Southwestern Pumkin Soup from Lynnette

This recipe is courtesy of my sister, Grace.  It was always one of my favorites that she served in her café.

3 cups (700 ml) chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups  (500 g) pumpkin /butternut squash, cubed
3 Tablespoons (45 g) brown sugar- note- I add this last, adjusting amount depending on sweetness of squash2 teaspoons (10g) ground cumin
1 teaspoon (5 g) chili powder (pimentón dulce)
1 teaspoon (5 g) cayenne or chipotle pepper (adjust to your taste)
1 teaspoon( 5g)  ground coriander
¼ teaspoon (a pinch) ground nutmeg
1 cup (237 ml) cream
¾ cup (175 g) grated mild cheddar or gouda
chopped fresh cilantro

In a large saucepan over medium heat, put broth and pumpkin / squash to heat. Add cumin, chili pepper, cayenne, coriander and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until soft. Puree until smooth. Test flavor, then add brown sugar to taste. Stir until dissolved. Mix in cream. Ladle into bowls, garnish with cheese and cilantro.

Alternate finish: blend cheese into soup, and most of the cream, just leaving a bit of cream for garnish, with the cilantro.

Serves 4

GREEN BEAN PARMESAN SOUP from Lynnette

Extremely simple, with a delicious creamy flavor.  Freezes well; but omit the parmesan cheese  and cream before freezing, add when you warm up the soup.

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
16 oz. (475 g) green beans, trimmed (or get the frozen ones)
2 cups (475 ml) vegetable broth
½ cup ( 120 g) parmesan cheese
¼ cup (60 ml)  cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put olive oil in saucepan on medium heat, add garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add green beans and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, continuing to stir. Now add the broth and bring to a boil, then lower to simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes, until beans are tender.

Blend well, add parmesan cheese and blend some more. Check seasoning, add salt if needed. Stir in most of cream, saving a little to drizzle on top for garnish.  Grind a little black pepper to finish.

Serves 2.

Potatoes with cheese, Swiss Style

The days are now getting colder and colder – even here in Seville. This is the time for a family gathering or sitting together with friends and enjoying this great warm potato meal. Traditionally this dish was eaten directly out of the pan and comes from the mountain part of Switzerland. This dish is one of my dad’s favorites. Have a go too and let yourself warm up!

1, 2 kg potatoes

30g butter

150g Swiss Gruyere cheese, graded

2dl half and half cream

Salt, pepper, nutmeg and paprika

Boil or steam the potatoes until they are half done. (You can do that on the day before, if you like.) Let them cool off a bit to peal. Cut them in rounds. Melt the butter on medium heat in a big frying pan. Add the potatoes and press them slightly into the pan so that you have an even disc. Fry until the potatoes are golden brown. Take a plate and flip the potato disc at once. Let it brown on the other side too. Spread the cheese over the top and let it melt a bit (1-2 minutes). Add the cream and the spices according to your taste. Serve immediately in the pan with a fresh tomato salad. Enjoy!

Mom´s Apple Pie recipe from Sarah

I have my family's recipe for Homemade Apple Pie that I'd like to share on the blog

Makes at least 2 large pies (9 inch, double crust)

5 cups flour

2 cups vegetable shortening (you can substitute butter)

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 TBSP vinegar

1 egg (place in 1 cup and fill w/ water)

Mix first 5 ingredients together w/fork in large bowl.  Put egg and water into small bowl, add vinegar, and beat.  Add liquid mixture to dry mixture.  Blend w/fork until dry ingredients are moistened. Use hands to finish mixing and mold into large ball.  Dough can be rolled at once....or you can chill it for at 15 minutes for easier handling.  You can also store it in the fridge for 3 days before using or freeze till ready to use.

It’s easiest when rolled between waxed paper sheets.

   

APPLE FILLING

Ffor 2 pies

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

2 dashes salt

About 18 Cortland apples, peeled and sliced (Royal Galas also work well, any baking apple will do!)

Mix first five ingredients in a small bowl, then toss in to a bigger bowl with the sliced apples.  Assemble the pie, poking a few holes with a fork for the steam and juices to escape.  Rub a little milk on the crust for browning and put foil around the edges. 

