Wednesday 23 January 2013

Vegetarian Frittata

It is not the first time we post a frittata dish here. We like the simplicity of it. It is very easy to make, you can use all those ingredients left in the fridge at the end of the week and the result is (almost...) always tasty. 
Still in the mood to eat light meals, we choose a vegetarian frittata. Enjoy!



Ingredients:

5 eggs
1/4 cup of milk
12 cherry tomatoes
1 small green pepper
1/2 zucchini 
2 tablespoons of coriander
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil


Preheat the oven to 180ºC. 
Chop the zucchini and the pepper. Set aside.
Beat the eggs with the milk, salt, pepper and the coriander, finely chopped. Set aside.
Use olive oil to lightly grease the bottom of a small oven tray that can also be used on the stove (or a frying pan that can also be used in the oven). Heat up the oil on the stove and introduce the tomatoes to give them some colour. After a couple of minutes introduce the pepper and the zucchini and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the eggs mixture and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer the tray to the oven and cook for about 15 minutes or until firm. 
Serve with a green salad.

Monday 21 January 2013

Almost Tapas

Tapas, beer and a good conversation are the perfect combination! They are described as a variety of snacks or appetizers, and can be served hot or cold. The traditional tapas vary from different kinds of cheeses and hams, olives, potatoes, omeletes and others. At home, tapas can be anything you feel like eating, as long as it comes in different small dishes. 
This recipe is a vegetarian version of tapas, which goes a little against the spanish tradition, but traditional or not, it was all delicious! 



Roasted potatoes

Ingredients:
5 small potatoes
Rosemary
Salt
Olive oil

Wash the potatoes well and without peeling them off, transfer into a pot with cold water and bring to a boil. Let them boil for 2-3 minutes, or until the fork can go through a potato without breaking it. Remove the water and let dry. 
In an oven tray, sprinkle some olive oil and add the boiled potatoes and the rosemary. Roast in the oven until golden.


Roasted peppers

Ingredients:

2 green peppers
3 garlic cloves
Olive oil
Salt

Wash the peppers and roast them whole on an open flame (e.g. stove), stirring now and then to get each side roasted. Afterwards, transfer to a plastic bag, close it and leave it for 5 minutes or until the peppers become soft. Under running water, peel the skin off, rip off in smaller pieces and transfer to a bowl. Add chopped garlic, salt and olive oil to taste.


Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella salad

Ingredients:

2 tomatoes
150g of fresh mozzarella
Basil leaves
Oregano
Salt
Olive oil

Slice the tomatoes and the cheese and transfer to a serving plate. Spread oregano on top. Season with salt and olive oil and decorate with basil leaves.

Serve all the tapas with bread and don't forget the beer!

Friday 18 January 2013

Gazpacho with Basil Ice

Christmas is over and after a really nice vacation at home, involving a lot of food, the Swedish and the Chef is back! 

After spending some weeks in the european weather, we are back to the hot tropical summer and all we want is to have something healthy and cold. Gazpacho, a cold soup, fulfills all the requirements to be the first recipe of 2013.
Originally from Spain, gazpacho is a tomato-based soup usually served cold, perfect for a hot summer day. There are several different recipes and you can make it more personal as well, adding your favourite flavours. 
Below, you can find the Swedish and the Chef version, served with funny basil ice cubes. 



Ingredients (serves 4):
6 tomatoes
1 red onion
1 red bell pepper
1/2 cucumber
1 garlic clove
1 lime juice
500ml of chicken stock (recipe here)
Small bunch of fresh basil
Salt
Pepper
Tabasco sauce to taste
Baby basil leafs (for the ice)

Place all the ingredientes in a blender (except the ones used for seasoning), and blend for a few minutes. Season with salt, pepper and tabasco sauce.
Transfer to a bowl and cover. Leave in the fridge for at least 4h or overnight. 
Serve cold, with some basil leaves and basil ice cubes.



Notes:
If you prefer to find something to bite you can blend the ingredients for a less smooth result, or finely chop the ingredients and not use a blender at all! If on the other hand, you are looking for an extremely smooth texture, you should pass the mixture through a sieve.
Tabasco sauce can be replaced by any other spicy sauce.
To make the basil ice: combine a baby basil leaf and water in each well of an ice tray and freeze.