Beetroot mayonaise

This is my new discovery of the end of 2012.My friend Carolina made two dips last night for her birthday party that blew my mind.Theres a magic trinity of olive oil,garlic and lemon...that never seises to amaze me...this with the help of cooked beetroot it transforms into a beautiful vibrant coloured surprise that convinced me to blog again...this recipe is for life.

500g of beetroot
juice of one lemon
about 100ml of extra virgin olive oil
one garlic clove
salt and pepper

Boil the beetroot until tender(tip-if you leave an inch of the stalks the colour doesn,t bleed so much)..Drain and imediately rinse under cold water to remove the skins easily.Now blend all the ingredients together.Pop it into the fridge to firm up a wee bit and enjoy!This keeps in the fridge for three days.
Try the same recipe with boiled or steamed carrots!...It,s incredible.(and because I,m still addicted to cumin  I was thinking that the addition of a pinch of toasted cumin would be wonderful.)
 

Sun-dried tomatoes

desplácese hacia abajo para la versión en español.....

Someone asked me today about sundried tomatoes and how I use them.This for me was astonishing as I use them as often as olives and imagine that everyone uses them the same-but of course this is not true Jean, the world is huge and the range of ingredients is vast ...
So this is for Eva ...a few ideas of how I use them ....

First things first sundried tomatoes are up there with dried mushrooms for usefulness-a brilliant storecuppard essential if ever there was one.

To rehydrate and prepare...
Put a handful(or desired quanity)of dried tomatoes in boiling water,cover and leave to soak for about 30 minutes.
Strain,and when cooled squeeze all the water out of them.Cover in olive oil and chopped garlic.
Now they,re ready to use.

At the garlic and olive oil stage the obvious(no,the most desired)choice is to add a good handful of torn basil leaves and leave to marinate and mingle.
Ater a few hours the tomatoes can be chopped and added to.....
Pasta(fresh,dried)
Quiche-
Greek salad -instead of basil when marinating the tomatoes used lots of dried oregano,with feta,black juicey ,chunky olives like kalamata ,a finely sliced red onion,cubes of cucumber.In a jam jar shake together olive oil and lemon juice with some finely ground black pepper.
Pilafs
Paellas
Couscous
Stuffings
I could go on and on -if anyone wants a special recipe please ask me.

I probably use a pesto made out sun-dried tomatoes more than the whole sundried tomatoes...
Rehydrate the tomatoes,squeeze out the water,blend until smooth,cover completely with olive oil and store in the fridge for months on end(just make sure every time you use this  top up on the layer of oil...it seals out the air)
A classic tomato pesto would be made using percorino cheese and pinenuts but I prefer a tomato paste(you can always add the cheese and nuts when needed)
Its very rich and intense-perfect added to tomato sauces to give them a ummf

One of my favourite stufffings for vine leaves is with couscous,chopped sun-dried tomatoes,toasted pinenuts,raisins and chopped fresh herbs(and probably cumin...just because I love it )

To make a version of semi sun-dried tomatoes-or slow roasted tomatoes....
Cut some vine ripened tomatoes in half(place seed side up), drizzle with oliver oil,scatter  a pinch of salt and bake in a preheated oven 140C(275F),gas mark1 for 3 to 5 hours...until they look sundried and most of the liquid has evaporated.
These keep in the fridge covered in olive oil for at least a week so make them in large quantities (to justify long cooking time),use in sandwiches,frittatas,with cheese-delicious! and make sure that give little tupperfuls to friends as presents too