Bake at preheated 230ºC degrees for 15 minutes.  Then turn down to 180ºC for another half hour.  Take foil off and bake another 15 to 20 minutes at 180º.  Just watch edges to make sure they don't get too burnt.

Mushroom and Bacon Salad from Alfonso

This tasty delicacy comes to us thanks to Alfonso, a chef at the Hotel la Era de Aracena, who gave us a wonderful workshop on cooking with wild mushrooms (setas). While the mushrooms he used were called Tanas or Cesar mushrooms, you can use any type of mushroom. However, because wild mushroom can be poisonous, we recommend only using mushrooms purchased from a supermarket or picked by an expert in mycology.

100 g Mixed Greens

110 g Cesar’s Mushrooms sliced (any mushroom will do)

75 g Bacon cut into strips

40 g Pine Nuts or Almonds (raw)

5 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

Orange Juice and Orange Zest

Salt

Lightly brown the bacon and nuts in a pan with approximately half the olive oil. Add mushrooms. Arrange the mixed greens on a plate. In a bowl blend the remaining olive oil with the Balsamic vinegar and the Orange juice. When the mushrooms are lightly browned place them on top of the greens with the bacon and nuts. Sprinkle the vinaigrette over the salad and garnish the edges of the plate with the zest. Enjoy!

Eggplant Zucchini Pasta-less Lasagna from Rachel F.

I’m very lucky. My mother-in-law has a wonderful vegetable garden and always sends me home with boxes full of delicious fresh vegetables. A few months ago I came home with several zucchinis and eggplants and wondered what to do with them. So, after playing around in the kitchen I remembered one of my favorite recipes for lasagna and decided to get creative. That’s when I came up with the following recipe:

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

1 large zucchini

150 g shredded cheese (parmesan or mozzarella)

400 g tomato sauce

5 cloves of garlic

Pinch of: Sage, Rosemary, Oregano, Thyme, Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 240º. Cut the eggplant and zucchini widthwise. Dice the garlic fine. Mix the tomato sauce in a bowl with the garlic and spices. Place a layer of eggplant and zucchini in a baking pan and cover with a layer of tomato sauce. Cover with cheese and make another layer of eggplant, zucchini, sauce and cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until cheese on top is melted and hardened.

Serves 4 people

Swiss Cream Tart from Nadine v. W.

This is a very old recipe from the Murten-Region (near the Swiss capital Berne) in Switzerland. My grandparents had a house there and every time we visited them, my mother bought this tart in a little local bakery there and we just loved it. Now I have done some research and there exist a lot of recipes and each is a bit different. I tried to find the one that matched my memories and have now created this one and the result is great! Just have a go! ;-)


For the dough:

250g flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of dried yeast (here: levadura de panaderia; Carrefour)

30g butter

1,5 dl of milk



For the filling:

20g Butter (cold)

1,5 dl Cream (35% fat)

6 Tablespoons of rough sugar

Mix the flour, salt, yeast in a big bowl and make a well in the center. Melt the butter in the warm milk (on the stove or in the microwave, just see to it that the milk does not get too hot, you should still be able to touch it.) Pour the milk with the butter into the well and mix it well from the center on. Take the dough into your hands and knead it for about 5 minutes really well with your hands until you get a really soft and smooth dough. Put the dough back into the bowl and cover it with a plate. Let it rest in a warm place for about an hour (at least 1/2 hour).

Preheat the oven with 250°C. Roll the dough out into a circle as big as your cake tin (30cm/ 12 inch) and press it into it. Make sure that you put up the dough high enough on the edges, so that the filling will not overflow.

Push with your fingers about 20 wells. Fill each with a bit of sugar (2 Tablespoons) and little pieces of the cold butter. Mix the 4 tablespoons of sugar with the cream and pour over the dough.

Put a bit of tinfoil on the oven rack in case it will bubble over, so you will not have to clean the whole oven afterwards. Bake for 20 minutes until the tart is slightly golden on top. Let it cool and put it into the fridge for at least 2 hours or serve still warm.

Enjoy!