Spanish scrambled eggs with spinach and chorizo

 

Breakfast is something i struggle with on days i have to head into work. I usually take the easy way out and have a bowl of cereal, or toast with some hummus or egg mayo or some days i don't even have breakfast, leaving me hungry by around 12 and with a bad headache. I promise myself i will never do it again, but thinking about being able to sleep that extra 10 minutes by skipping breakfast seems much more appealing when you turn off the alarm.

Ro on the other hand will not go a single day without breakfast. I really wonder how someone can have the same darn thing every single day for the past couple of years. Just recently he decided he wanted to alternate between fruits and toast and in spite of me saying id make him some hot breakfast (secretly hoping he'd say no) he declines.

 

Its only on weekends that we indulge a bit and make eggs (with bacon or sausage sometimes) or have a slightly more elaborate brunch with French toast, pancakes and the like. I love eggs in any form and given a choice would have it every day. So i was very happy to be selected as one of the Taste 100 #happyeggtastemakers by The Happy Egg Company, who pride in the fact that happier hens lay tastier eggs. Every month we are given a couple of activities to do and even though I've been thoroughly using the eggs in my cakes and bakes, I've not really been able to take part in those due to something or the other cropping up last minute. Today is the last date to submit this challenge and i thought i should somehow meet deadlines at least this time.

The challenge was to come up with a scrambled egg recipe of your own incorporating a vegetable or source of fish or meat, a herb or spice and a surprise ingredient of choice. I broke my head a bit and did come up with some interesting combinations but it all went down the drain when i saw a pack of chorizo half price at Sains. Its my favourite and i immediately decided to do Spanish style scrambled eggs instead. Its spicy, flavourful and so easy to whip up. Have it for breakfast on toast or with some Indian flat bread for dinner. We loved it both ways.

Serves 2

 

Chorizo- 1/4 cup, diced finely

Shallot- 1 small, finely chopped

Garlic- 3 pods, roughly chopped

Spinach- a generous handful

Peppers- half of one, diced

Paprika- 1/4 tsp

Eggs- 3 large

Milk- 2 tbsp

Salt- to taste

Spring onion- 1 tbsp of just the greens to garnish (optional)

Cook the chorizo in a frying pan till done. 

Drain on to paper towels and keep aside. 

If there is a lot of oil that has oozed out of the chorizo, drain some of it and use the remaining to continue cooking. \its really flavourful oil, you don't want to throw it off.

throw in the shallot and garlic and saute for about 4 to 5 minutes, till the onions start sweating a bit. You don't want them golden brown.

Simultaneously, whisk together the eggs and milk in a bowl until slightly frothy. Keep ready

Add the spinach and peppers to the frying pan, and continue cooking till the spinach has wilted. The peppers need to retain their crunch.

Add the paprika and salt to taste and give a quick mix.

make a well in the centre and pour in the whisked eggs.

Let it stay for a about 15 to 20 seconds without stirring and then using a wooden spoon stir it up and fold, while mixing all the other ingredients.

Continue the stirring and folding till your eggs are cooked and they look fluffy. Don't over do the cooking or else they'd turn dry. 

Transfer on to serving plates, garnish with spring greens and serve with toast.

Notes: You can use prawns or even shredded chicken or pork instead of chorizo

Some Monterey Jack cheese would have been a fab addition, but i didn't have any.

Garnishing with coriander leaves give it a sort of Mexican flavour which i absolutely love.

With thanks to The Happy Egg Co. for the voucher to be redeemed against a carton of eggs.

Baked chicken taquitos and guava margarita

I love love love Mexican food. Sadly though London doesn't have that many Mexican restaurants and I think its worked to Ro's advantage because, given a choice, I would only pick a Mexican restaurant when we dine out. So when I'm left wanting Mexican food, I have these Mexican themed days at home where its all margaritas and quesadillas and stuff.

Last week I went into one of those "moods" and instead of doing the usual quesadillas (which I also did make) and tortilla wraps, I decided to try some new dishes. On the menu was the 7-layer dip which Id been eyeing ever since my cousin sent me a pic of her version but last minute movie plans were obviously more important than the dip and so I ditched that idea. Instead I made taquitos which, if you have the filling and everything ready a day before, is such a breeze to put together. They can be made days in advance and frozen and baked just before serving. 

