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Ingredients
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Thursday, 22 March 2012
Lac-St-Jean Tourtière
Beet Soup
Ingredients
• 2 pounds beets (900g)
• 1 big red onion (or 2 small)
• 2-3 sticks of celery
• 3-4 laurier leaves
• Dried thyme
• 2x 900 ml chicken broth
• 200 ml of water
• 35% milk cream
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Sunday, 11 March 2012
White Truffles from Alba, Italy
Truffle
of Alba is the rarest and the most expensive of all truffles. It has got its
identity and popularity spread across the globe in the palate of food
connoisseurs and gastronomical experts. It is a globular shaped fruit of the
earth, which has many depressions on the rind to make it irregular. The outer
smooth and velvety surface has color varying from pale ochre to dark cream to
greenish, the inner flesh or “gleba” is unmistakable and is white or greyish
yellow with thin white veins.
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
Speck, Ham from the Italian Alps
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Speck is an Italian ham somehow
similar to prosciutto.
It is one of the most important
and popular product from Alto Adige, Italy’s northernmost and bi-lingual
province also known as Südtirol in German (South
Tyrol). This area was sometimes controlled by Austria and sometimes by Italy
until the the end of WW1 when it became Italian. A distinctly flavored, dry- and smoke-cured
ham, speck is considered a fine example of the melding of the Northern
European and Mediterranean cultures that influenced the region.
Speck is made from the hog’s
leg. Its flavor is more delicate than the salty hams of central-northern
Europe, but stronger than the typical Italian prosciutto. It owes its
unique flavour to the traditional production rule -a little salt, a little smoke and lots of fresh air. It’s still a
homemade process protected by a Protected Geographical Indication
designation.
The meat is seasoned with salt
and spices that include pepper, laurel, juniper berries and other spices, before being allowed to rest
for about a month. Speck is then smoked using flavorful beech wood, ash or
juniper for ten days. The meat is then aged again for several months to
produce a recognizable aroma and flavor, a distinct red interior, with a
smokey , slightly spicy but buttery taste, mild yet aromatic, Speck is often
served sliced thin or diced but can also be used to cook with, easily
replacing bacon or as a smoky alternative to Pancetta.
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Ingredients
Directions
10Bring 4 quarts of water to a
boil and add 2 tablespoons salt. Set up ice bath nearby. Blanch the asparagus
for 1 minute, place in an ice bath, and reserve the asparagus cooking water.
Once the asparagus is cooled, drain and cut into 1-inch lengths. Set aside.
In a heavy-bottomed skillet
with 3-inch sides, combine the speck, olive oil and onion and cook over
medium heat until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the rice
and, stirring constantly, cook until the rice turns opaque, about 2 minutes.
Add the asparagus cooking water until it covers the rice. Turn the heat up to
high, stirring constantly, and cook the rice until the liquid level goes
below the level of the rice. Continue adding the warm asparagus cooking
liquid, 1 ladle at a time, to maintain the liquid level above the rice for 15
minutes. Add the asparagus to the rice and cook until the rice is soft but
still al dente. Remove from heat, add butter, Parmigiano and parsley and stir
through. Serve immediately.
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Thursday, 1 March 2012
Bottarga the Mediterranean Caviar
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Bottarga is one of
the true gastronomic gems to hail from Italy. It is a very simple product
born out of the need in pre-refridgeration days to preserve food using salt.
Bottarga is the egg sack of certain marine fish. The roe is prepared by
salting, pressing and drying for up to 6 months in cool well aired rooms.
There are two types, Bottarga di Tonno (Tuna) and the more prized Bottarga di
Muggine (gray Mullet). Tuna bottarga is mostly produced in Sicily (it is
sometimes referred to as Sicilian Caviar) where the now much declined Tuna
fishery is based. It is gray in color and has a stronger, saltier more robust
flavor than that of the gray Mullet. The best examples of mullet bottarga
come from Sardinia. Colors naturally vary from golden yellow to darker shades
of reddish brown.
So using sea salt,
the roe is cured and dried to perfection, then waxed to prevent further
drying and exposure to light. Waxing
also prevents contact with foreign matter. For the novice, it appears quite
unique, odorless, and may look like a flat waxed sausage. But once the wax is
removed, your taste buds will discover one of the most flavorful marine
products.
Suggested serving and
setting for Bottarga
Bottarga is generally eaten as an appetizer.
Slice Bottarga
thin, then squeeze lightly to remove the wax.
Serve Bottarga with a touch of olive oil and lime, accompanied by crackers and green olives. Suggested spirits include: Arak, Pernaud, Vodka, or fig liquor. |
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Bottarga Pasta Recipe
2 good handfuls of pasta –
spaghetti works great here
1 clove of garlic, finely
minced
1 handful of fresh flat
leaf parsley, chopped
bottarga to taste – about
2 tablespoons
really good olive oil –
about 5 tablespoons
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Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Chapatti (Paratha)
Vegetable Samosa
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Samosa
is probably the most popular snack in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, especially
at tea time. When an unexpected guest arrives, most people send someone round
to their local shop to pick up freshly made, piping hot samosas. Traditionally,
Indian samosas are filled with a mix of potatoes and peas.
