Mama's Pisto

Don't want to throw away YESTERDAY'S veggies? Well, you don't have to. Make pisto!

Pisto is a great home cooked recipe born in the small towns of Spain. It's similar to France's Ratatouille but less chunky. Let's start.

Ingredients:

(usually consists of left over veggies)

1 zucchini (green squash)

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 onion

2 garlic cloves

1 egg

2 teaspoons of sea salt

4 tablespoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon of parsley

1 teaspoon of ground black pepper

1 teaspoon of oregano

1/2 a small can of tomato sauce

1 cup of white rice

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Instructions:

Step 1: While your white rice is boiling you can begin to cut all the veggies and separate them into small containers/bowls.

Step 2: Heat up a pan to a medium high and add the onion, garlic, and a drizzle of olive oil and let it simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 3: Then start placing the harder veggies in first, such as the bell peppers. When those begin to tenderize, drop in the softer vegetables like the squash. Let it cook for another 5 minutes.

Step 4: Now you can add the sea salt, black pepper, parsley, oregano. Cook for 5 more minutes.

Step 5: Stir constantly and let vegetable almost melt into the pan.

Step 6: Once they have all tenderized, you place in a small amount of tomato sauce and stir ferociously until the vegetables and sauce become one. Stir and let it cook for about 3 minutes.

Step 7: Drop an egg into the pan and stir in the egg. The egg will almost immediately begin to congeal. This should take about 2 minutes.

Step 8: Stir, stir and stir. Turn the stove off and let it sit. Once it's cooled down you can add it to a bed of white or brown rice. The sweet taste of veggies sitting on top of a mountain of smooth rice will make your tummy feel like you're 12 again at home with Momma!

Enjoy!

Pan Seared Shrimp w/ Heads

Pan Seared Shrimp have to be one of my favorite quick dishes. The juices and taste that comes out of this creature is to die for! Just use sea salt, lemon and olive oil and place it on a pan. Don't cook too long because the shell will get stuck to the meat. I would say 3 to 5 minutes for a batch of 5 to 8 shrimp.

Ingredients:

1/4 kilo Shrimp with heads (preferably)

1 tablespoon of sea salt

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 whole lemon

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Good cooking!

Enjoy!

Rotisserie Chicken with mushrooms and red peppers

Let's talk chicken. One of my favorite meals to make is an oven roasted chicken. At my previous apartment, the oven had a built-in rod skewer so that the chicken can turn and roast on all sides. If your oven does not contain this smart and useful tool, that you might just want to turn the dish several times.

I prepared this bird for 2 people even though it can feed up to 4 folks. The ingredients are easy.

Procure the following:

(you need to do some conversions here because I like using grams for somethings and cups for others)

1 whole chicken (cleaned and de-feathered)

1 large onion

1 apple

1 half a garlic

1 red bell pepper

100 grams of whole shitake mushrooms

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon of oregano

2 teaspoons of sea salt

1 tablespoon of raw organic irish butter

1/8 cup of white wine

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Instructions:

Step 1: Wash out the chicken nicely and let it air dry. Once dried you need to start with the rub. Rub it down (oh yeah baby) w/ oregano, salt, black pepper, and irish butter.

Step 2: Place a full apple into the cavity. The apple gives the chicken a bit of sweetness while opening it up for the white wine butter sauce to dribble in. Absolutely delicious...you'll see ;)

Step 3: Cut the onion, garlic, and mushrooms into medium size portions. Sprinkel them ontop of the chicken, between the legs, and in the corners of the glass casserole dish.

Step 4: Drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil horizontally on the bird. This will bring out it's color during the cooking process.

Step 5: And for the final step, you're going to want to provide a generous amount of white wine on top of the entire dish; 1/8 cup should do it. The wine will come together with the chicken's nature juices to create a delicious sweet taste.

Step 6: Stick the bird into the oven for 45 minutes at 390º. You must keep juicing the bird so it doesn't dry out...I would do this every 10 minutes. If you don't have a skewer turn the dish at least 4 times. If you skewer it makes sure the dish/pan is under the chicken to collect all it's yummy juices.

