Cheesecake

Today I am going to explain how to prepare one of my favourite desserts, the cheesecake! There are different recipes, you can prepare a cheesecake using your oven or your fridge, I chose the oven recipe, it is the easiest cheesecake recipe.

Difficulty: Easy
Preparation time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

250 grames Philadelphia cheese

3 natural yogurts (125 grames each one) 
3 eggs 
50 grames flour
150 grames sugar 
Butter for the mold

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat the oven at 175ºC.

2. Grease the cake tin with butter, sprinkle some flour and sugar around the cake tin and remove what does not stick to the butter. Keep the cake tin apart.

3. Mix in a bowl all the ingredients: cheese, yogurts (you can use a lemon or other flavour yougurt if you want), eggs, flour, sugar and beat it all with a hand-mixer until you get a homogeneus cream.

4. Pour the cream in the mold and put it in the oven. Let it cook for 30-45 minutes (it will depend on the thickness of the cake). If you see that it is getting brown, cover it with aluminium foil.

5. The cake will be ready when once you introduce a toothpick and it gets out clean.

6. When you take the cheesecake out of the oven, let it get cold and then put it in the fridge, there it is going to get the right texture.

And that's it! I like the cheesecake this way but, if you prefere it, you can serve it with some marmalade over it.

Enjoy it!

Vegetarian Moussaka

The moussaka is a tipical Greek dish with an intense flavour.
I have always like Moussaka but when I tried the vegetarian version I liked it even more! The way I explain here it's not the traditional one. It is prepared without bechamel, what makes it lighter but delicious!

Preparation time: 1 hour and a half

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients: 

(For 4 persons)

1 Aubergine

1 Courgette

1 Onion

1 can 100 gr fried tomato

250 grames soft unripened cheese / Burgos cheese / or cottage cheese

50 grames grated Parmesan cheese

50 grames walnuts
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon oregano

A pinch of ground nutmeg
Olive oil
Salt

Pepper

Preparation:

1. Cut the aubergine and the courgette in 1 centimeter slices. Put some salt over them and keep them this way for an hour so they give off the water.

2. Meanwhile, cut the onion. Put some olive oil in a pan and cook the onion until it gets ready.

3. Put the soft unripened cheese in a bowl with the oregano, cinnamon, a pinch of ground nutmeg, salt, pepper and a splash of oilve oil. Stir it until you get a homogeneous cream.

4. Crush the walnuts and add it to the mixture. Taste the mixture and if necessary, add salt and pepper. Keep it in the fridge.

5. Dry the aubergine and the courgette with kitchen towels. Fry it in a pan plenty of olive oil (or sunflower oil if you prefere it). When they are cooked dry the excess of oil with some kitchen towels. Add them some salt and pepper.

6. On a baking sheet put a coat of aubergine, another of fried tomato, then the onion, the cheese cream, the courgette and on top add some grated Parmesan cheese.

7. Before serve it, put it in the oven to gratiné the cheese.

Enjoy it! :)

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!

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!

Stuffed Aubergines

Today's recipe is easy to prepare and very tasty! 

I am going to prepare the stuffed aubergines without bechamel adding instead some mushrooms to the filling.

Preparation time: 1 hour

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients for 4 persons:

400 grames mince meat (pork and lamb)
2 aubergines
1 onion
1 green pepper
100gr mushrooms
1 can 100 gr fried tomato
100 gr grated cheese
Salt
Olive Oil
Black Pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven 180 ºC

2. Wash the aubergines and cut them in half vertically. Make some deep cuts in the pulp without cutting the skin of the aubergine. Add a bit of salt and olive oil to each part.

3. Put some oven paper over the oven tray and place there the aubergines with the pulp down and cook them for 30 minutes.

4. Wash the mushrooms and cut them into pieces. Keep them back.

5. Cut the onion into little pieces. Put the onion in a pan with olive oil and add some salt. Cook it for 5 minutes.

6. Wash and cut the green pepper in little pieces. Add it to the pan with the onion and let it cook for another 5 minutes

7. Add the mushrooms to the pan and let it cook for 10 minutes more.

8. Once the vegetables are ready, take the mince meat, cut it a bit and add it to the pan. Add a bit of salt and move it all with a spatula until the meat gets nearly ready

9. When the aubergines are cooked take them out of the oven. Be careful not to burn your hand and remove all the pulp without breaking the skin of the aubergine.

10. Cut the pulp and add it to the pan.

11. Add the fried tomato sauce to the pan, add some black pepper and stir it all. Let it cook for 5 minutes. After a while taste it just in case you need to add more salt or pepper.

12. Once it’s ready we are going to put the aubergine’s skins over the oven tray and we are going to stuff them with the mixture.

