Delicious Cottage Pie

Cottage pie is perfect comfort food. Rich, creamy, cheesy mashed potato on top of mince in unctuous gravy. For me, the secret is an over abundance of Irish butter. My rule of thumb is keep adding it until you think you've put too much in, then double the amount. So, not an everyday dish, but a great treat now and then. I like to add soy sauce and fish sauce, not enough that you taste them, but  just so they add their umami flavours to the dish.

INGREDIENTS

120g potato

700g beef mince

2 onions

3 carrots

50g frozen peas

2Tbsp soy sauce

2Tbsp fish sauce

2Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 glass red wine

1/2 stock cube

20g cheddar cheese

10g parmesan cheese

Enough butter to grease a large pig

Instructions:

1: Pre-heat the oven to 200 C. Wash your potatoes, and peel if you prefer. If some are significantly larger than others, cut them so they are all roughly the same size. Place in a steamer and cook for 20-25 minutes until soft. Transfer to a bowl, and mash. Add salt, pepper and as much butter as you like (I recommend a lot). Add the grated cheddar cheese and fold into the mash.

2: Brown the mince in a frying pan. If your pan is too small, brown it in batches so as not to over crowd the pan. Transfer to a bowl.

3: Finely chop the onions and add to the pan with a bit of oil. Dice the carrots and add them as well. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the onion has started to brown and the carrots soften.

4: Add the mince back to the pan. Add the sauces, wine, and stock cube with a bit of warm water. Stir, then adjust the seasonings to your taste. Keep cooking to thicken the sauce, adding more water if needed. You're aiming for nice, rich gravy for the mince.

5; Pour the mince into an oven proof dish. Layer the mash on top and spread it evenly. Take this opportunity to add more butter on top. Sprinkle on the parmesan, and place the dish in the oven for 30 minutes, until the top is crisp and brown. Serve with a salad, in a vain attempt to make up for all that butter.

                                                       

TIPS

• When cooking the potatoes, I prefer to steam them; by cooking them this way, the potatoes don't absorb too much water, leading to fluffier mash. If you don't have a steamer, just boil them.
• Before placing in the oven, run a fork over the surface of the mash to make little ridges. This helps to make a crispy surface, and increases the surface area for absorbing even more butter.
• For the stock, I like using Marigold stock powders. Since they come in powder form, it's easier to gauge how much to add and adjust to your taste. Even better though, if you have some home made stock to hand, use that instead.
• Butter. More butter.

Tequeños (Venezuelan cheese sticks)

Tequeños, or cheese sticks, are commonly served at parties, weddings, reunions or any day for kids' lunch at school! It is basically a Latin American institution. People always says that "a party without Tequeños is not a party." They are so tasty that I decided to try to make it for the first time, and succeeded the first time around! If you are thinking of having a party at home, try to make them, everyone is gonna love you! In Venezuela we use a white cheese specially for frying. but in Ireland it is really hard to find it so this time a gave a try with Greek cheese. It totally worked!

Ingredients (for 15 tequeños)

1  1/2 cups of all purpose flour

1 tsp of salt 

1 egg

1 Tbsp of vegetable oil

1/3 cup of water
200g Greek/feta cheese

                                                         Vegetable oil for frying

For the dip

2 Tbsp of mayonnaise

2 garlic gloves

1 tsp of chives

Preparation

1) Cut the cheese into thin slices.

2) Mix the salt and flour and place it like a volcano shape on the kitchen surface. Make a hole in the center and add the egg and the Tbsp of oil. Mix together with your hands.

3) Incorporate the water slowly until the consistence of the mix becomes soft and flexible, and isn't sticky (don´t use all the water if it is not necessary).

4) Place the dough on a floury surface and roll out until you get a thin, big square. Cut the edges first and then cut the square into strips . Wrap the dough around each slice of cheese (like in the video).

5) In a sauce pan, add enough oil to cover the tequeños, and when hot, place the tequeños and cook until they are golden brown.

6) Put them on a paper towel or a servillete to absorb the extra oil.

Dip Preparation

Finely dice the garlic and the chives and mix with the mayo.

TIPS

1) With a bit of water in your fingers, close all the spaces between layers to keep the cheeses inside while frying.

2) Place the tequeños in the freezer until it's time to serve.

Note

It is the first time for me making this dish. I have almost no experience in wrapping the cheese but if I managed to do it, so will you. 

ENJOY!!!  

Chicken with Rice / Arroz con Pollo

This is a very traditional dish from Latin America, specifically from Venezuela. It is similar to paella from Spain with a Latino touch. As with our other recipes, this one is easy to prepare, full flavoured, delicious, with a hint of spice.

INGREDIENTS

800 gs of chicken thighs

1 onion (diced)

1 1/2 peppers (diced)

2 garlic gloves

6 tomato cherry

1 1/2 cup of parboil or brown rice

1 tsp of turmeric

2 tsp of salt

1 stock cube

1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce

4 1/2 cup of hot water + more

2 Bay leaves

1 tsp of black pepper

A handfull of peas

2 Tbsp of olive oil

PREPARATION

In a bowl, season the chicken with salt and pepper and add the onion and pepper, cut into big peaces. Add the garlic, bay leaves and the Worcestershire sauce. Mix it using your hands.

