Burn a Little - Bean and Feta Enchiladas and Steak

You can’t mess with time. Even if you could go back in time to change things you have done in the past, things will most probably end even worse.

What you could do, though, is a trip on memory lane, thinking about the things that you did and that happened and if you are clever enough, you could also learn from your mistakes. Or you could rediscover things you liked to do.

Anyway, today we will have at first some prawns and later something Mexican. After all we want some food. Some time ago, I bought a bag of Panko – Japanese breadcrumbs. I saw a dish on television – Panko Fried Prawns. For a long time I wanted to try it. Now I did.

Together with some chilli sauce it’s a lovely snack.

Side note: Just keep an eye on how much Panko Prawns you have going in the hot oil at the same time. If you use too many, the oil might just … eh … bubble over and spread on your oven top and … who knows what mayhem that might cause there.

Now we can go on with some Mexican food ...

Bean and Feta Enchiladas and Steak

The original idea was to make some vegetarian enchiladas, which indeed happened, but I felt I needed some more food, so I added the steak to the side. While the recipe mainly focuses on the Bean and Feta Enchiladas, I will mention a few things regarding the steak as well.

Ingredients:
Wheat tortillas
Creme fraîche
Chilli Sauce:
A splash of olive oil
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1-3 dried red chillies, finely chopped
400 ml tinned tomatoes
400 ml vegetables stock (or chicken stock for non vegetarian)
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. sugar
A splash of red wine vinegar
Enchilada Filling:
A splash of olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
140 g sweet corn
1 red or green capsicum, chopped
250 g kidney beans
Salt, pepper
Bunch of parsley, chopped
200 g feta cheese

Method:
First of all, we need to do our own chilli sauce. Start in a sufficiently sized pan with a splash of olive oil at medium temperature.

Chuck in the garlic and the onion and have them work in the pan until translucent. Then add the chillies, the tinned tomatoes, the vegetable stock, the oregano and the sugar.

Bring it all to the boil and leave to simmer.

Now you have plenty of time to prepare the filling for the enchiladas.

Somehow, we start in a similar way, here – another pan and another splash of olive oil at medium heat. Toss in the onion and … you know … until translucent.

Add the sweet corn, capsicum and kidney beans. Season with salt and pepper and let it all simmer for a while until the vegetables have softened a tiny bit.

Remove the content of the pan to a bowl and let it cool down slightly. Then mix in the parsley and the feta.

Check the chilli sauce. If you where not super fast with the filling, you can remove the sauce from the heat now. If you don’t like all the chunks of onion and tomato in your sauce, you can pass the sauce through a sieve.

Get yourself an oven-proof dish, that will hold at least five enchiladas. Lightly oil it.

Then get yourself a plate. Place a wheat tortilla on it and spoon a bit of the chilli sauce on it. Spread the sauce onto the tortilla. Place a part of the filling on the tortilla, roll it up and place it in the oven-proof dish. Pack those enchiladas all nice and tightly in the dish. When all enchiladas are in the dish, pour over the remaining chilli sauce and transfer the dish to the oven for about 30 minutes at 180 °C.

Meanwhile you could prepare the steak, if you wish to have it.

Have some butter in a pan and cook the steak to your liking in it. Once you have removed the steak from the pan and leave it to rest, you have some pieces of tomato and some stripes of capsicum go into the fat. Season them with salt and pepper.

When everything is finished, you can plate up.

Place the tomatoes and capsicum first, the steak on top of it and some roasted onions on top of that (figure out yourself how to get those onions).

Put one enchilada on the side. You can garnish it with some chopped up parsley and add also a spoon of creme fraîche on the side to mellow the effect of the chilli sauce.

Enjoy!

Of course, I used three dried chillies in the sauce, but I didn’t feel it so much. So, don’t be afraid. While the chilli sauce itself might be quite hot, you won’t feel it so much in the finished product.

Lovely! I enjoyed my meal very much and I reckon and I keep on saying, I need some more Mexican food in my life and ... apart from that hot food will help you to burn and by that I don't just mean that it will burn in your mouth, but it could also aid you in burning off some fat you might not like in your body. I guess it always works for me.

Anyway ... keep enjoying your life and ... we will do the same here!

