Another great comfort food dish, to rock in the fall months, is the pumpkin, in all its forms. The one we like to prepare the most at home is the pumpkin cream. We usually cook it spiced, other times with apple … but today I share with you the simplest version of them all (which does not mean that it is the dullest). Pumpkin cream baked with salt, black pepper and oregano. Quick recipe that requires zero effort. You only need an oven and 1 hour of your time.
Ingredients
• 1 pumpkin.
• Salt to taste.
• Black pepper to taste.
• Oregano to taste.
• EVO.
Steps to follow
• Remove the ends of the pumpkin and cut it in half. Remove seeds and threads all around.
• Season to taste and add a drizzle of EVO.
• Bake for 50 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.
• Once the pumpkin is roasted, separate the meat from the skin with the help of a spoon.
• Pour the pumpkin meat into a bowl (or food processor) along with the juices that have been created in the oven (it’s an explosion of flavour, believe me!) and beat until you get the right creaminess.
• Incorporate the pumpkin cream into a saucepan and heat over low heat until it starts to boil.
One of our favourite zero-waste recipes, hands down, is samosas, typical of the Middle Eastern countries. This dish has countless variations, depending on the region you visit. The ones we usually prepare are Indian samosas (stuffed with potatoes, peas and dill or even spicy meat) but with filo pastry instead of flour.
Ingredients
• 400 g. of boiled potatoes.
• 200 g. of cooked peas.
• 1 tablespoon dill.
• EVO.
• 1 tablespoon Garam Masala.
• 10 sheets of filo pastry.
Steps to follow
• Heat a frying pan (or wok) with a drizzle of olive oil to sauté the potatoes and peas over medium heat. It is advisable to smash them a little so that the flavours of the spices impregnate the whole thing.
• Add the dill and Garam Masala and sauté for about 3 more minutes.
• Let the filling cool down a bit before making the filo pastry pockets.
• Unroll the pastry and cover it with a damp cloth while handling each sheet.
• Stretch a sheet over a clean surface and brush it with oil. Then fold the sheet in half and repaint the surface.
• Place a tablespoon of the filling on the left end of the sheet, leaving about 2 cm in border, to be able to close the samosas.
• Hold the left edge of the sheet (being careful not to drop the filling) and bend diagonally to the right, creating a triangle. Continue bending the filo pastry until it reaches the far right.
• Paint the end of the sheet to close the triangle and place on an oven tray, covered with parchment paper.
• Repeat with the remaining 9 sheets.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and bake the samosas for about 20 minutes.
Curry is one of the most versatile dishes of Indian cuisine (and one of our favourites). Both the dish itself (and its gazillion versions) and the spice, deserve a series but, this time, we will only make a small introduction.
As a first approach to this world of scent and flavour, I bring you a vegan red curry that is second to none, compared to chicken curries.
Ingredients
• 400 grams of cooked chickpeas.
• 6 tablespoons basmati rice.
• 1 tablespoon of tahini.
• Sweet paprika.
• 1 tablespoon tamarind.
• ½ dessert spoon of red curry paste.
• 150 ml. coconut milk.
• 3 cloves garlic.
• EVO.
• Salt.
• Optional: Sunflower seeds or zucchini flowers as a complement.
Steps to follow
• Rinse the rice under the tap so that it loses excess starch.
• Cook the rice in boiling water for 12 minutes.
• In a frying pan or wok, drizzle EVO and cook the 3 cloves of garlic (either chopped or pressed).
• Then add the pre-cooked chickpeas (or use jarred ones, to save time).
• Stir in the tahini, paprika, tamarind and curry. Mix well until all sauces and spices are well incorporated.
• Add the coconut milk, salt to taste, and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
• Serve with rice accompanied by zucchini flowers, sunflower seeds or some other nut you like.
We are not a family of fully committed vegans (or even vegetarians, I’m afraid) but I do try to reduce meat consumption as much as I can. So far, I had never used textured soy but I am delighted with the result (both in texture and flavour. Who could imagine this meatless meal could be so meaty!).
As textured soy does not have a strong taste, it is essential to use spices and sauces to give it a kick of flavour. In this case, for these fajitas I used tomato puree and smoked pepper to extol the savour.
Ingredients
• 200 g. of textured soy.
• 250 g. of red beans.
• ½ onion.
• ½ red pepper.
• 1 clove of garlic.
• 3 tablespoons tomato puree.
• 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce.
• 1 tablespoon powdered smoked paprika.
