Pink Tea

Recipe adapted from Caroline Wachsmuth

7 oz. mineral water
A dozen fresh mint leaves
Pinch of black cardamom pods
2 heaping tsp. dried hibiscus flowers
1 tsp. dried chamomile flowers
Juice of 1 lime
3 tsp. agave syrup
Small handful of pine nuts (to pour in the bottom of each glass)

Boil the water and pour in the fresh mint, cardamom pods, hibiscus, and chamomile. Let infuse 5 minutes.

Filter out flowers and pods; add lime juice and agave syrup and heat for about 5 minutes — but don’t let it boil.

Scatter the pine nuts in the bottom of two small glasses. Filter the tea again and pour into the glasses. If it’s not sweet enough, add more agave syrup or flower honey.

Gelatinas

Recipe from my aunt Mague.

2 tablespoons gelatin
½ cup cold water
1 can (about 400 g) condensed milk
1 ½ cups pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla
Milk

Sprinkle the gelatin in half a cup of cold water; do not stir. Heat until boiling to fully dissolve the gelatin. Then, in a blender, mix the condensed milk, vanilla, and pecans. Add the dissolved gelatin. Add milk until total mixture equals 4 cups of liquid. Pour into a mold and refrigerate until firm.

Note: Use 2 tablespoons of gelatin per 4 cups of liquid. Can substitute the pecans for Rompope, Kahlua, etc.

Green Smoothie

Recipe from Jenny Nelson's Clean 

3 cups spinach
1 cup frozen blueberries (or raspberries, blackberries, mangoes, papaya, etc.)
1 tablespoon flax oil
1 tablespoon maca powder
1 tablespoon spirulina
1 cup almond milk
2 dates

Blend until creamy.

Whitefish Salad

Recipe from Clean Eats

2 fillets of any whitefish (halibut, cod, sea bass, hake, durade, etc.)
1/4 cup almonds
2 shallots, peeled and diced
2 teaspoons sea salt (smoked alderwood or any smoked sea salt if you can find it works best)
1 tablespoon olive oil
A splash of almond or rice milk, just enough to give it the right consistency
1/4 cup dried cranberries, unsweetened
Two handfuls of lettuce, shredded

Steam or broil the fish until cooked through (about 10 minutes depending on heat source, check inside with a fork as it cooks). Discard the skin and mash the fish in a bowl with the almonds, shallots, sea salt, olive oil and cranberries. Add enough nut or rice milk to give it a chicken salad consistency.

You can add a swirl of raw and local goat cheese for an amazing creamy and even saltier taste, but it works well without it also. Serve on brown rice wraps or gluten free bread with the lettuce or over any mixed salad.

Sweet and Sour Chicken with Mixed Greens

Recipe from Clean Eats

1/2 cup wheat free tamari or nama shoyu or coconut aminos
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar or balsamic
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
A knob of fresh ginger (roughly 1 1/2 inches), peeled and minced or 1 teaspoon ginger powder
2 chicken breasts, sliced into long strips about 3” long and 1/2” thick
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 475

Over low heat in a pan mix the first five ingredients until you have a smooth and thick sauce, roughly 12 minutes. Lay chicken pieces in the sauce and cook, stirring frequently, until cooked through (about 12-15 minutes). Add pieces to bowls of mixed greens, pour the remaining sweet and sour liquid equally over each bowl.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve. This works well warm or chilled.

Cinnamon-Flavored Ice Milk with Coffee

Recipe from Penelope Casas The Foods & Wines of Spain

1 and 1/2 cups strong black coffee, preferably espresso, chilled

Leche Merengada
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
Peel of 1 lemon
2 cinnamon sticks
4 egg whites
Few drops of lemon juice
Cinnamon for dusting

Make the Leche Merengada. Bring to a boil the milk, cream, 3/4 cup of the sugar, the lemon peel, and the cinnamon sticks. Reduce the heat and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool, the refrigerate until cold. Remove the lemon peel and cinnamon sticks. Beat the egg whites with the lemon juice until they form soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue beating until stiff but not dry. Slowly beat in the cold milk mixture. Freeze in ice cube trays. Dust with cinnamon when serving.

Pour 1/4 cup chilled coffee into each of 6 parfait glasses, then add scoops of Leche Merengada. Serve immediately.

Sangria

Recipe from Penelope Casas The Foods & Wines of Spain

Start preparations several hours in advance.

