Chorizo, Garlic and Chillies Scones

It was so windy, cold and rainny outside and there was no way I would go to the supermarket. So I started seeing what foods I had in the house. Nothing fresh so I decided to use up the piece of chorizo I had.
I looked around and found flour and had the idea of making those. An experiment that I swear was the best improvisation on my menu, so far.

You will wow yourself and your guests with this easy and quick recipe.

Read it before you start cooking this please.

You will need:

125g self raising flour
55g unsalted butter
1 teaspoon of baking powder
enough milk to bind the flour together but not soak it
15 cm of chorizo cut in 1cm cubes
4 cloves of chopped garlic {I used my pestle and mortar and did not take skins off}
1 tablespoon of thai chillies {also a mortar job and you can use as much as you want}
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
salt /pepper
1 mixed egg for brushing the scones


Preheat the oven at 180 Celsius.

Sauté the chorizo until it releases the oil but do not crisp it up and add your garlic and chillies letting it become very aromatic and turn it off as you do not want to overcook the garlic, just release the flavours. Let it sit for a couple of minutes, cooling.

In a bowl, mix the flour, butter and baking powder until all mixed like a crumble mix. Add the chorizo mix, now a little cooler, the parsley, a wee pinch of salt and pepper.
Mix a little and add your milk, a little at the time.
Remember that you will not over mix this or else it will become chewy. So you just want to bind it all together.

Flour a surface and pour mix on top of flour. Form a dough and cut in 6 about 2 cm high each.

Spread butter on a tray and place the scones slightly away from each other. Brush with egg mixture and bake for 12/15 minutes until golden on top.

Best eaten Hot/Warm!!!

Please let me know how it goes ! Have fun !!!

You can now also follow me on Instagram as cloudsinthekitchen

Thai Clams

The easiest way to make me feel happy is to eat foods that I ate when I was living in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Yesterday I visited an Asian supermarket and bought all the ingredients.
This recipe has no quantities as you need to up on the herbs and spices you like and use less of the ones you don't like so much.

You can substitute the clams for any other seafood you like or even use another type of protein or even a vegetable, just watch for cooking times as you do not want to overcook it.

It is delicious and this is how you make it:

Bash some lemongrass, fresh turmeric, fresh chillies, garlic, galangal or ginger in a pestle and mortar until they release their aromas.
Heat some oil on a pan or wok, if you have one and add the aromatics you just bashed. Stir fry them for about 30 seconds or until your kitchen smells like Nirvana.
Add the washed clams and mix. Add fish sauce and add 1/4 cup of water or stock. Mix everything and when it boils fiercely put the lid on it for about 4 minutes or until the clams open up. Please discard the ones that did not open up properly.
Squeeze a tiny bit of lime juice and stir.
Turn the heat off and add some chillies and freshly chopped coriander.
Serve hot and enjoy!
It is a treat!
Please, let me know how it goes!

Roast Garlic

I normally make this at home every week as garlic is my favourite ingredient.

For sure I make this every time I have my oven on for savoury food.

It is very easy and quick.

Basically I separate huge cloves of garlic {do not peel them} and put them on a tray with olive oil, rock salt and only a little bit of oregano or/and thyme, a crushed bay leaf and a twist or two of freshly ground pepper.

The oven is pre-heated somewhere between 180 to 200 degrees Celsius.

I let it roast until the desired colour and texture for about 20/30 minutes {try squeezing it with your fingers or a spoon to see how soft it is}. 

Sometimes I allow it to cook a little more so it becomes soft and the garlic inside is like a paste.
It squirts as you press the garlic... it is such fun !
Try it !!!

This can be eaten on toasted bread, added to salads, soups, roast meat or as you like it.

I am known to eat it on its own as I am preparing dinner or reading a book!!!

Vietnamese Salad

I love this Salad and have tried to replicate it on a post I published a few weeks ago and came up with the recipe for one of my salad dressings. Amazing taste.

{click here to see the recipe for Asian Salad Dressing}. 

This time, you and I are very lucky because Nee, from the Blue Diamond, has allowed me into her kitchen to film her making it so click here to watch the very easy steps 

to making a Salad that will change your life!