13. Put the grated cheese over the aubergines and let them in the oven for 10 minutes to 180ºC (if the oven it is still hot you can turn down the temperature to 120ºC) During the last 4 minutes you can turn the oven to “grill function” to gratiné the cheese.

And they are ready! Enjoy the meal!

PS. This way of preparing the aubergines in the oven let their skin a bit dry. I recommend you not to eat the skin and use it just as a recipient.

Pisto Manchego. Recipe by Fer

Hello everyone! Ananas' dinner is back! I know, I know... I took a long break during the summer.. lol but now the blog is back with some new recipes.  

Today's recipe is Pisto Manchego, a typical Spanish recipe with its origins in Castilla La Mancha.

Difficulty: Easy

Preparation time: 50 minutes

                                                          Ingredients for 4 person:
 
1 can crushed tomatos
1 onion
2 green peppers
1 courgette
2 tablespoon  of salt
3 tablespoon of sugar
Olive Oil

                                                                   Preparation:

1. Put some olive oil in a pot and heat it in a mid heat.

2. Cut the onion into little pieces and add it to the pot. Stir the onion from time to time until it gets nearly done.

3. Add the crushed tomato, salt and sugar, stir it all and let it cook over a low heat.

4. Wash the courgette, don't peel it, cut it into little pieces and the green peppers too, and add them to the pot, stir it all to mix it .

5. Stir it from time to time and let it cook over a low heat until it gets cooked.

Now it's ready! Don't forget to serve it with some bread or with a fried egg, as you prefer! ;)

Enjoy it! 

 Picture by: Fer

Salad with pesto, avocado and gula

Summer is comming and salads are a good option for a nice meal.
Today I am going to explain how to prepare an easy and very tasty salad!

Difficulty: Very easy
Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 bag mix Lettuce
1 packet Gula (It is a kind of surimi made from pieces of fish, shaped and textured to resemble a cheaper version of the very expensive baby eels)
1 Avocado
Kikos
Pesto

Preparation:

1. Put the gula in a hot pan with some pesto and stir it for 3-5 minutes.
2. Cut the avocado in small squares
3. Mix in a salad bowl: lettuce, avocado, gula and some kikos

And... that's all my friends! easy and really nice recipe. Enjoy it! :-)

Chicken with Tahini (sesame Paste)

Anana's dinner is celebrating its more than 1100 visits!
Today's recipe it's a new one I found on Pinterest. It looked really good so I decided to try it and... I really liked it! I hope you liked it too!

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

1 Chicken breast
1/2 Onion, minced
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon sesame paste
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 Tablespoon water
1/2 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoons and a half of rice vinegar
3 Green onions (spring onions), chopped
1/4 Cup peanuts, chopped
Some large outer lettuce leaves
Salt
Black pepper

Optional: (to improve the recipe)
1 Inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
2 Teaspoons chili garlic sauce (if you want it spicy and don't have chili garlic sauce, add a bit of cayenne pepper)
1/2 Can sliced water chestnuts, chopped

Preparation:

1. Cut the chicken and the onion into small pieces.

2. Heat a pan with some olive oil. Add chicken, onion, some salt and pepper, and cook it until chicken is nearly done.

3. Add the minced garlic (and ginger if you want), and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked..

4. Meanwhile, in a microwave bowl, combine sesame paste (1 Tablespoon), soy sauce (2 Tablespoons), water(1/2 Tablespoon), honey (1/2 Tablespoon), rice vinegar (1 Tablespoons and a half), and pepper (if possible, add peanut butter and chili garlic sauce). Put it into the microwave for 20 seconds, then stir it until it gets smooth. Add it into the pan and stir to combine.

5. Add the three green onions chopped (and water chestnuts if possible) into the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes until the onions are soft and the water chestnuts are heated through.

6. Once it is done add some chopped peanuts, and serve with cold lettuce leaves

7. Put the chicken mixture on a lettuce leaf and roll it like a taco!

Enjoy it! ;)

 

Picture by: iowagirleats.com

Tomato stuffed with Babaganoush (aubergine paté)

Today's recipe: Babaganoush or aubergine mousse paté,  is a tipical dishs from the Eastern countries.
It is very similar to hummus but the taste is completely different. 

You can eat it just with bread or with tomato as we are going to explain in the recipe.

Difficulty: Easy

Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

2 Aubergines

6 small tomatos

The juice of half a lemon

1/2 teaspoon of Comin

1 Garlic clove

1 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon Tahini (sesame paste) or sesame

Olive Oil

Some Bread

Optional:

Tuna (1 can = 50gr)

Preparation:

To prepare the Babaganoush:

1. Preheat the oven 200 ºC

2. Wash the aubergines and cut them in half vertically. Make some deep cuts in the pulp without cutting the skin of the aubergine.