 

The original taquitos are deep fried, but that was definitely not an option for me. So I had to look for a baked version and these didn't disappoint. They are quite versatile and can be filled with anything you want, maybe even something sweet. 

No Mexican meal is complete without some margaritas and that's exactly what I paired these with. You get these massive margarita bottles in Costco and its become my absolute favourite. I keep trying different flavours with that as the base and all of it have turned out great. This time i made guava margaritas and added some jalapeños to it for that extra kick. I also rimmed the glass with smoked maldon sea salt which strangely tasted great with the spicy margarita.

Baked chicken taquitos (recipe adapted from here, makes 12)

Chicken- 2 cups, cooked and shredded

Cream cheese- 3oz, softened

Salsa- 1/4 cup

Lime juice- 1 /2 tbsp

Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder- 1/2 tsp

Onion granules- 1/2 tsp (can use powder as well)

Garlic- 3 cloves, finely chopped

Coriander leaves- 2 tbsp

Spring onions- 2, finely chopped

Mexican spicy cheddar cheese- 1 cup (replace with cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese)

Flour tortillas- 12, small

Salt- to sprinkle

Oil- to brush

Pre heat the oven to 220C and line a large baking tray with baking paper.

In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients except the tortillas, salt and oil. 

Warm the tortillas for about 20 seconds, 3 at a time, in the microwave and keep ready.

Spoon in 2 table spoons of the filling on to one end of the tortilla and roll it up as tightly as possible. Don't over fill the tortillas or they will ooze out once in the oven.

Place on the baking tray, seam side down. and without touching each other.

Repeat till all the filling is used up.

Brush the tops of the rolled up taquitos with cooking oil and sprinkle salt on them.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or till the taquitos are crisp and golden brown.

Notes: I cooked chicken breast with salt and pepper in a saucepan and then shredded them using a fork

Original recipe called for parsley. I cant stand the herb so I used coriander leaves instead.

The cheese I used was spicy so my filling was a bit spicy (which we loved).

Guava margarita (makes 4)

Lime juice- 1/2 cup

Tequila- 1 cup

Triple sec- 3 tbsp

Simple syrup- 4 tbsp (boil equal parts of sugar and water in a saucepan till you get a syrup)

Guava juice- 1 cup (I used Rubecon brand)

Ice cubes- as required
Pickled jalapenos- 2 to 3 rounds

Lime wedge- for rimming the glass

Maldon sea salt- for glass (optional)

Get a plate with the sea salt ready.

Rub the lime wedge around the rim of the margarita glasses and dip them into the salt. Chuck them into the refrigerator while you get the drink ready.
In a cocktail shaker or blender combine the remaining ingredients.
Pour into the prepared glasses and serve cold.

 

Notes: Like I mentioned I have pre made margarita and to 1 cup of this mix I add about 3/4 cups of guava juice, stir well and add to the glass with a couple of ice cubes. 
I don't like the crushed ice cubes, so I just add cubes directly to the glass and pour the marg over it.
Replace the guava juice with any fruit juice of choice.
Adjust sugar as per choice. I like mine a tad sweeter.
Its a bit spicy because of the jalapeños, avoid if not a fan

Salsa de mango

I am no expert when it comes to selecting the perfect mango or even knowing the difference between varieties. I eat any mango I get -raw or ripe- and savour it no matter what. I know that we don't get the gorgeous Indian ones here, but it doesn't seem to bother us and since I don't particularly crave for it, anything works....

