Pork Jambalaya

serves 6

Ingredients:

* 500g boneless pork shoulder
* 50 ml olive oil
* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 1 cup finely chopped celery ( I used dried celery)
* 1 finely chopped red or green paprika
* 250g hamcubes
* 1 tablespoon black pepper
* 1 tablespoon white pepper
* 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
* 1 tablespoon salt
* 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
* 250g chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
* 1 bay leave
* 1 tablespoon dried thyme
* hot pepper sauce or tabasco
* 250ml dry white wine
* 2 cups of rice
* 075 liter chicken stock, heated

Preparation:

Remove any visible fat or gristle from the pork and cut the meat into 1cm cubes. Heat the oil in a large casserole or pan. Brown the cubes of pork, in batches if necessary, stirring to color evenly. Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onions, celery and paprika to the casserole and cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes. Add the ham, black and white peppers, cayenne and salt. Cook over a medium heat, stirring frequantly, until the onions are soft and golden, about 12 minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes, herbs and hot pepper sauce to taste. Cook for 5 minutes more. Add the pork and wine and mix well, then cover the casserole and cook gently over a low heat for about 45 minutes. Add the rice and stir well. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Pour 750ml of the chicken stock and stir to blend. Bring to the boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir the mixture occasionally and add more chicken stock if necessary. The rice should be moist, not dry and fluffy. Serve straight from the casserole or in a large heated serving dish.

Source: American Regional Cooking by: Carole Clements, Laura Washburn & Patricia Lousada

I hope you enjoy the recipe and have a good meal!

Yours truly,

Mike

Stir-fried Fish Wraps

serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

* 500g fish (I used salmon, but any fish will do)
* 250g mushrooms
* Lettuce
* 1 sweet paprika
* 1 onion
* 2 gloves of garlic
* dill
* salt
* 1 spoon lemon juice
* Herb cheese
* Wraps
* Any sauce to your taste (I used BBQ honey sauce)

Preparations:

Finely cut the garlic and the onion. Slice the paprika and salmon in cubes, the mushrooms in slices and the lettuce in strips. Start by heating up a saute pan, and stir fry the onion, paprika and garlic until the onion looks glassy. Now add the mushrooms and stir-fry until they start to color. Add the fish and stir fry until half done. Now add the herbs and the lemon juice to your taste. Keep stirring until the fish is done. Turn off the heat and close the lid, leave alone for a minute or two.
Heat the wraps in the microwave. This is what I do: 20 sec on the highest setting. When done, spread the herb cheese lightly on the wrap. Add the fish mixture, lettuce, cover with your favourite sauce ( I recommend a sauce with a sweet taste to it), roll the wrap, and enjoy! I hope you like this recipe!

Yours truly,

Mike

Szechuan chicken

serves 4

Ingredients:

* 500g boiled chicken breasts in cubes
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 red paprika in slices
* 1 green paprika in slices
* 1,5 spoon of cornstarch
* 1 protein
* 2 thin slices of ginger, or  1,5 spoon of gingerpowder
* 2 small dried chillies, chopped
* 2 (Spanish) chillies in rings
* 2 spoons of soy sauce
* 2 spoons of vinegar

Additional:

* 1 onion in slices
* 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, chopped

Preparations:

Boil the chicken and cut in cubes. Meanwhile make a marinade of the salt, protein, cornstarch and one spoon of oil. Mix well, and then add the chicken. Make sure every piece of chicken is covered in the marinade. Leave alone for atleast one hour.

Chop the ginger if you are using fresh ones. If you are chopping the chillies, you can decide if you leave the seeds or not, depending if you like it hot or medium. Heat up a wok and stir-fry the chillies with the ginger(powder) for one minute. Add the chicken and stir-fry. It is important that you keep stirring! Add the paprika and stir fry for about one minute more. Now add the soy sauce and the vinegar, and stir-fry until you are satisfied. Serve with noodles or with rice. It's not a bad idea to add the mix on a sandwich either, but as you can see I used noodles for it. In any case, good apetite and see you next time!