Alguien me preguntó hoy acerca de los tomates secados al sol y cómo usarlos.Eso para mí fue sorprendente ya que los utilizan con tanta frecuencia como las aceitunas y se imaginan que todo el mundo las usa el mismo, pero por supuesto esto no es cierto Jean, el mundo es enorme y la variedad de ingredientes es enorme ...Así que esto es para Eva ... algunas ideas de cómo usarlos ....
Para volver a hidratar y preparar ...Ponga un puñado (o quanity deseado) de tomates secos en
agua hirviendo, tapar y dejar en remojo durante unos 30 minutos(sin fuego)
Colar, y cuando se enfría exprimir toda el agua .Cover en aceite de oliva y ajo picado.Ahora, está listo para su uso.En la fase de aceite de ajo y aceite de oliva lo obvio (no, la más deseada) opción es añadir un buen puñado de hojas de albahaca y dejar marinar y se mezclan.
Depues de un par de horas los tomates pueden ser cortados y se añade a .....Pasta (fresca, seca)Quiche-Ensalada griega, en lugar de albahaca cuando marinar los tomates utilizados montón de orégano seco, con queso feta,  aceitunas negras como Kalamata , una cebolla roja cortada en rodajas, cubos de pepino.En un tarro de mermelada agite el aceite de oliva y jugo de limón con pimienta negra.
PilafsPaellasCuscúsRellenos
Podría seguir y seguir, si alguien quiere una receta especial, por favor me preguntan.Probablemente el uso más un pesto hecho tomates secados al sol que el conjunto tomates secados al sol ...Rehidratar el tomate, se le vaya el agua, triurar hasta que esté suave, cubierta totalmente con aceite de oliva y guardar en la nevera durante meses (sólo asegurarse de que cada vez que utilice este taparla con unacapa de aceite ... que deja afuera la de aire)Un clásico pesto de tomate se hizo con queso  percorino  y piñones pero yo prefiero una pasta de tomate (siempre se puede añadir el queso y las piñones cuando sea necesario)Es muy rico e intenso perfecto agregado para las salsas de tomate para darles una ummfUno de mis favoritos rellenos de hojas de paras es con cuscús, picada de tomates secos, piñones tostados, las pasas y las hierbas frescas picadas (y, probablemente, el comino ... sólo porque me encanta)Para hacer una versión de semi tomates secados al sol o  tomates asados ​​....Cortar un poco de tomates madurados en la mitad (el lado con semillas mirando arriba), rociar con aceite de Oliva, esparza un poco de sal y cocer en el horno precalentado a 140C (275F), gas Mark1 de 3 a 5 horas ... hasta que se ven secos y la mayor parte del líquido se haya evaporado.Estos guardarlo en la nevera cubiertos con aceite de oliva por lo menos una semana . Hacerlos en grandes cantidades (para justificar el tiempo de cocción largo), su uso en sándwiches, frittatas, con queso, delicioso!

Miso Soup

Miso soup

One large onion diced
Two garlic cloves sliced
Half teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
Three carrots diced
One large or two small leeks diced
Two medium sized potatoes diced
One bay leaf
Teaspoon dried oregano
Half teaspoon fresh thyme
Teaspoon fresh rosemary
Four heaped tablespoons of white miso
A pinch of white pepper

Saute the onion in olive oil(with a wee pinch of salt-not much as the miso is saltly) until softened,add the garlic,ginger and leeks and cook for another few minutes on a low flame with the lid on.Add the carrots , potatoes and herbs again for a few minutes with the lid on.Cover with cold water and simmer until the vegetables have sofened,take out the bay leaf ,add the miso and blend until smooth ..add a pinch of white pepper and serve.

Sopa de miso

Una cebolla grande picada
Dos dientes de ajo en rodajas
Media cucharadita de jengibre fresco picado
Tres zanahorias en cubitos
Un puerro grande o dos pequeños cortados en cubitos
Dos patatas de tamaño mediano cortadas en cubitos
Una hoja de laurel
Una cucharadita de orégano seco
Media cucharadita de tomillo fresco
Una cucharadita de romero fresco
Cuatro cucharadas de miso blanco
Una pizca de pimienta blanca

Saltea la cebolla en aceite de oliva (con una pizca de sal , no tanto - el miso es salado) hasta que se ablande, agregue el ajo, el jengibre y el puerro y cocine por unos minutos más a fuego lento con la tapa .Añadir las zanahorias , las patatas y hierbas y coinar durante unos minutos tapado .Cubir con agua fría y cocine a fuego lento hasta que las verduras han ablandado, sacar la hoja de laurel, añadir el miso y mezcla hasta que quede suave .. añadir una pizca de pimienta blanca y servir.

