Avocado and Shrimp Salad

Hello everyone!

I hope you like this delicious avocado salad I cooked today. 

This dish is great for a dinner or just as a starter. It only takes a few minutes to prepare it and it is full of colour and flavour.

In Spain avocados are mainly farmed in the South and at Cannary Islands.

They have become part of Spanish cuisine in the last decade. 

Avocados are delicious and a good source of potassium, vitamin K, vitamin E and fiber.

Ingredients:

(Serves 2)

2 ripe avocados

150g cooked shrimps

Half a lemon

5 tablespoons mayonnaise

5 teaspoons tomato sauce or ketchup

Tabasco sauce

Salt

Difficulty and cooking time:

Easy

15 minutes

Method:

Let’s start preparing the pink sauce. Put the mayonnaise in a small bowl. Add the tomato sauce and mix with a fork until smooth. Then add a splash of tabasco sauce and save it for later.

 

Make a small cut on every side of the avocados,

Halve the avocados, remove pulp using a spoon and save the shells for later.

Remove the pit, dice the pulp into thick pieces and drizzle with lemon juice to keep them from turning brown. 

 

Add the cooked shrimps and salt to taste. Finally add half of the pink sauce and mix carefully using a spoon. 

Fill the avocado shells with the mixture.

Top with pink sauce and decorate. I have used some shrimps here for the topping.

I hope you like it!

See you soon

María

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Roasted Peppers

Hi everyone! Today I've been cooking these delicious roasted peppers for you all. They are very easy to prepare, and the result is amazing. Red peppers have great antioxidant properties,they are rich source of vitamin-C and A and they are very low in calories and fats. Their light flavour combines with a wide variety of dishes. This is the perfect side dish for any occasion. I often cook these peppers once a week, then I keep roasted peppers in the fridge and I use them as I go. I love them cut  into strips on a sandwich, or together with my favourite cheese.

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

8 red bell peppers
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

Difficulty and cooking time:

Easy
45 minutes

Method:

Wash the peppers under cold running water and place them on a baking tray. Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Place the peppers in the upper side of the oven and roast for 20 minutes.

 When the skin turns black, turn over the peppers and cook the other side for about 15 minutes.

Leave to cool.

Carefully peel the peppers. (The skin will easily peel away off the peppers when cooled)

Then remove stalk and seeds.

Salt roasted peppers to taste.

Pour with extra virgin olive oil and our dish is ready to serve.

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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Salmorejo (Cold Tomato Cream Soup)

Hi everyone! Today I'm going to show you how to cook this delicious dish. This is a traditional and healthy recipe, full of vitamins and  it is very fast to cook. Once ready you only have to chill  in the fridge for an hour and it is ready to serve anytime of the day.

Just pour this delicious "salmorejo"  on a toast for breakfast or serve it cold with chopped Spanish serrano ham and hard boiled egg at lunch or dinner.  I'm sure you are going to enjoy this dish as much as I do.

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

5 ripe tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
250 g. bread
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
1 egg
4 Spanish serrano ham slices

Difficulty and cooking time:

Easy
10 minutes

Method:

Wash and dice the tomatoes, peel and chop the garlic, and slightly soak the bread in cold water.

Place the wet bread in a mixing jug and pour a tablespoon of olive oil.

Add the diced tomato, garlic and a teaspoon of salt.

Mix well using a blender until the soup has an even and thick consistency. Then chill in the fridge for an hour.

In the meantime boil an egg in salted water for 10 minutes.

Finely chop the hard boiled egg and the serrano ham.

Serve cold, decorated with chopped egg and ham. Finally top with a lug of extra virgin olive oil.

For a real Spanish breakfast  pour a teaspoon of olive oil on a toast, salt to taste and cover with Salmorejo. Serve with serrano ham slices and a glass of orange juice.

I hope you like it!
See you soon,

María

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Vegetable Salad with Mayonnaise

Hi everyone! Today I cooked  this vegetable salad for dinner. This is probably one of my favourite "tapas" and if it's made with homemade mayonnaise, then there's nothing like it! In Spain this dish is known as "ensaladilla" and it is mainly consumed during the summer. I usually prepare this recipe the day before, as it has to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Potatoes and carrots are the base for this salad, however you can remove other ingredients such as tuna in case you don´t like fish. 

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

1 kg. potatoes
3 carrots
150 g. peas
1 tin of tuna or mackerel in olive oil
1 hard-boiled egg
Salt to taste

For the mayonnaise:
300 ml of olive oil (light in colour)
1 fresh egg
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Salt to taste

Difficulty and cooking time:

Easy

45 minutes

Method:

Peel, wash and dice the potatoes and the carrots.

Place the diced potatoes, carrots, peas and the egg in a pot with salted water and bring it to the boil. Cook until tender (about 10 minutes)

Drain, refresh under cold water and  leave to cool.

In the meantime place the fresh egg and the lemon juice in a mixing jug, add salt to taste and whisk using a blender. Slowly add the olive oil in a thin uniform stream.

Whisk for about one minute until the oil combines with the other ingredients.

Place the vegetables in a large bowl and add the mackerel.

Add half of the mayonnaise.

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly using a fork.

Cover with the rest of the mayonnaise. Decorate with grated hard-boiled egg and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours.

 Serve cold, decorated with carrot strips, chopped green olives and grated hard boiled egg.

I hope you like it!
See you soon,

María

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Gazpacho (Cold Vegetable Soup)

Hi everyone! Today I prepared this traditional recipe of southern Spain. Gazpacho is a cold soup made of vegetables and seasoned with olive oil and wine vinegar. In Spain it is mainly consumed during the summer. This is a delicious and healthy dish, full of colour and vitamins, perfect for hot days. Once cooked, just chill in the fridge for an hour and it is ready to serve. This dish keeps all its vitamins and properties up to 3 days and it is very low in calories. 

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

3 big  ripe tomatoes
1 green pepper
1/2 cucumber
2 cloves of galic
200 g. bread
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon of salt

Difficulty and cooking time:

Easy
20 minutes

Method:

Wash the vegetables in cold water, removing stems and pepper seeds. Peel the tomatoes, the cucumber and the garlic.

Soak the bread in cold water until soft (about 3 minutes)

 Chop the vegetables into small pieces.

Place the chopped vegetables and the soaked bread in a large pot or jug, and mix everything with a blender.

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly, until the soup has a soft and even consistency.

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a tablespoon of vinegar and half a tablespoon of salt. Stir well and chill  for an hour at least.

Don´t forget to stir well before serving it. Decorate with chopped pepper and cucumber.

Serve very cold.

I hope you like it!
See you soon,

María

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