Homemade Granola.

Why am I making my own granola? I could just say that homemade granola is much more crunchy and flavorful than the supermarket ones. But the thing is, I find supermarket ones quite annoying, if not for the raisins (that I really like on waldrof salad and apple pie, but make no sense in  granola), there are also the big lumps of sugar that show me that there is more sugar than the necessary.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of roll oats

• 1/2 cup of almonds chopped 

• 1/2 cup of nut chopped 

• 2 Tp of brown sugar

• 2 Tb of honey

• 2 Tb of sunflower oil

• 1/4 tsp of salt

Instructions:

Preheat the oven at 250 °F.

Mix the oats, almonds, nuts and sugar. I do that right way in the sheet pan.

In a small bowl mix honey, oil and salt. Pour the mixture over the oats nuts mixture and stir untill oats and nuts are well covered.

Cook for 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring ever 15 minutes. It will warrant even color.

Let it cool and storage in air thigh containers.

That salad…

   
Every cook has a dishe that will end up named after them, being or not a original recipe. Like Mary’s Mac and cheese or Joe’s pulled pork. One of mine is this salad, I refuse to call Ellen’s salad just because sounds weard, but my friends do it. When they ask me what I will do for dinner or bring to a potluck I just say”That salad”, and they know what I am talking about.

Salad ingredients:

• watercress – you will find it at the grocery store ready to eat.

• 1 pear peeled and diced– squeezing 1/2 of lime on it will prevente it to get dark.

• 1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds– you can use the whole fruit cutting it in half and using your fingers to delicately taking of the seeds.

• 3 prosciutto slices– you will preper it the same way you preper bacon. So lie paper tower over a plate, lie the prosciutto slices over it and cover the slice with another sheet of paper tower. Put in the microwave 1 minute per slice. Roughly crushe it.

• 1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese.

Delicately mix all the ingredients in a salad bowl.

Dressing ingredient:

• 2 Tp of lime juice

• 2 Tp of apple vinager

• 2 Tp of sunflower oil

• 2 Tp of olive oil

• 1 Tp of honey

• 1/2 Tp of Dijon mustard 

Put all the ingredients into a lidded jar. Sake well. 

 

Cooking tool.

   Few days ago a friend of mine asked me why I had a hammer among my cooking utensils: To cook, of course! I answered amusing myself whith her pluzzled-are-you-crazy-look. The thing is: one of my beloved ingredients is fresh coconut, and as simple as it is, the better way to have it is to buy the whole coconut and  use a hammer to break the shell and  detach the flesh.

Ok! It sounds like a lot of work, but it is totally worth. If you want to try it I can give you a few tips.

First take out the coconut water. There is three holes on the coconut, one of them is soft enogh to open with a pointy knife. Pour it in a glasse. You can drink it or save it for a recipe like Pisa Nariyal(coconut paste used in Indian food).

Second heat it in the burner, just a little bit, take out of fire and let it rest. After a little while it will probably crack.

  

Then hit it with a hammer until it breaks. Hit both side until the flesh detaches the shell. 

 

Finally with a paring knife take of the brown skin. 

  Eat or use it in your favorite coconut recipe. Remember that fresh coconut is perishable, if you are not using right way freeze it.

Pisa Nariyal recipe.

• 1 coconut, peeled and grated

• coconut water (about 5 Tps)

Put the coconut and the water in a blender. Process to make a smooth paste. Keep it in a container in the refrigerator.

Fried Fish

I know I cannot advocate to the healthy side of this recipe, even when I’m using fish; it’s still fried. But I can guarrantee succulence, crunchiness and simplicity. 

  

Ingredients:

• 4 filet of favorite fish as flounder, sole or tilapia

• juice of 1/2 lime

• salt

• cornstarch

• soy oil to fry

Instructions:

  Season fish with salt and lime.

   

 Cover it with cornstarch.

   
 Fry fish until it is golden brown. Let it dry on paper towel.

I am not a cake designer.

