Shiitake mushrooms accompanied by Quinoa

⚫  To prepare Quinoa grains with a characteristic touch of Indian cuisine:

• Cover the bottom of a saucepan with extra virgin olive oil; when the oil is hot, add a tablespoon of whole grain mustard; reduce the heat to low, stir to toast the grains, taking care they don´t burn. 

• Add a tablespoon of several spices, a ready-made blend of cardamom, nutmeg, pepper and coriander, to give a more oriental touch to the dish. Stir and add a teacup of quinoa (previously, rinse it with a colander). Stir and let the grains be pervaded with the aromas from the Orient for a few minutes. 

• Add two teacups of water and when it comes to a boil, add a dash of salt to taste; let it simmer.

⚫  Meanwhile, in a skillet add a little extra virgin olive oil to sauté the mushrooms.

⚫  Mushrooms also go well with rice:

 Rice with mushrooms

Sautéed mushrooms

                    

Mediterranean Savor: Macaroni

▪  The pasta of durum wheat semolina is cooked in a few minutes from the moment the water begins to boil, between 7 and 9 minutes.

Once cooked the pasta, pour it into a colander to drain the hot water and rinse it with cold water.

▪  In a large skillet, cover the bottom with a little extra virgin olive oil to sauté a Hokkaido squash (of sweet-flavor), cut into small dices; when it is nearly tender, add the pine nuts and raisins , stir and allow the pine nuts to brown. Then, add the macaroni, stir to heat it and ready. 

At serving time, we can give a special touch to the dish with some drops of balsamic vinegar of Modena (to taste).

                   

Rice with mushrooms

◼  They made me a present of a box with dehydrated Maitake mushrooms of ecological production, until that moment I had never tried them. And I didn´t really know very well how to prepare them, so I decided on rice with mushrooms.

The box contained 30 grams of dehydrated mushrooms; I put them to soak in water overnight to hydrate them.

The next day, I prepared them as follows:

• Cover the bottom of a paella pan with  extra virgin olive oil  to sauté, first, one finely chopped onion; then, add some finely chopped garlic cloves when the onion is softened; stir and let make some minutes over a low heat.

• Add a spoonful of  Herbes de Provence , stir and let make some minutes.

• Cut the mushrooms into small pieces, add and stir. Add ½ coffee cup of round-grain brown rice, stir and cover everything with water. Keep over a high heat until the water begins to boil, add salt (to taste) and reduce the heat. Time required, approximately, an hour.

◼  Ideas to repeat and, besides, to have always on hand together with dried legumes and rice in the pantry.

>> see more rice recipes

                   

Mediterranean Savor: Warm fusilli salad

◼  In a saucepan bring the water to a boil with a dash of salt and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. When it comes to a boil, add the pasta and also the peas (frozen). The cooking time is short, between 7 and 9 minutes. Drain the hot water with the help of a colander, rinse the pasta and peas with cold water.

◼  In a large skillet, sauté in a little olive oil one Hokkaido squash (of sweet- flavor and easy to chop), cut into small dices. When tender, add the pasta and the peas so that everything can warm up. 

                   

Mediterranean Savor: Spaghetti

◼  The pasta of durum wheat semolina is cooked in a few minutes from the moment the water begins to boil, between 7 and 9 minutes. Once cooked the pasta, pour it into a colander to drain and rinse it with cold water.

◼  In a large skillet, cover the bottom with a little extra virgin olive oil to sauté one Hokkaido squash (of sweet-flavor and easy to chop), cut into small dices; when they are tender, add the spaghetti to heat.

◼ We serve and can add some pomegranate seeds (fruit that appears in markets when autumn begins)

◼  The combinations are always to taste of the one who prepares the recipe. What I suggest are ideas.

>> more combinations with pasta

                   

Mediterranean Savor: Golden noodle soup

◼  I made this soup with the stock obtained from cooking some chickpeas when preparing hummus (chickpea paste).

Add a little water to the stock to reduce the concentrate and rectify the salt. Bring to boil and add the noodles; when ready (practically in less than 10 minutes), pour the sauté garlic with sweet paprika over the soup.

◼  For the sautéed garlic: Chop one clove garlic finely, sauté it in a little extra virgin olive oil and add the tip of a coffee spoon of sweet paprika.

>> see more broths recipes

                   

Mediterranean Savor: Hummus

◼  Cook the  chickpeas  with an onion, some  bay leaves  and salt to taste. I always use the same quantity of chickpeas, 200 grams.

◼  In a mixing bowl (with capacity for 1 liter) put the drained chickpeas, 4 or 5 sliced cloves garlic, a drizzle of  extra virgin olive oil  and salt (quantity to taste), the juice of a large  lemon  and a tablespoon of ready-made  Tahini  paste.

