cosericantar: creative homemade food: October 2013

Wednesday, 2 October 2013

FOREST FRUITS MILKSHAKE | ALTERNATIVE VEGAN RECIPE INCLUDED | OCTOBER MENU

WIKI NOTE: The blueberries are native to North America, commercially cultivated highbush blueberries were not introduced into Europe until the 1930s. The blueberries are perennial flowering plants with indigo-colored berries from the section Cyanococcus within the genus Vaccinium. The genus Vaccinium has a mostly circumpolar distribution with species in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The genus also includes cranberries, bilberries, and grouseberries.

FOREST FRUITS MILKSHAKE

YOU WILL NEED: *vegan recipe

A handful of blueberries
A cup of milk /*soy milk

1 forest berry yogurt (125g - small size) /*soy forest berry yogurt
A scoop of vanilla ice cream /*vegan vanilla ice cream

2 teaspoons of honey /*agave nectar, to taste
NOTE: The recipe is for one glass. Double the amount if you want more than one glass.

LET´S COOK!

1. Wash the blueberries. Put it into the measuring cup of the blender.
2. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, milk, honey and yogurt. Mix everything with the blender until foaming. Sweeten the taste by adding honey.

3. Serve it in a glass with a straw. Put some blueberries on the top of the glass.

NOTE: Put the glasses in the freezer for a while, so the forest milkshake will be cold.

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OCTOBER MENU

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ROSQUILLAS ("SPANISH RING DOUGHNUTS") | ALTERNATIVE VEGAN RECIPE INCLUDED | OCTOBER MENU

WIKI NOTE: Doughnut is the more traditional spelling, and still dominates outside the US. At present, doughnut and the shortened form donut are both pervasive in American English.

ROSQUILLAS ("SPANISH RING DOUGHNUTS")

YOU WILL NEED: *vegan recipe
2 whole eggs /*soy yogurts (125g - small size container)
6 tablespoons of sunflower oil
6 tablespoons of caster sugar /*8 tablespoons of panela sugar or unrefined cane sugar
250g wheat flour (plain or all-purpose) plus extra for flouring
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 lemon, zest only
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of anise extract (optional)
Sunflower oil, for deep frying
Icing sugar, to sprinkle
NOTE: There are a million different recipes for ring doughnuts in Spain because almost every house has its own granny recipe. This is the recipe of "Chita", my cousin´s grandma's uncle. Everything is eyeball.

LET´S COOK!
1. Sift the white flour and baking powder into a big bowl. Stir in the caster sugar and the lemon zest. Mix it with a wooden spoon.
2. Beat the eggs or soy yogurts. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl. Stir in the sunflower oil, anise extract, and a pinch of salt. Work the ingredients together into a smooth ball.
NOTE: Add more flour as necessary or until the dough is not sticky and slightly springy to the touch.
3. Place into a bowl and leave to rise for 30 minutes, covered with a damp tea towel, until doubled in volume.
4. Turn it out onto a floured work surface. Punch down the dough with your fist, knead lightly then divide into small equal balls.
5. Roll them between your palms to form strips. Cut the strip into small equal pieces and make a ring with each piece. This will make the doughnut shape.
6. Put the doughnuts to one side on a tray.
7. Heat the oil in a deep pan to 170ºC.
8. Place the rings, 2-3 at a time, carefully into the hot oil and cook for 3-4 mins, until golden. Turn them over and cook for a further 2-3 mins, until they are an even golden colour.
9. Lift onto kitchen paper to drain. Toss them in the caster sugar until evenly coated. Shake off any excess. Sprinkle over a little more lemon zest. Place on a rack to cool.
NOTE: Put black chocolate chunks in a saucepan. Warm gently, stirring until all melted. Dip some doughnuts into the chocolate. So, there you have yummy, yummy chocolate doughnuts!

