Saturday 12 October 2019

SCARY TAPAS / HALLOWEEN SPECIAL | 8 RECIPES


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WIKI NOTEHalloween is a celebration on the night of October 31st. It is most practiced in the United States and Canada. Children wear costumes and go to people's homes saying "Trick or treat!" to ask for candy and people give it to them. The suggestion is: "Give me a treat or I will play a trick on you." People often dress up as ghosts, witches, or other scary things for Halloween.

The pagan holiday Samhain, which the All Saints holy day replaced, was also known as the Day of the Dead. Many Wiccans and modern pagans celebrate the Day of the Dead. This is a happy holiday (even though it celebrates death). It is the day that some believe the souls of dead people come back to Earth.

People have worn costumes at Halloween for centuries. Early costumes were usually scary. They were often supernatural beings or from folklore. Wearing a costume may come from the Celtic festivals of Samhain and Calan Gaeaf. It could also be from the Christian Allhallowtide. Scary costumes are still popular.
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Tuesday 1 October 2019

OCTOBER MENU | 4 RECIPES



---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------STARTER: 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.


  • LET'S MAKE THE OMELETTE FLOWER!
How to make an omelet flower: omelet cubes (petals), omelet cubes, or circles (flower center).

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MAIN COURSE: TROPICAL PIZZA: DOUGH & TOPPING


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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    DESSERT: 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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    DRINK: 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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