Yours truly,

Mike

Hot Chicken Curry

serves 4

Ingredients:

* 1 madam jeanette chili/peper, seeds removed
* 2 medium sized onions, finely chopped
* 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
* 500g chickenbreast, in cubes
* Curry masala powder
* Salt, to taste
* 1 spoon of ajinomoto umami seasoning
* 1 cup of water
* Rice

Preparations:

Cut the chicken and the vegetables as explained above, be sure to wear gloves when cutting the pepper because the oil will stick on your hands and spice up everything you touch for atleast the rest of the day.
Boil the rice as you wish. Heat up some oil in a wok, and stir-fry the onions for one minute. Add the garlic and the pepper and stir-fry until the onion looks glassy. Now add the chicken and stir-fry until the chicken is half done. Now add some salt, the curry powder and the ajinomoto. Mix well. Add some more salt/curry if you like, but keep in mind you will add some more curry later! Now keep stir-frying until the chicken is done. Take a cup of water and mix with some curry powder, it is easier to used boiled water as the curry mixes better that way. Stir well and add to the wok. Mix everything well and let it cook for about 1 or 2 minutes. Let it cool down a little before eating because the effect of the pepper will be more intense if you eat it when it's hot. If the whole pepper is too much for you, you can also use half of it!
This recipe is one that an old colleague of mine shared with me. He was of Hindo descent, therefor in my vocabulary this dish is also called Hindu chicken curry. I hope you enjoy your meal, and see you next time!

Yours truly,

Mike

Shawarma Stroganoff

serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

* 500g (pork) shawarma meat
* 1 green paprika
* 1 red paprika
* 1 yellow paprika
* 1 large onion
* 1 small can of tomato purée
* 125 ml cream

Preparation;

This is really easy to prepare, and pretty cheap too, but that doesn't go under for the taste!
Clean the paprika and cut them in slices. Cut the onion in half rings. Heat a pan and fry the meat for about 3 minutes. Add all the vegetables. Stir fry for about 3 minutes again. Now add the purée, and the cream. Mix well and let it cook until everything is done. Serve with bread, or fried potato wedges and/or (iceberg) lettuce. I really hope you enjoy your meal!

Yours truly,

Mike

Chicken curry with green beans

serves 4

Ingredients:
* 700g chicken legs
* 350g green beans
* 3 spoons masala curry powder
* 1 spoon turmeric powder
* 1 cube of chicken stock, crumbled
* 1 middle sized onion
* 3 garlic cloves
* Rice or sandwiches

Additional:
* Salt to taste

Preparations:

This recipe is based on a chicken-curry sandwich I bought at the local chinese supermarket. This is my interpretation of the recipe.

Boil the chicken legs thoroughly, wait for them to cool and start picking the meat off, except the skin. Clean the green beans by removing the ends, and cut them in half. Now boil the green beans until a bit softer, but still crisp. You could do this in the chicken broth if you like, if not use fresh water. Boil the rice as you prefer. Meanwhile finely chop the onions and garlic. It's time to heat up some oil in a wok, once it is hot enough, put the green beans in and stir fry for about 3 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and fry for 2 minutes. Now add the chicken, the cube and the herbs. Mix well, frying for about 1 minute. Put in half a glass of water and stir again until fully mixed. Now the rice is probably done too, so all that's left is to enjoy the meal! If you are using sandwiches, if you like it spicy it tastes well with sambal (condiment) and with cucumber for the freshness. I hope you enjoy this and I hope to see you soon!
Your truly,

Mik

Macaroni Santa Lucia

serves 4

Ingredients:

* Macaroni
* 250g bacon cubes
* 250g mushrooms
* 1 middle sized onion
* 2 garlic cloves
* 4 table spoons sweet chili sauce
* 100g grated cheese

Prepatation:

I based this recipe on a dish my dad used to make, Macaroni with ham and cheese. I just added a few more things to it and made my own version.

Cook the macaroni following the instruction on the package. Measure enough for the amount of people you cook for. (I made this for 2 persons, but I had enough for 3.) Cut the mushrooms in slices and finely chop the garlic and onion. Heat up a skillet and fry the bacon until they start to color. Now add the onion and garlic, fry for about 1 minute before adding the mushrooms. Fry the mushrooms until they start to get soft and colorful. Remove the skillet from the heat. The macaroni should be done by now as well, get rid off the water, and put the contents of the skillet in the pot with the macaroni. Add the sweet chili sauce and stir well. Now add the cheese, and mix well together. Everything will get a bit sticky because of the cheese melting, but that doesn't go under for the taste! Please enjoy your meal and I hope to see you back!