• EVO.
• 700 ml. of vegetable broth (approx.).
• 8 small wheat or corn fajitas.
Steps to follow
• Fry the finely chopped onion, pepper and garlic in a drizzle of EVO until golden brown.
• Add the tomato and barbecue sauce. Stir well and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the smoked paprika and incorporate well.
• Add the beans and stir. Cook for 3 minutes on medium / low heat.
• Add the soy and mix well with the sautéed so that it absorbs all the flavours.
• Cover with the vegetable broth and stir the soy, from time to time, so that it absorbs the liquid.
• Cook for 15/20 minutes until the soy gets hydrated and soft.
• Once the soy absorbs the broth and hydrates, serve with the fajitas preheated in the microwave for 10 seconds at 800W.
NOTE: so that the soy does not become gummy, it is important to try it while cooking. In case the soy absorbs the broth prematurely, it will be necessary to add more until it achieves the desired texture.
Today I bring you a different approach to sourdough bread by adding Chlorella powder in the final dusting.
Chlorella is a single-celled freshwater algae full health befenits. Some people even call it a super food. Withing the many nutrients it has, you can find: Omega 3, fiber, antioxidants, Vitamin C and B12 (among others) and loads of proteins.
Ingredients:
80% Bread flour.
20% Spelt flour.
75% Hydration.
20% Sourdough.
2% Salt.
Optional: Dust with chlorella right before scoring.
Steps to follow:
Follow the block fermentation steps described in the previous recipe Sourdough Bread with Galician Flour
Hey there! Today I bring you a very simple recipe to refresh your wonderful bodies with those fruits that are about to rot: Blueberry and Banana Smoothie.
Tip: When your fruits are about to rot, don’t throw them, freeze them! In the summertime, they are the perfect solution to have a good smoothie in a split second.
Ingredients:
• 1 banana.
• 1 handful of blueberries.
• 50 ml. of coconut milk (or your favourite vegetable drink).
Steps to follow:
• Put the fruit and the milk into a blender and blend for 30 seconds (approx.)
• Serve in a very cold glass, sit back, relax and enjoy!
I know the best time to make preserves is by the end of summer but last year (in addition to making preserves like a maniac) tomato plants continued to produce out of control. For this reason, when we overproduce tomatoes, I always freeze several bags to be consumed during winter in stews, soups, sauces, etc.
This year, it looks like I haven’t used enough and still had two big bags waiting for me in the freezer. Consequently, I decided to cook canned passata (tomato puree) and start making room for the new tomatoes.
Ingredients:
• Tomatoes.
• AOVE.
• Garlic to taste.
• Mencía to taste.
• 1 stick of cinnamon.
• 1 bunch of fresh oregano, finely chopped.
Steps to follow:
• Thaw the tomatoes at room temperature and then cut into small pieces so that they fit well in the blender.
• In the meantime, in a large, tall saucepan, toss a good splash of EVO with the garlic. This can be sliced or crushed (according to your tastes).
• When the garlic is golden brown, introduce the tomato puree (which at this time will be pinkish and quite liquefied) and put it on medium / low heat to reduce for a couple of hours (or until you see that the density of the puree is fairly consistent).
• When the tomato starts to bubble, add the Mencía (approx. 50 ml.) And the cinnamon stick.
• Once the density of the puree is the desired one, remove the cinnamon stick and introduce the finely chopped oregano.
• Once the passata is ready, let it rest for a few minutes before putting it in well-disinfected glass jars.
• Once distributed in the glass jars, cover them well so that they seal airtight.
• Put the jars on the cooker with boiling water inside a tall pan (the pressure ones are great for their height). I usually place a couple of rags in the bottom so the jars don’t move too much.
• Once the water has started to boil, leave the jars (covered almost to the top if possible) for 20 minutes. Then let them cool on a surface that withstands heat well. Little by little you will hear the “click” which reveals the vacuum is well done.
NOTES: Note 1: Keep in mind that frozen tomatoes carry more water, so they will need to cook longer than fresh tomatoes.
Note 2: If you do not have a blender you can make the puree with a conventional beater.
Note 3: If you prefer to make the puree with peeled tomato (instead of using it all, as I do), it’s very easy. In the case of frozen tomatoes, when they lose the ice layer, the skin peels off very easily.
Note 4: To make the preserves (and make them last for many months) you will need glass jars that have a vacuum sealed lid, otherwise the preserve will be lost in a few days.
Recendo 