Chili con carne

serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

* 4 cans of kidney beans

* 2 cans of tomato cubes

* 1 can of corn

* 4 sweet pointy paprika's

* 3 middle sized onion

* 4 garlic cloves

* 350g minced meat (I used half and half)

* 1 beef stock cube

* 2 Spanish peppers or red jalapeño

* 1 spoon of brown castor sugar

* 1 package of passata (optional)

* Chili seasoning

* Cumin powder (optional)
* Chili powder (optional)

Preparation:

Cut the onion and paprika in cubes and mince the garlic with a rasp. If you use whole peppers, cut them in slices.

Heat up a casserole and stir fry the minced meat until it falls apart. Now add the paprika, onion, garlic and the chili seasoning. and stir fry until the meat is browned. Now add the tomato cubes and keep stirring. Add the stock cube and the sugar. Bring to the boil stirring occasionally.

Now add the kidney beans, along with the juice of 2 of the 4 cans and stir to blend. Add the corn and stir again.  If your sauce is watery you can add passata until the sauce has your preferable thickness.

At this point you can serve it, or adjust the flavour to your liking by using cumin powder and/or chili powder.

Serve with rice, nacho's or a salad as a side.

Enjoy your meal!

Regards,

Mike & Leda

Surimi crab salad

serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

* 10 Surimi sticks

* 1 small can of corn
* 1/4 cucumber
* 200g carrots, julienne cut

* 1 iceberg lettuce 

* 4 spoons cocktail sauce
* 2 spoons lemon juice
* 1 spoon vinegar

* 2 teaspoons dill

Preparations:

Here is a salad I prepared for new year's eve.
I guessed the recipe from my favourite restaurant, and altered it a bit to my liking.

Rinse the cucumber and lettuce and cut in parts to your liking. Pour the water out of the can of corn.

Cut the surimi sticks in strips, or how you prefer.
Mix the lettuce, carrot, cucumber corn and 6 surimi sticks in a salad bow. Make a dressing out of the cocktail sauce, lemon juice, vinegar and dill, and pour over the salad.
Serve with the leftover surimi on top.

I hope you enjoy and hopefully until soon!

Yours truly,

Mike

Chorizo in tomatosauce

serves 4

Ingredients:

* 1 chorizo sausage
* 1 red paprika
* 1 yellow paprika
* 1 green paprika
* 1 small can of corn
* 1 red onion (or normal onion if you don't have red)
* red tabasco (or hot pepper sauce)
* 1 pack of Heinz tomato frito (or any other brand)
* cumin
* 1 bay leaf
* garlic powder
* rice

Additional:
* salt

Preparations:

Cook the rice following the instructions on the package. Personally I like to use Surinamese rice with the follwing instructions: 1 cup of rice, 1,5 cup of water per person. Cook the rice while stirring on highest heat until cooking, then lower to lowest heat and close the lit. Stir every now and then until it cooks dry. I'd like to use 1 cup of rice for two persons, as it is quite much for my taste.

Cut the chorizo in 1 cm cubes. Cut the paprika's and onion in slices.
Heat up a casserole until it reached temperature. Add a small amount of oil (as the chorizo is fat enough as it is) and stir fry the chorizo until it reached color. Now put in the onion and paprika's and stir fry until the onion looks glassy. Now add the corn (without the water!) and stir until mixed.
Now we can start making the sauce. Put in  the whole tomato frito, and 100 ml of water. Add 1 tablespoon of cumin, 1 bayleaf and one dessertspoon of garlic powder. Now put in the tabaso or hot peper sauce to taste. Mix everything well. If the sauce is too thick, add some more water. Taste if you like it, if not add some salt or pepper sauce. If you are satisfied, turn the heat of and serve with rice.

This is a recipe I made up by myself, inspired by my roots.
My dad is from Gran Canaria, which is one of the 7 Canary Islands belonging to Spain.

I certainly hope you enjoy this dish, and I hope to see you return!
Yours truly,

Mike