3. Put some oven paper over the oven tray and place there the aubergines with the pulp down and cook them for 30 minutes.

4. When the aubergines are cooked remove the pulp and put it in a mixer with the salt, black pepper, cumin, (and tuna if you want)

5. Mix it all until you get the paté

6. Let it get cold for 1hour.

7. Before serve:

- You can serve it with some toasted bread or with "pan tumaca" (bread with tomato) and a bit of olive oil.
 

- Another option is to fill in some small tomatos removing the pulp of the tomatos and stuff them with the Babaganoush.

In both cases I recomend you to put some olive oil on top and spread a bit of paprika above the tomato or the bred with paté

Enjoy it! 

Pesto Pizza

Today's recipe is Pesto Pizza. A delicious recipe very easy to prepare!

Difficult: Easy
Preparation Time: 15 min

Ingredients for the pizza:

Flour
1 Small Beer
Salt
Mozzarella
Grated Cheese
Coriander
Pesto (Pesto Knorr is a good one, if you want to prepare it by yourself here you have also the recipe)

Ingredients for the pesto:

15 gr fresh basil
4 tablespoons pine nuts
30 gr Parmesan cheese
30 gr old cheese
1 garlic clove
8 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Preparation:

1. To prepare the dought can take a look to the Pizza recipe post

2. To prepare the Pesto. Pesto's Recipe:

•  Peel the garlic. Put it with the basil, the pine nuts and the salt in an electric grinder until you get a mixture.
• Put the mixture in a mixer, add some olive oil (8 tablespoons) and mix it. Then add 4 tablespoons of water and mix again
• Grate the Parmesan and the old cheese and add it to the sauce, mix it all (not in the mixer anymore).

 Now, the Pesto is ready. ;) Let's go for the pizza!

3. Take a tray from the oven,  grease it with olive oil if its possible, if not you can do it with butter . Put the dough on it and add some pesto instead of fried tomato.

4. Add the mozzarella in slices and some grated cheese on top. You can also add some coriander.

5. Pre-heat the oven and after 3-5 minutes put the tray with the pizza in the oven at 200-220º for 8 minutes more or less, take a look to the pizza from time to time.

Enjoy it!

Avocado fries with cilantro lemon dipping sauce

Hi everyone! Long time past since last post... But now Ananas' dinner is back with new recipes!

Today's recipe is easy to prepare and very tasty! Hope you enjoy it! 

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

For the Avocado Fries

Oil For Frying

1 Avocados

1 Egg, beaten

Bread Crumbs

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Cumin

For the Cilantro Lemon Dipping Sauce 

4 Tablespoons Mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, chopped

Juice from 1/2 of Lemon

 Preparation:

1. Peel the avocado and cut it in long pieces.

2. In a bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, salt and cumin. Set it aside. Cut the avocados in half and then slice them vertically into 4 inch by 1 inch wedges. Set them aside.

3. Dredge the avocado slices in the breadcrumb mixture, then in the egg mixture, and in the breadcrumb mixture again.

4. Heat the olive or sunflower oil in a pan.

5. Place the avocado slices in the pan and fry them until golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon or tongs, and set them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

6. To prepare the Cilantro Lemon Dipping Sauce, place the mayonnaise, cilantro, and lemon juice in a blender and mix until smooth and creamy in texture.

7. Serve the avocado fries in a dish with the Cilantro Lemon Dipping Sauce.

That's it!

Maki Sushi

 Today I am going to explain how to prepare some maki sushi!
Surprisingly, it does not take so long and it is not as complicated as it is thought :)

Difficulty: Easy
Preparation time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

Sushi Rice
Nori Seaweeds
Sushi Rice Vinegar
Soya Sauce

To fill the sushi:
Filling 1:
2 crabsticks (Surimi sticks) cut in half, lenghtways
Mayonnaise - 2 tablespoons
1/4 Avocado (sliced)
(optional) 6 cooked and peeled prawns
Filling 2:
100 grames Smoked Salmon slices
Cucumber cut into matchsticks
Filling 3: The ingredients you want

Preparation

1. Cook the rice for 15-20 minutes in salted water. Once it is done drain it well and stir in the sushi rice vinegar. Let it get cold.

2. Place on the bamboo mat a sheet of nori seaweed. Once the rice it's cold, put some of it into the centre of the seaweed (it is better for you to do it if your hands are wet to avoid the rice to stick to you). Spread the rice to cover the seaweed, leaving a 1,5 cm margin on the far side of the seaweed (this will be the extreme we will paste to the roll) Try to put a bit more of rice in the laterals of the seaweed also.

