Category: recipe (page 9 of 11)

October 11, 2016 / 0 Comments

Recipe: Pot roast beef in tomato sauce (Video)

This weekend was great. It was my first time going to the Austin City Limits music festival in Texas, although I ended up with a fever and a sore throat last night. I will be trying to cure myself with lots of fluids like hot tea with lemon and plenty of soups. While this liquid healing is underway, I want to share this recipe and video with you for a delicious pot roast beef in tomato sauce.

I really like this this recipe because I had leftover pot roast for two days and it reheated quite well. Does it happen to you that some food does not taste the same the next day? Well this pot roast keeps very well in case you want leftovers.

I did suffer a while little preparing the roast because I was uncertain about adding the wine and vinegar juice in which the meat had marinated. I threw it in with the beef and spent about three hours in agony because I feared it would be horrible but it actually tastes great. It adds a tang of acidity, which is nice, although if you like your roast with a traditional tomato sauce feel free to discard the juice.

About the festival, I loved it! I got to see Wild Belle which is a band that I really love this year, and I also hear some bands for the first time like Mike Snow and LCD Soundsystem.

Ingredients

1 kilo of roast beef

1 carrot, peeled and cut into long stalks

1 cup wine

½ cup vinegar

2-3 cloves garlic or powder

Salt and pepper

1 finely chopped or blended onion

3-4 peeled and blended tomatoes

170 kg of tomato paste, approximately

Preparation

Remove the grease from the beef, according to your preference. You can cut the beef into smaller cuts, if preferred.

Dress with garlic, salt and pepper, according to preference. With a sharp knife, stab the beef and add the stalks of carrots. The idea is that the carrot will go through it, from one side to the other.

Marinate the meat with wine and vinegar. Let it sit for 1 hour or more.

Fry the marinated beef in a hot pot. Make sure all sides are golden brown.

Set the beef aside in a bowl, and brown the onion and garlic.

Add blended tomatoes. Following that, add tomato paste. You can add bay leaves. Let it cook 5-10 min.

Add the meat into the sauce and cook for 1 to 4 hours. You can add the juice that the meat was marinated in to the sauce, considering that this will add a slight acid tang to the juice. I tried and enjoyed it.

Cook from 1 to 4 hours

You can cut the meat into slices and serve with a side of cooked vegetables.

Serves 4 people.

Comments

The longer you cook it, the softer the meat will be. I cooked for 3 hours.

October 7, 2016 / 0 Comments

Recipe: Peruvian style ceviche (Video)

I am very happy to share this publication because it means that I have restocked on Peruvian yellow peppers and other ingredients that I had run out of a few weeks ago. Since I have continued my commitment to eat mainly fish on the weekend, I was really craving a traditional Peruvian style ceviche. My first attempt of ceviche was with salmon and avocado, and now I would like to share this recipe for making a typical Peruvian ceviche. I hope you like it! Español aquí.

Although I would have liked to make ceviche with corvina or cojinova fish, I had to try another species, since I’m still away from Lima. I had a very good experience with “Barramundi” which was recommended at an organic supermarket. Apparently this fish comes from the West Pacific region, and is very popular in Thailand. It was good, but if I can recommend another white fish other than tilapia, I promise I will try it 🙂

I’d forgotten how easy and fast it is this dish. I really enjoyed making it.

In case you are looking for Peruvian ingredients in Texas, I found Peruvian yellow, rocoto, panca, and mirasol peppers at Fiesta Mart supermarkets. The brands they carry are Inca’s Food for chillies and some beverages, and Goya for beans and banana chips. You may find it funny, but I struggled to find lima beans and chickpeas before that. If you are not near the store, look for a Latin market and asking for their Peruvian food section. Hope you find it!

Ingredientes
Ceviche
1 kilo of white boneless fish
1 cup of Peruvian lemon juice (**)
1 large red onion, in thin vertical cuts
1 Peruvian yellow pepper, or according to taste
¼ teaspoon shredded ginger
2-3 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper
Lettuce or arugula

Toasted Dried Corn Cancha
Dried corn cancha for toasting
Salt

Preparation
Ceviche
Remove the skin and cut into medium to small cubes.

Place the fish on a dish, without placing one cut over another. Add garlic, salt and pepper.

Optional: Add Peruvian Yellow Pepper and ginger.

Cover fish with onion.

Cover the dish with lemon and let sit for 10 min. Serve immediately when cooked.

Ceviche is traditionally served on lettuce and garnished with cilantro. It is accompanied by toasted cancha, sweet potato and peruvian corn.

Serves 3-4 people

Toasted Dried Corn Cancha
You can toast the cancha while you wait for the fish to cook. Heat an oiled pot. Add cancha.

Cover and cook until shortly after cancha pops. You can shake the covered pot to help it cook evenly, until golden. Make sure to wear mittens if you do this.

Pour the cancha in a bowl and add salt.

Repeat to make more.

Comments (**)

You can boil the Peruvian Yellow Pepper in water to reduce the spice. I boiled it twice in the microwave.
Try bathing the onion in salted water before adding to the fish, to reduce its strong flavor.
The cancha cooks very fast so try making it in small portions to avoid burning the cancha.
Peruvian lemon has a different flavor than lemons you will find elsewhere. In the US you can mix limes and lemons, say 2 limes and 6 lemons.

