Christmas Tree Appetizers

This is an easy Christmas themed appetizer but the pea dip could be made anytime of year for an easy and healthy starter to go with pita breads.

Recipe: White bean and pea dip

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen peas (thawed, I poured boiling water over them to speed the process up!)
1/2 cup of canellini beans
1 garlic clove- crushed
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 shallot (or 1/4 white onion)
1 tbs of fresh parsley or mint
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Whizz everything up together until smooth!

Spread onto the flatbread or pita bread triangles and decorate with corn, pepper pieces and chia seeds (or sesame seeds) and some carrot wedges for the trunks.

Store any remaining dip in the fridge and use within 2 days.

Notes: I only used half the amount of dip to cover the trees, you can use the rest as a dip for veg sticks served hot or cold. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the tree to keep it bright green.

Aubergine Bruschetta

This is a fantastic appetizer for parties which can be made in advance earlier in the day.

2 aubergines, sliced lengthways about 3mm thick - the thinner the better

extra virgin olive oil

white wine or herb vinegar

2 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and finely sliced

1 small handful fresh mint, leaves picked and finely sliced

1 clove garlic, peeled and very finely sliced

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

heat a griddle pan or baking tray over a lowish flame until nice and hot. Lay your aubergine slices on it side by side and when they are nicely charred on both sides, put them into a bowl. You will probably need to do this in several batches and does take a bit of time and patience.

While the aubergines are grilling, put 8 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of vinegar, with the parsley, mint and garlic, into another bowl and season with salt and pepper. 

When the aubergines are all done, add them to the dressing and mix around, then check the seasoning again and divide on to the bruschetta (toasted bread cooked in garlic and olive oil). Press the topping into the toast so all the lovely flavour gets sucked in!

extra special Sicilian roasted cauliflower and brussel sprouts

When you're looking for an extra special vegetable side dish for Christmas, this could be it!

Ingredients

50 g pine nuts

1 large head of cauliflower

300 g Brussel sprouts

50 g raisins

12 strands of saffron

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp garlic oil

1.Preeheat the oven to 200C/gas 6. Place the pine nuts on a baking tray and roast in the oven until golden, set aside to cool down. 

2. Trim the outer leaves and base from the cauliflower then cut into small florets. Trim the ends from the Brussels sprouts and slice in half, keeping hold of the loose leaves. Cover the raisins in boiling water, leave for about 20 minutes, then drain and set aside. 

3. Place the cauliflower florets and sprouts in a large roasting pan, scatter over the saffron threads then pour over the olive and garlic oils. Season well and mix together gently. Roast for 25–30 minutes, until the florets and sprouts are tender and starting to caramelise. You may find that the loose sprout leaves start to really crisp up; don't be alarmed, it adds a lovely smoky element to the overall flavour. 

4. Transfer the roasted cauliflower and sprouts to a serving bowl; add the pine nuts and raisins, season to taste then give the whole mixture a gentle stir to ensure everything is combined and coated in the saffron oil, and then serve.

the best pea risotto

This is my favourite comfort food and is great to make when you're not in a rush as this takes patience, so don't attempt if you're in a rush to go out, otherwise enjoy a leisurely hour cooking with a glass of wine.

serves 4 people

Ingredients

60g butter
400g frozen peas
1 litre stock
grated nutmeg
5 tbsp grated Parmesan
1 small onion or shallot
1 tbs of olive oil (this is important, it stops the butter burning)
400g arborio rice
160ml white wine or vermouth

Melt 1/3 of the butter and add the frozen peas. Cook for 2-4 minutes until defrosted then remove 1/2 the peas and add a ladle of stock to the remaining peas. Pop on the lid and boil for 5 minutes until soft. Puree this with 1 tbsp of parmesan, a small knob of butter and a grating of pepper and nutmeg.

Try not to eat all of the puree while you make the risotto.

Turn the heat down and melt the remaining butter and that very important oil. Add your onion, finely chopped, and cook 1-2 minutes. Don’t let it brown. Add the rice and stir to coat, for a couple of minutes then add a ladle at a time and stirring each time until all the stock is absorbed, after about 10 minutes add the reserved peas and at about 15-20 minutes once the rice is soft beat in the pea puree and the extra tbs or two of parmesan.

