Patatas Bravas

The time has come, and I have cooked the patatas bravas that I couldn’t make for the tapas fiesta last time, due to my illness. Once again, my trusty source, BBC’s GoodFood magazine came to my help.

What you will need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tablespoon red chili flakes
• pinch cayenne pepper
• pinch smoked paprika
• 400 g canned chopped tomatoes
• 1 kg new potatoes, diced
• 250 g small cooking chorizo, sliced
• salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:

1. Heat a little oil in a pan, fry the onion, garlic and chilli until the onion softens, add the cayenne and paprika and stir
2. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer, then cook the whole mixture for about 20 minutes until you have a thick paste
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste
4. In the meantime, steam the potatoes for 10-15 minutes
5. Slowly cook the chorizo in a frying pan for 10 minutes, releasing its oil
6. Tip off half of the red oil and add 1 teaspoon olive oil
7. Add in the potatoes, and fry them together with the chorizo, turning the heat up continuosly, until both the potatoes and the chorizo are well fried
8. Tip into a bowl and remove the excess oil with some kitchen paper towel
9. Mix the chorizo and potato with the sauce and serve in bowls

 

This food is not unlike the Hungarian Paprika Potatoes, which was one of the earliler features in this blog. Looking at the picture, they look pretty much the same, but the truth is, that it is only because my tomato sauce became too thick. 😛

Of course the difference in the ingredients results in two remarkably different tasting dishes, but it is easy to see that the basic idea was the same with both.

Spanish Tortilla

This week I was invited to a “tapas fiesta” to a friendly couple. Originally I planned on bringing patatas bravas with me, but unfortunately I just recently recovered from an illness, and making some spanish tortilla seemed easier, and also less taxing on the stomach, so I decided on that. As so many times before, I one again turned to BBC’s GoodFood and was not disappointed.

Everyone liked the tortillas, and they went out fast, so I must say, it was a good decision. 🙂

What you will need:

• 500 g potatoes (preferably new)
• 1 onion, minced
• 150 ml olive oil
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped thyme
• 6 eggs
• salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:

1. Peel the potatoes, and cut them to thick pieces (I cut them to baton)
2. In a large frying pan, heat the oil, add in the onions, followed by the potatoes 2-3 minutes later, and stew them gently, under cover for 30 minutes, occasionally stirring, until the potatoes are softened. Stir carefully so you don’t break the potatoes
3. Beat the eggs, add in the spices and the herbs, and stir in the mixture with the onion and the potatoes
4. Heat some oil in a smaller frying pan, tip everything over, and cook it on medium heat, arranging the omelette into a cushion shape
5. When almost set, invert the omelette on a plate, and then slide it back into the frying pan, cooking it for a few more minutes.
6. Invert the omelette twice more
7. Slide on a plate and cool before serving

For the “tapas fiesta” I sliced mine into small cubes, planting little toothpick flags into some of them. As it turns out, I had just about every country in Europe, but Spain. 🙂

 

Indian spiced shepherd’s pie

It has been a while since my last post from BBC’s GoodFood magazine. This one is one of my all-time favorites, it is not unlike layered potatoes, which is a real Hungarian comfort food, and comes with tasty Indian spices. Easy to make, perfect for lunchboxes, all together a really nice dish to feature.

What you will need:

• 500g pack minced meat (turkey or beef)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 tablespoons garam masala
• 200 ml hot stock (beef or chicken)
• 300 g frozen peas
• 800 g potatoes, diced
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• salt and pepper to taste
• small bunch of coriander, minced
• juice half lemon

How to make it:

1. In a large frying pan, cook the meat, onion and carrots, stirring often, until the meat is browned and vegetables start to soften
2. Add the garam masala and some salt and pepper and cook for a further 2 minutes until fragrant
3. Pour in the stock, bring it to a boil, tip in the peas and cook for a further 2 minutes until the peas are cooked and the liquid has evaporated
4. Time to cook the potatoes. Using a large pan, and salted water, cook them until tender
5. Drain the potatoes, return them to the pan, and stir in the turmeric and the coriander
6. Heat the oven to 200 °C
7. Transfer the mince to a casserole dish, and top with turmeric potatoes
8. Squeeze over the lemon juice, then bake for 30-35 minutes until the potatoes are golden

The fact, that most of its ingredients are items that can be found in any kitchen, and its easy and fast preparation make this an ideal food to be cooked “in a pinch”, and the exotic spices guarantee that you will serve something that people don’t eat every day.

Paprika Potatoes

This Hungarian potato dish is very popular with the natives, never heard of anyone who does not like it. It is also very easy, and fairly fast, so ideal for weekdays when you do not have a lot of time to cook but still want something delicious.

As with all the Hungarian stew-type foods, you can cook this outdoors, in a kettle (which is probably the authentic way to do it, but don’t quote me on that 🙂 ). It is extra tasty that way, but your kitchen and normal cooking pot will do just fine.

What you will need:

• 1 kg potatoes, diced
• 2 mid-sized onions, minced
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 hot green pepper chopped
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 200 g sausage, sliced
• salt to taste (roughly 3 teaspoon)
• paprika to taste (2-3 tablespoon)
• 1 egg per portion to fry (optional)

How to make it:

1. Heat the oil in a cooking pot. Sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes
2. Add the tomatoes and the pepper, give them a quick stir, frying them a little, but not too much (I would say, maximum 1 minute)
   

   Colorful veggie goodness

3. Pull the pot from the heat, and add the paprika. I don’t really like the “to taste” part in any recipe, but this really is all about the person (I added roughly 2-3 tablespoons to this batch). Stir it together and place it back on the heat
   

   Paprika before the potato

4. Add the potatoes, covering them with water just barely. Salt to taste, bring to a boil, and let it simmer for about 20 minutes
   

   This is the maximum of the water

5. Once the 20 minutes have passed, and most of the water has boiled away, you can add the sausage, put the cover back on, and let it simmer for about 10 more minutes, or until the potatoes are tender

The dish is usually served in bowls, and most people have some white bread with it too (especially useful to REALLY clean out the bowl once you are done eating, so nothing goes to waste).

I myself skip the bread, but like to have my portions with fried egg topping which is unorthodox to say at least, but I find it very tasty.

All finished