Sunday, 2 June 2013

KIWI MELON SLUSHIE | VEGAN RECIPE | JUNE MENU



WIKI NOTE: In 1847, specimens of the plant were collected by the agent for the Royal Horticultural Society, London. Cultivation spread from China in the early 20th century when seeds were introduced to New Zealand by Isabel Fraser, the principal of Wanganui Girls' College, who had been visiting mission schools in China. In 1959, Turners and Growers named it kiwifruit, after New Zealand's national bird, the kiwi - brown and furry.

KIWI MELON SLUSHIE

YOU WILL NEED: 
3 kiwis
3 slices of melon
200g panela sugar or unrefined cane sugar, to taste
2 teaspoons of agave nectar, to taste (optional)
Half a liter of cold water
A tray of ice cubes
A bunch of fresh mint leaves (optional)
NOTE: The recipe is for a jug of slushie.

LET´S COOK!
1. Peel the kiwis and the slice of melon. Cut the fruit into pieces and put it into the blender measuring cup. Add brown sugar, agave nectar, and a splash of water. Mix it well with the blender.
2. Crush a bunch of ice cubes in the blender. Add the crushed ice cubes, and water and continue mixing until everything is well crushed. If you do not like the pulp, you can strain it.
3. Serve in glasses with straws. Chop the mint leaves and sprinkle them on the top of each glass.
NOTE: Put the glasses in the freezer for a while, so the kiwi slushie will be nice and cold.

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TARTA DE LA ABUELA (MARIE BISCUIT CHOCOLATE NO-BAKE CAKE) | ALTERNATIVE VEGAN RECIPE INCLUDED | JUNE MENU


WIKI NOTE: The Marie biscuit was created by the London bakery Peek Freans in 1874 to commemorate the marriage of the Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia to the Duke of Edinburgh.
It became popular throughout Europe, particularly in Spain where, following the Civil War, the biscuit became a symbol of the country's economic recovery after bakeries produced mass quantities to consume a surplus of wheat.

TARTA DE LA ABUELA (MARIE BISCUIT CHOCOLATE NO-BAKE CAKE)

YOU WILL NEED: *vegan recipe
I. LAYER OF BISCUITS
Marie biscuits packet /*vegan biscuits
NOTE: Marie biscuit is a type of sweet biscuit similar to a Rich tea biscuit.
Milk (approx.50ml) /*almond milk
II. LAYER OF CHOCOLATE
100g chocolate chunks /*vegan chocolate
20g caster sugar /*brown sugar
2 egg yolks /*2 tablespoons sugar-free strawberry jam50g butter /*vegan butter
III. LAYER OF CUSTARD (optional)
Custard powder (300g packet)
III. LAYER OF JAM (optional)
Strawberry jam
NOTE: There are a million different recipes for Marie biscuit cake in Spain because almost every house has its own recipe.

LET´S COOK!
1. Choose a baking pan. Metal, glass, or ceramic pans are perfect containers. Medium size should be all right for this recipe. 
NOTE: Size always depends on how big you want the cake.
2. Put the milk in a soup plate. Dip the Marie biscuits into the milk.
First layer of biscuits - Cover the baking pan with the wet Marie biscuits. 
3. Put the chocolate chunks, egg yolks, sugar, and butter in a saucepan. Warm gently, stirring until it's all melted.
Second layer/chocolate - Spread chocolate mixture covering the Marie biscuits layer.
4. Dip more Marie biscuits into the milk until covered baking pan.
The third layer of biscuits - Cover the chocolate layer with the wet Marie biscuits.
5. Fourth layer/custard powder or strawberry jam - Spread custard powder or strawberry jam covering Marie's biscuit layer.
6. Dip more Marie biscuits into the milk and make a fifth layer.
Fifth layer/biscuits - Cover the chocolate layer with the wet Marie biscuits.  
7. Put the chocolate chunks, egg yolks, sugar, and butter in a saucepan. Warm gently, stirring until it's all melted.
Last layer/chocolate - Spread chocolate mixture covering the Marie biscuits layer.
NOTE: Make as many layers as you want.
8. Put the cake in the fridge for a while (between 2 and 4 hours).
9. No-bake Marie biscuits cake should be served cold. 

