pollo al ajillo = chicken with garlic
This is a very typical Spanish dish that you can find in many tapas bars, traditionally made with stewing chicken pieces, garlic, olive oil and dry fino sherry. My version is a bit spicier and uses boneless chicken breasts. I’ve also added some portobello mushrooms & baby setas.
Recipe and instructions below…
Since making my first ever risotto a couple of months ago they have become a staple dish here at casa az. Until now I’ve been sticking with mushroom & veg versions … that is, until my pal WeeRascal boasted of having a chorizo & lobster risotto a while ago. And well, I just had to try it out for myself, though I substituted giant prawns (gambon gordo) for lobster. I made it pretty much following the same recipe as the mushroom risotto, but I added the heads and shells of the gambas to the chicken broth – and wow! – the broth turned out gorgeous. In fact, I think this is one of the most delicious meals I have ever made. I was a bit unsure about adding too many ingredients, so I tried it first without and then with the broccoli. They were both great, and I liked having some green stuff in there, making it a more complete “one dish” meal.
Revised recipe and instructions below the links:
(as well as “close up” shots of both versions)
This is the ultimate in sprouts recipes, that I discovered last year on Wandering Coyote’s Retorte blog. A few small changes have been made here. Fast and easy to prepare, it should convert even die-hard sprout haters. In part, I think, because cooking them sliced like this eliminates some of the strong sprouty flavour that some people don’t like. And then there’s the bacon…
Recipe and instructions below the links…
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
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.
A couple of weeks ago I had a huge cauliflower about to turn and decided to steam the whole thing at once and make some sort of soup. And I ended up with this very spicy and smooth cauliflower purée. So when I woke up feeling all achy & fluey this morning I decided that this would be the best thing for me … and it was!
Recipe & instructions below the links.
Way back when, many years ago when I was young and green and leafy, I was taught how to make this amazing caesar salad dressing by my very dear friend Darlene in Toronto. It remains the very best caesar salad I have ever tasted in my life. I hope I haven’t left anything out…
Ingredients and instructions below…
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So, everybody knows how to make bolognese sauce, right?
Well, my flatmate Peter didn’t and so I gave him a lesson the other day.
Recipe and instructions below the links.
I’ve recently enjoyed a couple of very nice risottos over at Tre Fratelli and at Soravito. And it got my curiosity going as I had never made a risotto before and thought how nice it would be to make one at home, because there is a definite “comfort food” aspect to a good risotto. And so, using my usual modus operandi when trying something new and having no recipe, I took four different risotto recipes that I’d found on line and adapted them into one recipe I thought would work well. And as you can see, it turned out very well indeed. I couldn’t find any portabello mushrooms and used setas de chopo instead.
For my next risotto I want to use these dried wild mushrooms that my friend Darlene recently sent to me in a wonderful surprise care package from Canada…
Recipe and instructions are below the links…
This is a super fast and super simple low-carb version of the traditional spanish tortilla omelette, which is typically a potato omelette. It’s important to get as much excess moisture as possible out of the grated courgette before adding it to the egg mixture. And the (optional) grated cheese can either be added to the mixture before cooking or melted on top afterwards.
Recipe and instructions below the links…