Turn off the heat and let sit for a couple of minutes before serving with a sprinkling of parsley on top and plenty more parmesan cheese to add.

Spiced Christmas Punch

Ingredients
3 cups of apple juice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 cloves
1/2-inch piece peeled fresh ginger
1 cinnamon stick
3 cups cranberry juice
ginger ale or sparkling wine

Preparation

Bring the apple juice, nutmeg, cloves, fresh ginger and 1 cinnamon stick to a simmer over medium heat. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain, cool and chill. In a large pitcher combine with the cranberry juice. Fill glasses partway with juice mixture and top off with ginger ale or sparkling wine.

If you like your punch to have a real punch, add a dash or two of rum or Quetzalteca.

Christmas isn't Christmas without bread sauce

Ingredients
4 oz (110 g) freshly made white breadcrumbs (a two-day-old white loaf with crusts removed will be hard enough to grate, but the best way to make the crumbs is in a liquidiser, if you have one)
1 large onion
15-18 whole cloves or freshly grated nutmeg
1 bay leaf
8 black peppercorns
1 pint (570 ml) breakfast milk
2 oz (50 g) butter
2 tablespoons double cream
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Method

Cut the onion in half and stick the cloves in it – how many you use is a personal matter; I happen to like a pronounced flavour of clove.

If you don't like them at all, you can use some freshly grated nutmeg instead. Place the onion – studded with cloves – plus the bay leaf and the peppercorns, in a saucepan together with the milk. Add some salt then bring everything up to boiling point.

Take off the heat, cover the pan and leave in a warm place for the milk to infuse for two hours or more.When you're ready to make the sauce, remove the onion, bay leaf and peppercorns and keep them on one side.

Stir the breadcrumbs into the milk and add 1 oz (25 g) of the butter. Leave the saucepan on a very low heat, stirring now and then, until the crumbs have swollen and thickened the sauce – about 15 minutes.

Now replace the clove-studded onion, the bay leaf and the peppercorns and again leave the pan in a warm place until the sauce is needed.

Just before serving, remove the onion and spices.

Reheat gently then beat in the remaining butter and the cream and taste to check the seasoning.

Pour into a warm serving jug.

Jamie Oliver Roast chicken with mixed mushroom stuffing

I've never made stuffing before but this was simple and was easy to stuff. If you don't eat pork this was a good alternative.

Ingredients

olive oil

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced

500 g mixed, interesting mushrooms (such as shiitake, oyster, chestnut etc), cleaned and chopped

1 bunch fresh thyme

1 lemon

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 large handful pine nuts

2 large handfuls fresh white breadcrumbs

1 free-range egg, beaten

1 whole higher-welfare chicken, approximately 1.5kg

Method

Preheat at your oven to 240°C/475°F/gas 9. Heat a good lug of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add your onion and garlic and cook for about 10 minutes until soft, but not coloured. Add the mushrooms with the leaves from a few of your thyme sprigs. Turn the heat up to high and fry for 5 to 10 minutes until the mushrooms go slightly crispy. Remove from the heat, grate in the zest of the lemon and season well. Tip into a bowl and leave to one side to cool. 

Once the mixture has cooled, use clean hands to mix in the pine nuts and breadcrumbs, then add the egg. Carefully, push your fingers between the meat and skin on the top of the chicken then gently create a pocket for the stuffing. Push a quarter of the stuffing into this pocket and roll the remaining mixture into balls and pop to one side. Cut your zested lemon in half and place in the chicken cavity with the remaining thyme sprigs. Pop your chicken in a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 

Place in the preheated oven and turn the heat down to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Cook for 40 minutes, then add your mushroom stuffing balls to the tray. Return to the oven and cook for a further 35 minutes until gorgeous and golden. To check your chicken is cooked, stick a skewer into the fattest part of the thigh – if the juices run clear, your chicken is done. Leave to rest for 10 to 15 minutes, covered loosely with tin foil, then serve with fluffy roast potatoes and seasonal greens.
Read more at http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/roast-chicken-with-mixed-mushroom-stuffing/#KOoAOy50mbM1Bki7.99

Leek and Potato Soup

This Delia Smith recipe for leek and potato soup has to be one of the best.

