Let's share our international recipes!



Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Kefta

Kefta or Kofte (depending on the country) is a very popular meatball in the Middle East. Its name means "hand" due to the elaboration process, which is very easy to prepare, as you will see.

Preparation time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy

 Ingredients: (for 3 persons)

500 grames ground beef
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
20 grames pine nuts (peeled, obviously)
Cayenne pepper
Paprika
Ground black pepper
Ground cumin
A pinch of ground cinnamon
2 tomatoes
Parsley
Olive oil
Salt

Preparation:

1. Cut 1/4 of the onion, the garlic cloves and the pine nuts in very little pieces (or even grated). You can use a mixer.

2. Put me mixture in a bowl with the ground beef and all the spices: Salt, 25 ml of olive oil, a pinch of cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon paprika, a pinch of ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, a pinch of ground cinnamon and parsley.

3. Mix it all with the hands until you get a homogeneus mixture.  Let it settle for 20 minutes.

4. Make little meatballs. If you want to make it more traditional, you can give it a long shape (like a sausage) and skewer them in a brochette. If you have enought time let them settle in the fridge for an hour, if not, don't worry, the kefta will be great anyway.

5. While the meatballs are in the fridge, put some olive oil in a pan, cut the rest of the onion and add it to the pan once the oil is hot.

6. When the onion is starting to get ready add the tomatoes (first, cut them in small squares) and a bit of water (the amount of water depends on how much sauce you want to do). Add some salt, a teaspoon of ground black pepper, a teaspoon of ground cumin, a teaspoon of paprika, stir it all and let it cook until the tomatoes are mushy.

7. Once the sauce is ready, add the meatballs and cook them until they get ready.

*As it is a dish from the Middle East I have prepared it with beef as it is usual there, but you can try it with other meats.

Enjoy it! يتمتع بها!


Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Stuffed Piquillo Peppers

I know this recipe thanks to a friends´ blog. It is a very easy and really tasty recipe. The best is that contrary to other recipes, in this case preparing the filling will take you just 15 minutes! I am sure you will like it!

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Very easy



Ingredients:

1 jar (260 grames) of whole Extra Piquillo peppers

For the filling: 
120 grames tuna, drained
250 grames Philadelphia Light
A pinch of black pepper

For the sauce:
200ml cooking cream
2-3 piquillo peppers
Grated emmental cheese
Salt 
Pepper

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, mix the draines tuna with the Philadelphia cheese and stir it until you get a homogeneous mixture. Add a pinch of black pepper to the mixture and stir it again.

2. Fill the Piquillo peppers with the mixture and place them on an baking sheet

3. For the sauce: Put in a mixer 2-3 piquillo peppers, the cooking cream and some salt and pepper. Mix it all until you get the sauce.

4. Pour the sauce over the peppers and sprinkle them with the grated emmental cheese.

5. Pre-heat the oven and cook the peppers to 200ºC for 10 minutes and then 5 minutes more turning the oven to “grill function” to gratiné the cheese.

Et voilà! Enjoy it!