Patatas bravas...or cute fried potatoes cubes

In my childhood I used to love fried potatoes...I still love them but you know,diet and kilos and fat and the story of my life...so I am not eating fried potatoes as often as I used to eat in the past when the life used to be lot simpler just because my weight was not so important for me.Now I have to calculate calories and trust me,fried potatoes have lot of them.But some time,I really enjoy eating fried potatoes and I try to find different recipes which will make me fell less guilty .Today,inspired by Chef John from Food Wishes ,patatas bravas.I really ,really enjoyed it!

Difficulty:low
Servings :2

Ingredients:
500 g potatoes (not the waxy ones)
500 ml oil for fry
1 tea spoon salt
1 tea spoon hot paprika
1 tea spoon black pepper corns
2 bay leaves
2 cloves of garlic

Cooking steps

In a cooking pot put 3 liters of water and the spices and garlic cloves .
Bring water to boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Peel the potatoes and cut them in 2 centimeters cubes.Wash the potatoes and drain them.

After the spiced water boiled for 10 minutes and the potatoes cubes and boil on medium heat for 5 minutes.The potatoes shouldn't be fully cooked but they must be almost done.If is necessary leave them boil 1 minute more to reach the right point.

Drain the potatoes and let them cold completely .

Put the oil in a cooking pot (or a fryer if you have one) and heat it until oil temperature reach 170 Celsius or 350 F.If you don't have a thermometer just put a potato cube in the oil,when is start bubbling your oil is hot enough.

Put the cold potatoes cubes in the hot oil and fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until they become golden and crispy .Remove the potatoes from oil with a strainer.

Serve with some sauce .This cute crispy potatoes cubes can be served as appetizer or snack.

Enjoy!

Lemon curd

I love sweets but I try to stay away from them.You know...the eternal problem of women called weight and diets.But this days I saw a tart with meringue and lemon curd and I couldn't control myself.It just obsessed me until I made it.So today is the big day.For make the tart we need the curd and for make the curd we have to follow a simple recipe.As always when I want to make a french recipe I look for inspiration at Alex's youtube channel ,link HERE
Difficulty :medium

Ingredients:
3 lemons
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
180 g white sugar
100 g unsalted butter
 80 g corn starch
Notes:Use organic lemons for this recipe.If you can't find organic then wash the lemons very very well.But to be honest,the best you can do is to try to find organic lemons.
For this recipe you also can use 3 whole eggs to replace the egg yolks and the whole egg from the ingredient list .
Cooking steps:
1-Wash the lemons very well and dry them with some kitchen cloth .Zest 2 of the lemons .
2-Squeeze the 3 lemons.
3-In a small sauce pan add the lemon zest and juice,the egg ,egg yolks,sugar and corn starch.Whisk well .

4-Put the sauce pan with the curd mixture on a stove over a very low heat.Cook it for 10 to 15 minutes whisking continuously .DON'T raise the flame on high and DON'T stop whisking other wise you'll end up with scrambled eggs....sweet scrambled eggs.

5-When the curd is nice and thick remove it from the flame and add the butter.Stir well until the butter melts .Let the curd cold down and use it as you wish.I used this curd as filling for a delicious tart.

Enjoy!

Pizza sauce

If we talk about pizza we must give credits to Italians .Yes sir,we admit your knowledge regarding pizza,you are the masters of it.But in my kitchen ,I'm the master ,the boss and so I command... I execute.I have to tell you this is not an original recipe.No ,is not!This recipe is my favorite recipe because the sauce has not so much water and so my pizza crust is not soggy when I take it out from the oven.The remaining sauce I serve with the pizza to replace the ketchup because we don't like the amount of sugar from the regular super market ketchup.This sauce is very easy to make so you don't have excuse to not do it.
Difficulty:very low

Ingredients :
1 can (400 g ) of peeled whole tomatoes
30 ml olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
1 tea spoon black pepper powder
1 tea spoon dry oregano
1 tea spoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
salt to taste

Cooking steps:
1-Heat the oil in a fry pan and add the crushed garlic.Fry the garlic for 1 minute on medium heat

2-Add the tomatoes and the salt and paper plus the dry herbs and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce is thick .

3-Because I like my sauce very smooth I use to blend it with a hand blender.

Could you think will be so simple.I told you it will be.Enjoy!!