Have fun and enjoy it!!!

{oh! I added a picture of my fave dessert she makes: 

Vegan Apple Crumble, you just HAVE to try it!!! }

Below are some pictures I took there on my delicious visit.

But first the recipe:

You will need:

Shredded cucumber

Shredded carrots

Shredded cabbage

1 ripe tomato cut in 6/8

Pounded Garlic, chillies and demerara sugar to your taste

Pounded roast peanuts
Pak chi farang- Thai coriander {or coriander}

Lime juice 

Soy sauce or fish sauce

Ripped romaine lettuce 

Cashew nuts to garnish and crunch with style

In a bowl, mix the lime juice and the soy sauce and add the rest of the  ingredients except the lettuce and the cashew nuts. Mix well together until you see the peanuts has released some creaminess and the salad is coated in juice {the cucumber and tomatoes will help do that}. Add the lettuce mix quickly and serve with the cashews on top. 

HAVE FUN!!!!!!

35/1 Soi 9, T Moon Muang

7am-9pm Mon-Sat

 Nee and I 

 Pak Chi {Thai Coriander}

 Vegan Apple Crumble from Heaven 

 Vegetables and fruits from her shop

Mini Garlic Burgers

For me, nothing beats a good burger. In fact, it is the only way I like to eat minced meat.
This week I bought some minced beef and decided to make mini burgers.
They were delicious. I did not even bother with bread, to be honest...just added some spinach leaves at the end of the cooking, shook it about for like 30 seconds and it was ready to eat.

You can use any minced meat you like.
You can have fatty meat if you wish and it will be tastier with the fat ON...But I have lean meats as I have a figure to look after...
I have already made these with turkey {dark meat}, chicken {thighs}, pork, beef or even fish, like salmon.
I, occasionally, I mix a couple of different meats to enhance each other's flavour, like beef and pork or chicken and pork, turkey and beef...the combinations are endless...

You can try the recipe and add any other flavours you like, like adding for instance lemon or lime zest or freshly chopped mint leaves, harissa paste, cheese, jalapenos, fried onions, shallots, roast peppers or anything you like...

Food is alchemy, so get mixing...
Sometimes what seems like an experiment, can be your best dish ever...
So do not be scared of throwing it all in the mix, within reason...

All in all: follow your imagination, intuition and taste buds!!! Have fun and ENJOY!!!!!!!

You will need:

500g minced meat
6/8  fat and juicy cloves of garlic peeled and smashed {I use a pestle and mortar}
2 tablespoons of coriander leaves or flat leaf parsley {I used both}
1 teaspoon of lime zest
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onions
1 teaspoon of nam pla {thai fish sauce - optional}
1 pinch of chilli powder

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Let it sit for a couple of minutes.
Take one tablespoon of the mixture and roll into balls. Squash them so they can lie flat on a dish, but not too thin or they will overcook too easily when you cook them.
Let it sit on your fridge for about 20 minutes.
Heat a non stick frying pan with a little bit of vegetable oil or a grill and cook the burgers until they are done to your taste.
I, personally, like mine crispy on the outside and rare inside, so the pan has to be really hot and I cook them for one minute each side.
You can, of course , cook them on a BBQ, which will take them to another level: Advanced Nirvana Level 4...

Sooo...what are you waiting for???
Let's get cooking!!!

Your comments are always very welcome!!!!

My Version of Mini's Burmese Chicken Curry

I was in Koh Tao, Thailand, last week {still so fresh in my heart and in my head} and I had the luck to meet, at the cafe where I had my breakfast, a bunch of powerful, beautiful, incredibly sweet and knowledgeable women from Myanmar or Burma.
Most of the wok force in Koh Tao is Burmese. And that makes for a really nice, smiley service almost everywhere in the Island.

The contact with them has made me for sure desire to be in their country even if only for the duration of a meal.

They introduced me to a their Flavours, their Generosity and their Soul.full expression through Food.

Mini gave me the taste of her lip smacking rich, and yet light, delicious Chicken and Potato Curry. Though it has a whole red chilli in it, it is not spicy.
She gave me the recipe step by step.
Today I got most of the ingredients to make it.

