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Ok, so that was my sad attempt at an English accent. LOL Did you hear it? Was it close? The other day my friends were giggling at my accent from the video I posted…they said I have a combination of Minnesotan and Spanish accents (Spanisoooodan, hey? hehe)…I dunno. I don’t think I have one. LMAO

Anyway, about those taaaahts…one of the best fillings for pretty much *anything* is the spinach and feta combo. Spanakopita, quiche, tarts, omelettes, bread…I love the way the tangy feta contrasts with the delicate flavor of the spinach. And? It’s practically health food, what with all the calcium, folic acid and other nutrients these little babies provide. The filling is so quick and easy to throw together, too. Now, put this healthy and delicious stuff into some puff pastry…What’s not to love?

I’d also like to submit these little delights to this month’s Monthly Mingle Event (this month’s theme is appetizers) at Mansi Desai’s site, Fun and Food.  This fun event was started by Meeta at What’s for lunch, Honey?.  Go and check out the event and these great blogs!

 

Just look at that flaky goodness!  Let’s get started making them.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, minced
1 pound (400 grams) frozen spinach, squeezed dry
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
2 tablespoons dill
juice from 1 lemon
1/2 pound (200 grams) feta cheese, crumbled
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
1 sheet puff pastry, cut into 9 equally sized squares

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350ºF/175ºC.
Lightly oil muffin tins or ramekins with olive oil.
Heat butter over medium heat and saute garlic until golden.
Add onion and saute until soft.
Add spring onion and spinach and stir well.

Remove from heat and add dill, lemon juice and cheese, and then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in egg, beaten.  Look at this filling!

Line muffin tins with a square of pastry, and put a bit of filling on each.
Pinch the corners together, leaving a little breathing space (you can see this here).
Bake about 20-30 minutes or until golden.

Tartaletas de Espinacas

Ingredientes:

2 cucharadas mantequilla
2 dientes de ajo, majados
1 cebolla, picada
400 gramos espinacas congeladas, completamente escurridas del agua
1 manojo cebolletas, picadas
2 cucharadas eneldo
zumo de 1 limón
200 gramos queso feta, desmenuzado
1 huevo
sal y pimienta al gusto
1 lámina de hojaldre, cortada en 9 cuadrados

Elaboración:

Precalentar el horno a 175ºC.
Engrasar unas flaneras individuales con un poco de aceite de oliva
Calentar la sartén y dorar el ajo en la mantequilla.
Añadir la cebolla y sofreir hasta que esté tierna.
Añadir la cebolleta y las espinacas y remover bien.
Retirar del fuego y añadir el eneldo, el zumo, el queso y salpimentar.
Añadir el huevo batido y mezclar bien.
Forar cada flanera con una pieza de hojaldre.
Poner un poco del relleno en cada una y cerrar las puntas.
Hornear durante 20-30 minutos o hasta que estén doradas.

hehehe I just couldn’t resist that title.  The other day I was over at Tony’s site, Olive Juice.  He had posted this incredible mushroom tart recipe.  My Gawd I could hardly stand it.  Sauteed mushrooms with wine, goat cheese and mascarpone all nestled in a puff pastry shell.  Can YOU stand it?  That’s like heaven right there. 

Who knew that Heaven came in bite sized tarts?  Well, I guess Tony did, since he came up with the concept.  Immediately, I was jotting down the ingredients for the next week’s shopping trip.  Luckily, my food store had the mascarpone this week (score!), so I didn’t even need to make a special trip anywhere else.  Lucky Lucky!    So, I took Tony’s idea and ran with it.  Ran and ran…the concept is similar, but I kind of reinvented it a little, and took some short cuts (Tony, if you’re reading, please avert your eyes lmao), such as purchasing the pastry.  I changed the technique a bit and the presentation is more rustic than his.  I must say, though, that they turned out pretty daaaaayumed good. So, thank you, Tony for the inspiration.  This is going to be one of those recipes that makes it on the party food list.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 spring onion, finely chopped
10 large button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 pound (200 grams) purchased puff pastry
1/4 cup goat cheese (chevre)
1/4 cup mascarpone
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

First, saute the garlic in the butter until golden.
Add the white parts of the spring onion and continue to saute until soft.
Add mushroom slices and season with salt and pepper.
Cover and cook over medium heat until cooked through and beginning to brown.
Add wine and reduce just a bit.
Remove from heat and toss in the green part of the spring onion, and give it a good stir.