How to clean the chalk from a kettle (electric warming cup)...easy and non toxic method

I don't know about you but me...in the morning before the coffee I'm like out of this world.I feed my cat and make my coffee in auto mode.If someone ask me something I feel to lazy to give a replay.But as soon as coffee is in the cup day can start.Daily usage of the kettle make it look really bad with a lot of chalk stick to it.My cleaning solution is easy and non toxic plus zero effort.
How I clean the kettle:
In the empty kettle I put 200 ml of the cheapest vinegar and water until the MAX sign of the kettle.I put the kettle on it's stand and push the ON button .I let the water and vinegar solution to boil until the kettle stops.

                                                                     Before
I leave the hot solution in the kettle for 30 minutes then I drain it and rinse it twice with cold water.I leave the lip open for 30 minutes and then I can start to use normal the kettle.

                                                                         After

Hummus,the easy way to make it

I don't know what stories did Scheherezade told to the Imam in 1001 nights but I know for sure that I couldn't talk that much.I don't know so many stories and I probably would sleep before the Imam.Also,how beautiful can be Arabian stories?Well if the stories are as good as the Arabian food I can listen stories even more then 1001 nights.I just hope they serve some food with the stories.
My first culinary story from Arabian book is hummus ,a short but delicious story.Sit here and listen it
Servings:1
Difficulty :low

Ingredients:
1 can of chick peas (400 g)
2 cloves of garlic
1 table spoon of tahini
1 table spoon extra virgin olive oil
1 table spoon fresh lemon juice
1 tea spoon cumin powder

Cooking steps:
1.Drain the water from the chick peas and rinse the chick peas with fresh cold water.
2.To obtain a smooth hummus peel each bean of chick pea.

                                                           peel the chick peas
3.Put all the ingredients in a small blender.

4.Blend until you get a smooth paste.

5.Taste and adjust the salt.
6.Put the hummus in a dip plate and decorate it.I used small chopped tomatoes and parsley plus some olive oil ,cumin powder and paprika.

Enjoy!

Pizza dough fast version

I know what you want to say...pizza is cheap,pizza has home delivery so why would you make pizza in home?Well,because is a savory and easy to make food and on top of it you can use leftovers.If you tried to make pizza using the normal gas or electric oven you may had it ,hmmm how to say...not that good.But if you pay attention to few details you will always get a crispy crust even with a normal oven.In Italy pizza is usual baked in wood fire oven on very high temperature .Waittt don't run,there is still a chance for us,people with small ovens .To bake a pizza and obtain a crispy crust we need very high temperature or a little trick.Just increase water ration in pizza dough so the longer backing won't make it very dry.
Difficulty:low
Servings:2 pizza (30 cm diameter)

Ingredients:
450 g white flour (tip 00)
 25 g fresh yeast (read the proportion indication from the package)
10 g of sugar (1 tea spoon )
10 g salt (1 tea spoon)
300 ml water

Cooking steps:
1.In a small bowl add 200 ml water ,2 table spoons of flour ,the sugar and the yeast .Mix well to combine and set it aside for 10 to 15 minutes.In this time the yeast should start to look like a foam (see the picture)

2.While the yeast is on rest,sift the flour and the salt in a large bowl .Make a well in the flour and add the yeast mixture.Start mixing them. The dough must be knead for at least 10 to 15 minutes.The resulted dough is soft and supple ,a little stick but don't add more flour!!Remember that water contain is very important for the final result.
Cover the dough with a clean and wet kitchen cloth and let it raise for 1 hour.The dough should double in size.

3.After 1 hour divide  the dough in 2 exact same size balls .Shape each ball into a disc .Normally you should do this by hands but because I like perfect symmetry I used a rolling pin .
4.Put each disc in a backing tray dusted with a bit of flour.

5.Add sauce and toppings and  voila!Bake in a preheated oven at the highest temperature of the oven and serve,as easy as that!

Let's meet

A pinch of that,half cup of that,well done,medium rare,saute that,posh ,fry,boiled,file too many terms.Cooking seems to complicated and food delivery or fast food a better option.Neah,is not like that.Cooking is very simple if you learn it properly and you try to understand the ingredients.Beside,home made food is more health.And is fun,trust me.In this blog we will post tasty and healthy  recipes which are easy to cook.We intend to use simple world wide available ingredients.With step by step pictures of cooking process I am sure you will understand the recipe even if my English is not the best you had read.Bare with me,English is not my first language...even second .
Enjoy cooking,Enjoy food,Enjoy life!