Green Asparagus Soup

Certainly, this is one of my favourite soups. I had to wait for a few months until I could find local green asparagus.

This soup is made with bread and almonds, what makes it quite filling. With this soup and not much more you have a proper lunch. You have to try it.

Instead of asparagus, you can also make this soup with monkfish or shrimp, clams and any fish and you get a delicious fish soup.

GREEN ASPARAGUS SOUP

1 bunch of green asparagus

8 or 10 peeled raw almonds

1 slice of bread

2 cloves of garlic

1 onion

2 tomatoes, peeled

Olive oil

A sprig of parsley

Ground cumin

Ground black pepper

Yellow food colouring

In a pot put plenty of water and some salt and cook the asparagus, rinsed and chopped.

Meanwhile, fry until golden the almonds, garlic and bread in a frying pan with a good splash of oil. As they are ready, take them out and put them in the mixer. In the remaining oil fry the onion and tomatoes cut into chunks. Add the parsley at the last minute to prevent burning. Pour this chunky sauce into the mixer (along with almonds, bread and garlic), add water and liquidise thoroughly.

Pour this mixture into the boiling water with the asparagus. Add ground cumin and ground pepper to taste. You can also add some yellow colouring to make it look even more appetizing. Let it boil for 5 minutes and ready.

It goes very well accompanied by croutons and chopped hard boiled egg.

Courgette soup

A basic recipe in the kitchen; because it's easy, quick to prepare and very healthy! And if you do not like courgettes, you can always replace it with another vegetable such as broccoli.

COURGETTE SOUP

2 courgettes

1 medium size onion (or leek)

1 medium size potato

1 clove of garlic

Olive oil

Salt and ground black pepper

Peel and roughly cut the onion and garlic and put them to fry with some oil in a pot. Make sure they do not burn.

Peel and cut the courgettes and potatoes and add to the pot.

Add water to cover and let cook over medium heat and covered with a lid. When the vegetables are tender liquidize everything in a blender. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

You can serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a few croutons or small cubes of serrano ham.

Hummus

Hummus is a paste made from cooked chickpeas and tahini, originally from Arab countries. My Iraqi friend Ban told me this recipe over ten years ago... (Time flies!). Today it is a well known dish everywhere.

Ban always served it accompanied by Arabic bread (I use pita bread instead) and a tabbouleh made ​​with parsley, which I'll show another time.

You can boil the chickpeas yourself or use them from a jar, which it is very handy.

For those who do not know, the tahini is a sesame seed paste. You can buy it in health food stores or specialized stores.

HUMMUS

1 jar of cooked chickpeas

1 garlic

2 tablespoons of tahini

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Ground cumin

Ground black pepper

Salt

Rinse the chickpeas well to remove the liquid in which they are preserved (you don’t have to do this if you cooked the chickpeas yourself, of course).

Put all the ingredients in the bowl of a blender and grind it all. If it is too thick you can add some water, more oil or lemon juice, as you prefer.

Serve in a shallow dish with a drizzle of olive oil. You can also sprinkle with paprika.

Tuna pie

Perfect for birthday parties or any other event where you have guests and you are going to prepare some snacks.

Buying ready-made puff pastry, the only time consuming task is to prepare the ratatouille (and even this, you can buy it canned ready-made).

TUNA PIE

2 sheets of puff pastry

2 boiled eggs

2 small cans of tuna

Beaten egg or milk (to paint the pastry)

And for the ratatouille:

2 onions

3 Italian green peppers

2 cloves of garlic

1 zucchini

4 or 5 ripe tomatoes

Olive oil

Salt

In a pan with some oil sauté the onion, pepper and garlic (everything finely chopped). You can add some salt at this point to help cooking the vegetables. When the onion begins to turn transparent, add the zucchini, cut into small cubes. Continue to sauté, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Peel and cut the tomatoes and add to the vegetables. Let everything cook until tomatoes turn into sauce. Add more salt if needed. If the result is slightly acidic, you can also add some sugar.

When the tomato mixture has cooled assemble the pie.

Place a sheet of puff pastry on the baking sheet on top of parchment paper. Prick the pastry with a fork over the entire surface to prevent it from rising when you bake it. Distribute the ratatouille on the pastry, leaving a 1 cm margin all around. Add the chopped hard boiled eggs and flaked tuna. Cover with the second sheet of pastry and seal the edges by pressing the pastry with your fingers or a fork. Prick the top pastry with a fork and make two small cuts so that the steam generated inside when baking can escape. Paint with beaten egg or milk and bake at 220 degrees C until the pastry is golden brown.

Sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil

Sun-dried tomatoes have been my latest discovery. Yeah, I guess many of you already knew them already. In fact, I had them in restaurants before. Even bought them a couple of times, but I always missed a key step, to REHYDRATE them! And how do they change!

I have been gathering some information on the net and after reading several methods I chose the one I am telling you here. The result is great and gives a lot of possibilities. One example is the toast with feta cheese and tomatoes that are in the photo. Try them also with pasta or in your favourite salad...