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OCTOBER MENU

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TROPICAL PIZZA: DOUGH & TOPPING | ALTERNATIVE VEGAN RECIPE INCLUDED | OCTOBER MENU

WIKI NOTE: The ancient Greeks covered their bread with oils, herbs, and cheese. Modern pizza evolved from similar flatbread dishes in Naples, Italy in the 18th or early 19th century. The term "pizza" first appeared "in a Latin text from the southern Italian town of Gaeta in 997 AD, which states that a tenant of certain property is to give the bishop of Gaeta duodecim pizze ("twelve pizzas") every Christmas Day, and another twelve every Easter Sunday".

*National Pizza Month is an observance that occurs in October every year in the United States and some areas of Canada. This observance began in October 1984 and was created by Gerry Durnell, the publisher of Pizza Today magazine.

TROPICAL PIZZA

YOU WILL NEED:

DOUGH *vegan

500g wheat flour (plain or all-purpose)
50g olive oil
250ml beer
1 tablespoon of salt
NOTE: Pizza dough can be either homemade or store-bought.

TOPPING *vegan recipe

3 slices of fresh pineapple or 3 sliced pineapple in light syrup (small can - 227g)
2 tablespoons of tomato sauce (Passata)
200g of sliced cheese /*vegan cheese
200g of sliced cooked ham /*vegan ham
Several generous handfuls of grated cheese (Mozzarella) /*vegan grated cheese
Dried oregano, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste

LET´S COOK!

DOUGH

1. Mix wheat flour and salt together in a large bowl. Mix olive oil and beer in a jar.
2. Gradually add the liquid mixture into the large bowl, mixing well to form a soft dough.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for about five minutes, until smooth and elastic.
4. Transfer to a clean bowl, cover with a damp tea towel, and leave to rest for about 2 hours, it is not going to rise a lot but it will be easy to roll.

5. Divide the dough into 2 balls. Roll one out onto a lightly floured work surface until it has the diameter of a medium pizza size.
6. Cover the tart baking pan with baking paper and put the pizza base. Preheat the oven to its highest temperature.

TOPPING

7. Spread a little tomato sauce over the pizza base and top with sliced cooked ham, sliced cheese, and slices of fresh pineapple. Top it with the grated cheese.
8. Add salt and black pepper, to taste.
9. Bake the pizza in the oven until the base is crisp and golden-brown around the edges and any cheese on the topping has melted. Sprinkle dried oregano when the pizza is almost done.

10. Remove the pizza. Let cool it for a while.
11. Cut the pizza into triangle pieces and serve it warm.

IT´S PIZZA TIME!

How to make a clock: pineapple cubes (numbers) and red pepper (hour hands).

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OCTOBER MENU

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SPINACH SOUP | ALTERNATIVE VEGAN RECIPE INCLUDED | OCTOBER MENU

WIKI NOTE: Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is a leafy green flowering plant native to central and western Asia. Its leaves are a common edible vegetable consumed either fresh, or after storage using preservation techniques by canning, freezing, or dehydration. The English word "spinach" dates to the late 14th century from spinach (French, épinard) of uncertain origin.

The comic and cartoon character Popeye the Sailor Man has been portrayed since 1931 as having a strong affinity for spinach, particularly the canned variety. He becomes physically stronger after consuming it. However, spinach contains iron absorption-inhibiting substances, including high levels of oxalate, which can bind to the iron to form ferrous oxalate and render much of the iron in spinach unusable by the body.

SPINACH SOUP

YOU WILL NEED: *vegan recipe
1 package of frozen spinach
100g potatoes
40g leek (white part)
50g carrots
A generous splash (about 50ml) of extra virgin olive oil or olive oil, to taste
A generous splash (about 50ml) of milk (optional) /*soy milk
Salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste
Nutmeg (optional)
Water (to boil)
2 whole eggs /*sliced tofu, to fried

LET´S COOK!
1. Wash the vegetables well. Peel potatoes and carrots. Cut potatoes into big pieces. Chop onion, carrots and leek.
2. Defrost frozen spinach. Squeeze out any liquid before using it.
3. Heat the olive oil in the pot. Saute the onion and the leek until transparent.
4. Add carrots and potatoes to the pot. Stir for several minutes with the rest of the ingredients.
5. 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 stove and remove the pot from heat.
6. Add the spinach and the milk. Mix everything with the blender until it is the consistency of a soup. 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).
7. Serve the soup warm.