of flour and whisk so that the flour cooks. Mix in the milk, adding it little by little. You want the bechamel sauce, which is what you are making, to be thick. You don't want it to be too liquidy so make sure to add the milk little by little and if it's getting too liquidy then don't add all the milk. Whisk the sauce, under a low flame. It'll thicken in a few minutes. When it seems done, add 1-2 tbsp. of tomato sauce, some salt and the grated cheese and mix. You can also add pepper or fresh herbs. There are no rules to cooking so feel free to experiment! After the cheese has melted and is mixed in well, pour the seta mushroom mixture into the cheese sauce, stir in and then allow to cool.

To prepare the dough, sprinkle flour on the kitchen top. If it's leftover empanada dough as I had, then roll it into a ball, put it on the kitchen top, flatten it out with your hand and then roll out with a floured rolling pin. Flip the dough over and roll out each side several times in order to make a square or circle. You'll have to make two of these same shapes for the empanada. Of course the easiest thing is, if you are using new frozen dough that has already been semi-rolled out and is shaped so it's easier to work with. You can see more detailed images of how to do this in previous empanada postings.
Preheat the oven on high. Place a piece of parchment paper on a large cookie pan, place the rolled out dough on top and then pour the filling on the dough. Spread it out, being careful not to break the dough. Once the filling is rolled out, place the other dough on top, and then roll the sides of the lower dough in with the sides of the upper dough layer. Brush the egg on the dough and then lightly poke holes in the top with a fork.

Lower the oven temperature to 180C/356F and place the empanada in the oven. Allow to bake for 25-35 minutes. Remove from the oven when the top has browned like in the picture below:
When done, take the empanada out of the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes and then cut and serve! Try not to burn yourself i your excitement to try this yummy treat!

Remember that you can make just about any kind of empanada. The key is to make sure that the filling isn't too liquidy and to roll the sides of the empanada up so that it doesn't open up in the oven.

Enjoy and keep enjoying the kitchen!

Ginger Salmon with Shrimp

Ingredients needed to serve two people:

-2 fillets of salmon
-100g of shrimp
-fresh ginger
-2 pieces of garlic
-a medium onion
-a piece of a chili pepper
-3 spoons of soy sauce
-a spoon of honey
-3 spoons of olive oil


One of the best ingredients that you can have in the kitchen is soy sauce. It's natural, healthy, tastes delicious and whether it's mixed with sugar, honey, lemon, orange juice, ginger, garlic, chili pepper or even vinegar, it can be used in an unlimited number of ways.

To prepare this dish, slice up an onion, pour 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium pan and saute for 2-4 minutes. Add the finely sliced garlic and continue sauteing for another 1-2 minutes.


















In the meantime, peel the ginger with a spoon. That's not a typo a spoon! Grate the piece of ginger the size of a finger and sprinkle it over the salmon.


















Put the salmon in the pan and pour the soy sauce in the pan and allow to simmer for about 4-5 minutes per side. When the salmon looks nearly done, add the slice of the chili pepper being careful to have already removed the seeds if you don't want it too spicy. Add the peeled shrimp and tablespoon of honey as well. Stir the shrimp and onions, being careful not to break up the salmon. If you don't know how long to cook the salmon for, five minutes on each side is a safe bet. You can also cook it less if you like it a little raw in the middle, but only do so with fresh salmon.


















When done, serve with basmalti rice, rice noodles or your choice of side.

This s a very easy recipe! Remember the sky is the limit in the kitchen, so keep on exploring and enjoy!

Upside Down Apple Pie

Yesterday was Mother's Day in Spain. My future mother-in-law loves dried nuts, so I wanted to play with this idea to make her something special. This is a very easy dessert to make and guaranteed to impress! You need:


-1 apple
-1 empanada/pie dough
-several spoons of sugar
-cinnamon
-an egg
-dried nuts (pistachios/almonds/cashews)