..except this one time I was at the Chinese store and they had raw mangoes which I couldn't resist. I wanted to have mango chammanthi (chutney) and rice....yummm! Came back home with one green mango and was busy googling for easy recipes. Found one and when I cut into it, it was actually not that raw....and I realized it wouldn't be nice as a chutney. So what do I do, cut it up, take some salt, start dipping and eating like one mad woman who's been mango deprived. I even called up Ro while eating to say I was sorry he couldn't devour the raw mango and salt. His exact words were...'I hope you get sick after eating all that..' I laughed it off then, but after I ate the entire mango, boy did I feel sick..drinking water didn't help and the entire evening was spent with a horrid stomach ache and blaming Ro for jinxing me :O

I thought the mango mania for this season was over after that episode, but no. A couple of days later we'd invited some friends over for brunch and I decided to try out a mango salsa recipe my cousin Miri had posted on her blog long back. It turned out extremely nice, that I had to try it out again. So I got around to making it a couple of days back and even managed a few pics. It pairs well with meat dishes, filling for tacos or even better on its own as a salad kinda thing. I have adapted her recipe more or less, with a few tweaks here and there. Enjoy!

Mango- 1 large or about 2 cups, peeled and cut into cubes

Tomato- half of one large, cut into small pieces

English shallot- 1, thinly sliced

Coriander leaves- 2 tbsp, finely chopped

Celery- 1 tbsp, finely chopped (optional)

Green chilli- 1 small, finely chopped (de seeded if you cant handle the heat)

Lime juice- a few drops (I was pretty generous with this)

Salt- to taste

It cant get easier than this...mix all the ingredients together in a salad bowl. 

Add lime juice and salt as per requirement, toss again and place it in the refrigerator covered until you use it.

Toss again just before serving. 

You can choose to serve in individual glasses (if you want to go all fancy) or in the salad bowl itself.

Notes: A Thai option would be to add some fish sauce, grated ginger and basil and top with some chopped peanuts.

Sending this to Reva of Kaarasaaram who is hosting this months Healing foods: Mango event, brain child of Siri.

Minced meat- 2 ways

This is a pretty lame post and and even lamer pic...no patience for food styling and all. So apologies in advance.

Remember I mentioned my cousins were visiting..well we ended up partying it hard over the weekend and was lethargic whole of Monday. Needless to say, we had a blast, but in the process these are the things I learned:

1. Red wine gives me a hang over

2. Gin and tonic is my new found love which brings me to the next point

3. NEVER mix your drinks

4. Next time think a hundred times before deciding to order an entire case of wine off the Internet.

5. Thank the inventor of the dish washer again and again.

So after all that I spent whole of yesterday in bed watching silly mallu movies and making do with left over food for dinner. Had to get off my ass today because of some important deadlines I had to meet but I'm still pretty pathetic with regard to stamina. I have to rest and be ready for Thursday when they will be back from Ireland :)

I had only mince meat and that too quite a bit of it and so decided to go berserk with it since it was raining and windy and incredibly cold to go out and do grocery shopping.

Basic kheema recipe

So with half kg minced meat I made a kheema sorta thing and used that for my empanadas. I was kinda bored with my basic mince meat recipe and so tried out this recipe by PreeOccupied which came out really well. Its a keeper I'd say!

Pizza dough Empanadas

I made use of my leftover pizza dough to make these simple empanadas and they taste pretty darn good.

Pizza base mix- 1, 100 gm packet kneaded according to instructions. Alternatively, follow this recipe.

Cheddar cheese- 1.4 cup (optional)

Butter melted- 1/2 tbsp

Flour- to dust the working surface

Pre heat the oven to 220C

Once the dough has puffed up the first time, knock it back and make about 6 to 7 lemon size balls out of it.

Dust the working surface with enough flour and roll each of it into a circle or oval shape.

Fill with enough mince meat (about 1 tbsp for each circle) and cheddar cheese (if using) and cover carefully. With the tip of your finger, seal it and use a fork to create impressions around the edges if you want to.

Place them on a baking tray lined with a baking sheet because oil might ooze out and make a mess. You don't want to end up scrubbing the tray.

Using a basting brush, generously butter the empanadas for that brown colour. You can also do the same with egg if you please. I was lazy.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes and serve hot with sour cream:)

Minced beef Kebabs (seekh kebab)

With the remaining 200 grams I decided to make seekh kebabs. Something I was very doubtful about, but turned out incredibly yum and it was so darn easy to make.