Ingredients
4 large leeks
1 medium onion, chopped small
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
50g butter
850ml vegetable stock
275 ml milk
salt and freshly milled black pepper
To serve:
2 tablespoons cream or crème fraiche
11/2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives or chopped fresh parsley


Instructions

Begin by trimming the leeks, discarding the tough outer layer.

Now split them in half lengthways and slice them quite finely, then wash them thoroughly in two or three changes of water.

Drain well. In a large, thick-based saucepan, gently melt the butter, then add the leeks, onions and potatoes, stirring them all round with a wooden spoon so they get a nice coating of butter. Season with salt and pepper, then cover and let the vegetables sweat over a very low heat for about 15 minutes.

After that, add the stock and milk, bring to simmering point, cover and let the soup simmer very gently for a further 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft – if you have the heat too high the milk in it may cause it to boil over.

Now you can put the whole lot into a blender – leave it to cool a little first – and blend to a purée. If you have to blend the soup in batches, make sure you have a bowl to hand to put the first batch into.

Now return the soup to the saucepan and reheat gently, tasting to check the seasoning. Add a swirl of cream or crème fraîche before serving and sprinkle with freshly snipped chives or parsley.

Ponche Navideño

December: the month of posadas. If you have developed a friendship with any catholic families during your time in Xela, you’ll eventually be invited to participate in una posada: a nightly religious street procession in the run up to Christmas which ends with a visit to the home of one of the participating families. Ponche is a popular drink to be served at one of these gatherings. It’s the perfect drink ‘para quitar el frio’. In fact, that makes it perfect for any night in Xela.

Forget the packet version you’ll find in La Despensa. Impress friends in Guate and back home with this Christmas winter warmer. Here’s the alcohol-free version. You get to decide how much Quetzalteca to add!

Ingredients
One ripe pineapple

6 apples (local apples from the market will be fine, but watch out for the worms!)

2 cinnamon sticks

8 onzas of raisons (pasas)

8 onzas of prunes (ciruelas)

4 whole peppercorns (pimientas gordas)

1/8 of a teaspoon of salt

½ cup of sugar

6 cups of water.



All the ingredients can be bought from the market.

Instructions

1. Scrub the whole of the pineapple. Cut off the top and split in two horizontally

2. Finely chop the pineapple inside of the skin by scoring lines one way across then the other. Scrape out the chopped pIneapple and continue to dice into very small cubes. Divide the pineapple skin into four quarters and set aside, these will go into the ponche to add flavor

3. Peel the apples and finely chop avoiding the cores. put into a bowl filled with water to prevent the flesh from browning

4. Quarter the prunes removing any stones. I added whole raisons (they swell when cooked) but you might want to halve or quarter them

5. Add the water to a large pan and bring to boiling point

6. Add all the chopped pineapple (including the skins), the apples, peppercorns, and cinnamon sticks and cook over a fairly low heat until the fruit is just about soft, stirring occasionally

7. Add the remaining ingredients; the prunes, raisons, sugar and salt and cook again until the fruit’s soft (about 5-10 minutes) stirring occasionally

8. When ready remove the pineapple skins and serve hot. This drink gets better over time as the flavors infuse. The fruit absorbs a lot of the water so you may need to keep topping it up with more water before you heat it up. Watch out for the peppercorns and cinnamon when serving.

Enjoy las festividades navideñas a la chapín.

Pea and Watercress Soup

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
• 1 medium potato, cut into small chunks
• 750ml vegetable stock
• 300g fresh peas (or frozen if out of season)
• 100g watercress
• leaves from 2 mint sprigs, plus extra to garnish
• 
  

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then gently fry the onion and garlic for 5 mins or until soft. Add the potato, stock and 500ml water, then simmer for 7 mins until the potato is just cooked.
2. Scatter in the peas and watercress, stir, cover, then simmer for 3-4 mins. Add the mint leaves and blitz with a hand blender until smooth. Season to taste. Serve ladled into bowls, scattered with more mint, some cracked black pepper and a dollop of cream if desired.

