garbanzo burgers

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garbanzo burgers

Got inspired this morning when I saw this Instagram pic by Ellie, co-owner of the Pear Café in Bristol. Hers were a much “healthier” version. I went for more of a traditional burger thing, first making two cheeseburgers with tomato, lettuce and onion, mayo and dijon. The other two I topped with fried onions and served with a soya-mayo (just mayonnaise with some soy sauce added). Both types were fabulous, served on freshly grill-toasted artisanal molletes (a soft Spanish bread roll), though in retrospect I realised I should have made eight smaller burgers from this recipe, which I did on my next try. Also the second time I added fresh cilantro – made all the difference. Very filling, super delicious.

Ingredients and instructions below…

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spinach & garbanzos with fried eggs

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garbanzos and spinach

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

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pollo ajillo espinacasIt’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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chopo risotto

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Another “accidental” risotto, which came about after seeing some lovely chopo mushrooms at the market yesterday. And then the guy made me an offer I couldn’t refuse (just before closing time on Saturday is a good time to hit the market). These chopos were cultivated, which don’t have the same deep flavour as wild ones, but still a nice change from regular white mushrooms. They were also small enough that I just cooked them whole. And thus a new (for me) risotto was born.

Ingredients and instructions below…

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bacon basmati risotto

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The other day I fancied a bit of risotto without making a whole whack of it like I usually do. So I came up with this “single serving” option using basmati rice. It turned out very nice though I didn’t actually measure stuff so just use the amount of rice you’d usually make for yourself with a bit more broth than you’d normally use if cooking it with water.

Ingredients and instructions below…
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how to peel hard-boiled eggs without peeling

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[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN2gYHJNT3Y&feature=relmfu”]

A while back I posted a video that showed us how to peel a head of garlic in less than 10 seconds (still haven’t tried that one). And now… well, I’m sure you’ve read the title. Though I’m thinking this is only a good method if you are peeling (without peeling) an egg for yourself. You’ll see why.

huevos rotos

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Huevos rotos (literally “broken eggs” in Spanish) is a very traditional dish with many variations, but all including perfectly crispy fried eggs with soft yolks and fried potatoes. The ones you see below include jamón and chorizo Ibérico, caramalised onions and shaved truffle. The one you see above is my first attempt at making this at home. I used chorizo criollo and added some pimentón piquante as my favourite version so far (from Vineria San Telmo) includes spicy chorizo with lots of pimentón inside, which blends perfectly with the hot egg yolk and fried potatoes.

I served it with a tomato and spring onion salad, both of which are just coming into season now, and it was a great side dish that added a fresh touch and balanced the meal out quite nicely.

[huevos rotos at Gusto Ristobar, Vineria San Telmo & El Gallinero de Sandra]

Ingredients and instructions below…

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grilled soy(a) tuna

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This isn’t so much a recipe as just a great idea – came across it on Twitter the other day and now can’t remember who posted it. Anyhow, you just take some fresh tuna steaks, lightly salt & pepper them and set aside. Then sautée some spring onion and garlic in olive oil; when nicely browned push to one side of the pan and add the tuna. When the tuna is cooked to your liking splash some soy/soya sauce into the pan, turn tuna to coat in sauce. Done!

Very simple and very tasty.

fabada asturiana

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I’d had a kilo bag of alubias blancas in the cupboard for ages and so finally decided to do something with them. But what? Foodie friends on Twitter suggested a Fabada Asturiana. This is traditionally made with fabes de la granga and saffron, but since I had alubias blancas I just went with those, and substituted paprika for saffron. Turns out alubias and fabes are the same thing, basically meaning “large white bean” in different regions of Spain. I think my large white beans were either haricot or cannellini (?). I also picked up a “fabada prep” vacuum-package at the supermarket, containing 300 grams of very serious looking chorizo and morcilla (black pudding) along with a chunk of fatty salt pork, or tocina. Love that they do this here. There is also a “puchero prep” pack available. One day… maybe.

As usual, when trying something new, I checked out a few different recipes on the internet and then did a sort of mash up while adding a twist or two of my own. And the result was very tasty indeed. Rich smoky flavour from the spicy pimentón, a lovely thick beany sauce and lots of meaty goodness. Perfect eating on a chilly January day.

Ingredients and instructions below…

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