Preheat oven to 400ºF/190ºC.
Lightly oil 9 ramekins.
Cut the puff pastry into 9 equally sized squares.
Place a square of pastry into each ramekin, and poke the bottom with a fork.
Add a bit of mushroom saute to each cup.

Mix the chevre and mascarpone in a bowl with some salt and pepper.
Top each mushroom cup with a little cheese mixture.

Pinch the four corners together and sort of twist the tart closed, like this:

Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until golden.
Serve hot or at room temp.

Tartaletas de Champiñones:

Ingredientes:

2 cucharadas mantequilla
2 dientes de ajo, majados
1 cebolleta, picada
10 champiñones grandes, en láminas
1/4 vaso de vino blanco
200 gramos hojaldre
1/4 vaso queso de cabra
1/4 vaso queso mascarpone
salt and pepper to taste

Elaboración:

Primero, dorar el ajo en la mantequilla.
Añadir la parte blanca de la cebolleta y sofreir un poco.
Añadir los champiñones y salpimentar.
Tapar y cocinar a fuego medio hasta que estén tiernos los champiñones y están empezando a dorar.
Añadir un chorrito de vino y remover, dejándolo reducir un poquito.
Retirar del fuego, y añadir la parte verde de la cebolleta, y remover bien.
Calentar el horno a 190ºC.
Engrasar 9 flaneras con aceite de oliva.
Cortar el hojaldre en 9 cuadrados.
Poner una pieza de hojaldre en cada flanera y añadir un poco de champiñones.
En un bol pequeño, mezclar el queso de cabra y el mascarpone y salpimentar.
Poner un poquito de queso a cada tartaleta.
Cerrar cada tartaleta uniendo las esquinas y presionando un poco.
Hornear durante 20-30 minutos o hasta que estén doradas.
Servir caliente o a temperatura ambiente.

The other day I posted an entry for Mochachocolatarita’s Chinese Take-Out Party…(if you guys haven’t checked out her party yet, get over there!  There are tons of delicious dishes to be had!)…Of course, once the round-up was posted, my fingers couldn’t click the mouse fast enough to get to her site.  There are main dishes, rices, noodles, appies, soups and desserts.  There were a couple (ok, ok *more* than a couple!) of dishes that really caught my eye.  The Kung Pao Chicken entries were especially insistent with the powers that be within my grumbling stomach.  Kung Pao Chicken is basically chicken and peanuts, stirfried in a delicious brown sauce.  But take this simple dish and add a bunch of ginger and vegetables, and you have elevated it to something sublime.  The entries on Rita’s page inspired me to go out and make some Kung Pao, go and see what inspires you!

Ingredients:

2 pounds (1 kilo) chicken breast, small dice
1/4 cup cornstarch
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons sunflower or peanut oil
1 knob of ginger (about 1-2 inches), minced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1/4 head of cabbage, chopped or sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1-2 ribs of celery, thinly sliced
other veggies at will
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
a good splash of sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar (more or less to taste)
1/2 cup water or chicken broth
1 cup peanuts (more or less to taste)
2-3 thai chilis, sliced (optional)

Preparation:

It’s best to prep everything before you get started, so here’s what I’d recommend.
Combine the chicken, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a bowl and reserve.
Chop and mince all vegetables according to the ingredients list.
Whisk sauce ingredients (soy through broth/water) in a small bowl and reserve.
Heat oil in a larger wok over high heat.
When the oil comes to just below smoking point, add the ginger and garlic and stirfry until golden.
Add chicken and toss around until cooked through.
Add vegetables and continue to toss around until desired doneness.
Add sauce mixture and stirfry until sauce thickens.
Add peanuts and serve over steamed rice.

