Spicy Mince Beef Shakshuka

Shakshuka this, Shakshuka that. It is everywhere these days, isn't it? 

A classic from Israel, served for breakfast, lunch, all ingredients that you have at home, nothing fancy.

But I wanted a recipe that would be filling because cooking a side dish that would leave you hungry with just eggs in my mind it's a bit of a....better said, total waste of time. 


So I googled: meat shakshuka and there all kinds of recipes came up. So I tried this one that looked interesting and with a bit of an african kick and it was so good and not hard.  Here it is:






INGREDIENTS

-500 grms of beef minced.
-half of a yellow pepper.
-half of a green pepper.
-half a red pepper.
-1 small onion or half a big one.
-5 big tomatoes or one can of 500 grms of whole peeled tomatoes.
-1 big garlic clove or at most 2.
-some tomato paste or tomate frito (100 ml).
-1 tsp of sugar.
-4-5 eggs.
-some mozzarella cheese or melty cheese.
Spices:
-1 tsp. of coriander.
-1 tsp. of chili powder.
-1 tsp. of paprika.
-1 tsp. of cumin.
-1 tsp. of chili flakes.
-black pepper and salt.
-some chickpeas (optional)
-some spinach (optional)
-some green onions (optional)

STEPS:

1. Dice up the onion, the bell pepers and sautee with olive oil for 2 mins.
2. When they have cooked a little, add the meat and all the spices. The trick is this step because the mince here gets all the yummy spicy flavours. 
3. Sautee a little, and add the garlic diced up, here you can put even more spicy peppers.
4. Add the tomatoes and the tomato paste and a teaspoon of sugar to compensate for the acidity of the tomatoes, and let it all simmer for 10-15 minutes until it all blends nicely, cover a little and then uncover so that the water evaporates. If they are natural tomatoes you will have to break them a little with the spoon.
5. Now add all the extra ingredients that should be done in no time, that is the green onions, chickpeas, and spinach. (I added all this because I wanted a big meal and not have to cook for 3 days basically).
6. At this point if you have too much liquid try to evaporate it a little by elevating the fire stove, but be careful not to burn the food.
7. Now make a little whole for the eggs in the saucepan, crack them and deposit them in the space you have made. I had space for 4. Cover so that the eggs cook fully.
8. In the spaces in between I put a little mozzarella cheese and worked incredibly well.
9. And now decorate with coriander leaves, or chives or whatever green herb you may have.
10. Now let it all sit 10 minutes before you eat it and it will all come together. 

So easy! I think it was all a total 30 minutes and the flavour was awesome spicy but also sweet, soft with the mozzarella,  delicate with the eggs, and hearty with the chickpeas. YUM.

How much I miss you Jerusalem.

Chickpeas Simple Summer Salad

Great salad recipe for summer.  
I like to garnish it with potato crisps. Perfect for picnics and super refreshing. 

INGREDIENTS

- 400 grms of chickpeas. 

-1/2 green pepper.
-1/2 red pepper 
-A little diced onion. 
-One lemon. 
-Red vinegar..
-Olive oil and salt.

STEPS

No steps to this recipe other than dice up the peppers and onion and mix together the dressing.

I love it, reminds me to salads in Morocco like the picture.

Thai Iced Coffee (with Cardamon)

Last summer I made this delicious cardamon coffee. I love cardamon coffee, it is so refreshing and brings me back to Jerusalem to the Muslim quarter. Of course I added a ton of ice, unlike the Muslims will do cause they drink their coffee pipping hot at 40 degrees whether. How?  

This recipe is for 2 people 

INGREDIENTS:
-Make 200 ml of your own normal brewed coffee.
-200 ml of milk.

-2-3 tablespoons of sugar.

-5 or 6 cardamon pods (depends on how fresh they are).

-a couple of drops of vanilla extract.

STEPS:

1. Smash the cardamon pods to release flavour with a mortar.

2. In a saucepan add the milk, sugar and the pods and bring to boil.

3. Quickly lower fire and let it all sit for 15 minutes until all the flavour releases. 

4. After this time add a couple of vanilla drops if you want to.

5. Now mix with your coffee and load it up with ice.

Ahhh it is so refreshing and delicious.

 

Red Lentil Soup with Spinach

Kenton and I have loved this recipe! 

There are many variations on it out there, but I have loved this version with spinach and masala curry but really any curry will do.  I have done this recipe a lot throughout this fall and winter. 
Here it is:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cm of fresh ginger minced
• 1 serrano chili pepper minced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin. 
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ¼ teaspoon coriander
• 800 grams ( a big tin of)  diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt.
• One can coconut milk
• 1 and 1/2 cups of red lentils OR alternatively you can add two 400 grams jars of already soft lentils, much easier.
• 5 bunches of spinach.