Jane's roasted butternut squash, ginger and parnsip soup

What you'll need

3 tbsp olive oil

1 medium butternut squash

1 onion, chopped

1 tbsp of finely grated ginger (about a thumb of ginger)

1 parsnip, peeled and cut into chunks

750ml chicken or vegetable stock

Maldon sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Fresh parsley to garnish

SERVES 4

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/gas 6/400°F. Cut the squash in half, remove the seeds and put into a roasting tin, skin side down. Score the squash and drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil onto the cut side and bake for about 30-40 minutes until soft and caramelised.

Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon of oil in a large heavy-based pan and fry the onion gently until soft for about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, then add the parsnips, seasoning and stock — bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until tender. Remove the squash from the oven and allow to cool a little before peeling off the skin. Then add to the parsnip mixture and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if too thick add more stock and serve garnished with parsley.

I served with blue cheese, fresh bread and a glass of red wine: the perfect accompaniments. 

Spicy cauliflower soup

• Simple and delicious!
• 
  
• Ingredients
• 1 cauliflower
• 1 large onion 
• butter (a knob of)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric (heaped)
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander (heaped)
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin (heaped)
• 1.5 litres chicken stock (hot)

Method

1. Chop the onion roughly and break the cauliflower into florettes.
2. Melt the butter in a large heavy-based pan over a lowish heat and add the onion and cauliflower, allowing them to soften for a minute or two.
3. Add the turmeric, ground coriander and cumin and stir, cooking for a further minute or two.
4. Pour in the hot stock and allow to simmer for 45 minutes.
5. Blitz with a stick blender or food processor and serve with crusty bread, sour dough bread worked amazingly well.

spinach and cauliflower dhal

Serves 4

200g red lentils

1 onion, finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp tomato puree

1 green chilli, finely chopped

1 tsp yellow mustard seeds

2 tsp garam masala (see note below)

1 tsp tumeric

300g fresh spinach

1 small cauliflower, broken into small florets

800ml chicken stock

Squeeze of lemon juice

Fresh coriander

Heat a generous slug of olive oil over a moderate heat in a large casserole pan and add the onion. Cook for five minutes, then add the garlic and chilli and continue to sweat unti softened and translucent.

With the pan still on the heat, add the tomato puree, mustard seeds, garam masala and tumeric and fry for two minutes more, stirring to stop the onion and spices sticking to the bottom of the pan. If it seems very dry, add another slug of olive oil and then the lentils, stirring well while cooking for a further minute.

Add 400ml of the chicken stock, bring to a gentle simmer, stir, cover and leave to cook for five minutes. Add the cauliflower florets and another 300ml of stock along with plenty of salt and pepper. Stir again, cover with a lid and leave it to very gently simmer for 12–15 minutes.

Meanwhile, wash the spinach and place in a large pan over a moderate to high heat. Cover with a lid and allow to steam until the spinach has has completely wilted but is still bright green. This should take only two or three minutes. There should be enough moisture left on the leaves after washing to steam the spinach but if it looks dry then add a little more. Once wilted, place the spinach in a colander and squeeze out all of the moisture you can.

Keep stirring and cheking the lentils and caulifower, which after 12 minutes should be nearly cooked. Add more stock if needed to keep it to a thick but not dry consistency. When the cauiflower is tender and the lentils completely cooked, gently stir in the spinach and lemon juice and taste to check the seasoning. Allow to stand for a few minutes while you roughly chop the coriander.

Serve with naan bread, chapati or rice (or all three), a handful of coriander and some natural yoghurt.

Jocon

Last month we learned how to cook arroz a la chapin. Now it’s time to learn el plato principal. Jocon is not as complicated as you might think. It uses the traditional Mayan method of toasting sesame and pumpkin seeds, blending them to make a paste with bread or tortillas and using this as a base for many typical dishes. Once you’ve got the hang of this process, other recipes like el famoso Pepian will be bien faciles.