Every time that I am invited to a birthday party my friends ask me to bring the cake: I’m not a cake designer! “Let’s buy one,” I used to answer, a little panicky; I have no talent as to decorating or sculpting things. Seems that they do not listen to me, giving me the task anyways. So my tactic is to fake my skills. I use things that are already there like fruits, flowers, the cake ingredients, chocolate and candies. The result of course is not a patisserie’s wonder, but a charmingly delicious homemade cake.

    

  
 
  
  
  
 

 

Locro de Papas

Locro de Papas is a traditional Ecuatorian Potato stew. I learn this recipe from a Ecuatorian friend when I was living in Quito. Warm and flavorful it is perfect for cold days.

  Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of potatoes in cubes

• 1/2 onion diced

•  2 garlic cloves

• 2 T of butter

• 3 cups of chicken broth

• 3 cups of water

• 1/4 Tp of paprika 

• salt and pepper

• 1 cup of heave cream

• 1/4 Tp of cumin 

To garnish:

• 1 avocado sliced

• fresh cilantro

• white cheese as Queso Fresco or Queso Blanco 

  Directions:

Heat butter in a large soup pot, add onions and garlic stirring until tender. Add potatoes, cumin and paprika stir it. Add water and chicken broth.

Cook until the potatoes are tender, and start to fallen apart. Use a potato masher to mash some of potatoes leaving some big pieces. Add salt and pepper. 

Lower the heat, add the heave cream. Cook for more 5 minutes. 

Serve with diced cheese, avocado slices and fresh cilantro.   

 

Food for thoughts.

  Simply delightful! In Cooked, Michael Pollan navigates among Gastronomy, Anthropology, and his own cooking improvent. As a well elaborated dish, it stimulates all senses. Every bite of it makes one question it’s relationship with food, and how it is manipulating where we are going as a society.

S.O.S Chicken

This recipe is one of my S.O.S recipes for picky kids, last minute guests and “too tired to cook” days. Full of flavor it has always left a good impression.

Ingredients 

Chicken Marinade:

• 8 chicken thighs boneless and skinless

• 2 garlic gloves, miced

• 1 Tp of dry herbs as oregano, rosemary, and thyme

• juice of 2 lemons

• salt and pepper

Marinate the chicken thighs for at least 15 minutes.

Crust:

• 3 Tp of butter

• 2 cups of bread crumbles

• 4 Tp of Parmesan cheese, grated

In a skillet, melt the butter on low heat. Take the skillet out of the fire. Bathe thighs in the melted butter.

Cover each thighs with a mixture of bread crumbles and cheese.

Lay the chicken thighs on a parchment paper covered pan. Bake at 370 ℉ until golden- about 25 to 30 minutes.

Perfect snack.

Pão de queijo (bread cheese) is a beloved snack all over Brazil, but the complexity of the original recipe pulls apart anyone that is not familiar with cooking. I found this recipe among gluten free recipe books, and changed it up a little bit to make it as simple as a snack recipe should be.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 egg

• 1/3 cup of sunflower oil

• 2/3 cup of milk

• 1/2 cup white cheese (I used queso fresco) grated

• 1 1/2 cup of tapioca flour

• 1 tsp of salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven at 350°F.

  
  Mix all ingredients in the blender until homogeneous.

  
  Grease a mini cupcake pan, and fill it with the batter.

 

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Cobbler.

I took this recipe from a Fresh Market flyer I don’t usually pay attention to Supermarket flyers, but this recipe seemed so intricately easy that a took a stab at it. Turns out to be deliciously easy, that I have done it innumerable times. I have tried it with all kids of berries, peaches, and pears . It’s a playful recipe that adapts to any palette without lose deliciousness.

Ingredients

• 6 Tp of butter
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 tsp of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 1 tsp of almond or vanilla extract
• 2 cup of fresh fruit as raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, etc…

Preparation

Cut up butter and melt in the bottom of an 8″x8″ baking dish.

In a bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Slowly stir milk and almond/vanilla extract into the dry ingredients until just mixed. Put batter over the melted butter.

Pour fruit on top, spreading across the pan evenly. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes to a hour.