1 bottle (24 ounces) dry, full-bodied red wine, preperably of Spanish import from Valencia or Valdepeñas
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier (optional)
1 tablespoon sugar
Orange and lemon slices
Apple and/or peach wedges
1 cup club soda or sparkling water

Mix together in a large pitcher all ingredients except the club soda. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Add the club soda and ice cubes. Serve very cold.

Tortilla a la Gallega

Recipe from Penelope Casas The Foods & Wines of Spain

4 medium potatoes, peeled, in 1/8 inch slices
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Salt
1 cup olive oil
5 eggs
1 chorizo (2 ounces) diced
3 tablespoons diced pimiento, homemade or imported

Fry the potatoes and onion with salt in the oil in the same manner as the Tortilla Española. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with salt in a bowl. In a small skillet lightly sauté the chorizo. Add it to the beaten egg along with the pimiento. Drain the potatoes and add them to the egg mixture, pushing them down with a pancake turner so that the egg covers the potatoes. Let sit 15 minutes.

Proceed to cook the omelet as a Tortilla Española.

Tortilla Española

Recipe from Penelope Casas The Foods & Wines of Spain

1 cup olive oil
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/8 inch slices
Coarse salt
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 large eggs

Heat the oil in an 8 or 9 inch skillet and add the potato slices one at a time to prevent sticking. Alternate potato layers with the onion slices and salt the layers lightly. Cook slowly, over a medium flame, lifting and turning the potatoes occasionally, until they are tender but not brown. (The potatoes will remain separated, not in a "cake.")

Meanwhile, in a large bowl beat the eggs with a fork until they are slightly foamy. Salt to taste. Remove the potatoes from the skillet and drain them in a colander, reserving about 3 tablespoons of the oil. (The potatoes give the oil a delicious flavor, so reserve the rest for future use.) Add the potatoes to the beaten eggs, pressing the potatoes down so that they are completely covered by the egg. Let the mixture sit 15 minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the reserved oil in a large skillet until very hot (you may use the same skillet as long as absolutely nothing is stuck to the bottom). Add the potato and egg mixture, rapidly spreading it out in the skillet with the aid of a pancake turner. Lower the heat to medium-high and shake the pan often to prevent sticking. When the potatoes begin to brown underneath, invert a plate of the same size over the skillet. Flip the omelet onto the plate. Add about 1 tablespoon more of oil to the pan, then flip the omelet back into the skillet to brown on the other side. (If your skillet was not hot enough, some of the omelet may stick to the pan. If this happens, don't despair; scrape off the pieces and fit them into their places on the omelet. With subsequent flips, the pieces will mesh with the omelet.)

Lower the heat to medium. Flip the omelet 2 or 3 more times (this helps to give it a good shape) cooking briefly on each side. It should be slightly juicy within. Transfer to a platter and serve hot or at room temperature. I prefer it after it has been sitting for several hours.

Champiñones al Ajillo

Recipe from Penelope Casas The Foods & Wines of Spain

3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 and 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 cup beef broth, preferably homemade
1/2 dried red chili pepper, cut in 3 pieces, seeds removed
2 tablespoons chopped parsely
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 pound mushrooms, whole or halved

In a skillet heat the garlic in 2 tablespoons of the oil until the garlic starts to color. Turn off the heat immediately; the garlic should not turn brown. Stir in the flour and cook a minute. Gradually pour in the beef broth, then add the chili pepper, 1 tablespoon of the parsely, and the lemon juice. Stir until smooth and thickened.

In a separate skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of the oil until it is very hot. Add the mushrooms and stir fry briefly until the mushrooms are lightly browned. Add the mushrooms to the sauce and simmer 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of parsely and serve.

Honey-Glazed Pear Upside-Down Cake

Recipe from The New York Times

1/4 cup chestnut or other intense honey
4 small or 3 large Bosc pears, peeled, quartered lengthwise and cored
3 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
1 cup sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup sliced almonds.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 9-inch ovenproof skillet (not nonstick), simmer honey until it begins to reduce, caramelize and darken in color, 6 to 10 minutes. Do not let honey burn; if it starts to smell burned, turn off heat.

Arrange pears, close together and cut-side down, in a circular pattern in skillet, stem ends pointing toward center. Simmer over medium heat, turning them from one cut side to the other, until they begin to turn golden, about 10 minutes.

Flip pears over to their curved side and scatter with thyme sprigs if using. Transfer skillet to oven and roast, uncovered, until very tender, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together sugar and lemon zest. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Fold in flour and salt; stir in 1/2 cup butter.