◼  Beat the mixture with an electric mixer until you get a paste with creamy texture; in case more liquid is needed, add a little of the stock from cooking the chickpeas or else lemon juice; this will depend on the taste of the one who is preparing the hummus.

◼  Place the paste in the refrigerator for a few hours; when you are going to use it, you can serve it a serving platter garnished with sweet paprika and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

◼  I like to make salads, with beetroot, zucchini, cucumber or radishes, cut into very thin slices to prepare some toast with Hummus, especially for dinner time.

>> see recipes made with chickpeas broth 

                   

Combination of sautéed spinach with chickpeas

◼  Sautéed spinach with raisins and almonds accompanied by cooked chickpeas.

◼  When I cook chickpeas to prepare Hummus, I cook them with an onion and some bay leaves; I usually cook more than I need to prepare the chickpea paste; so, on the one hand, I prepare hummus and on the other hand, another dish like this combination of sautéed spinach.

◼  In addition, I reserve the stock from cooking the chickpeas to prepare other recipes, for instance, a noodle soup.

◼  Spinach is cooked fast, in a saucepan with a little water and salt (to taste) or steamed. In a skillet, first sauté in a little extra virgin olive oil the raisins and almonds (or pine nuts, according to what you have on hand) and then add spinach, stir and ready to serve.

                   

Recipe made with tradition, Sephardi rice.

Sephardi rice is a recipe created by my brother, based on an ancient Sephardi recipe. It is a carrot stew served with rice and very spicy savor; well, as my brother comments, if you catch a cold, you eliminate all the viruses and become new.                        

I was surprised by the idea, so I adapted his recipe to my taste, with less spicy. As I use whole grain rice, it is the first thing I prepare, so while the rice is on the boil, I prepare the stew.                                       

In a saucepan sauté finely chopped onion in extra virgin olive oil over a low heat; when the onion is softened, add a few finely chopped cloves garlic, stir and sauté for a few minutes; add a wooden spoon of Provence herbs (the measure to aromatize is always to taste), sauté for a few minutes and add some tomatoes, peeled and diced; stir and cover the saucepan to make the sauce.      

When the sauce is ready, add the diced carrots, stir and add a dried chili pepper (or to taste), a pinch of sea salt to taste and cover with water to cook, cover and simmer. My brother also adds a splash of white wine, but it is optional.

And for the rice, I use a blend of wholegrain, basmati and wild black rice. When I serve the dish, pour a few drops of lemon directly over the rice, it gives a really special touch.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

 


800 g  carrots , 3 medium  tomatoes , 1 large onion,4 cloves garlic,  Provence herbs , 1 dried chili  pepper (or more, if desired), 1  lemon ,   extra virgin olive oi l , 1 teacup  whole grain rice , sea salt (to taste).

>> see more rice recipes

                   

Family recipe, el potaje (Spanish chickpea stew)

When the first cold days of autumn arrive, I always feel like the Spanish chickpea stew. I prepare it as I have seen it make to my mother, who in her turn learned it from her mother. They are recipes that go from one generation to another and no one writes because they are easy to remember.

“Potaje” is a stew with vegetables and legumes, to which add, once made, a stir-fry with garlic and (sweet or spicy) paprika.  I remember my father really liked spicy food; for this reason, he put some drops of Tabasco sauce on his plate (well spicy) because my mother prepared the garlic stir-fry with sweet paprika; since, as a rule, little children do not like spicy very much.

Today, all of us prepare the stew with a spicy touch, adding some dried chili pepper during the cooking or using spicy paprika. But my mother and my brother, besides, add Tabasco sauce on their plates.                  

The stew we prepare in my family is as follows:

• Leave the small white beans and chickpeas to soak overnight.  The next day, place the legumes in a stew pot and fill with cold water.  
• When legumes are half cooked, add diced potatoes, sliced carrots and a pinch of sea salt (to taste),  cover and let it simmer.  
• When the legumes start to be tender with the help of a skimmer and a fork, mash some of them and some of the potatoes to give the stew a thicker texture, stir and leave it to simmer. 
• When all the ingredients are cooked, add the spinach, previously washed and cut. 
• Meanwhile, in a skillet heat extra virgin olive oil, add sliced cloves garlic and when golden brown, remove the skillet from heat and let cool the oil down. Add a large spoon of paprika (sweet or spicy, as desired), stir and pour it over the stew in the stew pot. Stir and ready. 

◼ My mother adds, at the start of the cooking, a coffee cup of whole grain rice, so the stew has a high nutritional value. Instead, I like accompanying the stew by a large slice of (kamut or whole wheat spelt or rye) bread. 

