Apple and Onion Jam

This jam is ideal to eat with cheeses, meats... I hope that you decide to do it because jams are not difficult to do, the only thing that you need is time. If you want to complicate even less keep in mind that some baker-machines can do jams too. Mine is Clatronic BBA 3364 and it has this kind of program

Recipe of apple and onion jam:
 Onion 1kilo
 Apple 750gr
 Sugar 400gr
 Lemon 1unid.
 Oil

Peel and puncture well the onions and the apples. Put the onion in a pan with little oil and cook them in very slow power until they are gilded. Don't forget to remove then occasionally. While, set the apples to soften with the sugar and the juice of the lemon.

When the onions are gilded, add them the apples and the juice. Cover them and leave them cooking slowly. Don't forget to remove them every five minutes or less. If you are going to use a baker-machine instead of putting everything in the pan, put in the pan of the bakermachine and select the option "jam".

While, take the jars that you are going to use for store the jam and get them into boiling water.

You will know that the jam is ready for the consistency and texture it has. Everyone knows the texture of jam. If you've used the baker machine and you see that, at the end of the program, is not ready, you will just select the program again and check until it  is ready.

If you have cut the fruit into big pieces and you dont like jam with pieces, just use the blender at the middle of the cook.



Put the jam when is still hot in the jars you have sterilized, close them and put them face down until they are cool. To verify that it has done well press the lid and check that it does not move.

En español clica AQUÍ

Cous cous salad

This recipe has two ways of being done: slow and traditional or rapid and easy, ideal for beginners. For the slow one we are going to cook the chickpeas so they must be put in water the day before, and we are going to do the cous cous of a traditional way, to the steam. For the rapid version we can use a boat of already cooked chickpeas and a package of the "modern" cous cous, which is done in a couple of minutes.
I still have cous cous of our last trip to Morocco so I'm going to use the traditional form. So I'm going to explain you How to do the traditional cous cous. For those who are going to use the other way you only have to follow the instructions of the packet of the cous cous.

Recipe of cous cous salad:
 300gr of Cous cous
 100 gr of Chickpea
 1 Tomato
 1 Onion
 1 Green pepper
 1 Carrot
 6 or 7 dates depending on the size
 Coriander
 Salt
 Olive oil

The chickpeas must be put in water at least one night before and they must be rinsed before cooking them in the pot. Don't use the water that has been used during the night to cook them.

The cous cous is cooked to the steam in one special pot. This one consists of two parts, the top where the cous cous is placed, called Mafaradda and the bottom where the stew is placed, or in our case the chick-peas, called Marga (according to my Arabic friend it means "sauce"). But it is not necessary to have this kind of pot to prepare cous cous, you can use my trick: a high pot, a big colander and a lid. The bad thing is that with the colander I am unable to move the cous cous without throwing it.

Pues bien, colocamos los garbanzo con mucha agua en la parte de abajo y le añadimos una pastilla de caldo concentrado, y colocamos el colador encima. El agua debe quedar un dedo por debajo del colador. Antes de poner el cous cous en el colador debemos mojarlo con agua salada. Para ello ponemos el cous cous en un bol, añadimos un poco de agua con sal y movemos bien. Si vemos que es necesario añadimos más agua hasta que todo este húmedo. En este punto lo ponemos en el colador, tapamos y ponemos el fuego al máximo para que hierva el agua. Tened en cuenta que el cous cous aumentará de tamaño y que por tanto no podemos llenar el colador al máximo.

Lower a bit the fire when the water starts boiling, not too much, the water must continue boiling. Leave it like that during an hour. Every 10-15 minutes move the cous cous, otherwise the bottom part will stick forming balls and the top will not be done. Every time you are doing this, verify that always there is sufficient water and, if it is necessary, add more. An hour the chick-peas must be done but the cous cous will need half an hour more. So extract the chick-peas, drain them and leave them cooling while you continue doing the cous cous.

While clean and peel the vegetable. Cut them and the dates. Puncture a few leaves of coriander (that today I haven't got, sorry). When the cous cous is done leave it get cold. Once It is cold, add the rest of the ingredients and spice them with salt and oil.


 I hope that you like!!! And remember that there is a easy and rapid way to do this recipe, ideal for beginners.