When pears are soft, remove skillet from oven, discard thyme sprigs and brush edges of pears with remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter. Pour batter on roasted pears and scatter almonds over batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cake cool for 30 minutes in pan. Run an offset spatula along edges of pan to loosen cake; carefully invert cake onto a serving platter. Serve warm or cooled.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Eggplant Parmesan

Recipe adapted from Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver

3 medium-large eggplants, cut crosswise into ½-inch slices
Olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, thinly sliced
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 28-ounce can no-salt plum tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, or as needed
1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves, optional.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush both sides of eggplant slices with oil, and place in a single layer on two or more baking sheets. Bake until undersides are golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes, then turn and bake until other sides are lightly browned. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and add onion. Sauté until soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and dried oregano and sauté another 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and their juices, breaking up whole tomatoes with your hands. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.

Add vinegar, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Into a 9-by-9-inch, 10-by-5-inch or 10-by-6-inch baking pan, spoon a small amount of tomato sauce, then add a thin scattering of parmigiano, then a single layer of eggplant. Repeat until all ingredients are used, ending with a little sauce and a sprinkling of parmigiano. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and oregano, if using, with just enough olive oil to moisten. Sprinkle on top. If desired, recipe can be made to this point and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before baking.

Bake until eggplant mixture is bubbly and center is hot, 30 to 45 minutes depending on size of pan and thickness of layers. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Recipe can also be reheated.

Yield: 4 to 5 main dish servings.

Mushroom, Cheddar and Chive Quiche

Recipe adapted from Breakfast, Lunch, Tea: The Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery

For the pastry: 
1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter or margarine, cut into pieces, plus extra for greasing pan
1 egg yolk, broken up

For the filling: 
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 eggs
1 egg yolk
2 cups light cream
Pinch of grated nutmeg
2 cups grated Cheddar
3 tablespoons chopped chives.

Make the pastry: In a food processor, combine the flour, salt and butter so that some pieces of butter are left, about 8 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add half the egg yolk and 1/4 cup ice water. Stir quickly with a fork to bring the ingredients together, adding more water as needed. (If using margarine, less water may be required to moisten the dough.) When the fork cannot do any more, use your hands just to bring the dough together. Do not knead or press the dough; simply gather up the dry parts as quickly as possible. Wrap the dough in plastic film and chill for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 11-inch round tart pan with butter. Dust a work surface and rolling pin with flour and roll the dough to 1/8-inch thick, lifting and turning so that it does not stick to the surface. Ease the dough into the pan and up the sides, without stretching. Trim excess dough and chill for 30 minutes. Cover with foil and lay beans or pie weights on the foil. Bake until the pastry begins to turn golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Prepare the filling: In a frying pan, heat the oil and sauté the mushrooms and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms have darkened and all the liquid released from them has evaporated. Season to taste. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs to break them up, then add the cream, a pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg and beat until combined.

Place the cooled tart on a sheet pan. Scatter the cheese over the base of the pastry shell. Place the mushrooms over the cheese, then pour as much of the egg-and-cream mixture as you can without it spilling over the top. Sprinkle with chives and carefully transfer to the oven. Bake until the filling has set and is lightly golden, 35 to 45 minutes. Serves 8 as a main course.

Castilian-Style Potatoes

Recipe from Penelope Casas The Foods & Wines of Spain

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3 large potatoes, cubed
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 bay leaf

Heat the oil in a shallow casserole. Saute the onion and garlic until the onion is wilted. Add the potatoes and saute 5 minutes more. Sprinkle in the flour and paprika, stirring to coat the potatoes. Barely cover the potatoes with hot water. Add salt, pepper, and bay leaf and cook, covered, until the potatoes are tender and most of the liquid absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Tofu and Green Beans in a Lemongrass Broth

2 stalks of fresh lemongrass, roughly chopped (the whole lot)
2 thick slices of ginger
6 kaffir lime leaves (or zest of 1 lime)
1 large bunch of coriander (cliantro), well washed and shaken dry
Sea salt
1 tablespoon of tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoon of palm sugar or brown sugar
1 x 300g (10 oz) packet of organic silken tofu
A large handful of green beans, topped and tailed
1 teaspoon of macadamia or light olive oil
2 small red onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 red chilli, finely chopped
½ teaspoon of turmeric
200ml of coconut milk
Rice, to serve
Fried shallots, to serve (optional)

Prepare your rice before you begin.

