The Humble Spud, Spanish Style

Do you know how many calories there are in a potato? Does it depend on the variety or are they all the same? Here are some surprising facts!

A potato has about 77 calories per 100 grams and a banana has 89 calories per 100 grams. Providing you don't lather potatoes in butter they are actually pretty OK to eat. Like bananas, potatoes contain over 400mg of potassium (including the potato skin) which our body needs to build protein, build muscle, control the electrical activity of the heart and more. So the humble spud is a pretty good vegetable to eat, even when you need to count calories. For more information go to this web site.
http://www.potatogoodness.com/nutrition/nutritional-facts/

History has it that it was the Spanish that introduced the potato to the rest of Europe! And in Spanish cooking the potato is definately the hero! 

My Spanish omelettes used to be made with a few eggs beaten and an onion fried, some mashed potatoes thrown in with a few tomatoes at the last minute. But after my visit to Spain and finding out how to cook them properly, that all changed! 

Because a Spanish Omelette is nothing like a French Omelette it is more like a Potato dish with an egg. To prove this to you, here is my recipe. Once you have tried it, decide for yourself! But if you feel inclined, leave me a comment. Because it is always nice to know what you are thinking!

Tortilla de Patata or Spanish Omelette

Ingredients for 4 people

6 Eggs 
1 white sweet onion

3 potatoes

1/2 Sweet potato

Salt and pepper

Few sprigs of Rosemary

3 tbls Olive oil

2 tbls Parsley, chopped

• I used a mandolin to slice the potatoes and onion. It was the second setting so not too thin. 
• You can slice the potatoes by hand but try to get them all the same thickness so they cook at the same rate. If they are a bit thicker, it doesn't matter, they just take longer to cook.
• Heat the olive oil in a large frypan with a lid. Add the onions, potatoes and rosemary. cook semi covered for around 30 minutes. This will depend on the thickness of the potatoes. If you can pierce them with the tip of a knife then they are cooked. 
• Keep the heat down pretty low so the onions do not burn. No need to stir them.

• Beat eggs, add salt and pepper.
• When the potatoes are cooked, strain the oil off them, retaining the oil to cook the omelette and remove the sprigs of rosemary. 
• Mix the potatoes and onions into the eggs, reheat the oil and put the whole lot into a pan adding the parsley.
• Keep the heat low and let the egg cook and solidify a little so you are able to invert with a plate. This takes around 10 -15 minutes. 
•  Once inverted, slide back into the pan and cook side two. 
• When this is cooked, slide onto a plate and leave to cool for about 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Spanish Paella for Vegetarians

It probably seems odd to some vegetarians that a dish of Paella looks so mouthwatering. It is the flavours, spices and the rich golden colour that draws me to it, but alas it is the seafood and meat that stops me eating it.

A few years ago when I was in Barcelona, I would stand outside restaurants, nose pressed against the windows watching waiters delivering huge platters of Paella to their waiting patrons. I would search every menu to find one I could eat, but it didn't happen and I was left with a real feeling of disappointment.

Not surprising then to see my version of a vegetarian Paella here. This dish will give you the same experience flavour wise, but without the fish and meat. The original recipe that got me started was from a magazine, (unfortunately I can't reference it because I have no idea where it came from). It did included sausages and chicken but somehow the spices together sounded as though they would meld together well, so I adapted it to make it vegetarian. I love this recipe, it is so easy to make, yet it provides the full flavour of a Paella that I want.

Thank you, whoever you are, that inspired me to make this! Also, to all the Spanish people who may be offended because this is not a true Paella and think I am making a mockery out of their national dish, 'Apenado! (Gosh, I hope that's the right word).