And that's all folks. Let it cool down, and probably serve it on top of a bed of couscous or veggies...hell or BOTH.

Enjoy!

Tortilla Española

In Spanish you tend to give inanimate objects feminine/masculine names. Instead of "It" you would call things "her" and "him." For this, I call the traditional Spanish Tortilla--LA TORTILLA.

She is a beaut, isn´t she? Made with nothing more than potatoes, eggs, and onions. This traditional dish goes back hundreds of years and it pertains to the family of Omelettes that are so prevelant in Europe. Each country has their own way of making omelettes. However, this one is special because it´s eaten 24 hours a day. This is no commoner. She is the Queen of omelettes. You can have her in the morning, mid-day and at night. Here are the ingredients. Oh and don´t forget to flip her over. If you can master that without it spilling, you are now a master of omelettes.

Ingredients:
( Serves 3 to 4 people)

6 medium sized potatoes
4 large eggs
1 large onion
2 teaspoons of sea salt
1 cup of olive oil
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Instructions:

Step 1: Heat up a large pan. Make sure you have a plate that is big enough to cover it because you´re going to flip the omelette half way through the process.

Step 2: Once the pan is heated up you´re going add the onioins and cup of olive oil. Let the onion cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Step 3: After having hand cut the potatoes into thick slices, you´re going to add them all at once to the pan.

Step 4: Mix the potatoes and onions together while sifting and padding it all down. You need to cook the potatoes until their pretty tender. Don´t burn them ;)

Step 5: Turn off the stove, get a collander and drain the potatoes so that all you have are dry potatoes in a separate plate.

Step 6: Wipe clean the pan and place it back on the stove, medium high. Heat up the pan and then add the potatoes again. No more oil.

Step 7: Quickly added the hand beaten eggs into the pan so that they mix well. Keep stirring a lot until every piece of potato is surrounded by egg.

Step 8: Pat it all down so that it takes the shape of the pan. Use the pan handle to hand sift it while it cooks.

Step 9: Ok people, this is the most DIFFICULT step. You will now need to flip the omelette over and place the uncooked side BACK into the pan so it too can cook. You will do this by placing a plate that fits the pan exactly, no more, no less. You will use your left hand to hold the pan handle and your right hand will be cupping the middle of the plate. Now quickly flip it so that the raw side of the omelette is hitting the plate.

Step 10: You will now want to carefully place the omelette back into the pan. You do this by methodically sifting the omelette into the pan inch by inch making sure it always maintains it´s circular form at all times. Once in let it cook for about 4 to 5 more minutes. Once it´s cooled down you have a great dish.

If you want to make a super cheap and fast meal, you can sauteé sliced green peppers in a pan and place it in a french baguette with the omelette. Quick, easy and traditional!

Enjoy!

Lemon Chicken a la Primavera®

At first glance this dish appears to be very simple. Spaghettis with tomato sauce and grilled chicken. But looks can be deceiving. The way I prepared this fine meal was by sauteeing onions in extra virgin olive oil long enough for the taste of Summer to inspire the pan. After a few minutes I added freshly sliced red peppers and pan seared them until they were caramelized. Once the juices of the onions and red peppers have seemingly joined together, I added Spanish chorizo for a sweet but tangy taste. Then goes the fried tomato sauce with a bit a water. Stir all together with care to bring this sauce into another realm of creation. At last, I join them with fresh ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon of rock salt, parsley and oregano. I let it simmer under a medium heat for 10 minutes until the smell devours me. Marrying the sauce to the pasta is the last great delight of my creation, until the lemon chicken of course. Once the pasta has joined it´s long lost love; sauce, I continue to pan sear chicken breast marinated in lemon, garlic, and olive oil. I let it blacken a bit and once the beautiful smell of free range chicken engulfs my kitchen, I combine both to make the famously delicious Lemon Chicken a la Primavera®.

Enjoy!