Place the first 3 ingredients into a saucepan. Cut the leaves from the stalks of the coriander and set them aside. Roughly chop the stalks and, if you are lucky enough to have the roots with your coriander, roughly chop them too. Chuck these in to the saucepan, add 1 ½ cups of water and a good pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until reduced to a little over half. Strain into a jug and stir in the tamari and sugar.

Gently drain the tofu. Place it carefully on a wad of kitchen paper and slice into cubes (don’t be precious – it will dissolve a little into the sauce). Slice the beans into 5cm (2 inch) lengths. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, throw in the beans and simmer them for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Heat a frying pan, add the oil and when it is hot add the onions, garlic and chilli. Stir fry over a high heat for 2 minutes and then add the par-cooked beans and the turmeric. Pour in the broth, add the tofu and gently stir. Add the coconut milk and simmer the whole lot for about 5 minutes. Add the reserved coriander leaves (yes, all of them), stir and simmer for a further minute.

Taste for salt, adjusting as you see fit - a splash of fish sauce (nam pla) is good - and serve over rice. Scatter each dish with fried shallots, if using, and serve immediately.

Broccoli Stir-Fry With Chicken and Mushrooms

Recipe from The New York Times

2 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 scallions, chopped
1 pound broccoli, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces, the stems no more than 1/4-inch thick
8 ounces button mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced
Salt
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch chunks or thin slices and blotted dry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper.

Put a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add half the oil, swirl it around, and immediately add half the garlic and ginger. Cook for 15 seconds, stirring, then add the broccoli, mushrooms and all but a sprinkling of the scallions. Raise heat to high, and cook, stirring, until mushrooms release their water and broccoli is bright green and beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

Sprinkle with salt; add 1 cup water. Stir and cook until almost all liquid evaporates and broccoli is almost tender, another minute or two more, then transfer everything to a plate.

Turn heat to medium, add remaining oil, then remaining garlic and ginger. Stir, then add chicken and turn heat to high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken has lost its pink color, three to five minutes.

Turn heat to medium. Return broccoli, mushrooms and juices to the pan, and stir. Add soy sauce, sprinkle with more salt and some pepper; add a little more water if mixture is dry. Raise heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced slightly and you’ve scraped up all the bits of chicken. Taste and adjust seasoning, garnish with remaining scallion and serve.

Notes

Stir-fries work with virtually any combination of vegetables; protein-dense food (meat, poultry, fish, tofu, etc.) is optional. Use pork (like shoulder), shrimp, beef (like sirloin), or tofu instead of chicken; slice the meat thinly or the tofu into cubes.

Use cabbage, cauliflower, asparagus, green beans, snow peas, carrots or spinach in place of either the broccoli or the mushrooms or both. Or use other mushrooms.

Use fish sauce instead of soy sauce and finish with a squeeze of lime to give it a Southeast Asian flavor.

Use olive oil, skip the ginger, use onion instead of scallion, and substitute 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary or thyme to give it a Mediterranean flavor profile.

Use coconut milk instead of stock; 1 tablespoon curry powder instead of soy sauce to give it an Indian flavor.

Beef and Broccoli

1/2 pound beef, sliced
1 bunch of young broccoli (can also add carrots)
1 teaspoon crushed ginger
1/4 cup water
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 tablespoons oil

Mix:
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon sherry
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Marinate meat in mixture of cornstarch, salt, sugar, sherry, and soy sauce. Peel stalks of broccoli. Drop broccoli into boiling water and parboil 1 minute. Remove and slice. Heat pan, add 2 tablespoons oil, and saute beef for a few seconds. Remove. Reheat pan, add 2 tablespoons oil, and saute ginger, garlic, and broccoli 1 minute. Add beef and water and simmer 2 minutes.

Delicias de Queso

Cheese Balls

2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Dash nutmeg
1/2 pound cheese, such as Gouda, grated
2 tablespoons grated Manchego or Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons minced cured ham
1 teaspoon grated onion
Oil for frying

In a bowl beat the egg yolks with a wire whisk until light colored. Stir in the milk, then gradually add the flour and beat until smooth. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold the yolk mixture into the whites, adding the salt, pepper, nutmeg, cheeses, ham, and onion. Drop by the teaspoonful into hot oil, at least 1/2 inch deep, and fry, turning once, until just golden. Do not overcook. Drain and serve immediately.

Cheese Balls with Olives

13-ounce jar large olives (for example, stuffed Spanish green olives without pits)
1 cup + 2 tablespoons cheese (Sharp Cheddar)
1 stick of butter
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/4 tablespoon cayenne

Combine cheese, butter, salt and cayenne. Cover olives. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 25 minutes.