Let's wrap again - Mushroom & Courgette Wraps

Come on, let's do a kettle wrapping. The good thing, there is not just one way to do it and you don't always have to use wheat tortillas to do so, although you can, of course. Well, you don't even have to use chicken or any other kind of meat. With that spirit, let's wrap again and do it the veggie way ...

Fine, you don't have to use cheese in it, but I simply can't do it any other way ... or ... rather don't see any point in leaving out cheese for me.
So, no matter how you like to have your wraps, here I tell you what I did this time ...

Ingredients:
A bit of oil
250 g mushrooms, cut into smaller pieces
1 medium courgette, cut into cube-like objects
1 red chilli, finely chopped (deseeded or not)
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp. tomato puree
Salt and pepper
Some fresh coriander
Some feta cheese or similar
Some lettuce or wheat tortillas

Method:
Heat up a pan with some oil in it. Then add the chopped garlic. Do you smell the loveliness of the garlic in your kitchen? Good, add the courgette and mushrooms. Give it all some heat. While you are at it, toss in the chilli.
Once the courgette starts to soften, add the tomato puree and if you have the feeling you need to, because things look to dry, add some more oil.

Adjust the taste with a bit of salt and pepper. When the things are finished in the pan, you can assemble the wraps or wait a few moments to let the mushrooms and courgette cool down a little bit.
So, place a bit of the mixture on a large piece of lettuce, that will hold. Add a few cubes of feta and a some chopped coriander leaves.
Of course, you can place the plate also the other way around like this ...

Fine, you can even use some wheat tortillas and wrap things that way ...

Enjoy your wrapping. Now I have to continue to do some preparations for a little party I am having tomorrow ...

Mexican Guacamole and Beef Wraps

You can not avoid it, whether you like it or not. At the moment it's football, on television, radio, in conversations and ... yes ... and food blogs, too. No worries, though, I will focus on the food here. 
Today we are concentrating on Mexico, although it would have been interesting to have some Dutch, Spanish or Cameroonian food. As you know, or maybe not, Mexican is one of my favourite cuisines and it ignited (not just because of the chillies) my interest for cooking in the first place.
Therefore, it's the only right thing to give you some Mexican food today and ... Guacamole and Beef Wraps it will be.

I show them unwrapped to you, so you get a better picture ... or was it just the fact I couldn't stand it any longer to wait to eat the food.

Ingredients:
One ripe avocado
Juice of two limes
3-5 red chillies, finely chopped
3-5 cocktail tomatoes, quartered
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
One small onion, finely chopped
Salt, pepper
Beef steaks
Olive oil
Wheat tortillas
Cheddar cheese
Fresh coriander, chopped up

Method:
First of all marinate the beef for at  least half an hour. Oh, yes, of course, with the following, the juice of one lime, a splash of olive oil, 1-2 garlic cloves, 2-3 red chillies, salt and pepper.
Then go for the guacamole. Spoon out the flesh from your avocado and mix it together with the remaining lime juice, chillies and garlic and while we are at it, the tomatoes and onion. Season according to your taste with salt and pepper.
Now, after the beef has marinated enough, cook the meat with some more olive oil in a pan. Leave to rest afterwards and cut into pieces.
If you haven't made fresh wheat tortillas for yourself, you need to heat them up a bit now. Spread some of the guacamole on each tortilla and add a few pieces of beef. Grate over some cheddar cheese and be generous with some fresh coriander.

Ready to eat. Fold it once and eat quickly or bother to wrap things up properly and eat. Don't forget to enjoy it. If it's too hot, you are too weak or you simply need to use less chillies.

Here we go again with Bloggers Around the World: World Cup 2014 Brazil.

Additionally I will send this post over to Karen's (Lavender and Lovage) Cooking with Herbs, which is hosted this month on Lancashire food.

"Empty chairs at empty tables" ... Beef wrap and beyond

Here comes another strange beginning of a post ... after a few days of silence. Don't be disappointed, if you are not able to grasp the full meaning of what I'm going to say. I try not to stir up too much confusion ...

"There's a grief that can't be spoken.
There's a pain goes on and on.
Empty chairs at empty tables
Now my friends are dead and gone."

