Thursday, 2 May 2013

LECHE MERENGADA (MERINGUE MILKSHAKE ) | ALTERNATIVE VEGAN RECIPE INCLUDED | MAY MENU



WIKI NOTE: Leche Merengada (Spanish name literally meaning “meringue milk”) is a very typical Spanish drink, especially during summertime that is offered mainly in ice cream shops and horchata shops everywhere around Spain. It is made from milk and egg white, which is usually sweetened with sugar and flavored with cinnamon.

LECHE MERENGADA (MERINGUE MILKSHAKE)

YOU WILL NEED: *vegan recipe
A pint of milk /*almond milk
1 egg white /*1 tbsp plain agar powder
75g of icing caster sugar /*icing panela sugar or unrefined cane sugar
Grated rind of half a lemon, to taste
Cinnamon powder, to sprinkle
NOTE: The recipe is for approx. 3 glasses.

LET´S COOK!
1. Grate the rind of half a lemon.
2. Put the milk, egg white, icing sugar, and grated lemon rind into the blender.
3. Mix everything with the blender until foaming.
4. Pour the mix into a Tupperware. Put it in the freezer, until frozen (approx. 4 hours).
5. Take the mix out of the freezer, and wait for a while until the mix is soft.
6. Put it into the blender and mix until it forms a slushie texture.
7. Serve in tall glasses. Sprinkle cinnamon on top.

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CHEESECAKE | ALTERNATIVE VEGAN RECIPE INCLUDED | MAY MENU


WIKI NOTE: The cheesecake is one of the most common desserts in the world and perhaps one of the oldest that could have been a very popular dish in ancient Greece. The cheesecake was part of the menu tasted the athletes who participated in the first Olympic Games in history, which took place in 776 BC. The exquisite cake spread across Europe after the Romans conquered Greece.

CHEESECAKE 
NOTE: Cheese wedges  (The Laughing Cow) or cream cheese (Philadelphiacan be used in cooking to make this recipe of cheesecake, both recipes are delicious.

YOU WILL NEED: *vegan recipe
6 cheese wedges (The laughing cow /*4 cups of dried cashew nuts, soak cashew nuts in water for about 8 hours
NOTE: 200g cream cheese (Philadelphiainstead of 6 cheese wedges (The Laughing Cow).
2 whole eggs /*eggless
2 units of natural yogurt, small size container /*soy natural yogurt (125g = small size container)
NOTE: The yogurt container - small size is the unit of measure for the recipe.
2 yogurt containers (unit of measure) of panela sugar or unrefined cane sugar
2 yogurt containers (unit of measure)of wheat flour (plain or all-purpose)
2  yogurt containers (unit of measure) of milk /*soy milk
2  yogurt containers (unit of measure) of double cream /*vegan double cream
2 tsp baking powder (optional)
1 tsp baking soda (optional)
Homemade strawberry jam, to taste
Homemade kiwi jam, to taste
NOTE: You can use any flavor of jam depending on seasonal fruits and kids' tastes.

LET´S COOK!
1. Preheat the oven to 180 º C. Grease a baking pan with butter or sunflower oil.
2. Empty 2 units of natural yogurt into a big bowl. Using the yogurt container as a measuring unit, add sugar, flour, milk, and double cream. Mix everything with a wooden spoon.
3. Add the eggs, cheese wedges, and cinnamon into a big bowl.
*vegan recipe: eggless and 4 cups of dried cashew nuts instead of cheese wedges. First, soak cashew nuts in water for about 8 hours. Then drain cashew nuts well and crush them in a mortar until obtaining a creamy texture. Add cashew nuts creamy texture into a big bowl.
4. Mix everything well with the blender, until it forms a smooth liquid.
5. Pour the mix into the baking pan. Sprinkle sugar on the top.
6. Bake for around 30 minutes, or until browned.
NOTE: Open the oven and prick the cake in the middle with a needle. You can check it many times until the needle comes out clean. It means that the cake is well done. It´s flat cake because there is no baking powder.
7. Remove the baking pan. Leave the cake to cool for a while.
  • LET'S MAKE AN ISLAND GROUP!
1. Press a small glass into the cake to make a circle (each circle is an island).
2. Cover each island with fruit jam on top, using different jam flavors to make different islands.

