Paella

Yesterday, 12th December 2015, looked like spring and we cooked a Spanish Paella. The original recipe has been modified to our taste and you won't be disappointed.

The dish is for 4 persons.

Shopping list:

250g chorizo mild ​​sausage (diced) or more as we like it so much
300 g chicken breast (roughly chopped)
500 g freshwater giant prawns large (Gamba's)
1 large onion (coarsely chopped)
1 red pepper (diced)
1 can diced tomatoes (400 g)
200g peas (from tin or frozen)
500 g risotto rice
1½ liter chicken stock (eg. tablet)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Dry white wine


Use a paella pan or a large frying pan

How to cook the dish:
Fry the diced chorizo ​​on a low heat until they are crispy and the fat is distributed on the pan base.
Scoop the chorizo ​​to a plate and fry the chicken pieces first and then the giant prawns in the fat over medium heat until tender. Put them on a plate.
Spoon the onion and peppers by shortening, if required, 2 tablespoons olive oil and cook them until tender min.
Gently 5-10. Stir in the diced tomatoes with liquid, peas and rice.
Cook for 3-4 minutes while stirring.
And then add hot chicken stock.
Stir well and let the paella on a low heat in 25 min. until tender, stirring frequently. Peel in the meantime the shrimps.
Scoop the chorizo ​​from the rice and place the chicken and shrimp in between.
A generous splash of dry white wine.
Bring the paella spicy taste with salt and pepper and cook the rice for another 5 min.

Tip:
Some mussels can be used as well


Not everyone of fish? Bake and serve the shrimps then separately.

Banana eggs

Recently I saw a video how to make a healthy and different breakfast. Well here is the recipe.
I think it certainly would suit young children, but would be nice on a breakfast buffet for guests, with some more red fresh fruit on top.

Shopping list:

1 Banana
2 Eggs
Sunflower oil for frying

How to prepare:

Peel the banana and cut in pieces
Break the eggs and mix with the banana
If the banana is not ripe enough, then you need an electric mixer
Mix them, but keep some of the pieces
Put some oil in the frying pan
Take a sauce spoon and fry them
When brown, turn them over, just like pancakes.

Tip: I think it's even better with some sugar or caramel sauce on top, for the non-healthy option.
If you use a steel ring, heart, you can style it more than I did.

They look a bit on the dark side

Garlic sauce

Garlic sauce is very easy and tasty to make yourself in less than 5 miutes.
I have used a pot of 150 ml Greek yoghurt, pressed 2 cloves of garlic and a bunch of fresh chives. If you don't have fresh chives, you can use from frozen.
Just mixing and your sauce is ready.

Little gems salad with oranges

A tasty and fresh salad for these warm summer days.

Shopping list:    2 oranges (scrubbed)
    2 tsp mustard
    3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    2 little gem (lettuce)
    3 tbsp capers
    1 red onion (sliced)
    1 handfull parsley ((20 g), finely chopped)

Grate the orange zest of 1 orange and squeeze. Mix the zest, juice, mustard and oil until dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cut with a sharp knife, peel the orange and white of the second orange. Cut the wedges between the membranes out.Slice the gems, wash and dry them.
Spread on a plate (looks nicer than in a bowl).
Add the dressing, orange segments, capers, onion and parsley.

This video shows you the easiest way to segment an orange.
 

How to segment an orange

Simple tomato sauce

Nothing fancy or difficult. I have bought a tin of good quality pommodori tomato chunks and warmed it in a pan with some Italian dried herbs.

Italian chicken

Even in France you can fancy something Italian ;-).  Inspired by 'Keukenliefde' I have given my own twist to her recipe and it was wonderful.

This recipe is for 2 persons.

Shopping list:

2 Chicken breasts
6 Long slices pancetta (don't worry if you cannot get long ones, you just need more).
Small jar of green olive tapenade
Extra virgin olive oil
200g Cherry tomatoes, halved
Fresh green or black olives
Salami, cut into small chunks
3 Cloves of garlic, crushed
Small handful of pine nuts *
Piece of parmesan, shaves with a vegetable peeler (or any other hard cheese)
100 ml of dry white wine    
Salt and pepper according to taste (I didn't use it)
Few fresh basil leaves, rolled and cut into thin strips

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper around and cut the chicken breasts with a sharp knife three or four times. Fill the holes with the  tapenade. Grease some tapenade over the top of the chicken.
Wrap the chicken with pancetta and place the chicken in a light greased baking dish.

Divide the tomatoes and chopped garlic, the olives and salami over the chicken, drizzle all with olive oil. Pour in the wine and sprinkle the chicken finally with pine nuts and shavings of Parmesan cheese.

Bake the chicken for about 20 minutes in the oven, or until the chicken is cooked.
* The pine nuts do not have to be roasted first.

I have served this dish with fresh tagliatelle, but any pasta or (garlic) bread will do.

Stuffed artichokes

As a starter, a snack, a part of a buffet

Shopping List:
Bread (baguette or other white bread)
Tin or jar of artichoke hearts
Small can of tunaGarlic
Cherry tomatoes (or other)Olive oil
Mayonnaise
Chives (optional for garnish)
Parsley (flat) * Optional
The artichoke hearts drain it on kitchen paper
Can of tuna let it drain and mix with a little mayonnaise
Cut a few tomatoes
Cut baguette (as is the right size for the artichokes) depending on the number of artichokes.
Sprinkle the bread with olive oil, put it in the frying pan until crunchy, turn over and repeat.
Remove the bread from the pan and rub it with a clove of garlic
Place the artichoke on the baguette, open it a little and fill with tuna
Top it with the sliced ​​tomatoes
And possibly some small cut fresh chives
* If you use parsley cut it then fine and mix with the tuna.Flat parsley tastes much better than the curly one.