Yours truly,

Mike

Spicy cajun chicken sandwich

serves 4 to 5

Ingredients:
* 500g chicken breast
* Green paprika
* Red paprika
* Yellow paprika
* 1 middle sized onion
* Cajun herbs
* Sandwiches ( I used Pita sandwiches)

Preparations:
Cut the chicken in cubes, the paprika in quarter slices, and the onion in half rings. Heat up some oil in a skillet or wok, and fry the chicken until golden. Add the herbs and mix well. Now add all the vegetables. Heat until the onion looks glassy. Serve on a sandwich, or wrap, with any sauce to your liking.
Good apetite!
Yours truly,

Mike

Chicken gyros wraps

serves 4 to 5

Ingredients:

* 500g chicken breast
* 1 large onion
* Gyros herbs
* Lettuce
* Tomato
* 8 Wraps


Additional:
* Feta cheese
* Black olives
* Garlic sauce / Tzatziki
* Sweet paprika


Preparation:

Cut the chickenbreast in cubes, the onion in half rings, and the salad in small parts. Heat up a skillet or wok with some oil and fry the onions until glassy. (You can add the Paprika in this step too if you choose to add it). After that the chicken until golden. Now add the herbs, mix well.
Turn off the heat.

Now warm the wraps like the package suggests. Fill them with a scoop of the chicken, and add the salad, feta, olives and garlic sauce after your taste. Roll up the wrap so that nothing can fall out.
Good Apetite!

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

Spicy tuna sandwich

serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

* 1 red paprika
* 1 yellow paprika
* 1 green paprika
* 1 chinese cabbage
* 1 madam jeanette pepper/chili
* 1 leek
* 1 vegetable stock cube
* soy sauce
* turmeric powder
* garlic powder
* 3 cans of tuna
* crusty bread rolls (or rice depends on your taste)

Additional:

* 1 carrot

Preparation:

Let the water leak from the tuna cans. Chop all vegetables in small strips and the leek in small (half) rings. Remove the seeds from the pepper. I recommend you to use gloves as this pepper can be a nuisance when you accidentally touch your eyes or anything. Finely cut the pepper.
Heat up a wok and once it reached temperature, pour in some oil. Put in all vegetables including the pepper. Stir fry until the vegetables have shrunk a little and the cabbage looks glassy. Now crumble 1 vegetable stock cube over the vegetables and stir well. Add the tuna, be sure to mix it well with the vegetables. Now put in a spoon of garlic powder and turmeric powder. Now put in a dash of soy sauce. Mix everything well once more and let it cook for another minute.

When it's done you can put it on a sandwich, personally I love to use crusty bread rolls (also known as pistolets) with it. However if you prefer to eat this with rice, you can do so too!

This recipe is also one that a colleague of mine taught me.
I hope you enjoyed it and I certainly hope you'll return for more!
Yours truly,

Mike

Chicken wings in hot red sauce

serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

* 500 gr chicken wings (fresh or deep freeze)
* 2 tomatoes
* 1 big onion
* 2 rawit peppers/chilies (color doesn't matter, can be red or green)
* 3 garlic cloves
* oyster sauce
* soy sauce
* tomato ketchup
* sweet chili-garlic sauce
* tom yum paste (or any other chili paste)
* rice
* coconut milk

Additional:

* seasoning for the chicken wings

Preparations:

Put the chicken wings in the oven until crisp, but not dry. I use 180°C and mostly about 60 minutes, turn the wings halfway. If you use deep freeze chicken wings, follow the instructions on the package.
Cut the onions in half, then in slices. Do the same for the tomatoes. Remove the inside of the chilies and remove the skin from the garlic cloves. Finely chop the garlic and chilies.

Put rice in a pot, personally I use one cup of rice for 2 persons instead of 1 person. Then I put in 1,5 cup of water, and 100 ml of coconut milk. Heat until it cooks, stir so the rice comes loose, then lower the heat to the lowest. Now put the lid on the pot and let it cook dry while stirring every now and then.

Once the chicken is done remove them from the oven and let them cool while you heat up a wok.
When the wok has reached enough heat put in some oil. Personally I like to use sunflower-olive oil.
Fry the onions until glassy. Now add the chilies and garlic and mix them for a good minute. After that put in one dessertspoon of the tom yum chili paste. Mix well and add the sliced tomatoes. Cook for about 2 minutes and then add the chicken. Now put in the sweet chili-garlic sauce, two spoons of ketchup, one spoon oyster sauce and one spoon of soy sauce. Mix everything well and let it cook for a couple of minutes until the sauce blends with the chicken. Serve this dish next to the rice.

Tip:

Personally I mix some of the sauce (without the chicken) with the rice and eat the chicken next to it.

This is a recipe a colleague of mine taught me.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe.
Yours truly,

Mike