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PISTO ("SPANISH RATATOUILLE") | VEGAN RECIPE | MAY MENU



WIKI NOTE: Pisto is the name of a Spanish dish typical from the Region of Murcia and La Mancha. It is made of tomatoes, onions, courgettes, green and red peppers, and olive oil. It is similar to ratatouille (add aubergines) and is usually served warm to accompany a dish or with a fried egg and bread.


PISTO ("SPANISH RATATOUILLE")

NOTE:  It is a stewed vegetable dish, similar to ratatouille, and is usually served warm to accompany a dish or with a fried egg and bread.
YOU WILL NEED:  *vegan recipe
2 medium size courgettes (approx. 300g)
2 green bell peppers (approx. 150g)
2 red bell peppers (approx. 150g)
2 big onions (approx. 300g)
A can of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice (approx. 500g) or natural ripe tomatoes (approx. 1 kg)
A pinch of sugar
100ml olive oil
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
NOTE: There are a million different recipes for Pisto in Spain because almost every house has its own recipe. The basic ingredients are always tomatoes, peppers, onions, and courgettes. Aubergines instead of courgettes is another way to cook the pisto (ratatouille) . Both recipes are delicious!

LET´S COOK!
1. Wash the vegetables well. Chop the courgettes, onions, and green/red peppers into cubes.
2. Heat olive oil in a big saucepan. Sauté and stir the chopped onion for several minutes. Add the chopped peppers. Cook over a low heat.
3. Add the courgettes and stir, until the vegetables are soft
4. Add a can of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice and a pinch of sugar.
5. Stir it occasionally over low heat for a few minutes. Add salt and black pepper, to taste.
6. Remove from heat and let it cool.
NOTE: Serve it cold or warm.
  • LET'S MAKE A VOLCANO MOUNTAIN  - MASHED POTATO AND PISTO!
1. MOUNTAIN - Fill a small bowl with mashed potato *vegan. Cover it with cling film and put it in the fridge for a while. Flip it on a plate and the result will be a small mountain of mashed potato.
2. VOLCANO LAVA - Make a ring with the Pisto around the bottom of the mountain.
3. Fry an egg or tofu in olive oil, and put it on the top of the mountain. Make a small ring on the top of the mountain surrounding the egg or fried tofu.

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ENSALADILLA ("RUSSIAN SALAD") + HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE | ALTERNATIVE VEGAN RECIPE INCLUDED | MAY MENU


WIKI NOTE: Olivier salad is a traditional salad dish in Russian cuisine, which is also popular in many other European countries, Iran, Israel, Mongolia, and throughout Latin America. In many countries, the dish is commonly referred to as "Russian salad".

The original version of the salad was invented in the 1860s by a Russian chef of Belgian origin, Lucien Olivier, the chef of the Hermitage, one of Moscow's most celebrated restaurants. Olivier's salad quickly became immensely popular with Hermitage regulars, and became the restaurant's signature dish. The exact recipe, particularly that of the dressing, was a jealously guarded secret. The original Olivier dressing was a type of mayonnaise, made with French wine vinegar, mustard, and Provençal olive oil; its exact recipe, however, remains unknown.

At the turn of the 20th century, one of Olivier's sous-chefs, Ivan Ivanov, attempted to steal the recipe. While preparing the dressing one evening in solitude, as was his custom, Olivier was suddenly called away on some emergency. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ivanov sneaked into Olivier's private kitchen and observed his mise en place, which allowed him to make reasonable assumptions about the recipe of Olivier's famed dressing. Ivanov then left Olivier's employ and went to work as a chef for Moskva, a somewhat inferior restaurant, where he began to serve a suspiciously similar salad under the name "Capital Salad,". It was reported by the gourmands of the time, however, that the dressing on the Stolichny salad was of a lower quality than Olivier's, meaning that it was "missing something."