Minced lean beef- 200

Onion- 1 small, roughly chopped

Green chillies- 3, thinly sliced

Coriander leaves- 1/4 cup, washed and roughly chopped

Kashmiri chilli powder- 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Garam masala- 1/2 tsp

Garlic paste- 1/2 tbsp

Egg- 1 small

Gram flour- 1 tbsp

Salt- to taste

Wooden skewers- 8 or more

Soak the wooden skewers in water for at least 20 minutes

Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl till well combined. If it happens to a be a bit loose, add some more gram flour.

Take small portions in your hand and press it on to the skewers, binding well. If its too heavy then it might fall off (yup I learned from my mistake).

Place them in a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in an over preheated at 220 C for 20 minutes, turning them occasionally.

You get absolutely delicious and juicy beef kebabs. Serve them with cucumber raita or just a salad.

Notes: Use bread crumbs instead of gram flour

You can make them into patties as well and use the same for burgers.

A twist (literally) on the Spanish Churros

Two posts in two days, I myself am surprised. Thanks to all who wrote in suggesting things to make with mango pulp. Have noted a few:)

Churros, I am not sure if you are familiar with it, is a Spanish/ Mexican dessert which resembles a doughnut with regard to taste. I actually have eaten it only at Mexican joints, but Wikipedia says it originated in Spain. Whatever it is, I love this unhealthy, oily piece of goodness. I first tasted it at the lovely Greenwich market filled with caramel and rolled in sugar and even though I could feel my waist expanding, I loved every bit of it. Even the caramel averse Ro couldn't stop at one bite. I have made it a point to try it at all the Mexican restaurants, but none has come to the Greenwich market standard. 

Now, they are supposed to be piped out..and should be a thick straight or slightly curled doughnut and dunked in melted chocolate. But the star icing nozzle I had was not too big and it churned out feather light churros which were breaking off, and so I decided to make small discs instead....cheeky huh? yeah you can call that 'no patience' also ;)

Full fat milk- 150 ml

Water- 150 ml

Sugar- 3 tbsp (optional)

Vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp (optional)

Plain flour- 100 gms

Eggs- 2

Oil- for deep frying

For dusting:

Caster Sugar- 25 gms

Powdered Cinnamon- 1/2 tsp or more as per your taste

Bring the milk and water to a boil in a sauce pan. Add the sugar and vanilla and mix well.

Take it off the fire and immediately add the flour and mix vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon until smooth. Keep aside to cool.

Get the oil for deep frying ready at this point. It takes some time.

Add the eggs one after the other, beat well to form a nice fluffy mix, but not too stiff. It should fall off the spoon without much effort.

Scoop the mix into a piping bag with a star nozzle and wait for the oil to be super hot.

Hold the piping bag over the oil (be careful here) and squeeze out long thick strips of dough into the oil or twirl it around like how I chose to do...making small spiral discs.

Fry both sides for about 5 minutes, turning continuously and then drain it on kitchen towels. It should be crispy.

Mix the cinnamon and sugar together and just before serving, dust the churros with the mix.

If you want to dunk it in chocolate...make a ganache with dark chocolate and cream and serve along.

Notes: I added some sugar into the main mix because I loved it sweet. This is purely optional especially if you are eating it with melted chocolate.

You can also use about 20 gms of butter instead of milk (says Gordon Ramsey)

A twist on the Mexican Burrito

I haven't been cooking for the past 4, 5 days and its awesome! My hand mixer broke down and so I cant bake. I am still contemplating on whether to buy another hand beater worth 13 quid, or a free standing one which is a whopping 200 quid. Ro insists i buy the latter cos then i would be a professional like Nigella Lawson...minus the boobs of course, and wouldn't have to complain about my hands hurting while whisking egg whites and while i transfer the beater from the aching hand to the other, splatter egg whites all over my kitchen top and then complain and crib about cleaning it up, which ultimately Ro gets to do. So all in all its a better bet for him, and erm,...for me too:). I took the break down as a good sign, decided to test my patience and try out this diet. The first 2 days i somehow managed and then i went and ate a doughnut...so much for my patience and yes, I do not have the will power to do anything nice like that. Restrictions don't work well with me...food or anything else..yes, I was a horrendous teenager!

Global Kadai, started by Cilantro aims at trying out recipes from around the world and incorporating an Indian twist to it. This month it is being hosted by Dil se and the theme is Indian Flavoured Burritos or Wraps . I had to take part, one because Mexican food is my fav and two, i liked the sound of that challenge :). This burrito was made a few days before i went into my illogical state and looking at it now makes me want it so bad.

