cola de toro

I cannot believe I’ve never made colo de toro (oxtail) before but, as I couldn’t find any carrillada (pork cheeks) on New Year’s Eve, I decided to give it a go. It’s traditionally made with red wine but this time I opted to use oloroso sherry. It’s also traditionally made with carrots and other root veg, but I didn’t have any so I threw in some portobellos about half-way through cooking and I thought that worked out great. As with all braised meat dishes the idea is to take your time and go low and slow.

I think including prep time this took just over 5 hours, so clearly not a dish to make if you’re in a hurry. The good thing is once it’s simmering away on the top of the cooker you are free to do other things. And like many slow cooked meats, it is even better the next day. This recipe would easily serve four. For side dishes I made roasted potatoes, mini yorkshire puddings and an arugula salad.

Ingredients and instructions below…
Continue reading

meatloaf

meatloaf (2)

So I was lying in bed a couple of mornings ago, scrolling through my Twitter timeline, and up popped a recipe video for meatloaf. And I thought… meatloaf! Wow, I hadn’t had meatloaf in YEARS. So that day I went out and got the basic ingredients, then did a bit of improvising. Result – delish. Total comfort food. Leftovers make great sandwiches.

This recipe ended up making two loaves that could easily feed six people or more, depending on the side dishes. The meat ratio is 2/3 beef and 1/3 pork, so you can play around with quantities.

Ingredients and instructions below…
Continue reading

albóndigas al amontillado

albondigas amontillado (1)
It had been awhile since I made albóndigas and while deciding which sauce I would make – tomato or fino sherry – it occurred to me to try them with amontillado sherry. And I have to say they turned out fabulous. For this sauce I left out the pancetta, used more garlic and added some whole chilli peppers.

Ingredients and instructions below…
Continue reading

albóndigas (meatballs) with 2 sauces

albondigas (1)
I started off with an urge to make some good old fashioned meatballs, but couldn’t decide on a sauce. Eventually I went with a traditional Spanish tomato sauce but then – oops – ended up making way to many meatballs for the amount of sauce I had. So I had to come up with a second sauce for the extra meatballs and decided to go with a sherry sauce. The original tomato sauce recipe I had called for pancetta, but I chose to use up some jamón and chorizo threads I had in the fridge instead and the result was very tasty. Then for the sherry sauce I used bacon bits. Just to say that the pancetta can be switched for something similar.

My first batch made about 30 meatballs (which is why I needed another sauce). I’ve halved the recipe to make 15 meatballs with one of the sauces, or you can double it and make both sauces. Frankly, it takes almost as much effort to make 30 meatballs as 15, and they freeze well, so I’d always opt for going with the larger batch.

Ingredients and instructions below…
Continue reading

carrillada de tenera (aka beef cheeks)

[click to enlarge]

Awhile ago I made my first ever pig’s cheeks and they turned out to be a resounding success that I have made several times since. Then I saw some beef cheeks at the supermarket the other day and, given some of the negative reports of them here, I wondered if I could make some delicious ones. And I totally did! Thanks to Carlos Riva for the recipe suggestions. I kind of put them all together and came up with this one. And quite tender and succulent darlings they turned out to be – even better eaten the day after…

Recipe below the links…

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

Continue reading

angus beef & coriander casserole

Guest contributor, fellow foodie & friend WeeRascal, shares his
recipe (and pics!) for Angus beef & coriander casserole…

This is an adaptation of an Elizabeth David recipe I recently stumbled upon. It is quite simple and is quick to prepare, but it is essential that the beef is of the highest quality.

Ingredients & instructions below the links.

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

Continue reading

spinach & feta rollups

Flour tortilla rollups are a favourite around casa az, and I make several variations. These spinach ones have toasted pinenuts and feta cheese and are spiced up with chili flakes. I also make them with a grated mild white cheese, like havarti. Or a mix of both white & feta cheeses. Fast and easy to make, satisfying and low carb.

Ingredients and instructions are below the links.
Also some pics of rollup variations

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

Continue reading

mister anchovy’s meatloaf

Actually it’s his mom’s meatloaf. I saw this fabulous sounding comfort food recipe over at mister anchovy’s the other day and knew I would have to try it, especially now that the days are getting chilly. It’s been many many years since I made a meatloaf. There are a couple of differences here from the original recipe, the main one being that I couldn’t find any Heinz chili sauce (the “secret” ingredient!) and substituted Heinz barbeque sauce with added chili flakes. I also added a dollop of dijon and a splash of worchestershire to the meat. Oh, and also a whack of garlic. Natch.

Recipe and instructions below the links.

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

Continue reading