Pollo al estilo Kung Pao

Ingredientes:

1 kilo pechuga de pollo, en daditos
4 cucharadas de Maicena
sal y pimienta al gusto
2-3 cucharadas aceite de semilla o de cacahuete
1 pieza de jengibre (2-3 cm), picada
4-5 dientes de ajo, majados
1 cebolla grande, picada
1/4 col, picada
1/2 pimiento amarillo, troceado
1/2 pimiento rojo, troceado
1-2 tallos de apio, picado
otras verduras que te gusten
1/2 vaso salsa de soja
1/2 vaso vinagre de arroz
un buen rocío de aceite de sésamo
1 cucharada de azúcar (mas o menos, al gusto)
1/2 vaso agua o caldo de pollo
1 vaso cacahuetes, mas o menos
2-3 gindillas, picadas (opcional)

Elaboración:

Es mejor tenerlo todo listo para freir antes de empezar, así que esto es lo que recomiendo.
Mezclar el pollo con la maicena, sal y pimienta y reservar.
Picar todos las verduras según la lista de ingredientes.
Mezclar todos los ingredientes de la salsa (desde la soja hasta el agua/caldo), y reservar.
Calentar aceite en un wok sobre fuego fuerte.
Cuando llega a casi el punto de humo, sofreir jengibre y ajo hasta que estén dorados.
Añadir el pollo y saltear hasta que esté hecho.
Ahora, añadir las verduras y saltear hasta que estén en su punto.
Añadir la mezcla de la salsa y cocinar hasta que se espese un poco.
Añadir los cacahuetes y servir sobre arroz al vapor.

Ok, so that’s fun to say, isn’t it? lol Fun to say, and fun to eat! Looking for something simple and packed with flavor? This is just the ticket. Active work time is only about 15 minutes, the rest is just bake time. Empanadas are great for lunch, or for a snack, and are great the next day…perfect to take with you wherever you need to go. They’re even good cold, so are perfect picnic fare! When we had the sailboat, I’d make these all the time to take with for a day out on the water. You can make them up ahead of time, and they keep really well. Empanadas can be made into a pie, like I’ve done here, or if you’re feeling feisty, go ahead and make them into individually sized empanadas, for a quick bite, or a great party appetizer.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (or pure)
1 pound (1/2 kilo) light tuna, drained and flaked
pastry for 2 pie crusts (either homemade or store bought)
1 egg, beaten

Preparation:

Heat oil and saute garlic first until golden.
Add onion and pepper and saute until tender.
Add thyme, bay and tomato sauce and season with salt and pepper.
Cook about 5 minutes on medium heat.
Add tuna and stir until combined.
Remove from heat and remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf.
Spread half of the pastry on a baking sheet.
Cover with tuna mixture, leaving a 1″ border.
Top with remaining pastry and seal edges.
Brush pastry with beaten egg and poke a few ventilation holes.
Bake at 400ºF/175ºC for 20-30 minutes or until golden.

Y en español:

Ingredientes:

3 cucharadas de aceite de oliva
3 dientes de ajo, majados
1 cebolla, picada
1 pimiento rojo picado
3 ramos tomillo
1 hoja laurel
sal y pimienta al gusto
1 1/2 vasos tomate frito (salsa de tomate o puré de tomate)
2 láminas de masa quebrada
1 huevo, batido

Elaboración:

Calentar el aceite y dorar los ajos.
Añadir la cebolla y el pimiento y freir hasta que estén blandos.
A continuación, añadir el tomillo, laurel y salsa de tomate.
Salpimentar.
Cocinar unos 5 minutos.
Añadir el atún escurrido y desmenuzado y mezclar bien.
Extender 1 lámina de masa y cubrir con la mezcla de atún, dejando unos centimetros al border.
Tapar con la segunda lámina de masa y cerrar bien por los lados.
Pintar con huevo batido, y abrir unos agujeros en la superficie.
Hornear a 175ºC durante unos 20-30 minutos, o hasta que esté dorada.