I will miss out on the potatoes because I am back on my high protein diet.
I won't share the amount of kilos I put on whilst being in Thailand. It is not lady like...hahaha.

I could not find the Cassia leaves, which I believe would have made a very big difference, next time, I promise.
Actually, next time I post I will make the recipe exactly as she gave to me. Today it will have to be my version as I also have no pestle and mortar in the flat {I am not in my usual kitchen, please forgive me} and could not paste the spices either so it is all chopped and bashed instead. The bashing will help to release all the flavours and the chopping will make it all manageable to be eaten. But it is paramount to understand that it is ALL in the paste. The colour of the curry is not the same and partially I blame that on the time I would have spent slow frying the paste before I added the chicken. So next time, as promised, I will do just that!

You will need:


700g chicken {diced with bones and all}
1 teaspoon of vegetable or coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon of marigold bouillon
1 onion chopped
1 long red chilli bashed and chopped
1 cardamom pod bashed
1 handful of garlic cloves bashed and chopped roughly
2 cloves
1/3 stick of cinnamon or cassia bark
1/3 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 very very small pinch of nutmeg {a whisper only}
1 tablespoon grated ginger
Salt to your taste
1 teaspoon garam masala powder or curry powder

Mix all the ingredients except the oil and the garam masala.
Heat a non stick deep frying pan and add the oil. When very hot add the chicken mix and fry for a few minutes until you can see the chicken turn colour and get a little brown. It is ok if you burn it a little bit, it will add flavour, depth and character to your dish, but do not get carried a away with the charring.
After about 5 minutes, the onions will have cooked and will be transparent. Now, you can add boiling water until the chicken is covered plus another half an inch or so. Once the mixture has boiled, turn the heat to medium to low and let it cook uncovered until the liquid almost disappears. It should take about 20 to 30 minutes.
If you can smell a lot of either cinnamon or cloves remove them. It is not supposed to have any particular smells, just a blend of them all. But sometimes, the spices are fresher than other times and they stand up from other smells. So remove them and after it is all done put them back because it is nice to find bits of the flavours on your plate. At least I love to see what I am eating. Excites me, gives me ideas.
Once the chicken is well cooked and the liquid is almost all gone, add salt and curry powder and let it cook a little further. Something like another 5 minutes or so.
If you want it more curried add a little more garam masala or curry powder.

You can make this in advance as the flavours will blend and get stronger or you can eat as it gets ready.

Enjoy!!!

Beef in Holy Basil and Chilli with Shirataki Noodles {DD}

Thai Dish with Japanese Noodles...Asia on a plate...
For better results, like with most cooking, you will be better off leaving all the ingredients ready for use before you start cooking.
Enjoy it!!!!

You will need:

200g sliced rump or sirloin steak
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
2 roughly chopped cloves garlic
1 sliced red chilli {optional}
1 small sliced onion
1 cup of basil leaves {holy, vietnamese or any basil you can find but the asian ones will give an incredible depth and authentic flavour to this dish}
1 small packet of Shirataki noodles washed and drained

Mix the oyster sauce, soy sauce, water, garlic and chilli. Reserve.
Spread some oil on a non stick frying pan or wok and hot it until it is almost smoking, fry the steak slices to your liking and remove. Cover the beef slices to keep them warm.
Let the pan heat up again {we are talking burning hot} and add the oyster sauce mixture. When it boils furiously for about 30 seconds add the onion slices and shake the pan around. Add the noodles and most of the basil to the pan and, after the noodles have warmed through, add the beef.
Serve with some basil leaves spread on top of the dish and enjoy!!!!

                                                      Few Ingredients... Lots of Flavours...

Thai Chicken Laab

Thai Chicken Laab... Heavenly...
One of my favourite Thai dishes and so easy to make.
This is a little fusion version of it as I omitted the ground roasted and ground sticky rice as I eat a high protein diet.
If you do not have or do not like any of the ingredients, use the ones you have.
I like to serve it on a bed of gem or iceberg lettuce as the crunchiness and varied textures make me Smile. Every time.


