Friday 21 September 2012

Super Bean Soup for Bean Soup Lovers



Ingredients:

Prep. time 25 min.
Serves 5


  • 4 cups cooked Peruano beans
  • 1 cup Black Beans
  • 1 stick, celery, small
  • 1/4 white onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 clove garlic, small
  • 1 tomato
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 branch fresh parsley
  • 1 tbsp. chives
  • Salt and green pepper
  • 3 tbsp creme fraiche
  • white cheese for the topping, cut into small cubes
  • 1/2 cup of vegetable broth, you can use chicken broth if not vegetarian or water if you have non.
  • 2 strips bacon, previously chopped and fried (optional)

1. Toss the beans, celery, onion, oregano, garlic, tomato, butter, parsley, broth and chives into the blender. Salt and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth and serve in a pot at medium-high heat. Add the creme fraiche and stir until it completely blends, then cover for 15 minutes. Finally, toss in the bacon and serve. Add a parsley leaf and some white cheese cubes on top for decoration.

P.S. You can add 1/2 a red bell pepper, previously roasted, to the blender mix for a slight variation

Monday 17 September 2012

Best Picadillo Ever




Ingredients:

Serves 4
Prep. time: 20 min


  • 350gr ground Sirloin
  • 1/2 red bell pepper
  • 1/2 white onion
  • 5 slices bacon
  • 1 stick, celery
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 chopped tomatoes
  • A handful green beans
  • 8 sp. creme fraiche
  • Green pepper
  • Black pepper
  • Olive oil
  • 1 piece French Lettuce
  • 1 yellow hot chilli
  • soft corn tortillas or tostadas



1. In a wok, over medium-high heat, stir-fry the onion, garlic, celery and bacon until golden brown, adding salt and black pepper to taste.Add the ground Sirloin along with the half bell pepper, the yellow chilli, and green beans, all finely chopped, keep stirring for a few minutes.

2. On a plate, make a bed using the lettuce, sprinkle it with olive oil and green pepper.



Serve the picadillo mix on top and top it with 2 spoonfuls of creme fraiche.







3. Enjoy as tacos or on tostadas for a delicious experience!

Fish n Chards





Ingredients:

2 servings
prep. time about 40 minutes


  • 16 chard leaves
  • 2 white fish fillets
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 stick celery
  • 4 tomatoes
  • 1/2 medium onion
  • salt and green pepper
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth (optional)

1. Blend the tomatoes, celery, onion, garlic and chicken broth (if non at hand, use water just to make it easier on the blender). In a wok (or pan) boil the mix until it becomes orange and half the liquid evaporates (over high heat). Salt to taste.






2. Toss the chards inside the wok and stirr untl they mix in with the sauce (over medium heat). Chards are mostly water so you'll have to wait a few minutes for it to evaporate. As the sauce thickens, place the fillets on top and add salt and pepper. Cover until fish is done and sauce is thick (about 20 min).





Don't worry about the fish staying in there for too long, the more the merrier as the sauce will thicken and the flavour will become stronger, just make sure not all the liquid's gone or the sauce and chards will burn! If it evaporates way too fast and fish is not done yet, ust add another half cup of water and let it boil for ten more minutes. Keep the lid on until fish is done so it doesn't go dry.




3. Serve with fried beans and a couple of slices of bread. Not quite a looker, but it surely makes up for it with flavor!






Thursday 30 August 2012

Red Bell Pepper Hummus



Ingredients:

6 servings
prep. time 15 minutes*


  • 6 cups garbanzo beans/chickpeas*  
  • 1 red ball pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 cups olive oil
  • 4 leaves fresh basil
  • 1 branch parsley
  • 2 fresh tomatoes
  • Ground clove
  • Ground cumin
  • 1 zucchini
  • 1/2 white onion
  • Black sesame seeds to taste
  • 1/2 stick fresh rosemary
  • 6 soft corn tortillas


*soaked in water overnight and boiled until soft (about 40 min.). Yo can also use 2 cans, we just don't like canned food at Tanuki.