Ingredients
·
Filo Pastry/Samosa Pads
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1 Egg, Beaten
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Oil
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3 Potatoes, Boiled, peeled, mashed
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½ cups (120ml) Green Peas, Boiled, peeled, mashed
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2 Fresh Green Chillies, Finely Chopped
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½ tsp Ginger & Garlic Paste
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1 tbsp Coriander, Finely Chopped
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½ tsp Garam Masala
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1 tsp Salt
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½ tsp Chilli Powder
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1 ½ tsp Lemon Juice
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1 Frying Pan
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1 Slotted Spoon
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Saturday, 4 February 2012
Llapingachos
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LLAPINGACHOS
In Ecuador llapingachos
are prepared with Chola potatoes,
a variety of starchy potato, which is very important to achieve
the texture necessary for llapingachos.
Another key step for the preparation of llapingachos is to let the mash or
dough rest for at least an hour,
and once formed tortillas let stand for 30 minutes.
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Celebrate Pisco Sour day on February 4th
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The
national origin of the pisco sour is debated. Both Chile and Peru lay claim
to the drink. But the pisco sour cocktail is said to have been invented by a
North American bartender, Victor Morris, ("Gringo Morris") in the
1920's, at The Morris Bar in Lima, Peru. Since 2003, Peru has a National
Pisco Sour Day which is celebrated on the first weekend of February.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
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Ceviche
Ceviche
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Ceviche, Peru's flag-dish, is the
epitome of fusion: Inca hot peppers, Spanish limes and onions, and Japanese
approach to preparing fish.
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Ingredients
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·
1 1/2
pounds of white fish (Tilapia, sole, etc), diced
·
1/2 small
red onion, halved and slivered
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3/4 cup lime
juice
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1/2
teaspoon salt
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1 habanero
chile, seeded, halved, and thinly sliced (optional)
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1
tablespoon ají amarillo sauce (optional; see
·
1/2 cup cilantro
leaves, chopped
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1 orange
sweet potato (such as Garnet or Jewel), boiled, peeled, and sliced
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1 cob
sweet corn, boiled and cut into 4 pieces
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4 butter
lettuce leaves |
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Butter Chicken Recipe
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A delicious chicken dish that can be made as hot or as mild
as you wish - a perfect meal for curry lovers who want to keep it simple.
Taste our Butter Chicken recipe.
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp garlic, crushed
1 tsp ginger, crushed
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp ground almonds
220 g can of whole peeled tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp natural yoghurt
2 tbsp fresh coriander or spinach,
chopped
salt
pepper |
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Chingri (Shrimp) Malai Curry
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Ingredients
2-inch
(5cm) piece fresh ginger root, roughly chopped
10
garlic cloves, roughly choppe
6
small onions, roughly chopped
1 cup
vegetable oil
1 3/4
lb (800g) jumbo shrimp, peeled & devined
1 Tbsp
ground turmeric
1 Tbsp
salt
3
cinnamon leaves or bay leaves
2 Tbsp
ground cumin
4
green chilies, slit lengthwise
3/4
cup thick coconut milk
1 tsp
sugar (optional)
5
green cardamom pods, shelled and finely ground
2 Tbsp
ghee |
Monday, 30 January 2012
Kacchi Biryani
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Kacchi
Biryani
Kacchi
Biryani is a special preparation of the dish. It is called Kacchi because
this style originated in the Kutch region of the Subcontinent. Kacchi Biryani
is same as Kacchi Yeqni, meaning raw marinated meat cooked with rice. It is
cooked typically with goat meat (usually 'khasi gosht', which is meat from
castrated goats and often simply referred to as mutton) or with lamb, beef
and rarely with chicken. The dish is cooked layered with the meat and the
yogurt based marinade at the bottom of the cooking pot and the layer of rice
(usually basmati rice) placed over it. Potatoes are often added before adding
the rice layer. |
Friday, 27 January 2012
El Encebollado Ingredients: 2 pounds of albacore 2 large pieces of cassava ½ bunch of Hierbita Peruvian pepper 3 tablespoons 2 cups onions seasoned in lemon 1 cup tomato paste pepper, garlic and salt to tastePreparation:Cook diced yuca in salted water, garlic, pepper and Hierbita branches, when it is half cooked cassava, top with fish, pepper and sifted dissolved in water, tomato paste, and cook. Then, remove and shred. Serve warm or hot, decorated with an onion sauce. Do not forget the lemon. |
El Encebollado from Guayaquil - Ecuador
El encebollado, a dish of Guayaquil-Ecuador, an onion can be eaten any time of day, either at
breakfast, lunch or dinner and much more in the morning after a night
out. The
truth is that the onions, a broth made with albacore, cassava and
tomatoes as main ingredients, |
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