Well, to clear things up right away: no one of my friends died. I simply didn't want to tear the strophe apart.
While it may be of advantage to have it quiet and enjoy some peace, under other circumstances the same situation could be a cause for grieving. When all the chairs at the tables in a restaurant would be empty for a long time that would be very disadvantageous.
Fine, I don't have a restaurant, no worries! There might be empty chairs at empty tables, but no one pays me for my food anyway.
It's only I have to manage to eat up all the amounts of food by myself. 
Along that line it happened to be the case there were still some unused wheat tortillas left that needed attention. Therefore it was only natural to have some wraps. I went to buy some minced beef and then the story begins to unfold ...

Beef wrap:
A bit of oil
300 g minced beef
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1 tbs tabasco ... or more (?)
1 tbs tomato puree
300 g kidney beans
Salt and flaked chili
Some wheat tortillas
Red onion, in rings
Iceberg lettuce
Grated cheese (hopefully)

Go for it:

Start frying the beef in a bit of oil until it takes on colour. Then add the tomato puree and tabasco and stir.
It's time for the beans to join. Just do it! Let it warm through and season with salt, chili and the crushed fennel seeds.
A bit more on the fire and the meat is ready.
Now heat up the wheat tortillas somehow. After that it's time to wrap it up.
Take some of the beef, a bit chopped iceberg lettuce, a few onion rings and some grated cheese. If you like you can add a bit of your favourite sauce.
Sadly I forgot to add the cheese, but originally I wanted to use it.

As you see, though, such an amount of beef and bean mixture would be just too much for one person in one go. So I had to come up with something else.
No worries! Have some pizza, I thought. While preparing the dough I got confronted with other ideas. I prepared too much dough anyway ... good for two pizzas.

A not so cleverly taken photo doesn't reveal, what happened to the beef and bean mixture, but you simply have to belief me that it is inside.
What about the other half of the dough?

Bacon and egg pizza. Can you imagine to eat those two alone? Or what about pizza for breakfast ...

... you wouldn't do that, would you?

Back now to were we began our journey of this post. For those of you who have a bit of interest in music or musicals, to be a bit more precise, may have already noticed those lines at the beginning ...

While roaming the streets of London on my own, suddenly I had the idea to go and see it. I wasn't disappointed.
Afterwards, it wasn't too late, I still needed some food. Nearby I found an empty table with empty cairs at the Cafe España. Altough the food wasn't looking too fancy, I enjoyed some good tapas.

Some patatas bravas, bread with garlic cream and some aubergine. There was also some chicken with a lemony sauce. However, that was last year and I didn't manage to take some nicer photos.
Now it happened to be the case that they managed to make a musical movie of Les Misérables behind my back. Nevertheless, I noticed it finally. So I have no chance, but to see it on it's own and see how it is.
At least, the music is already in my head and ... "Empty chairs at empty tables" ...

Pimiento Mexicano con Huevos

It's time to turn up the heat and have some Mexican food. After all we are already having entries for this month's Bloggers Around the World. Either everyone is turning to have more time or it is an easier theme this month or even both.
Anyhow, I already prepared a few things to share with you this month. After all this theme is kind of special to me, but we have to wait until after the cooking before I disclose some further facts about me ... this time in connection with Mexico and Mexican food.
The main stars of the following recipe are bell pepper and eggs.

Let's go for it then ...

We need:
Splash of olive oil
1 red onion, finely copped
1 yellow, red , and greed bell pepper respectively, cut into stripes
2 red chilies, finely chopped
2 tbs tomato puree
100 ml cream
100 grated cheese 
2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered

We do:
Gently fry the onion a little bit and then add the bell peppers together with the chilies and then sauté them for about 15 minutes.
At this point add the tomato puree and cream and let go for another 10 minutes.
Now you add the cheese, spoon it through and let the cheese melt. That shouldn't take too long.
Finally add the eggs and let things on heat until the eggs are also warmed a bit. Once more, that shouldn't take too long.
Serve together with some wheat tortillas, which can be easily prepared by yourself as well. You just need flour, salt, cream and water to make the dough.
Dig in!

So far about my entry for Bloggers Around the World: Mexico. However, I can tell you, that I had leftovers. What I did with them I'll tell you later.

