Cheesy Meat Balls

Receita em Portugues clique AQUI



I needed to make something fast the day before yesterday as we were all hungry and I had left it too late to cook dinner as had been working on making a menu on a PC for a friend and time passed very quickly, so I decided on a traditional recipe and added a little surprise inside.


Recipe Ingredients:

• 500grs minced beef
• 60grs bread crumbs (I used old bread and crumbed it)
• 1 egg (medium)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tea spoon chilli powder
• 1 large onion
• 1 tin of tomatoes
• a little bunch of parley
• 600grs rice
• 2 bay leafs
• some olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• Some cheddar cheese
• 2 soup spoons of tomato paste
  

This recipe was very fast and very easy to make, is not fattening at all and the garlic and chilli help the blood circulation, and at this time of the year I suppose it is welcomed, also was very cheap to make.

For the rice just put it in boiling water with a crushed garlic clove inside and a couple of spoons of olive oil and salt to taste, after 10 to 12 minutes is cooked depending on the rice you using (I like basmati) once cooked rinse it in a sieve with boiling water and drain it ready to plate.

For the sauce I chopped the onion very finely and the remaining two garlic cloves one to add to the mince the other for the sauce. The meat balls were made as follows, I put the mince in a bowl adding to it the egg (whole) the bread crumbs, one spoon of the chilli powder, one garlic salt and pepper to taste, and mixed all with my hands until was all blended in, then I cut the cheese into little squares and making a little disk in my hand with a portion of the disk mixture I placed the cheese square in the middle, folded the meat around and rolled it into a ball and set it aside until all the meat was spent.

Then in a pan I put some olive oil, let it get hot and added the chilli, onion (diced), bay leafs, garlic, and the meat balls swirling the pan around from time to time until the balls were sealed (you can see this as they turn from red to brown) at this stage I added the tomato a small glass of water and the tomato paste, I let this cook for 20-30 minutes, obviously only started making the rice 10-12 minutes before the rest was ready, so all comes out at same time, and on the last 1 minute of cooking of the balls I added the parsley chopped. As simple as that.

Now you can use spaghetti if you prefer, I do but the family wanted rice and I had to go with the majority.

Rico Almond and Coconut Biscuits

Receita em Portugues Clique AQUI.

One other day I made a spaghetti carbonara my own recipe ,and used 3 egg yolks to achieve a velvety cream, I was however left with 3 egg whites, I know I already made a cake here on the blog to use egg whites ...well this is one more way of using them and is so easy I beg you all to make them really, maybe with some alteration add some dried figs or anything they are great (I invented them today) with other left overs I had in the cupboard.

Picture on the left shows them still in the tray after cooking on the non stick Teflon, which is a great idea for cookies/biscuits, especially if they have no "grease" as this ones take no butter oils or margarine's..nothing....

Recipe Ingredients:

• 100grs ground almonds
• 100grs rice flour (fine)
• 50grs coconut (dessicated)
• 4 spoons of self raising flour
• 1 tea spoon of baking powder
• 3 egg whites
• 250grs of sugar
• (optional lemon zest and or vanilla essence)
• some whole almonds with skin.
• a little of thick granulated brown sugar

Preparation:

This is soooooo easy you must really make and please spread the word on my blog address to others I am making all this economical and good recipes but so little views I am finding it frustrating that not many people are benefiting from them.

Here it goes, in a bowl mix the egg whites with the sugar beat it so hard that it becomes a very dense white cream, then throw in all the dried stuff all well mixed, fold it in with a spatula until homogeneous, then with two spoons shape each biscuit and put them on a tray preferably with a Teflon sheet, if not grease it and flour it, or anything else you do for them not to stick. Place and almond in the center of each and some brown granulated sugar on top, bake in the oven (180c) for 17-20 minutes depending on the oven, take them out let them cool and eat them all without sharing them .....lol....just joking share them with your loved ones ...and maybe send me some too :)

Tuna Steak with Onions & New Potatoes Rico way.

Receita em Portugues clique AQUI

Doesn't look like much, but this is the dinner cooking, today to my faithful bloggers I am cooking a treat, the whole meal is for 4 people yet I only spent about a fiver (that's 5 pounds or around 10 dollars) to make it yet each dish would easily sell for 17 pounds in a restaurant (that's 34 Usd).