What you’ll notice is that the more traditional Mayan dishes like Jocon are in fact résaludables. High levels of malnutrition in the western highlands can be linked to the marginalization of the Mayan people over time to the least fertile lands. This made room for rich landowners to use the best land to grow produce for export. Add to this the influx of cheap processed foods like packet soups and you can see how malnutrition and diabetes are now major health issues affecting rural indigenous communities today.

It’s not all bad; there are projects working hard to establish food security while maintaining traditional methods of agriculture and cooking. One of which is Asociacion de Mujeres de Altiplano (AMA) who is setting up a sustainable agriculture school from its organic greenhouse.www.amaguate.org

Serves roughly 4 people

Ingredients:
2 ½ to 3 pounds of chicken, drumsticks and thighs work best

4 cups of Water 
¼ cup of Pumpkin seeds pepitas 
¼ cup of sesame seeds ajojoli
2 small pan frances 
1 cup of mil tomate (tomatillos) washed, hulled and chopped 
1 quetzal of cilantro, washed and chopped 
1 bunch of cebollitas, washed and chopped 
1 Jalapeño chili.

A portion of arroz a la chapin to serve.

Directions:
1. Place the chicken, water and a couple of large pinches of salt in a large pan over a medium-high flame. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30-40 minutes until the meat is cooked.

2.Heat a dry frying pan over medium flame. Add the pumpkin and sesame seeds and toast, stirring occasionally until lightly browned. This will take around 8-10 minutes. Make sure you don’t burn the seeds! Let the seeds cool a little and blend to a fine powder (this is easiest in an electric coffee grinder but you can use a blender, in which case I would add a little of the stock to make it easier to blend).

4. Add the ground seeds, pan frances, mil tomate, cilantro, cebollitas and chili peppers to a blender. Add 1 cup of the stock and blend until smooth. If using a small blender you may have to do this step in batches.

5. In another large pan add the chicken, pureed sauce and 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the chicken broth to give it a sauce-like consistency. You can add more stock if you like a lot of sauce or if you prefer a thick paste add a little less water.

6. Heat over medium-low flame and simmer for an additional 15-25 minutes. 

7. Adjust seasoning and serve on top of the arroz a la chapin.

Asian Broccoli Salad

This recipe is served cold so remember to start this 40 min in advance of wanting to serve! I served it as a side dish to a noodle stir fry, but it would go well as a side for fish or chicken with soy sauce too.

Sesame oil and seeds have a strong taste when toasted so if you don't like this flavour this isn't the recipe for you.

serves 4 as a side

Ingredients
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp honey
1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets, stems finely sliced
1 tbsp sesame seeds
salt + pepper

1.Whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, oil and honey in a large bowl until blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

2.Steam the broccoli florets and stems for 5 mins or until tender. Set to one side to cool. 

3. In a heavy pan, add the sesame seeds and stir over a medium heat until golden (making sure not to burn)Transfer the seeds to a clean dish to cool. 

4.Stir in the broccoli and half the sesame seeds to the bowl containing the vinegar and oil mixture. 5.Leave to marinate at room temperature for a minimum of half an hour, stirring occasionally. 

6.Using a slotted spoon, transfer the broccoli to a serving dish and then pour over the dressing.
Sprinkle over the remaining sesame seeds.

Arroz Guatemalteco : Guatemalan Vegetable Rice

‘How hard can cooking rice be?’ you may ask. Well, that used to be my attitude until I moved to Guatemala. My lesson in cooking rice took place on one of the first times I invited friends over to have a curry for dinner, a specialty of mine. I had decided to wait to cook the rice knowing that my friends would rock up an hour later than agreed (coincidentally, they did). Just as I was about to pour the rice into a pan of boiling water, I hear my friend scream "No! Vos Simoné, que hacés?" The condemnation in his voice was so great it was as if I was about to drop a small child into the pan. That's how I received my first lesson in how to cook rice properly: o sea, arroz a la chapina. I have never served up stogy rice again.

Every family will have una versión propia of this recipe. There will be variations of the veduras cortadas, don’t worry about these minor differences too much; never ever question your host mom’s recipe. Nunca.

Learn the basic technique of frying the rice, onion and then adding stock to steam through and you can’t go that wrong, seguro.