Don’t forget! Only 5 days left to enter the free cookbook drawing!

To enter, please click and leave a comment HERE.

Doing my morning blog rounds I was over at Peter’s site (Kalofagas) longingly looking at his Eggs Benedict recipe (by the way, go and check that out you guys…it is seriously killing me I want it so badly), and realized there was a post just below that one that I hadn’t seen!  WHAT?  He had posted a delicious Chinese Take-out menu, and mentioned that it was part of a round up to be found at Mochachocolatarita’s Website.  I am SO glad he posted that, because her website is fantastic!  It’s so cool how we bloggers network and find each other through others’ blog posts.  I had never seen Mochachocolatarita’s site before.  That is a sin right there…her site is awesome.  No, more like AWESOME!  And Right now she’s hosting an event celebrating her 88th post, called, “Chinese Take-Out Party,” where each entrant submits their take on Chinese take-out. 

I think that this might be sheer luck on my part, because I had planned to post this anyway, but to come in just under the wire like this and be able to participate in a fun event?  Even better!

This recipe was something I came up with after having taken out a loin roast, and began wondering what to do with it.  The weather has been pretty warm, so regular roast with mashed potatoes didn’t really seem to fit the bill.  Avocados are currently at over 11 euros a kilo (that’s like $8-9 a pound), so Tex-Mex was out (you know it’s illegal to eat Tex-Mex without guacamole, don’t you? )…what to do?  Hmmm.  Why not go Asian with it?  Yes!  That was the answer I was looking for. 

 

Ingredients:

2 pounds (1 kilo) pork loin roast
1 cup mango juice
1/2 cup sweet soy sauce
1/4 cup regular soy sauce
2-3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 tablespoons grated garlic
4 spring onions, white bulbs only (we’ll use the greens later)
pepper to taste

Preparation:

Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a roaster with a lid.
Coat loin roast completely and allow to marinate for a couple of hours in the fridge, turning occasionally.
Heat oven to 375ºF/160ºC.
Roast loin (covered) for about 4 hours.
Shred meat and toss with the juices/sauce that became of the marinade while roasting.

For the Sesame Slaw:

Ingredients:

1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped green onion (the ones we used the white parts from before)
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup sweet soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
pepper to taste

Preparation:

Toss all ingredients together.
Yep, that’s it. lol

To make the wraps, you’ll need:

12 flour tortillas
3 cups steamed rice
1 recipe of sesame slaw (posted above)
fresh vegetables and herbs to garnish…I used italian pepper, spring onion, fresh cayennes, cucumber and cilantro

Preparation:

Fill each wrap with some rice, pork, slaw and vegetables.
Slap some hot sauce on that sucker, too.
Have lots of napkins handy, this is better to be eaten with your hands.
 

Now, onto the dumplings.

I have posted this recipe before, so I will direct you to this post for the ingredients and instructions on how to form the dumplings. However, I have prepared them a little differently today, and changed up the sauce just a little.

To make the sauce:

1/2 cup sweet soy sauce
2 tablespoons regular soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
**just whisk all this together and your sauce is ready. Garnish with green onion if you like

Preparation of dumplings:

Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a saute pan.
Saute raw dumplings until golden on the bottom, then add enough water to come about halfway up the dumplings.
Cover and steam for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through.
Serve with sauce.

Y en español (*nota* 1 vaso = 1 vaso de nocilla):

Ingredientes:

1 kilo cinta de cerdo en una pieza
1 vaso zumo de mango
1/2 vaso salsa de soja dulce
1/4 vaso salsa de soja normal
2-3 cucharadas vinagre de arroz
1/4 vaso salsa hoisin
1/4 vaso miel
2 cucharadas de jengibre recién rallado
2 cucharadas de ajo rallado
4 cebolletas, solo la parte blanca (la parte verde se utiliza después)
pimienta negra al gusto

Elaboración:

Mezclar todos los ingredientes excepto la carne en un recipiente de horno con tapa.
Cubrir la carne con la salsa y dejar macerar en la nevera durante unas horas.
Calentar el horno a 375ºF/160ºC.
Hornear la carne (tapada) durante unas 4 horas.
Desmenuzar la carne y mezclar con la salsa que se ha formado.