STEPS

1. Saute onions for 5 minutes

2. Add garlic, ginger, serrano, cumin, masala, and coriander and cook 2 minutes.

3. Pour in the tomatoes and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced and the tomato chunks have softened, 5 minutes. 

4. Add the coconut milk and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil over high heat. 

5. Stir in the lentils and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the lentils are tender, 25-35 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
6. Throw in in the spinach and cook until wilted, 3 minutes.

If you want a full meal just add some meat, chicken or beef in chunks coated in ginger powder will do it. 

Also garnish with avocado and cilantro if you want. 

It is an explosion of awesome flavours. And just remember that if you are missing one of spices above, the world will go on. 
:)

Yum, and photo above the Dunes of Gran Canarias.

Teriyaki Steak Strips

Teriyaki Steak Strips tat I learnt to do in Chicago from one of the families I lived with.


INGREDIENTS

1. 1/4 cup soy sauce
2. Half of an onion minced. 
3. 2 clove garlic minced.
4. 2 tablespoon of white sugar.
5. 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger root, minced OR 1/8 tsp ground ginger.
6. 1/4 cup white wine or beer or apple juice. 
7. 500 grms. of beef thinly sliced.
8. Spinach to acompany.

STEPS

1. Combine soy sauce, onion, garlic, sugar, ginger, and wine. Mix  evenly blended.

2. Place meat in large bowl and pour marinade over meat. Let set at room temperature, covered, for 2 to 3 hours, or 1, or overnight in the refrigerator.


3. Drain meat thoroughly (I don't always do this). Pour oil in Wok or fryin pan and preheat, uncovered, on high about 3-4 minutes.

4. Place about 1/4 of steak in oil and stir-fry for 2 minutes or unitl tender. Push cooked steak strips up side of wok (or remove from pan) and repeat with remaining steak. (I usually cook for a bit longer, but it you cook it too long, it gets dry.) 

Serve over rice or noodles. 

We cooked a little of frozen spinach with this, with some butter on frying pan and worked wonders. Obviously this is not the meat to do this recipe with, but may I remind you we are quarantined?

Fluffy Pancakes

My friend Corinna made some incredible pancakes this winter when we visited her in Vienna. 
How I thought: I am wasting my life! 

So I made pancakes.
And here is the winner recipe that you can find here too...and no buttermilk. This makes about 8.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of flour.
• 1 tablespoon of sugar.
• 2 teaspoon of baking powder.
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cups of milk.
• 1/4 cup of butter melted.
• Blueberries or bananas (yum)

STEPS

1. Combine the dry ingredients: sugar, flour and baking powder and salt in one bowl.
2. In another bow separetaly combine the wet ingredients: milk, egg, and melted butter. Whisk together.
3. Now combine everything in one of the bowls.
4. Now grease the pan and when you put the mix add the blueberries.
5. The first one always turns out quite bad, but the next one is good.

That's it. And if you want 12 pancakes, double the amounts. :) 

And this is a photo of Kenton and I in George Washington' house in Virgnia, Mount Vernon where we got the american flag

Campbell's Tuna Pasta

A classic from my british Erasmus days. My american roommate showed me this one in 2001.


I love this recipe but in Spain we do not have condensed soup! But every once in a while I get it in Taste of America.
So easy and so tasty. I feel bad to post such a simple recipe but honestly it's a good one.

INGREDIENTS:

1. 1 can of Campbell's mushroom soup.
2. 3 cans of tuna.
3. 300 grms of pasta.
4. Crisps to garnish.
5. Pepper to crack.

STEPS:

No steps! just boil the pasta and throw it all together. I seriously love this recipe.

Shepherd's Pie

Sheperd's pie, a british classic. 

This recipe comes from a video of Gordon Ramsay, he gives it a fantastic twist and turns into a pretty flavourful situation. 

Great, great recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 400 grms. of mince (can be lamb, beef, or pork-beef combo). 
• Olive oil.
• Salt.
• 1 medium onion.
• 2-3 cloves of garlic.
• 2 carrots.
• Red wine.
• 3 spoonfuls of Worcestershire sauce .
• 3 spoonfuls of tomato puree.
• 2 spoonfuls of fresh thyme or in bottle.
•  1 spoonful lof rosemary.
• 1/4 cup of chicken stock. 
• 4 Potatoes or instant potatoes mash.
• Pepper to season potato mash.
• 2 Egg yolks (optional for the mashed potatoes).
• 50 grams of parmesan cheese.