  • LET'S TAKE A PHOTO!
How to make a biscuit portrait: Marie biscuit (head of the person), rectangle shape biscuit (body of the person). Draw details of the Marie biscuit character with syrup chocolate (big smile, eyes, tie, buttons...). Sugar-free candies or chopped strawberries (fruit) to decorate the frame of the photo/cake.

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MEATBALLS 3 WAYS: CLASSIC, SPINACH (VEGGIEBALLS), LENTIL (VEGGIEBALLS) | ALTERNATIVE VEGAN RECIPE INCLUDED | JUNE MENU


WIKI NOTE: The ancient Roman cookbook Apicius included many meatball-type recipes. Early recipes included in some of the earliest known Arabic cookbooks, generally concern seasoned lamb rolled into orange-sized balls, and glazed with egg yolk and sometimes saffron. 

The Chinese recipe for "Four Joy Meatballs" (四喜丸子—Si Xi Wanzi) is derived from Lu Cuisine, also called Shandong Cuisine. It originated from the native cooking styles of East China's Shandong Province. Its history dates back to the Qin Dynasty (221 BC to 207 BC).

MEATBALLS 3 WAYS 
  • 1. CLASSIC MEATBALLS 
YOU WILL NEED: *vegan recipe
150g mixed minced meat (pork and/or beef) /*soya mince
125g stale bread
2 eggs /*2 tablespoons chickpea flour and 2 tablespoons water, to dip in batter
Half onion
2 garlic cloves
A handful of chopped parsley
Rosemary, to taste
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Wheat flour (plain or all-purpose), to dip in the batter
Bread crumbs, to dip in batter
Olive oil, to fry

LET´S COOK!
1. Put the mixed minced meat or soya mince, chopped onions, chopped cloves of garlic, and chopped parsley into a big bowl. Mix everything with a wooden spoon.
2. Cut the stale bread into thick slices. Put into a bowl. Cover with water and wait for a while. Strain the contents and add to the big bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon.
3. Beat an egg and add it into the bowl. Add salt / black pepper/rosemary, to taste. Mix everything well. Divide the mix into small balls.
4. Beat an egg in a bowl. Put the flour in a plate/bowl. Put the breadcrumbs in a different plate/bowl. First, coat the meatballs with the flour. Second, dip them into the beaten egg. Third, coat them with the breadcrumbs. It is a triple action.
NOTE: If you make lots of meatballs, you can freeze them. It is always a good moment for meatballs.
5 . Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan. Fry the meatballs, until golden brown on each side. Remove from pan and drain with kitchen towels.

  • 2. SPINACH: VEGGIE BALLS
YOU WILL NEED: *vegan recipe
150g of chopped spinach
125g stale bread
Several generous handfuls of grated cheddar cheese /*grated tofu
Half onion
2 egg /*2 tablespoons of chickpea flour + 2 tablespoons of water, to dip in batter
Nutmeg, to taste
Salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste
Plain white flour, to dip in batter
Bread crumbs, to dip in batter
Olive oil, to fry

LET´S COOK!
1. Put the chopped spinach, chopped onion, a handful of grated cheddar cheese, and chopped parsley into a big bowl. Mix everything with a wooden spoon.
2. Cut the stale bread into thick slices. Put it into a bowl. Cover with water and wait for a while.
3. Strain the contents. Add into the big bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon.
4. Beat an egg and add it into the bowl (optional). Add salt / black pepper/oregano, to taste. Mix everything well. Divide the mix into small balls.
5. Beat an egg in a bowl. Put the flour in a bowl/plate. Put the breadcrumbs in a different bowl/plate. First, coat the meatballs with the flour. Second, dip them into the beaten egg. Third, coat them with the breadcrumbs. It is a triple action.
NOTE: If you make lots of green veggie balls, you can freeze them. It is always a good moment for meatballs.
6. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan. Fry the green veggie balls, until golden brown on each side. Remove from pan and drain with kitchen towels.

