Fresh Tomato Salsa (and other goodies)

I invited a friend over for a casual lunch and I went for a Mexican theme. Firstly, I must say, I was craving for some chilli con carne desperately and I had loads of fresh veggies in the house. My mother had bought some beautiful ripe organic tomatoes from the market for me and I decided to put them to the test. If my salsa turned out perfect, then the tomatoes had to be real (ie with no preservatives or chemically treated, as the great majority of supermarket tomatoes are- sadly!)

(Mildly Hot) Fresh Tomato Salsa

Type of cuisine: Mexican

500 g of freshly picked country tomatoes

3-4 garlic crushed garlic cloves 

1 small red onion

a pinch of salt

1/2 tsp of brown sugar

hot chilly and pepper (to taste)

chopped parsley

oregano

rosemary

basil

thyme

olive oil

the juice from a slice of lemon

Method

Dice the tomatoes and the red onion, crush the garlic and chop the parsley. 

Fry the garlic and the red onion in olive oil and when they start to change their colour add the tomatoes with the sugar. Add the herbs and simmer for 20 minutes or so till the salsa has a thicker consistency. 

Season with salt, pepper and hot chilly and finish with chopped parsley and lemon juice. 

I use hot chilly WITH CAUTION because I can't stand hot food, but really hot chilly is optional. I always leave it handy on the table so, if somebody feels the dish should have been hotter, then they should help themselves freely. :)

We took a virtual trip to Mexico & beyond with Chilly Con Carne, tortilla chips with tomato salsa, guacamole, mango & cucumber salsa, rice, butter glazed sweet corn and plum and fig clafoutis.

Thank you, Dani for a nice afternoon, thank you, Mike for opening the bottle of wine (Concha y Toro) and thank you, God for inspiration!

I hope you guys aren't too hungry while browsing my blog as we speak :)  xoxo

PS. Yes, the tomatoes were real!!! :)

chilli con carne, baby :)

Mexico lindo y querido

plum & fig clafoutis

Beet Hummus with Tortilla Chips

I've discovered today that beetroot has fallen in love* with hummus, merging into one the most delicious and surprising fusion dishes: Beet hummus with tortilla chips. What an exciting combination! This tapas combines two old school Middle Eastern ingredients with the simplicity of the beetroot, accompanied by crunchy tortilla chips. Ole! 

* OK, I have fallen in love with it :)

Type of cuisine: Vegetarian, Middle Eastern/Mexican, Fusion

This snack is basically a great combo of what you already have in your pantry. You need:

a 400g can of chickpeas

a 400g can of diced beetroot

2 tbs of tahini paste

a pinch of cumin

2-3 cloves of crushed garlic

2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

some lemon juice

a pinch of salt

Method

Mix the chickpeas and the beetroot with the tahini paste, cumin, garlic, the lemon juice (or lime) and the olive oil and puree them using a vertical blender or the food processor.  Season with salt and transfer to a small serving bowl. 

My impression

As you already know, I love Middle Eastern food very much and this recipe (adapted from Food Lovers' Lunch collection) brings together two of the most notable ingredients of Lebanese and Mexican cuisines: tahini and tortillas. The result will totally blow you away, as it has blown me away. The pink humus will remind you of strawberry mousse, so it's great for parties. People don't normally expect to have anything pink as a starter!  The tortilla chips paired with the hummus taste absolutely divine. One wouldn't even guess there's an ocean and thousands of kilometeres separating the two continents.  Now, that's what I call fusion! 

sprinkle freshly ground pepper to decorate the plate

tortilla chip with beet hummus

Chilli con Carne (y con mucho, mucho amor)

I haven't posted anything this week. If it looked like laziness on my part, I want to assure you it was not. I've been very busy and we all know, time flies. I was looking at the stats and I noticed that you've been checking me out even though the blog was frozen still. I really appreciate your reading the outpourings of my heart. This week I have cooked some delicious bites for Mike and me, for my father and for guests, and on Wednesday we ate out in a Japanese restaurant. 

A couple of days ago I made Chilli con Carne, and I should add ... con mucho, mucho amor. Making Chilli con Carne must be a deliberate act of love. Love for this amazing combination of herbs and spices, meat and fresh veggies, and passion for a country whose language, history, people, and music I love. In a nutshell,  Mexico Lindo Y Querido. 

This amazing and ridiculously easy dish won't take you longer than 20-25 minutes, if you have everything cleaned, washed, pealed, cut, chopped, diced and you are ready to rock :)

Chilly con Carne 

Type of cuisine: Mexican/Low-Fat

Difficulty: easy

Time: preparation time- 15 minutes, cooking time- 25 minutes max

chilly con carne with guacamole, salad and tortilla chips

You will need

half a kilo of minced lean beef

half a can of diced tomatoes or 4 tomatoes

a 450g can of kidney beans

spring onions

1 red onion

1 red pepper

1 tsp paprika

 a tiny pinch of cinnamon

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

a pinch of sugar (to sprinkle over the tomatoes)

a pinch of hot chilli (or more, if you can handle it) :)

4 cloves of garlic (crushed)


a pinch of salt

Method

In a wok fry the red onion in a spoonful of olive oil. Add the crushed garlic and the minced meat and let them brown. Work in the spices (cinnamon, cumin, paprika). Open a can of diced tomatoes and add half a can with a tablespoon of brown sugar. Sprinkle some oregano. 

Cut the red pepper finely (I hate large chunks of vegetables when I cook Mexican) and add it to the meat.

Season with salt.  Add chilli powder to taste.

5 minutes before the meat is cooked, open the can of kidney beans, drain the water and mix with the beef.

Chop the spring onion and incorporate gradually. 

There are many reasons why I love this dish. Here are just a few.

• I am all for any low-fat meal. I cook Chilli con Carne  mainly in the evening, so I feel guilt-free having a second helping (if I wish to do so)

• I am not always in the mood for slow-cooking. This dish is done in the blink of an eye. 

• It gives me another reason to make guacamole! 

• Because I love mariachi, traditional Mexican music and Alejandro Fernandez, and I hum along the songs (but only when I'm certain nobody can hear me) *embarrassed*

the heart of an avocado