Steak Milanesa a la Christy

On my last night here in Guatemala I learnt a new Guatemalan recipe, and one which will finally keep some meat eaters happy, thanks to Christy Navidad, my chapin cooking teacher.

Serves four

4 slices of beef steak
one cup of bread crumbs (can be bought ready made called 'miga')
one egg
2-3 tablespoons of oil

1.Place the egg in a shallow bowl and beat thoroughly
2.Place the bread crumbs in another shallow bowl
3. Take the pieces of steak one at a time and place on a chopping board. Using a heavy utensil (we used the other end of a spatula but it has to have some weight) beat the steak all over to flatten it down, this makes the meat tender when eating
4. Once flattened, place the steak in the egg bowl covering the steak with egg, turn over and do the same. Let drain for a few seconds and then do the same in the bread bowl making sure the whole piece is covered with bread crumbs. Repeat with the rest of the steak slices
5. Heat up about a tbs of oil in a large frying pan and add as many steak slices that will fit. They will take around 3-4 minutes on each side and are cooked when the bread crumbs have turned a dark golden brown. Make sure there is enough oil in the pan before cooking more steak so that the pieces don't stick to the pan.

Upon serving I was told they were good enough and therefore was now ready to get married. It's good to know four years here in Guatemala was not a complete waste of time.

This dish goes perfectly well with rice, black beans and the chile coban chirmol previously featured.

Healthy Guatemalan Cucumber, Radish and Mint Salad.

Ingredients

One bunch of ‘rabano’ (radishes)

One onion

One cucumber

A quetzal of ‘yerba buena’ (mint)

One lime

1.    If you are trying to avoid getting ‘amibas’ (a kind of parasite commonly contracted by eating unclean fruit and vegetables) place the radishes and the bunch of ‘yerba buena’ in a bowl with vegetable disinfectant following the instructions indicated. Alternatively if you a looking for a fast-track diet skip this first step and add pupusas with extra ‘repollo’ from parque central to your diet to loose a stone in over a matter of days (not recommended).

2.    Peel the onion, cut in half and thinly slice. Place in a large bowl and squeeze half a lime juice over the onion to soften the taste

3.    Peel the cucumber, thinly slice into rounds and add to the onion and lime

4.    Take the clean radishes and thinly slice into rounds and add to the rest of the ingredients

5.    Using around half of the bunch of mint, take the leaves off the stalks, chop finely and add to the rest of the salad

6.    Squeeze the rest of limejuice over the salad and mix well, add a generous pinch or two of salt and leave to rest until ready to serve.

Aubergine slice tapas

slice two aubergines thinly
heat up a large frying pan or ideally a hot plate or griddle
add the slices (without oil) and cook until well browned, almost charred
take off the heat when cooked and add to a large serving dish
mix 2 cloves of minced garlic in a bowl with 3-4 tbs of olive oil and drizzle sparsely over the aubergine slices and season with salt and pepper
serve cold or warm as an appetizer.
they will keep for a week or two in a sealed container.

Fried herbed almonds

Perfect to start off any Christmas party

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups whole blanched almonds
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, leaves
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. STEP 1

   Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add almonds, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden and fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes.

2. STEP 2

   Stir in thyme leaves. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet, and let cool completely.Almonds can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

Easy Roasted Red Peppers in Oil, Vinegar & Garlic Tapas

Perfect for a fancy appetizer

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

• 3 whole roasted red peppers
• 2 cloves garlic
• Spanish sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

place the red peppers on a hot plate over the stove or roast in the oven. When fully blacked put in a bag, place in the fridge and let to cool. Once cool you can peel off all the skin leaving you with the fresh, cut open and take out the seeds. 

Use a dinner-size plate or platter with a lip, so that they oil and vinegar do not spill over the side.

Cut each pepper in four pieces and lay on a dinner plate or platter.

Peel and mince garlic cloves. Place minced garlic in a small bowl and pour in a few tablespoons each of vinegar and oil. Whisk and carefully pour over the peppers.

Serve with slices of rustic bread as a tapa or as a side dish with a meal. These peppers go well with a main course of grilled meat or fish.

Delicious tomato and basil soup

Ingredients

1 large onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves of garlic crushed
2 lbs of tomatoes diced
3 cups chicken broth
2 handfuls of fresh basil leaves chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper (easily mistaken for cloves apparently)

Saute sliced onion in olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan and cook over
medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
add the crushed garlic cloves stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes
Add tomatoes chopped in large pieces and sweat for around 5 minutes, stirring now and again.
Add one handful of basil, chicken broth, salt and
pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes
let cool then puree soup mixture with half of the remaining basil.
serve with a sprinkle of basil on top and cream if you wish.

Stuffed Aubergine

Serves 6 as a side dish, entree or three people as a main. I served with homemade chips which worked well. This isn't a quick dish to prepare but a hearty option for a vegetarian dinner party.

• 3 medium sized eggplants, halved
• Salt for drawing out any bitterness
• 6-8 tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2  red capsicums (I used one red and one orange), diced
• 3  tomatoes, diced
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted (I used peanuts)
• 1/2 cup soft feta cheese (I used queso fresco because there wasn't and fea)
• 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley (plus a little extra at end)
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• salt and pepper to taste
  
  
  Step 1 - First remove the flesh from the eggplant using a sharp knife being sure not to cut through the skin. I found it easiest to cut around the edge of the eggplant and then make a few vertical cuts and then use a knife to remove the flesh. Chop the eggplant flesh into small cubes and place it in a colander. Repeat with the remaining five halves of eggplant. Sprinkle salt over the chopped cubes of eggplant and over the eggplant skins and leave for 30 minutes to draw any bitterness.
  Step 2 - Preheat the oven to 180c/350F and line a baking tray with parchment. Fill a large saucepan with water until simmering. While it is heating up, dice the onions, garlic, capsicums and tomatoes. Toast the pine nuts in the oven for 5 minutes until golden.
  Step 3 - Rinse the eggplant skins and the cubed eggplant. In the saucepan, simmer the eggplant skins until they turn from purple to brown-about five minutes. Remove and drain.
  Step 4 - Rinse out the saucepan and dry it and then put it on medium to high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and fry the onion and garlic until soft. Then add some more oil and fry the capsicum, tomatoes and drained eggplant cubes and saute until soft, about 10-15 minutes. Eggplants can really absorb a lot of oil so it's up to you how much you want to use (you can also use a couple of tablespoons of water if you want to keep it low fat). Add pine nuts, feta, lemon juice, parsley, sugar, cinnamon and salt and pepper to taste.
  Step 5 - Place the eggplant skins on the lined baking tray and brush with oil. Fill with the vegetable mixture and top with more cheese if you want. Drizzle some more oil on top and around the sides of the eggplant and bake for 35-40 minutes until very soft. Serve with extra parsley.