sausage sarnie

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Shawn

So there I was with a sudden craving for a meatball sandwich (something I haven’t had in YEARS) and all I had was some chorizo criollo in the fridge. It was time to improvise! The addition of spinach meant (to me) that there wasn’t any need for a side veg or salad, making it a super-simple all-in-one kind of dish, which I served open-faced as I prefer more filling/topping than bread. It also had a whack of parmesan sprinkled on top but was more photogentic without it. Makes 2-3 servings, depending on how hungry you are.

Ingredients and instructions below…

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spinach & garbanzos with fried eggs

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Shawn

The other day I had a bag of fresh baby spinach that needed using up so I had a quick look online for some “spinach and egg” inspiration and found this, which as it turns out is a typical Spanish dish. I hadn’t planned on making a stew, let alone something with garbanzos, but this looked interesting and so after a few adjustments to the recipe I’d found I decided this would make a nice meal. And it was! I used chicken broth but you can swap that for veggie broth if you want a vegetarian dish. Serves two but just double the recipe for more people or to have some tasty leftovers the next day.

Ingredients and instructions below…

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pollo al ajillo con espinacas

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Shawn

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted something here that wasn’t a rice or noodle dish. But today I came up with this variation on pollo al ajillo which could be served with rice or, as a low-carb option, is perfectly tasty on its own. If you don’t fancy spinach you can just leave it out. Likewise the guindilla (hot chilis). From start to finish it takes about 45 minutes.

Unlike traditional pollo al ajillo recipes, which use the whole chicken chopped up into stew-size pieces, I am using boneless chicken breast. I’ve also made something similar to this with chicken thighs. So you can see it’s pretty versatile. I throw in my garlic right at the beginning, but those who prefer less “toasted” garlic should add it with the peppercorns (and chilis) after turning the chicken pieces to brown on the other side.

Ingredients and instructions below…

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tortilla-style pasta frittata

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Shawn

Today I was going to make a tortilla de patatas for my flatmate (really, you want to be my flatmate!) and then saw that there weren’t any potatoes in the house. So then I thought that I would try making a tortilla with pasta instead, which of course is a frittata. Which I have never made before.

Except I didn’t want to have to bother with turning on the oven and all that.

So I decided to try making a frittata but “tortilla-style”. Which means that instead of popping the frittata into the oven when it’s partially cooked, I would flip it and finish cooking it in the pan. And I think it turned out really well.

One day I’ll try a proper frittata, but this is a great option for people who either don’t have an oven or, like me, can’t be bothered to use it most of the time. It’s also a great way to use up left-over pasta.

Ingredients and instructions below…

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potato “raclette” casserole

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Shawn

Just so you know, this has nothing to do with a proper raclette, nor does it use raclette cheese. But as it does involve mostly potatoes and melted cheese this is what came to mind as I was making it. It all started yesterday when I realised that the very special Swedish Vasterbottensost Cheese that my friend Karin had brought for me in October was about to reach its expiry date. I’d been saving it for a special occasion…

Anyhow, it was such a miserable wet and cold day that some comfort food was definitely required and, after trying a bit of the Vasterbottensost (delicious!) decided it needed to be eaten as simply as possible. And so I came up with this. It was a perfect rainy day meal … and also made for great leftovers!

Ingredients and instructions below…

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spinach & onion tortilla

Posted on June 7, 2010 by Shawn

On the heels of my tortilla de patatas recipe … this is another tortilla that I really like and it’s also low-carb. Vegetarian too. It’s very tasty on its own, or as a tortilla butty, and goes well with a big dollop of “salsa az”…

Ingredients and instructions below the links.

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spinach, langostine & chorizo criollo risotto

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Shawn

Yep, another risotto. This one with fresh baby spinach leaves stirred in at the end – it’ll look like a lot of spinach at first but it wilts down a lot. Also very meaty with lots of chorizo criollo, which adds a lovely texture and flavour and goes very well with the langostines. Add some ground hot chilis to spice it up.

Ingredients & instructions below the links.

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huevos rancheros al benedict

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Shawn

This one doesn’t really need a recipe. Just something I threw together this evening and it was so fast and delicious that I thought I’d share it here. A sort of eggs benedict/huevos ranchero combination. So, just toast a flour tortilla and then spread some of The Sauce on it, add some wilted spinach, a fried egg and a dollop of tomato hot sauce.

Roll it up and … yum!