  • 3. LENTIL: VEGGIE BALLS
YOU WILL NEED: *vegan recipe
150g of cooked lentils
125g stale bread
1 courgette
A couple of garlic cloves (optional)
2 handfuls of breadcrumbs
2 medium onion or chives
2 eggs /*2 tablespoons of chickpea flour and 2 tablespoons of water, to dip in batter
Ground cumin, to taste
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Plain white flour, to dip in batter
Sesame seeds, to dip in batter
Olive oil, to fry

LET´S COOK!
1. Soak the lentils for about 12 hours in cold water. Then drain them with a strainer. Put them in a saucepan covered with water and cook them over medium heat until the lentils are very tender. Drain them again and let them cool.
NOTE: You can use a can of lentils, but first rinse them well with water and then drain them. The final result is not quite as good as with dried chickpeas.
2. Once they are cooled, put them in the blender, and add a handful of bread crumbs.
3. Mix everything with the blender until you obtain the desired creamy texture.
4. Put the mix into a big bowl. Add a handful of grated cheddar cheese, chopped courgette, chopped onion, and chopped garlic. Mix everything with a wooden spoon.
5. Cut the stale bread into big slices. Put into a bowl. Cover with water and wait for a while. Strain the contents. Add it into the big bowl and mix with a wooden spoon.
6. Beat an egg and add it into the bowl (optional). Add salt / black pepper/ground cumin, to taste. Mix everything well. Divide the mix into small balls.
7. Beat an egg in a bowl. Put the flour in a bowl/plate. Put the breadcrumbs in a different bowl/plate. First, coat the meatballs with the flour. Second, dip them into the beaten egg. Third, coat them with the sesame seeds. It is a triple action.
NOTE: If you make lots of yellow veggie balls, you can freeze them. It is always a good moment for meatballs.
8 . Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan. Fry the yellow veggie balls, until golden brown on each side. Remove from the pan and drain with kitchen towels.

  • LET'S MAKE A TAPA - MEATBALLS 3 WAYS EN BROCHETTE!
1. Serve three meatballs (one of each) on a brochette (wooden skewers) as a tapa per person.
NOTE: wooden skewers (catering). 
2. Plus a selection of sauces (tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, ...) 
NOTE: The best way to eat the multicolored balls is by dipping them into the sauce.


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      LEEK SOUP + CROUTONS | VEGAN | JUNE MENU


      WIKI NOTE: The origins of Vichyssoise (leek soup) are a subject of debate among culinary historians; "the origin of the soup is questionable in whether it's genuinely French or an American creation". 

      Louis Diat, a French chef at the Ritz-Carlton in New York City, is most often credited with its (re)invention. In 1950, Diat told New Yorker magazine: "In the summer of 1917, when I had been at the Ritz seven years, I reflected upon the potato and leek soup of my childhood which my mother and grandmother used to make. I recalled how during the summer my older brother and I used to cool it off by pouring in cold milk and how delicious it was. I resolved to make something of the sort for the patrons of the Ritz".

      LEEK SOUP 


      YOU WILL NEED: *vegan recipe
      500g leeks
      150g potatoes
      A generous splash (approx. 50ml) of olive oil or a generous tablespoon of butter /*vegan butter
      A generous splash (approx. 50ml) of milk /*soy milk (optional)
      Salt, to taste
      White pepper, to taste
      Nutmeg, to taste
      Water, to boil

      LET´S COOK!
      1. Wash the vegetables well. Peel and chop the potato into big pieces. Chop the leek (white part).
      2. Heat the olive oil in the pot. Saute the leeks until transparent.
      3. Add the potatoes to the pot. Stir for several minutes with the rest of the ingredients.
      4. Cover with water (the water has to exceed a couple of fingers the ingredients) and cook the vegetables for approx. 20 minutes. When the veggies are tender, turn off the cooker/stove and remove the pot from heat.
      5. Add the milk. Mix everything with the blender until creamy. Then simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the white pepper, nutmeg, and salt, to taste.
      NOTE: If the texture of the soup is too liquid, add a few tablespoons of cornstarch (corn flour refined). If the texture is too thick, add some more water.
      6. Serve the soup warm or cold.

      • LET'S MAKE SOME CRUNCHY CROUTONS!
      1. Toast some slices of bread. Cut out several stars (cookie cutter - star shape) and cut the leftover bread into small cubes.
      2. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan. Fry the stars and the small cubes of bread, until golden brown.
      3. Remove from pan and drain it with kitchen towels. Season (with salt, black pepper, and chopped parsley), to taste.

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