You will need:

200g minced chicken thigh {turkey or pork}
1/4 cup of boiling water or stock
1 or 2 bulbs of lemongrass bashed with a knife and cut into very thin slices {use only the softer part}
Juice of one lime
Fish sauce {nam pla}
1 red chilli sliced finely
1 spring onion sliced finely
1 small red onion in thin slices {or 6 shallots}
Fresh mint leaves chopped roughly
Thai coriander leaves chopped roughly

On a non stick pan, put the water and the meat and let it boil, turn it down and stir to break the lumps. When cooked {about 2 minutes} add lemongrass and chilli stir and immediately turn it off. Add lime juice and fish sauce. Add the red onions or shallots, the spring onion and the herbs. Adjust the seasoning.
Serve warm or cold on a bed of crunchy lettuce and get ready for a bang of marvelous flavours.

Berinjelas ao Alho {Aubergines in Garlic}

Antes de viajar, fui jantar com a Regina e vimos no restaurante uma berinjela no azeite.
Fiquei com vontade, mas nem sempre posso comer as berinjelas sem ter reações alérgicas. Fiquei na vontade.
Ao chegar à Espanha, encontrei na horta de minha amiga Lesley algumas orgânicas e resolvi fazer do meu jeito sem receita mesmo, baseada no que eu vi.
Resolvi fazer uma para testar:

Lavei-a, acendi o fogão e coloquei-a direto na chama para defumar.  Virava-a aproximadamente a cada dois minutos pelo cabo com cuidado para não queimar a mão.
Ficou como a foto de baixo: incinerada {sem medo de queimar, ela fica pretinha, demora uns 10 minutos}.
Quando apertei com uma colher e ela ficou molinha, coloquei num prato, abri com a faca e deixei esfriar um pouco.
Numa vasilha, coloquei mais ou menos meia xícara de azeite extra virgem espanhol {tenho a sorte de estar num país onde o azeite é divino e abundante} e juntei um dente de alho e um punhadinho{mais ou menos 1 colher de sopa} de salsinha, os dois picados rusticamente. Adicionei um pouco de sal grosso e mexi.
Removi a berinjela morna da casca queimada e separei os gomos que se formam naturalmente quando se puxa de comprido e juntei ao azeite temperado.
Misturei tudo com delicadeza e deixei esfriar.

É melhor deixar de um dia para outro {se você conseguir}...
Comer com um pão fresquinho de entrada ou uma salada, não consigo pensar em nada mais prático e delicioso, no momento.
O azeite que sobra fica espetacular no tempero de saladas ou preparação de pratos.
Ficou bem forte no alho após a marinada de um dia para o outro, então sugiro um dente para cada duas berinjelas. Eu gosto de sabores fortes então, para mim, ficou perfeito.
Ah, deve durar por volta de 4 dias na geladeira.

{Before going away, I went for dinner with my friend Regina and we saw, at the restaurant, an aubergine in olive oil.

I wanted to eat it but, I cannot always guarantee I will not get an allergic reaction, so I did not indulge.

When I got to Spain, Lesley found in her garden some organic ones and I decided to have a go at making them based on what I saw.

I made one only, to test.

I washed it, turned the cooker on and put it directly on the flame to smoke it.
Turned it around by the stalk every two minutes or so {careful not to burn your hand, it is the vegetable that has to be burnt, lol}.

After about 10 minutes, it became incinerated: see the picture below. Let it burn, no fear. It becomes black. 

When I touched it with the back of a spoon and it was very soft, I put it on a plate, opened it with a knife and let it cool for a bit.

In a bowl, I poured about half a cup of spanish extra virgin olive oil {I am very lucky to be in a country that has abundant and divine olive oil} and added one clove of garlic and flat leaf parsley{about one tablespoon}, both chopped rustically. Added some sea salt and mixed it.

I removed the warm aubergine from the burnt skin and separated the pulp lengthwise and added it to the olive oil mix.

I mixed it all carefully not to mash it and let it cool.

It is better to leave it marinading for a day{if you can}...

I suggest you eat it with a loaf of freshly baked bread or with a salad.
Next day it was very garlicky, so use one clove of garlic for every two aubergines, or enjoy the garlic flavours, I love so, for me, it is perfect this way...