Roll out the dough, sprinkling flour first on the surface and rubbing it on the rolling pin to prevent it from sticking. Peel and slice up the apple. Crush the nuts in a mortar and pestle. Now everything's prepared to make the upside down pie! First, melt the sugar (half a cup, depending on how sweet you want the pie to be!) in a pan on a medium flame, whisking to prevent burning. Be very careful whilst making caramel because if it gets stuck on your skin, it will cause a terrible burn! When the caramel is melted, pour it in a cake pan, which has previously been covered in parchment/vegetable paper. Next, sprinkle the nuts on the caramel. Then, lay down the slices of apple, sprinkle with cinnamon, and lastly you can cover the apples with another layer of caramel, which you'll have to make in the moment because once you remove the caramel from the flame, it gets hard. Remember, the more caramel you add, the sweeter this dessert will be. So if you don't like desserts too sweet, just add a think layer at the start and leave it at that! Finally, lay the dough over the top of the pan, pushing the sides down so that it's nearly touching the apple layer. Cut the access dough off of the border of the cake pan, roll and place in saran/plastic wrap to use at a later time. Roll down the dough around the sides so that it looks pretty. Brush with egg and stick in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 175 C/347 F. It's done when the top is brown. When done, stick another piece of parchment/vegetable paper on a plate, put the plate upside down on the cake pan and carefully flip whilst still hot, to prevent the caramel from getting hard again and making the pie stick as is to the pan. Be careful of access caramel leaking out of the sides! Eat warm or at room temperature. Enjoy and keep experimenting in the kitchen!

Basic Tomato Sauce with a Twist

I thought I'd add a recipe for those of
you who are just starting your experimental journey of cooking or for those who would just like to try something different to what you are used to! One of the best, easiest, fastest and most economical meals that you can prepare is a basic tomato sauce to have over the pasta or raviolis of your choice. Here is what you need:

-1 big onion diced
-4-6 pieces of garlic depending on your preference
-2 fresh whole diced tomatoes
-1 big can of whole peeled or crushed tomatoes*
-2 cans of tomato sauce (or 1 can of tomato paste, add a can of water)*
-a green pepper (you can add red too!)
-half a cup of red wine
-2 bay leaves
-a teaspoon of dried or fresh basil
-a teaspoon of dried or fresh oregano
-a teaspoon of dried or fresh parsley
-black pepper and salt to taste
-2 tablespoons of olive oil
-Parmesan cheese

The Twist:
-2 carrots diced
-a zucchini/courgette diced

*You can also use 2 cans of crushed tomato and only 1 can of tomato sauce/tomato paste, but you may have to add a spoon of sugar or honey to the sauce so that it's sweet enough.

Pour olive oil into a large pot and saute the onions and carrots on medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Add the peppers, zucchini and fresh tomatoes and saute for 2 more minutes. Add the garlic and sprinkle with salt. Add the herbs, bay leaves and stir. Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce and mix. Allow to cook for several minutes. Add half a cup of wine (as you can see in the picture, I had to add open a good bottle of wine for this sauce) and stir. Allow to evaporate a little and then add more salt and black pepper.

Be very careful with the hot sauce because it will jump out at you and stain your lovely clothes with red spots and worse still, it burns the skin really badly. ( My father likes to use the top of the pot as a shield whilst stirring the sauce, you can try this too!) Cover the sauce, leaving a small slit to allow the sauce to evaporate the excess juices and reduce slowly. Let it simmer on low for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the vegetables don't stick to the bottom of the pot. When done, serve over pasta or raviolis. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil to add an extra special taste. Enjoy!

Mexican Langostines

As most good recipes, this one just happened! I was having my girlfriend Suzana over for lunch. We were having rice and beans tacos with spinach, tomatoes, melted cheese and hot sauce. It occured to me that a nice appetizer was in order. So I ran to the grocery store and bought a box of raw langostines. And I got to creating...

You need:
-12-18 unpeeled langostines
-1 small french onion
-3 pieces of garlic
-two spoons of olive oil
-a whole dry chili pepper
-a half a shot of good rum (if you haven't got rum use whisky or bourbon)
-coarse salt
-paprika
-cumin

In a clay pot, or thick pan, add the olive oil and heat on a medium flame. Pour in the diced onion and dry whole chili pepper and saute for several minutes. Add the sliced garlic and whole langostines. Stir for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle a spoonful of paprika and a spoonful of cumin. *Turn off the exhaust fan* very important, pour in the rum and light on fire. Stir until the fire dies naturally. Sprinkle coarse salt on top and when the langostines have turned a nice orange they are done. Serve in clay pot still sizzling and enjoy! This is yummy fun food. There is no need for eating politely, feel free too eat it with your hands and make sure to get some onions and garlic in with the peeled langostine bite!

Enjoy and keep experimenting in the kitchen!