At the same time I provided a balanced meal, in which you will get carbs (potatoes) roughage & vitamins (vegetables) and also protein with added omega oils (Tuna steak), ideal for someone trying to sustain or loose weight.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 4 tuna steaks (I purchased frozen ones, cheaper
  
• 1 onion
• 1/2 large fresh chili (de-seeded and white veins removed)
  
• 1 garlic clove
  
• 1 piece of fresh ginger (the size of a garlic clove)
  
• 2 soup spoons of olive oil
  
• new potatoes (enough for four people)
  
• 3 large carrots
  
• 300grs round green beans (I got frozen ones)
  
• 3 spring onions
• salt and black pepper to taste
  
• 1 desert spoon of paprika
  
• 2 bay leafs
  
• 2 soup spoons of butter

Preparation:

If the tuna steaks are frozen just rinse them in hot water to take most of the frost away then dry them and sprinkle them with, salt, black pepper and paprika on both sides and rub that into them with your finger, than place them on a board and let them rest for about 30 minutes, this will marinate them nicely.
Meanwhile you can start preparing the rest, wash the new potatoes, and put them in a pan boiling until just cooked but still firm, make sure that when putting them in the pan the larger potatoes are cut in half so they all cook equally and at the same time.

While they cooking more prep can be done, mince the garlic and the ginger, also finally slice the chili piece and after halving the onion thinly slice this one too. In a pan put in the two spoons of olive oil and once hot put in the bay leafs, chili, garlic, ginger and onion, let these cook for about 3 minutes, then add the 2 spoons of butter and let them cook for one minute more, then move them to one side so that you can place the steaks in the pan, once they all in pull the onion mixture over them and cover the pan with a lid on the lowest heat let it cook for about 20 minutes.

once the potatoes cooked drain them and place them in a tray, and drizzle a little olive oil over them and dust them with salt and black pepper, placing them in the oven preheated 200c, and let them cook for about 20 minutes.
On another pan with boiling water place the frozen beans and the carrots pealed and cut in half and each half cut into six parts length ways, they should be cooked in 20 minutes too.

The spring onions cut a two inch piece from the root side and cut from the opposite side to the root a cross into the two inches piece put a little water in a glass a couple of ice cubes place the pieces of spring onion there and they will open into a flower. The rest of the spring onion thinly slice and add half to the cooking steaks five minutes before they finished cooking and keep the other half for decoration.
See the pictures bellow to how arrange the dish, or do it your own way:

Kings Ridding on Gridled Cod & Roasted Veg

Today I went to town with my food recipe...I thought I would treat myself and the family, so this meal is a little more expensive to make but surely makes for it in taste.

Receita em PORTUGUES clique AQUI

Above you can see all the vegetables I put in the oven to bake, the potatoes are parboiled and marinated (photo taken with a yellow tint for effect, still trying to work out the camera)

I also cooked separately 3 sweet potatoes, and in a pan some broccoli steamed.
And here are the cooked vegetables.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1/2 green pepper (just for flavour thinly sliced)
• 250grs Charlotte onions (pealed and halved)
• 250grs pomodorino tomatoes or any sweet baby tomatoes (with a criss cross cut)
• 1 large courgette
• 1 large piece on broccoli (cut into pieces)
• 350grs cod fillet cut into portions (about 4-5)
• 200grs pealed and uncooked king prawns
• 3 large sweet potatoes
• 3 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
• some cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• and some olive oil (to put in various things)
• 1 lemon (cut into two halves, for juicing)
• 1 small bunch of parsley (finely chopped)
  

You marinade the following as described:

Potato marinade (to be applied once potato is parboiled):

salt & pepper to taste; paprika & olive oil (toss it)

Prawn marinade (applied to raw prawn):

Cayenne pepper; lemon juice (1/2); garlic slithers & salt and pepper taste.

Cod marinade (applied to raw cod portions):

Lemon juice (1/2); garlic slithers & salt and pepper taste.

Preparation:

Do all the marinades to the raw fish and prawns, cook the potatoes that have been previously pealed and cubed (you don't want to cook the potatoes just half cook them), then apply the marinade to the potatoes tossing them, place them in a tray, arranging into the tray add the Charlotte's halved and the sliced courgettes drizzle a little oil over them and sprinkle a little salt.

At the same time put in another tray the sweet potatoes also pealed and cubed, drizzle a little olive oil and sprinkle salt, cook in (200c) the oven for about 15 minutes, pull the potato and onions tray out and spread the tomatoes and the green pepper (all this time the fish is marinating) put back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes, at this stage put the broccoli steaming (should be done in 15-20 minutes) and all the other food is ready.

When they are about 3 minutes to finish cooking place the griddle on the stove and when pipping hot place the fish fillets skin up and cook until you can see the fish changing in colour indicating that is cooked up to half way then with a spatula turn around, get someone to start dishing the veg :) and by the time they finish the fish is cooked (use your judgement) them place the prawns in the griddle pan and follow same advice as the fish, just be aware the prawns cook very very quick indeed. Then just assemble it all on the plate and you can see the result bellow (don't forget the touch Parsley).

Above is a picture without the sweet potatoes bellow has sweet potatoes... Just illustrating that you can mix and match, you can leave the sweet potatoes out or maybe do parsnips instead ...or maybe you don't want fish you want a steak, why not, prawns go great with steak...your imagination is the only thing that limits you... "bon appetit"