Thursday 17 September 2009

King Prawn Bean Stew with Garlic Basmati



Recipe Ingredients: (enough for 4)
  • 400 grs basmati rice
  • 3 cans (400grs each) borlotti or butter beans
  • 350 grs skinless king prawns (uncooked)
  • 50 grs of chourizo thinly sliced
  • 1 carrot minced
  • 1 onion minced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 150 mls tomato pulp (or passata)
  • 1 pinch of cayenne
  • 1 soup spoon of paprika
  • 1 bunch of coriander finely chopped
  • 2 large bayleafs
  • a little olive oil, salt and black pepper (to taste)




One of the tastier things I have ever eaten in the restaurant MetrisPlanet in Faro Portugal. I loved it so much that I had to recreate it, also must confess that I went back and back to that restaurant to eat that meal over and over again during my holidays. Of course they didn't give me the recipe so I had to create my own version based on taste and look s alone, and if I may say turned out quite excellent.

I used butter beans which were nice however whenever I will do this again I will use either borlotti or white beans, as the butter beans were a little floury in texture and I prefer a smother texture almost creamy. At Metris Planet restaurant a portion for two was €16 which means only €8 per person, which is a great price, but think the portion given in quantity was really enough for over 4 people excellent value, if ever in Portugal in the Algarve I would recommend you to visit this restaurant.


Well... To make this dish, place a wok pan on the heat and add to it a little olive oil once well hot ad to it: garlic, onion, carrot, bay-leafs, chourizo, cayenne pepper and the paprika. Let these cook up until the onion starts to caramelize, which then you add the: drained beans and tomato pulp, and once is back to boiling put the lid on reduce heat to minimum and let it simmer for around 40 minutes, mixing occasionally so that it doesn't stick to the bottom. Twenty minutes into the cooking add the salt and black pepper.

Lastly ad the prawns and the chopped coriander (reserving a little coriander for the decoration of the dish), cooking these for 3-4 minutes the prawn will change from a greyish colour to the nice orange colour when cooked, must not overcook them as instead of soft they will turn hard and rubbery.

As to the rice cook this one in water and salt with a little of oil and a couple of crushed garlic cloves for the garlic flavour cook it for 10-12 minutes (check pack for cooking times). Once fully cooked I drained the rice and while draining passed boiling water through it to remove excess starch as this is no good for your health.


Then is just a matter of dishing it and eating it....Bon Appetite xxxxxxx




Monday 31 August 2009

Quorn "Meat" Balls with Tomato and Mint Sauce



Recipe Ingredients: (enough for 4)
  • 1 pkt of Quorn balls (these can also be soya balls or any other vegetarian substitute, in the case of not being able to find these you can use full button mushrooms about 300 grs, or real meat)
  • 300 grs spaghetti
  • 1 diced onion
  • 1 large diced courgette
  • 1 very finely diced carrot
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 piece of ginger root the size of a garlic piece minced
  • 2 finely chopped medium hot chillies
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • 1 can of Italian plum tomatoes diced
  • 1 soup spoon of paprika
  • 11 chopped fresh mint leaves
  • a little bunch of chopped parsley
  • 4 soup spoons of fresh single cream (I used very little as I wish this dish to be healthy)
  • a little olive oil, salt and black pepper (to taste)



To cook the spaghetti put a pan on the stove with some water and a little salt and vegetable oil (a couple of soup spoons full), the salt will enhance the spaghetti flavour and the oil will stop the water over-frothing when boiling the pasta due to the starch in the spaghetti. This will take 10-12 minutes to be fully cooked which should be enough time to do the sauce.

To do the sauce I used a wok pan, with a little olive oil on the stove high temp, once hot I added the, onion, courgette, garlic, carrot, ginger and chilli + seasoning. Once the onion is semi-transparent (around 4 minutes add the Quorn balls, stock cube and tomatoes, bring this to the boil and reduce heat to medium let it cook another 6-10 minutes at this stage add the cream and mint cook for a further 1-2 minutes, remove from the heat and add the parsley, mix well and serve over the spaghetti. Enjoy!!!


