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Oooh, and a steep price it is….Free.  LOL  Before moving here to the Canaries it never–and I mean NEVER–would have occurred to me to make my own mayonnaise.  I mean, why?  It’s so easy to buy it at the store, and inexpensive to boot.  Why would anyone even bother?  But then I tried my mother in law’s alioli.  It was like a serious revelation, a turning point in my life.  Homemade mayo?  WAY better than store bought.  Add garlic?  Even *better* than WAY better than store bought.  It only takes about 2 minutes start to finish, too.  You’ll need a food processor or blender with an opening at the top to pour in the oil, but it really is one of the easiest things in the world to make.  So that’s recipe number one of this post.  Keep reading for a super easy spring/summer sandwich recipe…

 

Ingredients:

2 generous pinches of sea salt (the amount that you can pick up between your thumb and fingers)
3 cloves garlic (more or less, to taste)
1 egg
sunflower oil (I prefer sunflower to olive in this recipe…the olive oil makes the alioli bitter imo)…now this will vary, but about a cup?
2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Preparation:

Add salt, garlic and egg to your food processor or blender and process until garlic is finely chopped.
In a thin, steady stream (this is really important), add the sunflower oil until the sauce thickens. I have had it happen where the mayo never thickens. Don’t worry, just pour the mixture into another receptacle, add another egg and slowly pour it back in in a steady stream.
When the mayo has thickened, add the vinegar (processing all the while) to mix.
Adjust salt.
Done!
How easy was THAT?
Alioli goes very well with just about everything (except dessert), so be sure to have it handy at all times! lol It keeps in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days, tightly covered.

Now, let’s move on to that sandwich recipe I promised. Would you LOOK at this organic baby watercress my veggie vendor had?!

Doesn’t that just look fresh and delicious?! Watercress is a very common ingredient in Canarian cooking. We make stews with it, salads, and the ever popular, “Sandwich de Berros.” (berros=watercress) The watercress sandwich is common for breakfast, for an afternoon snack, and is often served at family gatherings and parties. The sandwiches are great when you first make them, but in my opinion are even better the next day, so they are a perfect make ahead addition to whatever fun gathering you have planned.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup alioli
4 cups baby watercress (or regular watercress, stems removed)
1 loaf sandwich bread

Preparation:

Place alioli and watercress in your food processor and blend until smooth.
Spread mixture on sandwich bread and cut into triangles.
Cover and reserve in refrigerator until ready to serve.

It’s so weird how certain foods seem to appear all at once around the blogosphere…I have been craving onion rings for weeks, and finally decided to make them this week…well, while making the rounds I saw that Kevin at Closet Cooking had also made onion rings recently! LOL  Great minds think alike, that’s all I can say. ;) Are you guys familiar with the Bloomin’ Onion appetizer at the Outback?  Yeah, right?  I love the seasonings they use, but that thing is such a Pain (capital P) to make at home…plus, it never turns out the way I imagine it…usually it breaks apart and winds up being some sort of onion mess rather than looking like the pretty flower it’s supposed to.  Onion rings are much easier to do, and if you have a deep fryer, well, then all the easier yet. So, I thought why not make a batter with similar flavors to that of the ”Bloomer,” (hehehehe I had to, folks.  I just had to) but in ring form?  Perfect.  Seriously.  They went fabulously well with my bacon and Gouda burger, a bit of alioli (I should post the recipe for that, it’s so easy) and the requisite ketchup and mustard. 

Ingredients:

For Burgers:
1 1/2 pounds (3/4 kilo) ground beef
dried onion to taste
garlic powder to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
1/2 pound (200 grams) bacon
6 slices Gouda cheese
6 buns

For Un-Blooming Onion Rings:
2 large yellow onions, sliced into rings
1 1/2 cups flour (about)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1/2 bottle of pilsner beer (drink the other half while you’re cooking! lol) or sparkling water
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
a bit of paprika
Sunflower oil for frying

Preparation:

For Burgers:
Combine all burger ingredients (except bacon, cheese and buns) and form 6 patties.
Brown bacon and drain on paper towels (leave the drippings in the pan).
Fry patties over medium high heat until cooked to desired doneness.
Serve with Gouda slices and crispy bacon.