Undo edits

umiboshi salad dressing

We just came back from holidays in Argentina-the food was delicious,christmas time; but I ate too much.Too much dairy products(pizza,pasta and amazing desserts),Too much white flour(again pizza,pasta etc)and my body was calling for a break.I,m a great beleiver in listening to your body and what it asks for ...if  you listen to your body it will kindly say...no more please-an overload in rich food screams acidity and my body now is asking for alkaline....
I,m eating quinoa,brown rice ,seaweeds,lemon(alkaline even though hard to imagine)and all the lovely organic and health foods they have in Europe(in Argentina they very scarse and almost non existent).So this salad dressing was salt free("umbohi is made with salted plums Jean!","yes I know, but it has a magic effect of turning acid into alkaline and help to sooth abused bellies""-okay I,ll say added salt","better?","Yes, thankyou"-end of internal discusions)

The soothing dressing-still with zing and totally delicious....
A teaspoon of umiboshi paste
Juice of one lemon
Basil infused olive oil or noninfused(about half a cup)
Quarter cup of sunflower oil

Place all the ingredients in a jam jar and shake the bejaysus out of it("shake a lot"-translation in Irish English)
Yummy-This will keep well in the fridge for a week at least-just shake well befor use.

pan fried artichoke hearts with lemon,thyme and parmesan

This was so delicious that I had it for dinner tonight and blogged it straight away -soon to have a pretty picture posted but for now the recipe...

4 or 5  cooked artichokes hearts
about a teaspoon of lemon peel chopped finely
basil oil
dried or fresh thyme
quinoa cooked-a bowlful
Freshly grated parmesan
Boil the artichokes until tender.Peel back the stalks and chop.Take as much flesh as is possible from the artichoke and slice.Saute in olive oil over a high heat until slightly browned.Add the lemon peel and about a half teaspoon of dried thyme or one teaspoon of fresh thyme.Stir in the cooked quinoa,grated parmesan( to taste ),a slash of basil oil,salt and black pepper and serve immediately.The minute I finished eating this I went straight to the computer to type it up.This is pure Italian inspired joy and with the agreement of my boyfriend,perfect.

Artichoke and Green Olive Spread

I discovered this recipe in a blog recently,which the blogger adapted from another blog who adapted from another chef-When I read the recipe I instantly new it would be delicious so I made it for my boyfriends birthday and after about 20 comments of "its amazing!, what is it?" I feel its only good,just and right that I share it with a few more.
The beauty about this recipe is that you can have all the ingredients in the cuppard and when some one comes around you can whip up a dip (or spread )in about one minute.Eat with  breadsticks,toast or crunchy oven warmed bread.
An afterthought -this would be nice mixed a cream cheese -just a thought.

1 handful of cooked artichoke hearts(frozen,tinned,as you wish)
1 crushed garlic clove
half a handful of green olives(stoned)
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and squeezed
1 gurgle of  extra-virgin olive oil
Throw all the ingredients together and blend-how wonderfully simple.
These are hummus style rules-put less garlic in at first,the same goes for olive oil add more to taste.
This recipe doesn,t need salt because of the capers.
To play around a wee bit try adding some chopped cornichons,fresh thyme or lemon.

Parasol Mushroom Fritters

Parasol Mushroom or Lepiota procera grow plentifully here and are excuisite(not using the word lightly)dipped in flour ,then egg then breadcrumbs and pan fried.

I love wild mushrooms even though trully they are a bit rich for my stomach.One of these Mushrooms was enough for two people with a light salad for lunch.My boyfriend said it tasted of Merluza(Hake)-It has a very light texture and for vegetarians its a real joy.

One word of warning becareful not to confuse this mushroom with lepiota cristata which is poisonous-but easy to spot because it has a red dot in the center.If in doubt -don,t eat them and always ask an expert.

Cut off the stalk and clean with brush between the gills.Try not to clean with water,but blowing on them and a brush does the trick.

Cut in eight pieces.Here,s what you need...

A bowl with some seasoned flour.

A bowl with two beaten eggs ,add one crushed garlic clove,chopped parsley and salt and pepper(I use a pinch of organic stock powder but this optional)

Breadcrumbs(grate some day old or dry bread with a hand grater)season well.

With the help of my beautiful assistant Anouk(any messy 3 year old will do) dip the mushrooms in the flour,then the egg mixture,then the breadcrumbs and fry until golden brown on all sides-eat immediately when hot and crispy.For a vegan version omit the eggs and dip in batter then the breadcrumbs.Utter fake hake joy!