◼ In ancient times, what to have been known was that the food prepared in a traditional way and with fresh seasonal ingredients, was healthy and that the combinations among foods, many of them come from the old farmers, were right to keep good health. 

◼ Today, with the advances of science, we are told that if we combine legumes with cereals, we get a high quality protein. 

◼ The stew the same as vegetable stocks are dishes that the day after they have been prepared they are still tastier because the savors have been concentrated. They are very simple dishes, with few ingredients, easy to prepare and very nutritious.

Ingredients:

100 g white beans 

100 g Pedrosillano chickpeas (or another variety) 

4 large potatoes 

2 large carrots 

4 cloves garlic 

170 g  spinach  (previously picked over and washed)

 paprika  (sweet or spicy)

 extra virgin olive oil 

sea salt (to taste)

1/2  coffee cup whole grain rice (if desired)

>> see more stew recipes

                   

Mediterranean Savor: Paella with vegetables.

An idea to prepare vegetable paella with whole grain rice:              

• In a saucepan put one teacup of round whole grain rice, add 4 measures of water, stir and heat. When it starts to boil, add a dash of sea salt (to taste); leave the rice to simmer.         

• While the rice is cooking, prepare the vegetables (wash and cut).

• Then, in a large skillet (or paella pan) put a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to sauté the chopped onion; when the onion is softened, add the sliced parsnip and carrot, stir and leave to cook a few minutes.

• Meanwhile, the rice has been cooking for half an hour; then, pour into the large skillet and mix with the vegetables moving the large skillet by the handle. Continue cooking on a low heat.  

• In a small amount of hot water dissolve 2 sachets of saffron and pour over the rice, move the large skillet (paella pan), using the handle, to distribute it well. Little by little, the rice is getting a nice golden color and a delicious aroma.

A few minutes before the rice is ready, sauté the diced zucchini in a skillet with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and pour over the paella pan to complete the garnish just before serving.         

Ingredients:

• round whole grain rice, onion,  carrot,  parsnip ,  zucchin i, extra virgin olive oil ,  saffron  sachets, sea salt.

Time: 1 hour.

                                       

Family recipe, pumpkin cream soup.

My mother was telling me stories about the family when she said:          

-“You knew, in the past cream soups were made for supper”                               

-“And how?” I replied to her, since before there were no electric mixers.

She laughed and went on speaking:            

-“While we lay the table and continue talking, we are going to prepare a cream soup, which was very typical at my parents´ house; besides, it is very easy to prepare and only consists of two ingredients,  pumpkin and potatoes, which are cut into small dices”                      

– “To know the measure, it is very easy, half of one and half of another. We put them in the saucepan and fill with water, when it boils we add a pinch of sea salt and reduce heat. From time to time, we have to stir so that the ingredients go undoing”

- “You will see how a cream soup of more intense color is forming than when it is used an electric mixer. When it is ready, we prepare a stir-fried with sliced garlic and sweet  paprika , which is something very typical of Castilian cuisine; then, we pour it into the saucepan, stir and ready”. 

>> see more cream soup recipes

                   

Mediterranean Savor: Vegetable cream soup.

There are vegetables we always have on-hand and they are easy to prepare, like garlic, onions, turnips, potatoes, leeks or  carrots . We can find them in any store near home and at any season.

By adding ingredients like  carrot  or  pumpkin  to the soups, if we beat them with an electric mixer, the color will be unmistakably  orange , but of course, with different nuances, both in flavor and aroma and obviously, in nutritional value since some give us more fiber ( pumpkins ), others more vitamin A ( carrots ), others more water 
(zucchinis  instead of  potatoes ) and so on.

The cream soups are one of my favorite dishes and I like combining different vegetables.

Preparation:

With the vegetables, previously washed and clean.

• Chop the potatoes and turnips, slice the leek and carrots and chop finely the celery.Place ingredients in a large saucepan (with capacity for 3 liters) and fill with water; cover and with the first boiling, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sea salt (to taste) and continue cooking the soup.

• When all the ingredients are fully cooked and with an aroma where highlights the celery, beat the soup with an electric mixer; but before, you can remove a little of cooking liquid. Like this, you calculate the degree of thickness you want to give to the soup; if the cooking liquid is left, you can use it as a delicious vegetable stock for another dish.

• Chop the green beans and sauté them in extra virgin olive oil. When they are ready, sprinkle with pepper and serve as a garnish of the cream soup.

Ingredients (Makes 4 servings):

• 12  green beans  pods;
• 1   stalk celery;
• 2   turnips;
• 4   large  potatoes;
• 1   leek, sliced;
• 2   large  carrots .
• Seasoning:  extra virgin olive oil  and sea salt; 5 peppers grinder to season the green beans.
• Time: 1 hour.

>> see more vegetable cream soup recipes