Ropa Vieja

 

serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

• 1 large can of chickpeas
• 2 chickenlegs incl. thighs
• 1 chorizo
• 1 kilo of potatoes
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 red pepper (paprika)
• 1 large onion 
• 2 tomatoes 
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 500ml chicken broth (from boiled chicken/beef)
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika powder
• Black pepper
• 3 cloves
• 1-2 bay leaf
• Salt
• Olive oil

Preparation:

Put the chicken and beef in a pot with water and bring to a boil. Let it simmer until cooked through.

Remove from the pot and let cool. Take 500 ml of broth from the pot and throw the rest away. Dissolve a chicken stock cube in the broth and set aside.

Peel the potatoes, cut them in cubes and mix with a few drops of oil. Cook in the airfryer until crispy. (You can also fry the potatoes if you don't own a airfryer, but then you don't need to mix with oil).

Chop the onion, pepper, tomato. Finely cut the garlic.

Pull/shred the meat/chorizo apart (or cut in thin pieces/cubes) and add to a large sauté pan with enough olive oil. Start frying the meat.

Add the chickpeas to the pan and fry the shredded meat and garbanzo beans until crispy. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same oil (you may need to add a bit more) add the chopped onion, pepper, tomato, and garlic and stir fry until soft.

Add the  3 cloves and some black pepper. Stir fry a bit more and add the two teaspoons of paprika, the white wine, broth, and bay leaf.

Bring to the boil and once it boils lower the heat to simmer, now add chickpeas and meat mix with the sauce.

Add the fried potatoes and cover for 15 minutes while simmering.

Uncover after and taste. Add salt if necessary.

Serve with tabasco on the side if you like it spicy.

Bon apetit!

Mike & Leda

Dan Dan Noodles

serves 4 - 6

Original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients:

1 bok choy

125 g noodles per person

1,5 teaspoons sesame oil

For the meat:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

500g ground pork

1 thumb piece of fresh ginger

4 garlic cloves 

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon chili oil

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup peanut butter 

1 tablespoon chili paste, like Sambal Oelek

400 ml chicken broth (more if needed)

pinch of granulated sugar

To serve:

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup peanuts, rough chopped

1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, or chili flakes

Preparation:

Cut the bok choy length-wise, and finely cut the ginger and garlic. Thinly slice the scallions, and chop the peanuts. You can also use a mortar for the peanuts.

Bring water to the boil. Add a pinch of salt and the bok choy. Cover and cook 3-5 minutes or until just blanched. Remove and drain. Set aside.

Add the noodles to the same pot of boiling water and cook according to package directions. Drain well. Return the noodles to the now empty pot and add the sesame oil. Cover and set aside.

Heat a sautée pan, or wok over medium high heat. Add the vegetable oil and the ground pork. Cook the pork until well browned, breaking up any chunks as you go with a spatula. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the hoisin and soy sauce. Cook for about 2 minutes more. Remove the pork to a bowl, cover to keep warm.

In the now empty pan add the chili oil, soy sauce, peanut butter and chili paste. Cook for a few minutes to combine then gradually start adding the chicken broth stirring constantly. Keep adding the chicken broth until you reach your preferred consistency. If you want a stew type of sauce, add little broth, if you like it as if it were soup, add more. Add a pinch of sugar and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer to meld the flavors, about 5 minutes more. Stir occasionally.

Divide the sauce between four large bowls. Add 1/4 of the noodles to each bowl and mix. Then top with a portion of the pork and bok choy. Garnish with chopped peanuts and sliced scallions. Sprinkle with ground chili flakes.

Enjoy your dish!

Mike & Leda

Irish Stew

Serves 4 - 6

Traditional Irish stew as made by Travelling Ginger.
Original recipe can be found here.  

Ingredients:

• 1 Kg small red potatoes 
• 3- 6 carrots 
• 3 celery stalks
• 1 Kg Stew beef
• 1,2 cup flour
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion 
• 2 cans tomato cubes 
• 10 oz beef broth (1/3 can)
• 1 envelope Onion soup mix 
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 can of Guinness Stout

Preparation:

Cut the beef in cubes. Quarter the potatoes, and slice the carrot and celery. Put them all in a large pot and put the heat on low. Pour in the Guinness, beef broth, garlic powder, salt and pepper, soup mix and basil. Stir to combine.

Cover the beef with salt, pepper and coat in the flower. In a skillet heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the beef until almost brown, and then add the onion. Continue browning and turning the meat until the onions are soft and translucent and the meat is fully browned.

Add the onions and meat to the pot. Stir in the tomato cubes and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to the lowest and cook for 3 - 4 hours. Be sure to stir every now and then so the ingredients don't burn to the bottom.

Serve with fresh bread and enjoy!