Beef Burritos with refried beans and Indian spices (Makes 4)

Minced beef- 250 gms

Turmeric- 1/4 tsp

Ginger Garlic Paste- 1 tsp

Kashmiri Chilli Powder- 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder- 1 tsp

Pepper Powder- 1/4 tsp

Cumin powder- 1/4 tsp

Meat masala- 1 tsp (optional)

Salt- to taste

Onions- 1, julienned

Green Pepper (Capsicum)- 1, roughly chopped

Tomato- 1, sliced

Refried beans- 1 tin (200gms)

Olive oil- 1 tbsp

Sour cream or yoghurt- 4 tbsp or more according to your taste

Monterey Jack Cheese or Mature Cheddar Cheese- 1/2 cup (or more)

Coriander leaves- a handful (I avoided it)

Tortillas- 4

Mix all the powders and GGP along with the mince meat and pressure cook with about 2 tbsp water for about 10 minutes after you put on the weight (approx. 3 whistles). Let off the steam, open the lid and if there is a significant amount of water, cook on high heat for a few minutes till some of the water has evaporated. You can add salt, spice etc. at this point, if its isn't enough.

In a frying pan, heat the oil and sauté the onions and green pepper till soft.

Add the cooked mince meat to this and fry for a while, say 2 to 3 minutes, just to make sure they are all mixed well.

Add the refried beans, give a final stir, switch off the burner and assemble the burrito.

Heat the tortillas in the microwave for about 3 to 4 seconds and place on a cutting board.

Dab about 1 tbsp sour cream and spread it out.

Add 2 tbsps (or more, or less) of the filling (meat mix) on to the tortilla, add a few tsps of the sliced tomato, enough cheese and sprinkle some coriander leaves (if using) on top.

Wrap it up and you are good to go. If you want to know how to wrap it, here is an easy tutorial. Its not that difficult. I learned it after watching them roll it at the Tortilla Mexican Grill :)

I heat the burritos for about 8 to 10 seconds before serving because i like the cheese a bit melted.

Notes: I didn't have any lettuce, so i avoided it. It would be a perfect wrap if you add a few lettuce leaves as well.

Also rice. I am not a big fan of rice in my burrito, but you can add them too if you want.

Salsa, guacamole etc etc can be added to the burrito to make it more rich.

If you want the pepper to be crunchy then add it only towards the end, do the onions first and then add the pepper.

The refried beans need not be added to the meat mix in the frying pan. You can add a few tbsp while you assemble the burrito.

My Burritos had a very Indian flavour, especially of cumin and the meat masala. That added with the cheese and refried beans were a total hit and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Chorizo Quesadillas with Margaritas and Mexican Cookies

I am a big sucker for Mexican food and i can have it any number of times in a day and continuously for a couple of days..well that's a bit of an exaggeration, but i love Southern food so so much. Sunday lunch like i mentioned before was very southie...almost. We had the Buffalo wings, quesadillas and margaritas and Mexican cookies..yes I'd like to go all out when it comes to themes.

Quesadillas can have any sort of filling and you can basically jazz it up your way. Since i had already tried my hand at Chicken quesadillas, i thought id use Chorizo (Spanish/ Mexican cured sausages spiced with different seasoning etc) instead. Good choice, i must say. It was over in no time.

Flour tortillas- 4

Spanish Chorizo- 1 cup, diced (or you can remove the casing and use the meat only)

Spring onions- 1/4 cup (both greens and bulb)

Red pepper- 1/3 cup, diced (optional)

Monterey Jack Cheese- 1/2 cup

Mexican blend cheese- to garnish

Salsa- i cup ( i got ready-made ones)

Sour cream- 1/4 cup

Cilantro- freshly chopped, for garnish

In a frying pan, lightly cook the chorizo. There is no need to put any oil, as quite a bit of oil oozes out of the sausage. Make sure you do not over cook, as it becomes hard. Remove and drain on paper towels

Discard some oil and in the same pan, sautee the spring onions and red pepper till soft. Add the sausages to this and give it a final stir. Remove and keep aside.