STEPS:

1. Sautee the mince in olive oil (get rid of the extra oil, you don't want a greasy pie)
2. Add the salt, and the whole onion that you have grated.
3. Grate the carrots and the garlic and add as well to the mince.
4. Let it all integrate together in low fire.
5. Now add the worcesthershire sauce (this is the key ingredient).
6. Add the tomato puree, or tomate frito.
7. Now add the red wine, thyme and rosemary.
8. Let the liquid evaporate to stronger fire and afterwards add the chicken stock. 
9. Let it mix there for 5 minutes and let it evaporate too.
10. Now prepare the mashed potatoes, with an already prepackaged one or mash the potatoes, seasoning with pepper and adding two egg yolks if you want (totally optional).
11. You can also add to the mashed potatoes parmenan cheese.
12. In a pot or baking dish place the yummy flavourful mince on the botton and cover with the mashed potatoes.
13. Grate cheese or parmensan cheese.
14. Let it sit in the over at 250 degrees for 15-20 mins.
15. Make sure you grill the top to give it the cheff look.

And voila you all. 

Our whole lives criticizing British food and it turns out they can come up with some decent dishes. 

(More pictures to come)

Sushi Bowl or Poke Bowl

Question.
Why bother to roll and spend 2 hours making sushi when you can have the same flavour in a bowl?
This recipe is perfect for summer.

INGREDIENTS:

• sushi rice (simply seasoned with sushi vinegar, sugar and some salt, no mistery)
• 200 grms of fresh salmon.
• 2 cucumbers.
• 1 mango.
• sesame seeds.
• 2 avocados.
• Soy sauce to season.

There are no steps to this recipe other than dice it all up and throw in a bowl. Season with sesame seeds and soy sauce.  Can life get more simple??

How to keep herbs fresh

Will you believe this cilantro has been in our fridge for 3 weeks?? 
It really has. 

Kenton and I love fresh herbs but they would wither in no time! 2 or 3 days at most. 

But the other day Kenton's mom shared a trick with us. If you wrap the herbs in wet/moist kitchen paper and then keep them in the fridge, they last for a long time!  

This has really revolutionized our lives! now we always have herbs ready to garnish any dish. :)

Marmitako

Today is day number 5 in quarantine. I think I am beginning to enjoy this!

Today I realized that it is more realistic to post a new recipe every two days, than one recipe every day, otherwise I won't have that much for other things.

So today I am making marmitako. I had honestly wanted to post this recipe since 2014, this is no joke, and here we are only 6 years later. It seems that only a pandemia can stop us on our tracks in the world we live in (sigh)

This is a recipe my mom taught me many years ago that she used to cook for my grandfather. I love it!

INGREDIENTS: 

• 300 grams of salmon.
• 1 small onion.
• 1 small red pepper or green pepper.
• 1 clove of garlic.
• 10 small potatoes or 2 or 3 big ones.
• 1/2 teaspoon of Sweet paprika.
• 1/2 teaspoon of Spicy paprika.
• 1 fish stock cube.

STEPS:

1. Dice up the onion, garlic and pepper and sautee in saucepan for 10 minutes till is is all brown and gold.
2. Add the paprikas, and sautee.
3. Now add the potatoes that you have diced up and mix all together.
4. Now cover it all with water till you no longer see the potatoes.
5. Add the fish stock cube (this is very important) and let it all simmer till the potatoes cook, approximately 15 minutes.
6. When the potatoes are soft and pretty much done, add the salmon in cubes.
7. Add a little more water in needed, and voila, you've got an awesome tasty dish. 

Kenton could not believe how good this recipe was. It is truly a keeper, and so easy! 
(Sorry photos above are a little out of order)

Roasted Cauliflower and Coconut Soup

Another great recipe for winter months! This time couliflower and the recipe again from Jamie Oliver. You can see it here  Jamie Oliver's is more complex with toppings etc but I simplified it for the sake of my pocket.

















INGREDIENTS:

-600 grams of cauliflower or a medium cauliflower.
-2 onions
-4 cloves of garlic.
-1 spoon heaped of ras el hanout.
-olive oil.
-400 grams can of coconut milk
-600 ml of chicken stock
-2-3 tablespoons of chilli oil (optional). 



Fantastic recipe, really tasty.

STEPS: 

1. Cut up the couliflower in small florets, along with the peeled cloves of garlic and the sliced onions. 
2. Sprinkle with olive oil and 1 spoonful of the magic spice of ras el hanout and spread it all along a baking tray.  Even you can put the vegetables leafs onto the tray.
3. Stick in the oven for about 40 minutes to 160 degrees or so. It has to soften up, roast a little but not burned.  
4. After that time put the coconut milk in a pan and add the roasted veggies. Bring it to a boil.
5. Blend it all with a hand blender and had a few drops of oil (chilli oil if you have it) and decorate with coconut flakes (if you have them).


You all, I did NOT know you could get so much pleasure out of eating cauliflower.