Oven Roasted Ham and Potatoes

Hi everyone! Today I cooked this delicious recipe for dinner. This is the way ham is usually roasted in north west Spain. The tip for a tasty result is to marinate the ham and leave it in the fridge overnight. This is the way ham has been cooked in my family for generations. This is a very easy recipe and it is ideal for special days. My son loves this dish, specially those roasted small potatoes.

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

1 kg fresh ham or unsmoked gammon joint
1 and a half kg small potatoes
200 ml Spanish white wine
500 ml extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground garlic
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
Salt to taste

Difficulty and cooking time:

Easy
1 hour

Method:

Place the ham in a roaster and pour the wine on it.

Salt to taste. Then add the ground garlic, oregano, hot and sweet paprika and pour 2 tablespoons of  the extra virgin olive oil on it. Leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 180º C and place the ham in the centre of the oven using the grill too. Cook for 30 minutes, then turn over and cook the other side for about 15 minutes.

Once you have turned the ham over peel and wash the potatoes, then salt to taste.

Put the extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat and fry the potatoes for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. (Save this oil to cook other recipes.Olive oil can be used several times keeping all its flavour and properties)

When the ham is done set aside to rest.

Then remove the skin and carve into thick slices.

Place the fried small potatoes in the roaster with the sauce resulting from cooking the ham, bake in the oven for about 8 minutes and our dish will be ready.

Serve hot with salad or roasted peppers.

I hope you like it!
See you soon,

María

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Lentil and Chorizo Stew

Hello everyone! Here you have one of my favourite dishes for cold days. This Spanish traditional stew is full of flavour provided by several spices and it is also very easy to cook. Legumes are an important part of our Mediterranean diet. Lentil is a legume high in minerals, mainly iron, protein, vitamin E and B- complex vitamins. Chorizo, cumin and paprika give this dish that characteristic Spanish touch different from other ways of cooking this legume.

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

400 g brown lentils
1 l of water
1 chicken stock cube
200 g diced unsmoked bacon
200g sliced chorizo ring
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
100 ml extra virgin olive
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
Salt to taste

Difficulty and cooking time:

Easy
45 minutes

Method:

Rinse the lentils under running cold water, then put them in a large pot with cold water, add salt to taste and bring to the boil.

In the meantime, dice the bacon and slice the chorizo.

Remove any froth with a spoon and add the chicken stock cube.

Then add the bacon and chorizo, stir well, cover with lid and simmer for about 30 minutes. (Additonal cold water can be used in case the stew becomes too thick)

Peel and chop the garlic and onion.

Put the extra virgin olive oil on a frying pan, stir fry the garlic and onion until golden brown, reduce heat and then add the paprika.

Pour the resulting sauce in the pot with the lentils.

Stir well, then add the ground cumin, cayenne and black pepper. Simmer for a couple of minutes and our dish is ready.

Serve piping hot, specially in winter.

I hope you like it!
See you soon,

María

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Cabbage Stew

Hi everyone! As it seems summer's definitely gone in Scotland I cooked this cabbage stew for lunch today. This dish is usually served in Spain in autumn and winter. This traditional dish combines legumes, vegetables and meat. All these ingredients have different cooking times, so the secret for a perfect result is simple, just add them gradually depending on how long they have to be cooked. I've used chorizo and pork belly slices to cook this dish, however chicken or beef shank can also be used following the same steps.

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

250g dried chickpeas
500g pork belly slices
400g Spanish chorizo ring
12 small potatoes
1 cabbage
Salt to taste

Difficulty and cooking time:

Easy
1 hour and a half

Method:

Soak the chickpeas in cold water for about 10 hours or overnight.

Rinse the soaked chickpeas, place in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add salt to taste and bring to the boil. Remove the resulting froth and simmer for an hour.

In the meantime, rinse the belly slices and the chorizo ring with cold water and save them for later.

Peel and wash the potatoes. Wash thoroughly the cabbage (halve it and remove stalk)

 Increase heat and put the belly slices into the pot together with the chickpeas.

Then add the cabbage and boil for 5 minutes, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Finally add the potatoes and the chorizo ring and cook for about 15 minutes over a medium heat.

And this delicious stew is ready.

Serve very hot.

I hope you like it!
See you soon,

María

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Beef Cannelloni in Bechamel Sauce

Hi everyone! Here you have my recipe for today. This is the way I cook cannelloni for my son. He really loves this dish. It takes a little time to prepare it, but the result is worthwhile and this is very easy to cook. Homemade cannelloni are much more healthy and tastier than those from supermarkets. I often make this dish the day before and pop in the fridge, just to bake in the oven 30 minutes before serving it. 

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

For the filling:
600 g minced beef
16 cannelloni tubes
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 tomatoes
300 ml passata (mashed) tomato
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

For the bechamel:
500 ml milk (cold)
3 tablespoons of plain flour
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
150 g grated cheese

Difficulty and cooking time:

Easy
1 hour and a half

Method:

Finely chop the onion and garlic

Wash, peel and chop the tomatoes

Pour 100 ml olive oil on a frying pan, stir- fry the chopped onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Then add the mince, salt to taste and cook over a medium heat, stirring from time to time until the mince is golden brown.

When the mince is done add the chopped tomato and cook for 5 minutes stirring thoroughly.

Then add the passata (mashed) tomato

Stir well, simmer for 5 minutes and save this filling for later.

Boil the dried cannelloni tubes in salted water for 2 minutes

Drain and refresh the pasta tubes with cold water. (Lasagne pasta sheets can also be used instead, just put the filling on them and make these rolls yourself)

Put 50 ml of olive oil in a saucepan or pot over a low heat. Add 3 tablespoons of flour and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring thoroughly until flour turns golden.

Pour in the cold milk, stirring thoroughly to prevent lumps.

Salt to taste, simmer for about 10 minutes stirring continuously and the bechamel sauce for the topping will be ready.

Fill the pasta tubes using a teaspoon

 Add a little olive oil on a baking tray and lay the stuffed cannelloni on it.

Pour on the bechamel sauce, then sprinke with your favourite grated cheese

Preheat the oven to 180ºC, bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve piping hot.

  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

See you soon,

María

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Roast Chicken in Vegetables Sauce

    

Hi everyone! Today I cooked this healthy and tasty dish for you all. This homemade vegetables sauce is full of vitamins and it's specially high in carotene. This recipe is great for children, the vegetables are roasted together with the chicken, so this creamy sauce is absolutely delicious. I have used for this recipe skinless chicken breast, however a whole chicken can be used instead and the result will be great too.

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

4 chicken breasts

1 red pepper

1 leek

2 carrots

250 ml white wine

100 ml extra virgin olive oil

Ground black pepper

Salt

Difficulty and cooking time:

Easy

1 hour

Method:

Peel the carrots, then wash and chop the leek, the peeled carrots and the red pepper.

Put the chopped vegetables into a roaster and add the chicken breasts.

Pour with white wine and extra virgin olive oil.

Salt and pepper to taste and preheat the oven to 190ºC.

Place in the middle of the oven and roast for 45 minutes.

Put the roast vegetables and the resulting sauce in a mixing jug.

Puree the vegetables using a blender until you get an even and creamy sauce.

Place the roasted chicken on a dish. Serve hot with homemade fries and the vegetables sauce.

I hope you like it!

See you soon,

María

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