Miguelitos from La Roda

                                                                               Receta en Español

The most famous dessert from Albacete is called 'Miguelitos'.
They are very popular all over Spain ,especially in Madrid. People travelling on holidays from Madrid towards the Mediterranean sea at Valencia , have to pass through Albacete. These travellers are used to buy those little cakes to bring back them as souvenirs.

Ingredients: (32 Miguelitos)

• 2 Sheets of frozen shortcrust pastry.
• Custard Cream. (The recipe on this link has already the quantity of ingredients you need for Miguelitos).
• Powdered Sugar.

Method:

1-  Let shortcrust pastry thaw at room temperature.

2- Cut pastry into 5 or 6 cm long squares, you will obtain 16 Miguelitos per sheet.

3-  Preheat oven at 200ºC (heat upand down) .

4- Put parchment paper on the base of an oven proof recipient, place 'Miguelitos' inside the recipient, leave some space between them.

5- Cook in oven for 15 minutes (at 200 ºC), until you see the cakes are golden and have risen 3 or 4 cm:

6-  Once they are cool. With the help of a knife ,open the cakes in the middle.

7-  Put inside some quantity of Custard Cream (It must be already cool).

8-  Place 'Miguelitos' in a dish , sprinkle over the 'Miguelitos' some powdered sugar with the help of a little siever:

9-  You can keep 'Miguelitos' in the refrigerator if you protect the dish with some cling film.




Albacete

Australian meat pie

Meat pie is a traditional dish in Autralia , it is widely cooked for celebrations:

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• 1 chopped onion.
• 500 grams beef or veal minced meat.
• 1 tablespoon corn flour.
• 1 teaspoon beef stock.
• ¾ cup water 
• ¾ cup Barbecue Sauce.
• 2 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce.
• 1 teaspoon Vegemite.
• 2 sheets frozen shortcrust pastry thawed at room temperature.
• 1 egg beaten.
• A pinch of salt.

Method:

1. Heat oil in a frying pan and sautée onion.
2. Add minced meat and fry until the meat is done, salt to taste.
3. Mix water and corn flour in a bowl, stirr well.
4. Pour the dissolved flour in the pan with the meat. Add all the sauces, vegemite and beef stock.
5. Bring it to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Let cool.
6. Preheat oven at 180 ºC.
7. Prepare the baking tray , spreading oil.
8. Line the base and sides of the baking tray with one sheet of shortcrust pastry.
9. Fill with the mixture of minced meat . Brush brims with water.

                 9. Cover with the other sheet of shortcrust pastry, use a fork to seal the borders.

                10. Brush the upper side with egg.

                11. Cook in oven for 20-25 minutes until pastry is golden.

And you have it!:

I found this recipe here: http://australianfood.about.com/od/beeflamb/r/AussieMeatPie.htm

Where you can find the ingredients in Madrid:

Worcestershire and Vegemite are the more difficult ones to find.

I bought Worcestershire Sauce at 'Sabores del Mundo' en Gomez Ulla 10,metro Manuel Becerra, I have also found it at Gourmet section of Corte Inglés.

Vegemite can also be bought at 'Sabores del Mundo' or  at 'Australianz shop' Costanilla de los desamparados 10, metro Antón Martín.

My comments to the Recipe:

I didn't know the taste of Worcester Sauce nor Vegemite.
Eaten alone, vegemite can be bitter, but in this recipe the mixture of all the ingredients is a perfect combination, it is a perfect match to the meat.

Australia

Verviers rice cake

                                                                               Receta en Español

Veviers is a city of the Belgian province of Liege. Rice cake is a typical dessert in this Belgian region. The recipe I present today is the way they do the cake in Verviers.

The origin of this recipe is unknown, what is clear is that in the 17 th century this cake was largely eaten in Verviers.

It must be made with round and short rice, and you can eat it heat or cold, as you prefer.
It is said that the good rice cake must have a slimy consistency.

You must remember that the filling of this cake must be prepared in advance because it needs to stand for 24 hours.

Ingredients (24 cm de diameter oven dish):

•   1 l hole milk.
•   135 grams round rice.
•   185 grams sugar.
•   1 cinnamon stick.
•   1 block of shortcrust pastry.
•   2 eggs.
•   Butter and flour  to brush the oven dish.

Method:

1-   Make the filling the previous day; put milk in a saucepan at high heat, once it reaches boiling point , set at low heat and put rice and cinnamon inside the saucepan.
Cook for 1 hour.

2-   Add sugar to the saucepan and let cook for an additional half an hour.

3-   Let cool and keep in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours.
This is the result after 24 hours in the fridge:

4-   Add an egg to the rice and mix well with your hands.

5-   Take an ovenproof dish of 24 cm diameter, rub butter over the Surface of the dish and sprinkle with flour, put the block of shortcrust pastry all over the oven dish, prick the pastry with a fork.

(If you have enough time it is better to prepare shortcrust pastry by yoursekf, here is the recipe I used: Pastel de nueces de macadamia).

6-   Pour rice over the shortcrust pastry.

7-   Take the other egg, separate egg yolk from white, take the yolk and paint the surface of the cake.

8-   Preheat oven to 240 ºC , cook the cake during 25 minutes at the same temperatura, heat up and down. The last five minutes use only the grill.

My Comments to the Recipe

If you like rice pudding, this is tour dessert, for me it was delicious.
You can eat it cold or heat, accompanied by a cup of coffee. Belgian people suggest that the cake must be slimy, my cake wasn't so slimy, I should have cooked the rice for less time.

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

Favourite cooking tools

 

Belgium