Vegetarian Paella

Ingredients
1 tbls olive oil
1  small onion finely chopped
1 cup basmati rice - don't use any other rice
1 tsp ground turmeric
425g tin chopped tomatoes
1/2 large red capsicum, chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 small red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
2 cups vegetable stock
1 tin chick peas, drained
1  kumara (sweet potato) peeled and grated
100g chopped mushrooms
pinch saffron threads
100g french green beans, topped and blanched for 5 minutes
1 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper
chopped coriander
1 lemon cut into wedges for serving

• Add olive oil to a large frypan with lid, saute onion, and garlic until soft. Add turmeric and rice and cook stirring for 2 minutes. 
• Add saffron threads to the stock and stir. 
• Add tomatoes, capsicum, chilli, mushrooms, paprika and kumara and all of the stock. 
• Bring  to the boil and then turn the heat down low, cover and cook stirring occasionally for 15 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed. 
• Add chick peas, smoked paprika (you can add some of the liquid from the chick peas if you need more stock) and green beans, adjust seasoning by adding salt and pepper to taste. 
• Heat through, stirring for 3 more minutes and it is ready to serve with  chopped coriander and wedges of lemon!

More Cucumbers

So my cucumber challenge continues for today and then it will be time to tempt you with other flavoursome dishes.

Again, Adelaide is facing some really hot weather, back up into the 40's C.  
So, these recipes are just what you need for stinky hot days. Sometimes it is so hot that I feel sure my brain is melting and it is hard to concentrate even on the simplest task. I think it has already been recorded as the hottest summer on record and yet there are still people who don't believe in climate change!

I found a recipe for Cucumber Sorbet and I thought it would team well in with the Basil Ice Cream I made a while ago, but alas after a few attempts I could not get a consistency that I was happy with. I have changed tack now,  I think hot and I think BBQ and I think quick, and I have come back to salads. 

The first salad to tempt you is one to complement a Tofu Burger with Wasabi Dressing (recipe included). Both the salad and burger are easy to prepare and ideal for this time of year. Secondly, a sweet salad teeming strawberries with cucumbers and an unusual dressing.

So get out your BBQ and you can cook the burgers outside so your kitchen stays cool, unless of course you are in the Northern Hemisphere when the heat from the cooker will help defrost your feet.

 Asian Marinated Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

1 continental cucumber, peeled

30g sesame seeds (toasted in a dry frypan)

1/2 red onion very finely sliced

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

2 tbls rice wine vinegar

This is best made with a mandolin for slicing the onion and cucumber. Once sliced place in a small bowl with salt, sugar, rice wine vinegar and sesame seeds. Mix all together and set aside for at least 1 hour before using.

Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

                               Tofu Burger with Wasabi Dressing

Burger Ingredients

2 cloves garlic
1 red onion, finely chopped
375g packet firm tofu
200g small firm mushrooms, chopped
1/2 bunch coriander
3 cups breadcrumbs made from 3 slices of bread
2 tbls tomato paste
2 tbls hot chilli sauce
2 tbls balsamic vinegar
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbls olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
300g sesame seeds toasted

For this recipe I used a firm, organic tofu. It really doesn't work so well with the soft variety.

In a small frypan, add olive oil and cook the onion until soft. Add mushrooms and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Cool.
In a food processor add 250g of the hard tofu chopped, garlic, coriander and process under it looks pretty smooth.  Transfer to a bowl and grate the remaining tofu into the same bowl and mix together. Add the onion and mushroom mixture . Add chilli sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper and juice from 1/2 lemon. 
Add 2 cups of breadcrumbs and mix well. Shape into  8 patties and cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Take out of the fridge and use the remaining 1 cup of breadcrumbs to coat the outside of the patties before cooking on your BBQ. Remember to add a little oil to the BBQ before cooking to avoid them sticking. Alternatively, you can toast some sesame seeds and use these to coat the burgers instead of the breadcrumbs, or do both.

Wasabi Dressing

2 tbls Wasabi
1/2 cup mayonnaise
squeeze of lemon juice

If you haven't used Wasabi before, take care because it is extremely hot.

Mix the mayonnaise, Wasabi  and lemon juice together to make a nice runny consistency. Taste it before adding to your burger so you don't end up getting a nose bleed.

Cucumber and Strawberry Salad

1 continental cucumber
250g strawberries
3 tablespoons honey
10 mint leaves
5 tbls Buderim Refresher Ginger Cordial  or similar

Slice the cucumbers and strawberries and place in a serving bowl.
Chop the mint leaves very finely. Mix the ginger cordial, honey and mint together and dress the strawberries and cucumber. Simple and sensational. Great flavours that go so well together.