INGREDIENTS:

One cup of long-grain white rice
One tablespoon of oil
Half a finely chopped onion
One clove of minced garlic
Half a finely diced red bell pepper
One finely diced carrot (importante: make sure the carrot is cut really finely otherwise it won’t cook in time)
Half a finely chopped tomato
A pinch of ground cloves, (clavos) - you can find these in the market but the rice will be fine if you decide not to add them
A large pinch of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup peas. If you’ve bought them fresh from the market, blanch them first until nearly tender.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the uncooked rice in the oil for around a minute or two so all the rice is glistening

2. Add the onion and sauté for another couple of minutes

3. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute. Then the bell pepper, carrots, and tomatoes and sauté - yes, you’ve guessed it! - for another minute

4. Finally, add the clove powder - I ground a few cloves in the coffee grinder which gave it a nice powerful taste- salt, pepper, and the stock and stir well. Bring to a quick boil, lower the heat, and simmer covered until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked (15 to 20 minutes).

A great trick my teacher taught me is if you don’t have a lid for the frying pan, rest a couple of pieces of Clingfilm on top of the rice which will create a steam effect. Don’t be tempted to stir the rice. It will cook through and it shouldn’t burn on the bottom if it’s over a low heat
4. Add the peas (if using), turn off the heat, cover, and steam the peas with the residual heat until cooked. Fluff the rice and vegetables with a fork right before serving.

This recipe is perfect as an accompliment for Jocon (recipe to come in future editions), pepian or even a stir-fry. Buen provecho!

Simple Pear Tart

I divided the mixture up into two and made one pear tart and the other plum using 8" round tins instead of the larger one.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened, unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pan
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 pound pears 
• Juice of ½ lemon, divided
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Butter and line an 8-inch springform pan. 
2. With an electric mixer, cream ½ cup butter and 1 cup sugar on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, then baking powder, salt, vanilla, and nutmeg (if using).
3. Beat in flour on low until batter just comes together. Spread in pan. Place in refrigerator and chill for at least 20 minutes.
4. Heat oven to 375°F/ 190c
5. While crust is chilling, core and slice pears into 1/2-inch slices.  Toss them with half the lemon juice, so they don’t turn brown. Set aside to wait for crust to finish chilling.
6. Remove crust from refrigerator, and arrange pears in tight concentric circles on top of dough. Squeeze remaining lemon juice evenly over pears.
7. In a bowl, mix 2 tablespoons sugar with cinnamon. Sprinkle over pears. Bake for 45-55 minutes (mine took 40 minutes)or until edges are golden and center is set. It will puff up quite a bit in the oven, but settle back down as it cools.
8. Cool tart in pan for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around edge. Remove sides of pan.
9. Serves 8.

Coriander Lamb and Yellow Split Peas

I've only made the yellow split peas so far but it was delicious and I can only imagine the lamb is even better. It was really simple, tasty and fast to make.

Coriander lamb

Serves 3

A mild and creamy lamb casserole given a heady green freshness with a coriander spice paste. Aromatic rather than hot.

onion 1, large
garlic 3 or 4 cloves
olive or groundnut oil
lamb 500g, cubed
coconut milk 500g

For the spice paste:
cashews 80g
coriander 50g
basil 50g
lime juice 5 tbsp (2 limes)

Peel and roughly chop the onion and garlic. Pour two tablespoons of oil into a deep, heavy-based pan, add the onions and garlic then let them cook over a moderate to high heat for 15 minutes or so, until soft and a pale honey tone.

While the onions are cooking, make the spice paste. Put the cashews in a dry, shallow pan and toast until golden. Tip them into the bowl of a food processor, add the coriander leaves and stalks, the basil and the lime juice and process to a rough paste, then set aside.

Remove the onions and garlic from the pan and set aside, return the pan to the heat, add a further tablespoon of oil, then add some of the meat, without crowding the pan, and brown lightly and evenly on all sides. Remove the pieces of lamb as they brown and add them to the onions. Continue with the remaining lamb.