3. For the rolls with the Filling 1, spread the mayonnaise over the rice.

4. Put the ingredients for the filling in a line across the middle of the seaweed with the rice.

5. Now, start rolling the mat so that all of the rice is enclosed inside the sushi nori. And seal the uncovered edge with a bit of water.

6. Cut the roll into pieces and serve it with a small bowl with soya sauce and a bit of wasabi. You can mix the wasabi and the soya sauce or just let the wasabi in the corner of a dish for the most braves ;)

Itadakimasu! いただきます  (Bon appetit!)

Petite Crêpes

Today I am going to explain how can you prepare some crêpes for your family and friends, and surprise them with an easy and very tasty recipe. In spite of the fact that we already have the crêpe recipe in the blog, I will explain it again.

Difficulty: Easy
Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients for 6 crêpes:
(it is difficult to prepare less than 6 but you can eat them in the following days)

- Flour, 150 grams
- Eggs, 2
- Milk, 15 centilitre
- Water, 15 centilitre
- Olive Oil, 1 tablespoon
- 1 pinch of salt

Ingredients for this crepes:
- Smoked salmon
- Philadelphia cheese
- Caviar (a cheap one it's ok)

Preparation:

1. Mix the flour and eggs, then gradually add the milk and water to not have lumps

2. Add oil and salt. Mix well to not have lumps (you can do it with the mixer).

3. In a pan, put a little butter or olive oil. Once the pan is hot, put a bit more of butter or olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. You can do this: after every crêpe, put a bit of olive oil in the pan and spread it with a paper serviette

4. Add just a bit of the mixture to cover the bottom of the pan and turn the crêpe when it begins to harden with a spatula. At the end you can "jump" the pancake in the pan.

5. Once you have prepared the crêpes, cover them with Philadelphia cheese. Then add some caviar (not necessary an expensive one, you can use a normal one) I recommend you herring caviar. And add the smoked salmon cut in little pieces.

6. When you have the crêpes ready, cut the crepes vertically in 3 or 4 lines, then cut them in 2 or 3 parts and roll them up.

Now you have the perfect appetizer for a nice dinner.

Another option, as you can see in the picture, is to cut the smoked salmon in lines, cover it with Philadelphia, add some caviar and roll it up.

Bon appetit!

Wok 2: Fried noodles with prawns

Happy New Year of the Dragon!!

Today, in order to celebrate the Chinese New Year, I am going to give you a Chinese recipe probably known by all of you. Fried Noodles with prawns.

Difficulty: Easy
Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredientes for 2-3 persons

200gr de tagliatelle/noodels
1 Onion (if it is red onion better)
1 Green pepper
1 Courgette
2 Carrots
150gr of prawns
The green part of a leek (optional)
Soya sauce
Salt
Sunflower oil

Preparation:

 1. Clean under the tap the green part of the leek.

2. In a Wok (or, if you don't have a wok it's ok to use a pan) add a bit of sunflower or olive oil and cook the carrots, the onion, the green pepper and the courgette with a bit of salt. When it's ready keep it.

3. In another pan and without oil, cook the green part of the leek during one minute and then add all the vegetables we have cooked before. Cook it with hot fire for a minute, cover it and keep it.

4. Let the vegetables stand. Meanwhile, we cook the pasta in a pot with water and a stream of soya sauce.

5. While the pasta is being cooked. We cook in a wok or a pan the prawns with a bit of sunflower or olive oil. Once the sprawns are cooked put all together in the same wok: the vegetables, the sprawns and the pasta (previously strained under the tap)

6. Fried it all together for a while in the wok.

7. Then, if you like it you can add a bit more of soja sauce.

And that's it! Now you can celebrate the Chinese New Year with a Chinese dish.

To accompany this dish I suggest some prawn bread (you can find it in most supermarkets)

Currywurst

Happy New Year my dear followers!

After my trip to Berlin I want to show you a nice and easy German recipe: the currywurst!

Difficult: Very Easy
Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

4 - 6 German sausages (if possible) or normal ones
Ketchup 300 grames
1/2 Onion
2 tablespoons of honey
3 tablespoons of balsamic módena's vinager
2 teaspoons of curry
A pinch of powdered cayena
5 drops of soya sauce
Salt
(optional) - 1 tablespoon of tomato sauce concentrate

Preparation:

1. Cut the onion into small pieces and do it in a pan with a bit of oil.

2. When the onion is done, add the ketchup, the honey, the balsamic vinager and the concentrate tomato and let it boiling for some minutes

3. After some minutes add the soya sauce, the curry, the cayena and move it to mix it all. Taste it and in case you need to, add a bit of salt. If you consider it is too thick add a couple of tablespoons of water.

4. You can colar the sauce to remove the onion or eat it like that.

5. Now put the sauce over the sausages or fried potatos if you want (It is a good sauce for fried potatos)

Guten Appetit!