En español, clica AQUÍ

Besos de novia (Bride's kisses)

How do the bride's kisses taste?If you don't know the answer you must eat this dessert. It is really good. 

This desserts are typical from Murcia, a spanish region, and they have this name because they usually are made for weddings. I found this recipe when I was searching something to do with a lot of carrots I have in my fridge. So if you don't know what to do with a lot of carrots make like me, and taste this dish. 

Besos de novia (Bride's kisses):

Ingredients for 4 persons

Carrots          500gr.

Egg              2unid.

Flour               250gr.

Baking powder         1packet

Sugar             150gr.

Cinnamon powder

Peel the carrots and cook them in boil water until they are tender, approximately 15 minutes. Put them out  and blend them to obtain a homogeneous mass, without grumes. Then beat the eggs and add them to the mass. Add  the flour, the baking powder and the sugar too. Mix all.

Put abundant oil in a frying pan. When it is very warm, take the mass with a spoon and with other spoon push it to the oill. Fry it approximately a minute for every side. Then put them out of the oil and put them in a plate with kitchen paper in order to dry them.

In a bowl put on sugar and cinnamon, a teaspoon of cinnamon for every two of sugar. With this coat the balls and ... eat them. This desert must be eaten warm, cold it isn't so good. So if you see that they are going to left over, take the mass before fry it and put it on the freezer.

Si quieres ver esta receta en español pincha aquí.

Salmorejo

There is no dish of Cordova more famous than the typical Salmorejo. This dish is very similar to Gazpacho but easier to do it because it has less ingredients. It is ideal for the summer and it can be served as main dish or as starter, but remember always cold.

It is served in a bowl with toppings of hard-boiled egg, cured ham and croutons. This time I have put toppings of hard-boiled egg and crunchy cured ham.

I'm going to give you my grandma's recipe. In summer, every time I go to her home, she makes me it and then she gives me a recipient with more.


Ingredients for 2-3 persons:

 Ripe tomato                 1kg
 Garlic cloves                  2unids
 Bread of the previous day 200gr
 Olive oil                   200ml
 Vinegar                      As you like, I have put 75ml
 Salt

Put the bread in water, meanwhile peel the tomatoes and cut them in bits. Then put them in a big bowl. Add the garlic and the oil. Let it stand for a few minutes. Take the bread that was in water and drain it before put it with the rest of ingredients. Blend everything until it is soft. Add as much vinegar and salt as you like.

To do the crunchy of ham, put slices of this one between grease-proof paper and put them into the oven until they are creaking.

Guacamole

The word guacamole comes from the Aztec word "Ahuacamolli", which consists of the words "Ahuacatl" (avocado) and "molli" (sauce). According to the Aztec history the god Quetzalcoatl gave to the Toltecas this recipe.

Guacamole has a lot of calories but also it contains a great quantity of vitamins, especially E; minerals and amino acids. The Aztecs believed that it was aphrodisiac, and women had prohibited to harvest the avocado.

This sauce is used to accompany a few nachos or the authentic totopos. Also it is possible to use it to accompany meats. There are thousands of recipes to do the guacamole, I give you the one I prefer and I give you some modifications that you can do.

 Ingredients:
 Avocado                                2 unids.
 Tomato type branch or pear    1 unid..
 Onion                                     1small or 1/2 big
 Coriander
 Salt
 Juice of lemon
 Tabasco (Optional)
 Chili (optional)

The avocados have to be ripe. If they aren't going to be used in a few days don't buy them ripe and leave them outside the refrigerator until are ripe.
Cut them and take out the bone from them. In a bowl crush them with a holder. Wash the tomato, cut it in small chunks and add. Do the same thing with the onion. Chop up a couple of leaves of coriander and add.

Spice with a pinch of salt and a trickle of juice of lemon. It is possible to put vinegar but the lemon will help the avocado late more in oxidizing. The avocado oxidizes immediately, do not scare if it becomes black from one day to the next. So It is better to do guacamole in the same moment to consume it.

With this recipe a soft guacamole is obtained . If you want to give him the chili touch just add a few drops of tabasco or chili. In some countries it is done without tomato and puts on garlic.