When the last of the meat is browned, add the coconut milk and let it heat through, scraping at any tasty, crusty bits on the surface of the pan and stirring them in to the coconut milk. Return all the meat and onions to the pan, then leave to simmer for a good 10 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Stir in 3 heaped tablespoons of the spice mix and continue to simmer, gently, for a further 10 minutes. Serve with warm flatbread or rice as you wish.

Split peas with coriander

 Mellow yellow: split peas with coriander. Photograph: Jonathan LovekiThe warmth of dal, but with the freshness of green herbs. A good one with rice, or as an accompaniment.

Serves 4, generously
yellow split peas 250g
onion 1, medium sized
garlic 4 cloves
groundnut or vegetable oil 2 tbsp
turmeric 1 tsp
paprika 1 tsp
tomatoes 500g
spice paste (see above)5 heaped tbsp
coriander leaves a handful

Rinse the split peas then cook them in deep, unsalted boiling water for about 30 minutes until they are soft and tender.

While the split peas cook, peel and roughly chop the onion and peel and finely slice the garlic. Warm a couple of tablespoons of oil in a medium-sized saucepan then add the onion and garlic and cook over a moderate heat until deep gold and translucent.

Stir the ground turmeric and paprika into the onions, then roughly chop the tomatoes and stir them in. Let the mixture cook over a low to moderate heat for about 15 minutes then stir in the cooked split peas and 5 heaped tablespoons of the coriander spice paste (above).

Irene's Coffee Icecream

Ingredients

2 eggs, separated

2 ox of icing sugar sieved

2 tbs of coffee essence

¼ double cream

whisk egg whites until very stiff, then gradually whisk in icing sugar. Whisk egg yolks and coffee essence together and whisk gradually into egg whites. Lightly whip cream and fold into coffee mixture.

.

To vary, fold in with the cream 2oz of finely chopped walnuts.

Pour into a shallow tin and freeze

Sopa de frijol

 If there’s one thing Guatemalans can do better than anyone, it’s beans. Although Mexicans have many winning dishes their beans, which are dark red in color are definitely inferior to Guatemalan frijoles negros. Cheap to buy, simple to cook and high in protein black beans should be a staple for all extranjeros living in Xela.

This is an adapted version of the traditional ‘sopa de frijol’ taught to me by a compañera in AMA (Asociacion de Mujeres del Altiplano) a women’s association who offer traditional Mayan cooking classes to visitors in Xela. The original soup normally contains bacon but I think that gives it quite an overpowering taste so for all you non-pork eaters, here’s the vegetarian alternative with broccoli florets to give the soup a bit more substance. This recipe uses tinned beans for people who have neither the utensils nor the time to cook them from scratch making it an excellent mid-week dinner.

Ingredients

Serves 2 people

One lata de frijoles enteros (canned whole black beans)

One tbs of oil

One small onion, finally chopped

One garlic clove, crushed or finally chopped

2 chiltepe chilis (the tiny green chilies found at the market) or half a jalapeño chili, finely chopped

¼ teaspoon of cumin powder (cuminos en polvo)

250ml of stock – veggie or chicken

Four broccoli florets chopped into smaller almost bite-sized pieces

One tablespoon of cleaned and chopped cilantro

One ripe avocado, one lime, tortillas and some queso fresco or crema to serve.

Instructions

1.Heat the oil in a medium sized pan over a low heat

2. Add 2/3 of the chopped onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until soft.  Add the garlic and chili and cooked for another two minutes stirring occasionally then add the cumin and fry for about another minute so the flavors infuse

3. Add the can of beans with the liquid it comes in as well as the stock, stir, turn up the heat to bring to the boil. Once it’s boiling turn the heat down, cover and cook for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally

4.Take off the heat, leave to cool for a few minutes then blend the mixture

5. Put the pan of blended soup back on the heat, add the broccoli florets with the remaining onion and gently simmer until the broccoli is cooked

6. Season with salt and pepper to taste

7. Ladle the soup into two bowls, if desired add a dollop of cream or crumbled queso fresco. Finish with a sprinkle of the chopped cilantro and a good squeeze of lime

8. Serve the avocado quartered with more pieces of lime and plenty of hot tortillas on a separate plate for people to help take as they wish.

My food blog online can be found at: http://recetasguatemaltecasymas.blogspot.com/