Mike & Leda

Mustardsoup

Serves 3 - 4

Ingredients

* 250 gram smoked bacon

* 40 grams butter

* 1 onion

* 30 to 60 grams flour

* black pepper

* 500ml milk

* 500ml stock or water (I used beef stock)

* 3 table spoons of coarse mustard

* 1 leek

Preparation

Slice the bacon in cubes, cut the onion finely and slice the leek in thin rings. Melt the butter in a pot and add the bacon and the onion. Put the heat on low as not to burn the onion and let the bacon slowly cook until crisp. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Let the mix cook so that the flour does not change colour. Carefully add the water/stock and milk to the mix and let it boil until the soup is lightly bounded. Now add the mustard and the black pepper according taste. Stir until smooth and boil slowly for a few minutes more. Before serving add the leek and cook for one minute more.

The soup is now ready to be served.

Enjoy!

Mike & Leda

Roasted Eggplant Curry

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients

* 500g Eggplant

* 3 tablespoons olive oil

* Salt to taste

* 3 tablespoons coconut oil

* 2-4 medium sized onion

* 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

* 4-5 chile de arbol (or any other dried chili/chiliflakes) to taste

* 8 green cardamom pods

* 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

* 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

* 4 large garlic cloves

* 1 thumb sized chunk of ginger

* 1 can of diced tomatoes

* 400 ML coconutmilk

* rice

Preparation:

Cut the eggplant in cubes and cover with salt. Mix with olive oil and put in a preheated oven/airfryer on 180 degrees celsius. Roast for 30 minutes, or until done. Make sure the eggplant is ready when you begin, we will add them soon.

Meanwhile cut the onions in cubes, the garlic in slices and the ginger in thin strips.

Mix the ground cardamom with the chile de arbol and put in a grinder/mortar to grind, set aside. Open the cardamom pods and shake the inside in the mortar, along with the peppercorns. Smash and mix with the turmeric. Set aside.

Heat up the coconut oil in a large pot or wok. Put in the onion and set to medium keep stirring and mix in the ground cardamom/chile mix. Leave the heat on medium and stir occasionally until the onions are soft. Now add the carlic, ginger and the next spice mix that has the turmeric/pepper/cardamom pod and cook for a while to toast the spices and really make the flavour spread. Now add the eggplant, tomatoes, and coconutmilk. Increase the heat and mix well. Bring to a boil and then immediately turn the heat low to simmer while stirring occasionally. Add salt to your liking and keep stirring.

Meanwhile prepare the rice, by now you should know my prefferred method; 1 cup rice, 1,5 cup water, bring to boil, lower the heat, let it rest for a minute, stir, and close the lid.

When the rice is done, add with the curry in a bowl/plate and serve with Greek yogurt on the side.

If you are a fan of coriander, you can add some leaves on the top.

Enjoy your meal!

Mike & Leda

Spinach-rice

Serves 4

Ingredients:

* 1kg fresh spinach 

* 1 cup white rice

* 1 bunch spring onion

* 1/2 bunch dill

* 1/2 cup olive oil 

* 1 chicken or vegetable broth cube

* Salt & Pepper to taste

For serving:

* Feta cheese

* Fresh lemon

Preparation:

Chop the spring onions and finely wash the spinach.

Add the olive oil in a big pot and slowly add the spinach and the spring onion.

When it is all soft and about 1/4 of their beginning size, add the broth, salt, pepper, the rice 

and 2 cups of water. 

Mix, cover and once the water starts boiling, lower the temperature. 

Cook until the rice is done.

Fry one egg for every serving. 

Serving:

Serve with the egg over the spinach rice.
Add a generous piece of feta and a piece of lemon.

I hope you like this recipe and enjoy your meal!
Leda & Mike

Yogurt kebab

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

For the kebab:

* 500 g ground beef (preferable one piece)

* 500 g lamp minced meat 

* 2 eggs

* 1 bunch of parsley

* Salt & Pepper to taste

* 1 tablespoon cumin 

* 1 tablespoon allspice

* 1 teaspoon chilli flakes 

* 1 teaspoon paprika mild 

* 1 medium red onion

* 1/2 litter milk 

* 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek 

* 1 teaspoon oregano

* 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder 

* 4-5 bread slices 

For the sauce:

* 100 ml olive oil

* 100 gr butter

* 2 tablespoons paprika mild

* 1 tablespoon tomato puree

* Salt to taste

For serving:

* Pita breads (1 p.p.)

* Greek style yogurt (1tbsp p.p.)

Preparation:

Let the bread soak in the milk and drain after. 

Finely chop the onion.

Mix all the ingredients and let rest for 2 hours.

Shape into medium balls and cook on the grill or deep fry.

In a small pan, let the butter melt and add the rest of the ingredients. 

Cook on low temperature until the tomato pure is sweetened.

Serving:

Cut the pitas into 4 pieces, add a tablespoon of the yogurt and then the kebabs.
On top, add a tablespoon of the sauce.

I hope you like this recipe and enjoy your meal!
Leda & Mike