Keep a stove-top grill ready. Assemble the tortillas, i.e., spread some sour cream and salsa evenly on the tortilla, load it with the chorizo stuffing (about 3 tbsp) and then layer with the Monterey Jack cheese (again about 2 to 3 tbsp). Grate some Mexican blend cheese on top, just for the flavour, garnish with cilantro and sandwich with another tortilla. Slightly press them so that the ends are sealed

Place on the hot grill and cook for about 2 minutes, each side. Carefully flip it and once the cheese has slightly melted, take it off and repeat the process with the remaining tortillas and filling.

Serve with a dab of sour cream and salsa and some Mexican blend cheese.

Notes: If you do not have tortillas, you can use chappati's...yes you can..have tried it

You do not need a grill per se. You can do the same procedure in the frying pan, or in a pre-heated oven for a few minutes, or if you are extremely lazy, in a microwave...i have tried all three methods, and the best would be the grill.

The measurements given here are approx. You can increase, decrease the cheese, cream, filling etc. as per your choice.

I usually make my own Margarita, but since i knew i was going to be super busy i picked up a Sainsbury's Margarita (all mixed and ready to serve) instead. I brushed the glass rim with lime juice and dipped it in salt and topped the glass with the mix and some tonic water, since the mix was a little too strong for me. This is not how the real one is made, but i liked the fizz though.

The Mexican Cookies' recipe can be found here. It says Melting Moments, but this is more or less how it is.

Chicken Quesadillas- la magia de México

If you ask me what my favourite cuisine is...id have to admit its Mexican. The ribs, enchiladas, fajitas, buffalo wings and of course Quesadillas which i can have at any given time. London has a lot of fancy restaurants, i admit, but i just haven't found one single decent Mexican joint other than Chiquito which is nowhere nearby. The American chain Chili's shut down their UK restaurants when recession hit and so now I have to make these at home to quench my craving. I still remember the Southwestern Egg Rolls from Chili's, which for some strange reason wasn't on the menu in any of the UK Chili's, but were a favourite among a lot of my cousins and friends back in US.

I was doing an impromptu grocery stop at Tesco and saw a Mexican dip platter with Sour Cream, Salsa and Guacamole. That aggravated my craving and so decided to make Quesadillas that night for dinner. The original Quesadilla recipe doesn't involve any of the dips, but i just couldn't resist it. Pair it with a chilled glass of margarita and you have the perfect BBQ dish.

Flour tortillas- 4, or if you are using chapathi's, about 6

Boneless chicken breasts- 250 to 300 gms, cut into bite size pieces

Onions- 1, sliced lengthwise

Any brand Fajita/Enchilada spice mix- 3 tsp (can be substituted with a mix of chilli pwd, pepper pwd, paprika, cumin pwd and salt)

Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp (optional)

Cheddar or any grated cheese- 1 cup or more if you are not so concerned about your waist line

Pickled Jalapenos- 2 or 3 per Quesadilla as they are quite spicy (optional)

Oil- 1 tbs

Salt- to taste (if required)

Marinate the chicken pieces with the fajita spice mix and Ggp. Keep aside.

In a frying pan, heat the oil and sautee onions till they become glazed. To this add the chicken pieces and fry it well. Chicken should be lightly brown. You can add more salt and spice if its not enough, at this stage. Transfer to a dish and keep ready.

Set the oven to the grill mode and preheat to about 170C. Line an oven proof pan with baking paper and keep it ready. Place the tortillas/chapathis on a plate and generously spread the sour cream, salsa and guacamole. Layer the chicken pieces on top, sprinkle some cheese and jalapenos, cover with another tortilla/chapathi and press a bit to make it like a sandwich. Repeat with the second set, place them on the pan and into the oven for about 5 minutes or maybe even less depending on the oven. Its just to melt the cheese and heat the tortillas/chapathis. Serve with rest of the dips.

Notes: This is a perfect dish if you have left over chicken breasts and even chapathis. You can replace the chicken with sausages, bacon etc.

If you do not get the ready-made dips, then mayo or thick yogurt is good enough, or you can chuck that altogether and go on a healthy regime.