Para la Ensalada de Sésamo:

Ingredientes:

1/2 col rallada
1/2 vaso cebolleta (la parte verde que reservamos antes)
1/4 vaso semillas de sésamo tostadas
1/4 vaso salsa de soja dulce
3 cucharadas de vinagre de arroz
pimienta al gusto

Elaboración:

Mezclarlo todo.
Sí. Solo eso. jiji

Para hacer los “wraps” necesitarás:

12 tortillas de harina (obleas)
3 vasos arroz cocinado al vapor
1 receta de la ensalada de sésamo
verduritas y hierbas para adornar…Yo le puse pimienta italiana, cebolleta, pepino, guindilla fresca y cilantro

Elaboración:

Rellenar cada “wrap” con arroz, cerdo, ensalada y verduritas/hierbas.
Ponerle algo de picante también.
Tener muchas servietas a mano, porque esto se come con las manos.

Ahora las empanadillas.

Ya he puesto esta receta antes, así que les dirijo a este post para los ingredientes e instrucciones para formar las empanadillas. Sin embargo, las he preparado un poquillo diferente hoy, y he hecho una salsa distinta.

Para hacer la salsa:

1/2 vaso salsa de soja dulce
2 cucharadas de salsa de soja normal
1/4 vinagre de arroz
**Mezclar todo esto y la salsa está lista. Adornar con cebolleta si te parece.

Elaboración de las empanadillas:

Calentar un poquito de aceite en una sartén.
Freirlas hasta que estén doraditas, y a continuación añadir agua suficiente para llegar a la mitad de las empanadillas.
Tapar y dejar cocinar durante unos 10 minutos o hasta que estén cocinadas.
Servir con la salsa.

Did I scare you? I mean, the idea of frozen salad probably isn’t that appealing. LOL But. And this is a pretty big BUT. (no, it’s not mine! ) Gazpacho. Sorbet. Combine the two and you have a bit of frozen heaven. This traditional Spanish soup is always served chilled, and often with ice…why not go just another step and turn it into a savory sorbet, I asked? Top that with the traditional finely chopped vegetables for added crunch, and you have entered into yum world. This one is going to be making regular appearances at our summer table, folks. It’s the perfect way to begin a meal in the sweltering heat of summer, or even as an afternoon snack. It’s packed with vegetables, very low in fat, and delicious. Oh!  And super easy.  So whatcha waitin for?

Ingredients:

2 pounds (1kilo) very ripe tomatoes
1 cucumber, peeled
1 small red onion
2 cloves garlic
1 italian pepper
olive oil to taste (about 3 tablespoons)
red wine vinegar to taste (about 3 tablespoons)
salt to taste
4 cups ice cubes (or more)

Preparation:

Roughly chop all vegetables, reserving a bit of tomato, cucumber, pepper and onion to garnish.
Place all ingredients in blender or food processor and process until smooth.
Add ice and process until smooth.
Serve sorbet garnished with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and topped with finely chopped tomato, cucumber, pepper and onion.

Y en español:

Ingredientes:

1 kilo tomates maduros
1 pepino, pelado
1 cebolla roja pequeña
2 dientes de ajo
1 pimiento italiano (para freir)
aceite de oliva virgen (3 cucharadas, mas o menos)
vinagre de vino rojo (3 cucharadas, mas o menos)
sal al gusto
4 vasos de hielo (o mas)

Elaboración:

Cortar las verduras en trozos (no tiene que ser muy pequeñas), reservando un poquito de tomate, pepino, cebolla y pimiento para adornar.
Poner todo en la batidora o robot y triturar hasta que esté bien molido y homogéneo.
Añadir el hielo y triturar hasta que esté suave.
Servir adornado con aceite de oliva virgen, vinagre de modena y las verduritas reservadas (picadas muy finas).