Now again some facts:

1. The first  cookbook I ever bought was about Mexican food.
2. That was what started my interest in cooking. 
3. Sometimes I turn on Mexican music, when I'm cooking Mexican food.
4. It would not sound too nice, if I would sing along.
5. I have been to Mexico once. 
6. I stayed for about 5 minutes and took me longer to get out then in.
7. I would like to go to Mexico, properly at another time to see some ancient ruins.
8. There is also a book I have about the Maya ruins and at one point I even thought of becoming an archaeologist.
9. My Spanish could use some polishing up.
10. Enchiladas belong to my favourite foods.

So, here we are already at the end of this post. Have you made up your mind yet and decided what you are going to cook for the Mexican themed Bloggers Around the World? Or what do you think can be done with the lefovers of Pimiento Mexicano con Huevos?

... and it is still burning!

I really don't know what is going on. What is this going to be? Garnachas! Have you heard about it before. This is a Mexican dish, usually eaten as an appetiser. I used to make them back then (whatever that is supposed to mean). Anyway, when you have read my past posts, I mentioned something about an old notebook and trying certain recipes when I was younger. Here goes another one. I did these garnachas once with a younger friend of mine. He was still going to school at that time and, of course, was living with his parents. They called these garnachas "Hu hus" or something like that, resembling the sound you would make with your mouth trying to cool down the heat.
Whatsoever, that was not the point I wanted to get to. Somehow it seems for the last few weeks, my "culinary life" is just passing by before me again. Whatever that is supposed to mean (oh oh).
Now it's time for chillies.

Garnachas with tomato-apple salsa

That is how we want it to look like, or similar. At least, this is the rough direction.
But how do we get there?

For the tortilla dough you need:
500 g flour
a pinch of salt
100 ml single cream
lukewarm water until the dough is dough

Mix all the ingredients together for the dough, but only enough water for it to be as it should be: smooth, elastic dough. So, time for workout again. We really should do this more often. Leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes. That leaves you with all the time in the world to get your salsa ready. Well, you have only 30 minutes, but this should be enough, that is if you are not totally ... it should be sufficient time.

For the salsa you need:
1-2 red apples (as you like it)
250 g of tomatoes
one red chili (fresh or dried)
a small handful of mixed nuts
a bunch of chives
a bunch of coriander
juice of one lime
a good glug of olive oil
salt 


A salsa that is quite similar to this I found in the book "Jamie's America" (If you like you can have a look. Maybe you prefer his salsa. No worries!).
Remove the core from the apples and cut it into small cube like bits. The tomatoes want to be cut into small pieces as well. When talking about the chili the small pieces part applies as well ... and for the nuts and for the chives and for the coriander. Before throwing all these small pieces together, roast the nuts for a few minutes in a dry pan. You get a nice nutty - no not what you think - smell.
As I said mix the small bits and pieces together, add the juice of the lime and the olive oil and season with a bit of salt. Taste it! How is it? Maybe you can adjust it still with a bit more lime juice or salt.
Are the 30 minutes over yet? Then you can go on. We are getting closer.


Now you need:
200 g of feta cheese
one red onion, finely chopped
chili sauce
one extra lime


As for the chili sauce, you can buy it ready or you can try a recipe from the book "Jamie's America". That is what I did some time ago, so I knew I still had some nice chili sauce left for this recipe. Or still you may have another preferred recipe for it.
Divide your dough into, let's say, 16 small balls. Flatten them to about 0,5 cm and make them as round as you can/want. Then fry them from both sides, maybe four at the same time, in a large dry hot pan. They don't need to get totally brown and crispy - just a touch of it.
While that is happening you can pre-heat your oven to 180°C.
When you have finished with the frying, dip the blank garnachas in the chili sauce. If you don't like it THAT hot, just sprinkle a bit of the sauce on them.
Place the drenched garnachas on a baking tray layered with baking paper. Put some of the red onion and a bit of feta cheese on each one. Bake in the oven until the cheese has started to melt. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes. If you like to use other cheese, just feel free to do so. That may even go faster.
Once the melting is ready, remove the tray from the oven and serve the garnachas with some of the salsa on top and with a wedge of lime to it.

Dig in!

Honestly (I always do my best to be), the whole thing was quite hot (dried chillies bring more heat)!However, what do they say: "A chili a day keeps the doctor away!" (Or was it something else?!?)

... and it is still burning!