Chickpeas with prawns - Recipe from Cádiz

Chickpeas with prawns is a very typical recipe from the province of Cadiz, it is very tasty.

Ingredients (2 people):

- 400 g chickpeas.

- 200 g prawns.

- 1 big onion.

- 1 green pepper.

- 1 tomato.

- 2 cloves of garlic.

- parsley.

- paprika.

- oil.

- salt.

- 1 carrot.

- 1 /4 dry ñora pepper.

- 2 bay leaf.

- 50 ml white wine.

- a few strands of saffron.

- 10 ml tomato sauce.

Method:

1- Soak the chickpeas the night before.

2- We cook the chickpeas in a pressure cooker with a bit of salt and water, put the lid on and first put on high heat, once the steam starts coming out, put on low heat and cook for 1 hour.

3- Place the prawns in a pot with enough water to cover them by about two fingers. Boil for a few minutes until they turn red. Save the broth. Peel the prawns once they are cooled. If you bought pre-cooked prawns, peel them and make a broth using the shells.

4- Turn the vegetables into slices.

5- Sauté the onion and garlic in a bit of oil until the onion becomes translucent.

6- Add bay leaf and ñora, sautée for one more minute.

7- Add the rest of vegetables and cook until they are soft.

8- Add the broth , get rid of the bay leaf and crush everything.

9- Add the cooked chickpeas, salt, pepper, saffron, wine, and parsley. Cook for 5 more minutes to let the alcohol from the wine evaporate.

10- Add the prawns.

Receta en Español

You can also watch the recipe at my Youtube Channel:

Here you have my  favourite cooking tools: https://viaja-en-mi-cocina-english.blogspot.com/2023/05/shop.html

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Tamarind Balls

                                                                               Receta en Español

This is one of the most popular desserts in Barbados, it is very easy to prepare and it has the 'sweet and sour' taste, a popular flavour in most of the dishes made in Barbados!.

Ingredients:

•   100 grams tamarind pulp.
•   150 grams white sugar.
•   1 table spoon flour.
•    Pepper.
•    Salt.
•    Brown Sugar.

Method:

1-  It is better if you buy tamarind pulp, if you have the fruit itself you should get rid of the skin and seeds.

Mix all the ingredients (except the brown sugar) in a bowl.

Tamarind pulp is acid and sticky , to mix well sugar with the pulp , it is better to use a food processor, it should be well mixed to soften the acidity of the tamarind.

2-  Take little by little some dough and make little balls. Put some brown sugar in a plate ,make the balls roll over the sugar, this is how they should be:

My comments to the Recipe:

It is very easy, but bear in mind that you should mix well , use a thin sugar to mix with the pulp, after that, the brown sugar to wrap the ball can be as thick as you want.



Barbados

Pork knuckle with Sauerkraut (Eisbein mit Sauerkraut)

Receta en Español

This is the most typical dish in Germany , You can find in it the basic ingredients in Germany dishes: meat, cabbage and potatos.

Ingredients:

• 1  big pork knuckle.
• 1 bay leaf.
• 4 peppercorns.
• 2 onions.
• Sauerkraut.
• 2 tablespoon oil.
• a pinch of sugar.
• 6 juniper berries.
• 125 ml white wine.
• 1 apple.
• a pinch of salt.
• a pinch of ground cumin.
• 3 or 4 potatos.

Method:

1.  Cut 1 onion into pieces. Pour a little olive oil in the pressure cooker , sautée onion.

2.  Wash the pork knuckle, salt and put inside the pressure cooker, sautée it.

3. Add bay leaf and pepper.

4. Pour water until the pork knuckle is covered.

5. Close the pressure cooker , put on a high heat.  Once the steam starts to come out,  put on a low heat and cook for 1 hour.

6. Now we prepare Sauerkraut in another casserole: cut 1 onion into pieces ,sautée.

7. Add Sauerkraut, wine, bay leaf, juniper berries and the apple cut into pieces. Heat at medium heat for 30 or 40 minutes.

8. Add sugar, pepper, cumin and salt. Cook for 3 more minutes. And Sauerkraut is ready.

9.  Wash potatos and cut them into 4 pieces, cook them with salt and water. You can use the pressure cooker , it takes 10 minutes once the steam starts to come out and you put in on a low heat.

10. Once potatos are cooked, peel and crush them with the help of a fork, add salt, olive oil and parsley.

11. Serve the pork knuckle accompanied by Sauerkraut and potatos.

My comments to the recipe:

Sauerkraut mixed with apple, wine is very tasty. Juniper berries go well with Sauerkraut. Pork knuckle is also wonderful accompanied by the Sauerkraut.

Where to find the ingredients:

Juniper berries can be bought in Madrid at 'Mantequería alemana' calle Padilla 88, metro Diego de León.

Sauerkraut can be bought , but also can be done as I present you in my previous article: Sauerkraut.

Germany

Clams à la marinière

                                                                               Receta en Español

Clams à la marinière is a typical dish in North Spain, in Asturias are very popular too. You can eat them as a dish by their own or to accompany stews, to give a sea taste to beans or pasta.

Ingredients:

•   1 clove of garlic.
•   1 Little onion.
•   1 tablespoon of flour.
•   1 cup White wine.
•   Olive oil.
•   Parseley to sprinkle.
•   500 grams of Clams.

Method:

1-   Place fresh clams in a bowl with water and a handful of salt during three hours to remove the sand. Change the water three or four times.

2-   Chop garlic and onion and sauté them in a pan with a little olive oil, sauté until onion turns transparent.

3-   Add flour and stirr well with a wooden spoon.

4-   Now add White wine, clams and parseley. Stirr with the wooden spoon. Clams will be done once they are open. If there is some of them that doesn't open , discard them. They must be rotten.

My comments to the Recipe 

It is easy to cook, and clams are delicious with the wine. It is bette If you make it with fresh clams, I bought them fresh but I froze them after cleaning. I wasn't sure if frozen clams will open but Ican asure you that even frozen clams open when they are cooked.

Here you have a link to my favourite cooking tools where you can find my spices grinder:  

Favourite cooking tools

Asturias

Steamed mussels with fries (moules frites)

                                                                               Receta en Español

Steamed mussels are considered the 'National dish' of Belgium, they are always accompanied by the famous Belgian Fries.

Ingredients (2 people):

•   1 Kg mussels.
•   2 onions.
•   2 celery branches.
•   4 blades of thyme.
•   2 bay leaves.
•   2 or 3 White wine glasses.
•   60 grams of butter.
•   Salt.
•   Pepper.

Method:

1-   Clean mussels.
2-   Cut onions into thin slices.

3-   Cut celery into pieces (including Green part).

4-   Melt butter in a saucepan.

5-   Add onions and celery until they become transparent.

6-   Add mussels and stirr well, mussels will start to reléase their juice.

7-   After 3 minutes , add wine , bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper.
Mix well.

8-   Once mussels are open, they are ready to be consumed.
Serve them accompanied by fries and buttered bread to dipp into the sauce.

My Comments to the Recipe

When I was in Belgium a could try mussels and fries, it just was the same recipe I have presented, celery has a peculiar taste, you shouldn't get rid of it, it provides the real taste of belgian mussels.

Mussels are soft and delicious.

Here you have a link to my favourite cooking tools where you can find my spices grinder:  

Favourite cooking tools

 

Belgium