For Un-Blooming Onion Rings:
Whisk together all ingredients except onion slices in a medium sized bowl.
Heat oil to just below smoking point.
Gently toss onions in beer batter.
Carefully! Add onions to hot oil, and turn over as they brown (the timing will depend on the size of your rings).
Drain on paper towels.

Recently, I was visiting Closet Cooking and came upon the most delectable looking sandwich. Seriously, folks…this goes above and beyond a mere “sandwich.” It’s more like a feast. Don’t think that you can pick this one up, either–a knife and fork are required. lol Kevin’s addition of pear slices to it made it just that much better. From the minute I saw it, I knew I had to try it, and try it I did. This one is going to be a regular around here. I made a few slight changes from his original recipe (click the link to find it), and couldn’t have been happier with the results.

Since I basically copied Kevin’s recipe almost exactly, I’m just going to note the changes I made here:

I added a generous squeeze of lemon over the pears, and substituted artisan cured goat cheese for the gruyere.

Ohhhh yeah…..this is a good one, folks.  It’s kind of funny how the recipe came about.  My dear hubs had requested pesto chicken and pasta for lunch, and I took the package of chicken out of the freezer, thawed it, and made the pesto.  When I opened the package, however, it was ground chicken.  Not chicken pieces as I had thought.  Now what?  I wasn’t about to make a whole other lunch after having gone through all that trouble already (all that trouble…hahahahahahaha), so I thought, “Self?  What should we do?” And I replied, “Mix ‘em both together and make a burger out of it.”  “Ha!  Great idea!”  “I know!”  So that’s what I did.  The whole talking to myself thing and everything. LMAO

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken breast meat
1 recipe for pesto
6 buns, spread with butter, garlic and a bit of salt, toasted.

Preparation:

Combine chicken breast and pesto and form into patties.
While buns are toasting, grill or pan grill the burgers about 4-6 minutes on each side, depending on thickness.
Serve on prepared buns.

A while back, a local store was having a European Food Fair.  I couldn’t wait to get there, and spent hours pawning over the interesting food bits from all around Europe…After having spent way more than I should have on various tidbits, I came home with bags full of fun things to try.  One of the things I bought was “Moutarde au Cassis,”  or Cassis Flower Mustard.  Sounds good, doesn’t it? :)  I knew I wanted to do some kind of canapé, to showcase the pretty pink substance that had captured my eye and piqued my interest.  The results were even better than I had hoped….I think maybe I’d put a wee bit less mustard on next time, but all in all….Yum. 

Ingredients:

6 slices pumpernickel or other dark, dense bread, sliced into 3 rectangles each
1/3 cup chevre cheese
18 very thin slices of smoked turkey (depending on size, you could also get along with 9, sliced in half)
cassis mustard to taste
watercress leaves to garnish

Preparation:

Spread each rectangle of bread with chevre, then top with turkey and mustard.
Garnish with watercress leaves.
Note***I think some thinly sliced cucumber would be great on these as well.

More Canary food! :)  This recipe is my mother in law’s, she makes thee best “Pata” around.  Tender, juicy, and a hint of spice around the edges.  She gets it nice and crispy on the outside too, which for some reason, I can’t seem to manage, but nonetheless the flavor is out of this world.  “Pata” is normally served very thinly sliced on baguettes with a bit of salt sprinkled on, and can be either a breakfast or a main meal when served with fries and a salad.

Ingredients:

3 lbs (1 1/2 kilos) pork sirloin roast (bone in, the roast should have a fair amount of fat on top) 
1/4 cup olive oil 
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika (I like smokey) 
3-4 cloves garlic 
sea salt 
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 
2-3 crusty French baguettes, sliced lengthwise 
salt

Preparation:

Using a mortar and pestle, mash garlic and salt.
Once creamy, add paprika, thyme, oregano, cumin and oil, and combine well.
Rub roast all over with this mixture and let marinate for several hours or overnight.
Place (uncovered) in a  430ºF (225ºC) preheated oven.
After 15-20 minutes, reduce heat to 390ºF (200ºC). 
Bake 1 1/2 hours.
Turn oven off, and allow roast to rest in oven (don’t open the door) for an hour more. 
Remove from oven and allow to stand 15 minutes before slicing.
Slice into very thin slices, and serve on crusty baguettes, lightly salted.