October 3, 2016 / 0 Comments

Recipe: Sesame seed salmon (Video)

I have been eating fish during the weekends for several weeks now due to its high value in protein and healthy fats. The fish I repeat most often is salmon but lately I’ve been looking for a different way to make it other than fried or steamed. I really wanted to try covering it with sesame seeds and in the oven, and this is how I came to this really simple recipe that I recommend if you want mix things up and make it a little fancy.

Salmón con ajonjolí

This recipe considers two slices of salmon (*), but feel free to add more cuts for more people. You will may also need some more sesame seeds, which you can add by the spoonful as you go along.

Sorry about my pulse on the videos, I hope no one get’s dizzy…

Ingredients
2 cuts of salmon
4 tablespoons sesame seeds (approx.)
¼ cup olive oil (approx.)
3-4 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper

Preparation
Start by cutting the salmon into two pieces, in case it is not already cut.

Mix olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

Spread sesame seed on a plate.

Bring the salmon cut into the bowl and bathe in the mix.

Cover the salmon with the seeds by placing each side over the plate. You don’t need to cover the side with skin. This part can get a little messy.

Place the salmon on an oiled dish on the side that has the skin. I like to cover the dish with aluminum foil as it is a good conductor of heat and also to avoid having to wash it.

Repeat for each piece.

Cover the dish to allow overall cooking.

Place in a preheated oven and cook for about 45 minutes at 450°F for well cooked. You can cook for less time if you like it more pink, depending on your preference.

You can serve with potatos baked with butter and rosemary, and cooked vegetables.

Serves 2 people (*).

September 23, 2016 / 0 Comments

Recipe: Peruvian styled lentils

Serving lentils on Mondays is a Peruvian custom for abundance and also a good habit for nutrition. Since I was a child, I always knew what I would eat on Mondays. I cannot complain. I like lentils and fortunately I never grew tired of them. However, I do allow myself more time than a week before having them again.

For this week’s recipe I wanted to make a simple, traditional, and healthy dish. Lentils are a good source of iron, protein and zinc. Here is the recipe and video for how I make them. I hope can try it and let me know how you like you lentils.

Ingredients
2 cups lentils
4 cups water
1 onion
3-4 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper

Preparation
Wash lentils and add to a medium pot with double their amount in water. If you forgot to wash them, don’t worry, I also forgot.

Cut the onion in two halves and add ½ to the water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Cook the lentils until they are bland.

When this occurs, remove the cooked onion and mix it with half of the lentils in a blender. Separate all the lentils in a bowl.

Mince and saute the other half of the onion and garlic in the same pot. Add the lentils and cook until it is all mixed. Let’s say about 15 to 20 minutes.

Traditionally, the lentils are served with a fried egg and white rice. I really like it with a fried egg and with Peruvian Sauteed Chicken. Sorry about the picture, you can barely see the lentils under the egg!

Serves 3-4 people

Comments
Keep an eye on the lentils when cooking. Add water if evaporates before they cook.

September 20, 2016 / 0 Comments

Recipe: Peruvian sauteed chicken part II (Video)

I must confess that I find it rather difficult to publish regularly on the blog, even though I’m in the middle of a slightly sabbatical period in my life. The reason I was absent last week was because I dedicated it exclusively to visiting friends and family. I celebrated the early birthday No. 30 of a very close friend, kissed my only living grandmother on her birthday No. 90, and also met some new people.

I will not go into detail about my visiting week. Instead, I will upgrade the first recipe I shared with you for Peruvian Style Sauteed Chicken. In my earlier post, I was testing a very nice recipe from Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio. I realized that I have started to make it slightly differently (without the bbq sauce) and I wanted to share this new version as a recipe and video.

As always, I hope you will like it and use it in you menu this week.

Ingredients
1 chicken breast
1 small red onion
3 tomatoes peeled
¼ cup soy sauce (approx.)
1 tablespoon vinegar (optional)
Salt and pepper
1 Peruvian yellow pepper (optional)

Preparation
Place thick vertical strips of the onion and tomatoes into a medium bowl. Make sure to remove most of the seeds and liquids from the tomato. Add chicken in strips or square cuts.

Remember that more thickness in the chicken means it will take longer to cook.

Add Peruvian yellow peppers in small squares or as paste. This step is optional and will add spice, depending on your taste.

Marinate with salt, pepper, soy sauce and vinegar. Vinegar is optional. I have made it without it and it has come out alright.

Let the mix rest for 5-10 minutes or more. I seldom leave it in the refrigerator since the morning after this step, and finish cooking it just before serving. Remember to cover it if you will leave it in the refrigerator, as it will dry up otherwise.

Heat oil in a pan or wok. I use a medium pot to avoid the oil which slatters.

Stirfry the chicken and vegetables in 2 or more turns. First, add the chicken to the oil until it cooks. Remove the chicken and cook the vegetables

If you add all the ingredients at a time, it will make a lot of juice and will be or less fry and more bland consistancy. You can always cook it this way if you prefer.

You can garnish it with cilantro leaves. Peruvians usually serve it over french fries and with a side of rice, or with mix of beans and rice known as tacu tacu. I have tried to make this last dish, but I am still practicing.

Serves: 3-4 people