Pork Stew from Cáceres

 The recipe I bring today, pork stew, is very typical in Cáceres, together with the lamb stew.

This is a traditional stew that you can eat every day or in special days.

Ingredients:

- 1/2 kilo pork meat cut into cubes.

- 2 onion.

- 2 carrots.

- 1 green pepper.

- oil.

- 2 potatoes.

- Salt.

- 1 Glass of water.

- 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce.

- 1 choricero pepper.

- a dash of red wine.

- Black Pepper.

- Thyme.

- Paprika.

Method:

1- Cut the green pepper and the onion into cubes, sautée in a frying pan with some oil until the onion is done.

2- Add the meat, salt, paprika ,pepper and the meat cook at medium heat until the meat changes the colour.

3- Add the tomato, chiricero pepper and water.

Add a dash of wine and the carrots cut into 1 cm slices. Cook for half an hour at medium heat without a lid.

4- Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes, fry in a pan with a little oil and salt.                                                                  

5- Turn off the heat of the casserole with the meat, add the fried potatoes over the meat, mix well , with the heat of the stew the potatoes will soften.

Now you can serve and taste!

You can also watch the recipe at my Youtube Channel:

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

Favourite cooking tools

Receta en Español

Cáceres

Koupas from Cyprus

                                                                                Receta en Español

Koupas are a kind of 'croquettes' very typical from Cyprus and Greece. They are also known als Kibe or kibbeh at Libano, they are made using bulgur, it is, wheat that they let dry after cooked.

You can find bulgur in different sizes; whole, half grain or thin , you must use this last one to prepare the koupas.

The filling of the koupas is also very important, you must use ground pork or beef.

This recipe shows the influence of Middle East into the Greek and Cypriot cuisine, at the same time, is shows the culture of these countries because they use pork meat, something that Middle East people would not dare.

Ingredients for the dough:

- 300 grams bulgur.
- 525 ml water.

- 80 grams flour.

- Salt.

- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper.

Ingredients for the filling:

- 400 grams ground pork or beef.

- Olive oil.

- 1 finely chopped onion.

- 2 tablespoon mint.

- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon.

- 1/2 teaspoon cumin.

- 2 tablespoon pine nuts.

- Salt.

- Black pepper.

- Parsley.

Method:

1- This is the  bulgur that we are gooing to use:

2- We first prepare the dough, put the bulgur and salt in a bowl, add flour, cinnamon and white pepper, mix well and add boiling water, stir and let stand for 2 hours until all the water has been absorbed. To let stand you should cover it with cling film.

3- For the filling, first toast pine nuts.

4- Chop the onion and sauté it.

5- Add the meat and stir well, then cook until the meat has changed its colour. Add pine nuts, parseley, mint, cumin, cinnamon, salt and black pepper. Stir well and cook for more few minutes.

6- Soak your hands in water to prevent the bulgur to stick to your hands, take some bulgur and put it on your hand palm, smash it:

7- Place a little portion of meat over the bulgur.

8- Take other portion of wheat to cover the meat, use your hands to help you to wrap all the meat, and make koupas the same shape you see at the following pictures:

9- Fry koupas in hot oil until they change its colour to slightly brown. Place them on paper towel to absorb the excess of oil.

10 - Serve them with some parseley.

Where to find the ingredients

You can find bulgur near Madrid mosque, at Antonio Calvo street. El Carmen metro station.

Pudding and Souse

                                                                               Receta en Español

Pudding and Souse is a traditional dish in Barbados,it is usual to take it on saturdays.

'Souse' is mainly pork and cucumber marinated in lime juice. This is a dish for brave people because one of its ingredients is the hottest pepper in the world Pimiento Scotch bonnet, it is much more spicy than a 'jalapeño'.

The parts of the pig usually in this dish are ears,hands and snout,but you can also use pork loin as I did :-).

The pudding that accompanies the 'Souse' is made of sweet potato, years ago they were used to add pig blood to give a darker color to the pudding, nowadays they use food colouring or leave it with the natural color of the sweet potato.

This dish has a good taste and it lasts a lot of days, given that it is marinated.

Take into account that we must prepare it at least 6 hours before lunch or better the day before.

Ingredients for Souse:

• 700 grams of pork loin.
• 1 onion.
• 2 o 3 cucumber.
• Pepper Scotch bonnet (or other type of chilli).
• Juice of 3 limes.
• Chopped parseley.
• 2 bay leaves.
• Some peppercorns.
• Salt.

Ingredients for the Pudding:

•   600 grams of sweet potato.
•   1/2 teaspoon of thyme.
•   1/2 teaspoon marjoram.
•   1 teaspoon of chive.
•   Pepper Scotch bonnet (or other type of chilli).
•   A pinch of sugar.
•   A pinch of salt.
•   60 grams of butter.

Method for the Souse:

1-  Salt pork loin both sides, besides, sprinkle some lime juice over both sides too, let stand for 30 minutes.

You can see at the pictures the differences after 30 minutes. 

2-  Wash the meat and put it in a pot with some boiling water , bay leaves and peppercorns. Let it cook for 1 hour at medium - low heat.

3- Place the meat under cold water to let it get cool fast , then cut it into stripes 1 centimeter dick. Cut cucumber into slices , cut onions in little pieces. Place everything in a crystal bowl.

4- Add salt, lime juice and some water until all the ingredients are covered. Let stand at least for 6 hours (at room temperature).  If you let it stand more time it will be better. It must be served at room temperature accompanied by the sweet potato pudding.



Method for the Pudding:

5-  Peel and grate the sweet potatos.

6-  Instead of grating the sweet potato you can also use a food processor to crush them.

7-  Put the sweet potato in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients for the pudding (thyme, marjoram, sugar, salt, chive,Pepper Scotch bonnet) , mix well.

  

8-  butter  an oven proof recipient , then put the pudding inside and pour the rest of the butter over the pudding.





 9-  Preheat oven at 350 º C for 10 minutes, then cook for 30 minutes at the same temperature.

My comments to the Recipe

The lime sour mixed with the pudding sweet is a great mixture, besides the spicy is a very refreshing combination. Because of the lime the chilli itching vanish little by little after some days.





Barbados