1. Soak the garbanzo beans overnight, one part garbanzo beans two parts water. Then boil them for about forty minutes or until soft enough to be crushed with your bare fingers. Meanwhile, in a wok, stir-fry the onion and the bell pepper, along with the zucchini and garlic cloves.

2. In a food processor, blend the zucchini, pepper, onion and garlic. Add the fresh basil and the parsley. Sprinkle with about half a teaspoon of ground cumin and a pinch of ground clove. Add the rosemary, the olive oil and the black sesame seeds, also add the boiled chickpeas and blend until you get your desired hummus consistency. Add salt to taste. Finally, chop the tomatoes and add them  to the mix




3. Soft-fry the tortillas cut into quarters in a comal or a pan until golden. You can also use pita bread.


P.S. Decorate with parsley leaves, black sesame seeds and a pond of olive oil. You can also eat it with celery sticks instead of pita bread or tortillas.

Bacon Chop Suey



Ingredients:

4 servings
prep. time 30 min


  • 4 cups soybean sprouts
  • 1/2 red bell pepper
  • 1 celery stick
  • 4 chives
  • Ground cumin
  • Ground clove
  • 8 Green beans
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • 5 strips of bacon (the more the merrier!)
  • 1/2 white onion
  • some fresh basil and parsley
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup lentils
  • 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 lemon's juice



1. In a wok, heat enough oil to fry the half red bell pepper, chopped celery, the white onion, the garlic cloves and the bacon. Also sprinkle with a fair amount of ground cumin and about half the amount of clove (you can use 1 fresh clove instead).






2. Stir often until all flavors start to blend and then add the basil and parsley leaves. Also, add the green beans and chopped chives. Keep over high heat.


3. Toss the sprouts into the wok. Salt and pepper. Stir for a couple of minutes and add the lentils and the chicken broth.











4. Cover with a lid and let boil for 20 minutes, or until lentils are soft, at medium heat.






5. Add the lime's juice and voilá! 
Serve and decorate!





P.S. For variations, add zucchini, tomato, spinach, ginger...

Green Pepper and Basil Escaroles Salad






Ingredients:

2 servings
prep. time 10 min


  • 2 escarole endives
  • A handful of fresh basil leaves
  • Salt and pepper (green)
  • Olive Oil
  • 50 gr. cheese (I used Oaxaca)
  • Ground garlic
  • Rosemary



1. Spread the escaroles and the cheese in a dish.
Add the basil leaves and sprinkle with olive oil to taste.






2. Sprinkle with  garlic, salt and green pepper to taste. I often add some rosemary to it too if I have it at hand. Let the herbs soak in the oil before serving.







3. Enjoy on a hot summer day!

Escaroles Salad

















P.S. You can also apple or pear slices on top for a sweeter touch!

Tuesday 21 August 2012

Wine and Fine Herbs Fish Fillets

Wine and Fine Herbs Fish Fillets


Ingredients:

3 servings
prep time 15 min
Leek and herbs

  • 1 cup white zinfandel wine
  • 1 leek, sliced
  • A handful fresh marjoram
  • A handful fresh thymus
  • 3 leaves fresh bay laurel
  • A branch of fresh parsley
  • 3 white fish fillets
  • Butter to taste
  • A handful welsh-onion leaves
  • Salt and pepper
  • Cumin and ground clove to taste
  • Half a garlic clove


1. In a wok, stir-fry the leek and 1/3 of the marjoram, thymus, laurel and parsley, sprinkle with the cumin and ground clove, be careful not to add too much.

Stir-fry the leek and 1/3 of the herbs
Add a pinch of cumin and some nutmeg too


2. When the leek loosens add the garlic and the wine. Mix and then put the fish fillets on top of this, adding salt and pepper to them as well as some butter. Cover the fillets with the rest of the herbs and cover the wok with a lid.

This is what it should look like before covering with the lid


 3. Give the fish about ten minutes to cook over medium heat. Serve and enjoy!!