Friday 21 August 2009

Broccoli Spears and King Prawn Quinoa



A delicious and healthy recipe, that is light and well suited to this time of year (summer). Also long awaited by you my followers, with my apologies for the wait.

Recipe Ingredients: (for 4 people)
  • 350grs Quinoa
  • 250 Pealed Prawn (raw) cut in halves
  • 1 white onion, chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, diced
  • 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
  • 200grs broccoli spears, (branches sliced)
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
  • 4 mild chillies, chopped
  • 1 piece of ginger (size of a garlic clove) minced
  • 1 fish stock cube (like knorr or Oxo)
  • 1/2 can plum tomatoes pealed and chopped
  • 1 soup spoon of turmeric
  • 1/2 soup spoon of paprika
  • 2 soup spoons of chopped coriander
  • olive oil, salt and black pepper to taste (+ 1/4 glass of wine "red or white)



Preparation:

Put In a pan about three to four tablespoons of olive oil ,a pinch of salt and a little pepper. Place this one on the heat and let it heat, once hot add the onion, garlic, ginger, carrot, chilli, chopped branches of broccoli, chives, paprika and turmeric. Cook a little for about 1 to 2 minutes stirring occasionally, when it starts to get a little stuck to the pan, de-glacé it with 1 / 4 cup of white or red wine, and it will form a thick sauce, to which you add a glass of water, the tomatoes, broccoli, the fish stock and the Quinoa .

Once boiling reduce the heat to minimum and put a lid on the pan, watching it from time to time to see if a little more water is needed, let cook for about ten minutes, then add the prawns and let it cook three to four minutes more stirring occasionally, adding last coriander cover the pan again with the lid and let stand about two to three minutes which will make it ready to serve .... bon appetit.


Thursday 13 August 2009

Holidays, and apologies!!!

Me and my pearly whites (hair too) :)
and you can see I just been on hols as I am unshaven.
Quarteira Beach

I have been on holidays, all went well and I had a whale of a time, as I ate fresh fish nearly everyday ... which was planed so as here in the UK is difficult to get fish of that same quality and as fresh, unless you live by the seaside. But mainly I went to to Portugal to have an implant done, and to whiten my teeth, which I done both....was totally painless and at a fraction of the price here in the UK (I will put details bellow) The total cost of an implant including bitumen and crown (zicornea porcelain) is around 1200 Euros, while the starting price for a lower quality implant in the UK is £2000. The clinic is in Faro, a few minutes in a car from the airport, Dentist Nuno Jorge, Dental Clinic Ria Faro (picture Bellow) well worth the trip a holiday and super cheap cosmetic dental treatments as well as normal ones too.





Now MY APOLOGIES, for not having communicated that I went on holidays and not posting here, leaving you to guess. I am so sorry but the trip was sudden. Hope I am forgiven.
Will soon post pics of the holidays. Thanks for following me and supporting me...appreciated.

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Rico - Tried and Tested Recipes

Hi my name is Rico (short for Ricardo) will regularly add more food content to this blog, all my recipes are tried and tested, as I make them and eat them as well as my family, so I wouldn't give you something that is not good.

Recipes published here, will try to conform to the following criteria:

-Easy to create or bake.
-Will be nutritious, wholesome and healthy as well as economical too.
- Will be varied and inventive, mostly created by me.
-Occasionally I will treat you to some indulgent ones. But just as a treat. lol :)
- If I use other blog recipes will be to pey homenage and I will definitly link it, appreciated if the same is done for mine.

I will try to respond to all comments made, and visit their owners, however I run a no strings attached blog here when I comment on other blogs I do not expect to have them come here the same way I don't accept if I am commented on that the person will expect my visit to their blog, no commitments, but as I said I will try.

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