SUN-DRIED TOMATOES IN OLIVE OIL

1 package of sun-dried tomatoes

Several cloves of garlic

White wine vinegar

Oregano

Ground black pepper

Virgin olive oil

In a saucepan, boil some water with a splash of vinegar. Add the tomatoes and let them boil for a few minutes. Drain all the water and place all the tomatoes on absorbent kitchen paper and cover them with another paper. The idea is to remove any excess water.

Place the tomatoes, sliced ​​garlic, oregano, black pepper and oil in a jar alternating the layers and making sure that all tomatoes are covered with oil. If you are going to store them for a long time, better use a sterilized jar.

And that’s it, there you have your tomatoes (and your flavored oil) to enjoy at any time.

Artichokes in almond sauce

I haven’t cooked artichokes in this way for a very long time and I don’t know why because I love it. The almonds and cumin give an Arabic touch to this recipe so I thought I'd accompany them with couscous. The result was delicious!

ARTICHOKES IN ALMOND SAUCE

6 artichokes

10 raw almonds

1 slice of bread (preferably from the day before)

1 large clove of garlic

Olive oil

Parsley

Salt

Ground black pepper

Turmeric

Cumin

Peel the artichokes and cut them into quarters. As you cut them, immerse them in a bowl of water with a splash of lemon juice to prevent browning.

When you have cut them all, put them to boil in lightly salted water.

Meanwhile prepare the almond sauce. In a pan with a good splash of olive oil, fry the almonds (without the skin), the bread and garlic (peeled and whole). Fry until golden brown but not burnt. Take them out of the oil and put them into the blender receptacle with a sprig of parsley. Add some water and blend.

Note: If you like to see the bits of parsley in the sauce, put it into the blender at the last minute, otherwise it will almost disappear during the blending.

Now return to the artichokes, which were left boiling in water ... It's time to drain the water and lightly sauté them in the pan (where we fried the almonds, bread and garlic). Add the almond sauce and spices. I put black pepper, cumin and a little turmeric. Let it simmer for 5 or 10 minutes and they are ready!

Chickpeas with spinach

As promised, here is the recipe for chickpeas with spinach. This recipe, like many on this blog, is from my mum. With the basics of this recipe you can make many variations, like using chard instead of spinach or only asparagus (without the chickpeas). 

I hope you like it.

CHICKPEAS WITH SPINACH (for 2)

100 g dried chickpeas

1 bunch (or package) of spinach

2 slices of yesterday’s bread

2 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon of paprika

Olive oil

Ground pepper

Salt

Wash and chop the spinach. In the pressure cooker cook the chickpeas (which have been soaking since the night before) for 5 or 10 minutes. They should be tender but not overcooked. Open the pot and add the spinach and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Cover the bottom of a frying-pan with olive oil, fry the bread and garlic and reserve. Drain water from the chickpeas and spinach and fry lightly in the remaining oil with the paprika.

Meanwhile, in a mortar, crush the fried garlic and bread (it will be easier if you add the vinegar and some water at this time). Dilute this paste with water and pour over the chickpeas and spinach. Add water to almost cover them, season and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes.

For the very hungry, you can add a chopped hard boiled egg on top at serving time.

Artichoke stew

Here I am again with another seasonal recipe. A stew of artichokes very easy to do and very nice to eat. Potatoes and carrots accompany artichokes without stealing any of their flavor. So if you like artichokes, I'm sure you will like this dish. This time, I have added some chopped ham, but if you are vegetarian you can omit this ingredient and it is just as good.

ARTICHOKE STEW (serves 4)

5 or 6 artichokes
2 medium potatoes
3 carrots
1 large cloves of garlic
Chopped parsley
3 level tablespoons of breadcrumbs
Virgin olive oil
Salt
Ham (optional)

In a pan put a bit of the oil and then add the potatoes, peeled and cut into slices of about half a centimeter thick. On top, place the artichokes, peeled and cut into quarters and the sliced ​​carrots. Add the minced garlic, bread crumbs and parsley. Season and half covered with water. Add a splash of olive oil and let cook at medium heat, moving the pan occasionally to prevent sticking. When the artichokes are tender, add the ham and cook for a few more minutes.

Green bean salad

I had not bought green beans in a while. My children do not like them so it does not solve the problem of what to prepare for dinner. But the other day they had some very good ones in the shop and the greengrocer convinced me to buy some. "A handful for two who do not eat much" I said to him, otherwise he will sell me the entire box! I know by experience. :-)

They were useful for Sunday dinner. Of course, I had to prepare something else for the kids.

GREEN BEAN SALAD (for 2)

Green beans
1 medium potato
1 egg
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Salt

Cut and wash the green beans (if they are flat, remove the strands of the sides). In a pot of lightly salted boiling water put the beans with potatoes (peeled and cut into chunks) and the egg. When the beans are tender drain the water, peel and cut the egg in small pieces and finally dress it with olive oil and lemon.

It is a very light and easy dish to prepare. In the photo, it has a touch of hot sauce that my husband prepares with hot peppers that he grows, but I will tell you about it another time.

See you soon!