Later, Ivanov sold the recipe for the salad to various publishing houses, which further contributed to its popularization. Due to the closure of the Hermitage restaurant in 1905, and the Olivier family's subsequent departure from Russia, the salad could now be referred to as "Olivier." 

ENSALADILLA ("RUSSIAN SALAD") 

YOU WILL NEED:  *vegan recipe
3 or 4 medium potatoes (approx. 450g)
4 carrots
2 eggs /*small can of sweet corn or 2 cubed small apples
A tin of pitted green olives (approx. 180g)
3 tablespoons of peas
2 small cans of tuna chunks (2 x 160g) /*grated raw beetroot
4 tablespoons of mayonnaise /*egg-free mayonnaise
NOTE: homemade mayonnaise, check the recipe below
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
A bunch of fresh parsley (optional)
NOTE: There are tons of different recipes for Russian salad in Spain. Every house has its own recipe! It´s time to cook your own recipe!

LET´S COOK!
1. Wash all the vegetables well. Peel the carrots.
2. Put the carrots and potatoes into a pot. Cover with cold water bring to boil and simmer the vegetables for approx. 25 minutes. When the veggies are tender, turn off the stove and remove the pot from the heat. Strain the vegetables.
3. Put the eggs into a small pot and wash your hands. Cover with cold water bring to boil and simmer the eggs for approx. 10 minutes. Turn off the stove and remove the pot from the heat. Strain the eggs. Peel and chop the eggs.
4. Peel the potatoes and chop them into cubes. Chop the carrots into small cubes. Put carrots and potatoes in a big bowl. Add green olives, tuna chunks, and peas. Mix everything with a wooden spoon.
5. Add several tablespoons of mayonnaise, and mix everything with a wooden spoon until it forms a creamy texture. Add salt and black pepper, to taste.
6. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave it in the fridge. The Russian salad should be served cold.

  • LET´S MAKE SOME TAPAS!
1. Fill the silicone cupcake wrappers with the "Russian salad". Use a spoon, start in the middle of the cupcake, and spread the mayonnaise evenly over the top. The icing is done with mayonnaise.
2. Sprinkle the top of the "Russian salad" tapa with chopped parsley. Put on the peak an olive or a tomato cherry.
NOTE: The cupcake silicone container is a perfect unit for a kid.


HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE / +VEGAN RECIPE: EGG-FREE MAYONNAISE
YOU WILL NEED: *vegan recipe
1 cup of vegetable oil: sunflower and/or Virgen extra olive (approx. 1/4l)
1 egg or 1/2 cup of milk /*soya milk temperature
A dash of vinegar or lemon juice
A pinch of salt

LET´S COOK!

1. EGG: Break the eggshell and pour the content into the measuring cup of the blender. Wash your hands. Add salt and pour a dash of vegetable oil.
NOTE: You have to wash the hands and kitchen tools, when they are in contact with the eggshell. There are many bacteria in the eggshell.
1. EGGLESS: Put the milk into the measuring cup of the blender. Incline the measuring cup and add a dash of vegetable oil through the side of the measuring cup and it will float on the milk. Add the salt.
2. Mix the ingredients without moving the blender from the bottom of the measuring cup and add several dashs of vegetable oil until emulsified.
3. When the mayonnaise is getting a thick texture at the bottom of the measuring cup, start to make slow up and down movements until smooth sauce texture.
4. Add a dash of lemon juice/vinegar (to taste) when the mayonnaise is getting thick, beat strongly for a while.
5. Refrigerate until ready to consume.
NOTE:
Homemade mayonnaise must be consumed on a day.

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