I cannot think of anything more practical and delicious, right now.

The olive oil that is left over is wonderful so use it on salads or to prepare other dishes.

Oh, it should keep for about 4 days in the fridge.}

Fettuccini com Amêndoas Tostadas e Delícia {Fettuccini with Toasted Almonds & Delicious Bits}

Estava em Ilhabela. Na beira da piscina, torrando ao Sol e me deliciando com as revistas que ganhei do meu amigo. Importadas e importantes.

Todas de culinária…Claro!

A do Jamie Oliver, que é uma Bíblia Bimestral, me fascinou e eu me inspirei para comer macarrão.

Olhando aquele bando de fotos espetaculares com direção de arte master, resolvi me apropriar de uns ingredientes que eu tinha na dispensa e reaproveitar o restinho de uma abóbora que tinhamos assado na noite anterior para acompanhar o nosso festival de camarões em alho e pimentas… Acabou dando uma cor dourada ao prato…Perfeito para olhar e comer…

Você vai precisar de :

Macarrão cozido al dente

1/2 xícara da água de cozimento do macarrão

1/4 de xícara de amêndoas laminadas tostadas a seco

4 dentes de alho picados grosseira e rusticamente

1/2 xícara de azeite extra virgem

1/2 xícara de abóbora japonesa assada

Pimenta dedo de moça à gosto {opcional}

Manjericão à gosto {eu gostei de 1/2 xícara}

Parmesão {opcional}

Deixe todos os ingredientes prontos e cortados enquanto a água do macarrão ferve.

Use uma panela anti-aderente e grande o suficiente para colocar o macarrão junto com as Delícias.

Aqueça a panela e toste as amêndoas ou qualquer castanha ou semente que você tiver em sua dispensa.

Junte o restante dos ingredientes {exceto o manjericão} e, ao levemente fritar o alho { 30 segundos em fogo médio}, desligue e deixe marinando até que o cozimento do macarrão termine.

Adicione a água do cozimento, leve à fervura e adicione o manjericão e macarrão imediatamente.

Sirva com queijo parmesão de boa qualidade, de preferência ralado na hora.

Dicas:

Não use os queijos parmesão de saquinhos. É sempre um desperdício {e sempre será} estragar uma refeição tão fresquinha com algo que tem o odor tão forte e artificial…

Lembre-se : ingredientes frescos e, quando possível orgânicos, fazem seus Olhos Alegres e seu Corpo e Alma Contentes….

I was in Ilhabela. By the pool, sunbathing and enjoying all the magazines I got from my friend.

Imported & Important Mags. The subject? Food, of course…

Jamie Oliver’s, which for me is a bimonthly Bible, fascinated and awaken my hunger  for pasta.

Looking at all those amazing pictures, with that master art direction, I decided to take some of the ingredients I had in my ladder and use up the roasted pumpkin left over  from our garlic and chillies prawn fest last night. It lended such a golden colour to the dish…Perfect to look at and to eat..

You will need:

Fettuccini cooked al dente

½ cup of the cooking water

¼ cup of slivered almonds

4 big garlic cloves, roughly chopped

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ cup roated pumpkin

Red chillies to suit your taste {optional}

½ cup of hand torn basil {trust me, it will taste much better than if you chopp it}

Salt

Parmesan cheese {optional}

Prepare all ingredients while the pasta water is on the way to achieve boiling point.

Use a non stick pan that is big enough for you to mix the delicious sauce and the pasta.

Heat up the pan and dry fry the almonds {or any seeds or uts you may have in hand}.

Add the rest of the ingredients {except the basil leaves} and slowly warm up the garlic {30 seconds in medium heat}.

Turn it off and leave it marinading until the pasta is cooked.

Add the cooking water to the Delicioussness {garlic & friends}, bring it to boil and add the basil and fettuccini immediately. Mix with tender love and care…

Serve it with good quality parmesan cheese, preferably grated on the spot.

Tips:

Do not use those pre-packed cheeses. It is always a waste {and always will be} to ruin such a fresh meal with some stale, smelly and artificial ingredient…

Remember that fresh ingredients, and when possible organic, make your Eyes Shine and your Body and Soul Content…}