                                     

In a deep frying pan, or any pan with high sides, put the oil and let it heat. Once hot, take the chicken from the bowl and add it to the pan with the oil (leave the veggies aside), and cook it with the bay leaves.

                  

 When the thighs are browned on both sides, add the veggies and let it cook. 

                         

Add the rice and stir everything with a spoon. Add the water, the stock and the turmeric. Add the Tomatoes and Simmer until all the liquid as evaporated and the rice is cooked. 

Add more water if needed (I actually love when the rice is soft and soupy).

Add the peas 10 min before turning off the pan.

                           

TIPS

• I never take the skin off of the chicken, I find it tasty, but feel free to remove them if you prefer. 

• There is nothing much to say, I sometimes use extra amount of water while cooking the rice, it depends on the rice brand used. For example, I used organic brown rice I found in the organic market in Rathgar and it took a while to cook. Anyway, if water is needed, add some and then try a bit of the liquid to check the salt.

•  You can cut the veggies however you want. I quite like my rice with big chunks

• Accompany with a lightly dress green salad. 

Lime Pie

LIME PIE

Is time for something sweet, so I decided to finally share my lime pie recipe! It is extremely easy to make and tastes gorgeous.

Ingredients

1 packet of rich tea biscuits 

1 can of condensed milk

2  egg yolk

2 limes

200 gs of salted butter (melted)

BASE PREPARATION

Pre-heat the oven to 180 C

Whiz the biscuits in a blender until they are powdered, and pass it to a bowl. Add the melted butter and with a fork, mix together and place it into a pie base plate or any other base you have already buttered. Press it down firmly, the place it in the oven for 15-20 min

LIME CREAM PREPARATION

In the same blender (cleaned) place the condensed milk, yokes and lime and mix together. Let it rest until the base is done. 

When the base is done, add the cream that you made before. Let it rest until it is cool.

Put it in the fridge for an hour. Once the cream has set, it is ready to serve.

TIPS

While the base is in the oven, check the color. It should a pale brown.

If you want to add more lime to make it more sour go for it, the lime doesn't affect the consistency of the cream, it actually makes it thicker.

I never add decoration, just a little bit of lime zest and that's it. It is perfect by itself.

Quick Thai Green Curry

                                                                                So, in our quest to bring you the best of Venezuelan and Irish food, allow me to present... Thai curry.

Well, our main mission is to bring you the food we love, and this is a particular favourite of Eileen and I. That creamy, spicy, sweet and sour sauce is certainly hard to beat. 

This recipe is also very easy to do. I make this almost every week (leftovers for days), and can get this out in twenty minutes, making it a great mid-week meal. Furthermore, you can follow the recipe below, but feel free to swap any veggies and protein you prefer, taking advantage of what ever is left in your fridge.

Before we begin, I just wanted to address the Thai elephant in the room. Now, I'm not making my own this time (if people want I can give a recipe for that in a later post), but this doesn't make this recipe any less authentic, few people would ever make their own paste. Anyway, I feel the added convenience far outweighs any possible loss of authenticity.

Ingredients

For 4-5 people

1/2 Kg pork loin

1 can of coconut milk

2 Tbs green curry paste

2-4 Tbs fish sauce

2 tsp palm sugar

3-4 kaffir lime leaves

1 pepper

1 bundle of asparagus

150g mangetout

4 tsp vegetable oil

Method

Heat some oil in a saucepan. When hot, add the curry paste, stirring and heating for about 30 seconds, until all the fragrances are released. Add the coconut milk, then fill the empty can with water, and add that to the pan as well. Add the fish sauce, palm sugar and kaffir lime leaves. Taste the sauce and adjust it how you like (I like to go overboard on the fish sauce). Gently bring to the boil.

While the sauce is heating up, it's time to prepare your protein. Today, we're going with a pork loin. With a sharp knife, remove any excess fat and the silvery membrane. Cut into into thin slices and add to the curry sauce. Stir, and let cook for 5-8 minutes, depending on how thickly you cut it, until done.

Cut the asparagus and peppers into large chunks. Add all the vegetables to the curry sauce, stir and cook for about a minute and a half, until they are done to your liking. 

Serve with jasmine rice.

Tips

• Many supermarkets will sell dry kaffir lime leaves these days, but I don't think they are worth it. If they are all you can find, re-hydrate them first in a little hot water before adding to the coconut milk. For preference, buy frozen leaves from an Asian supermarket. These can be added straight from the freezer and have a far superior taste than the dried king.
• As I said earlier, the meat and vegetables in this dish can be swapped out with anything you want: chicken, shrimp, tofu, green beans, broccoli, bean sprouts, whatever you have to hand.
• For a red curry, simply use a red curry paste and follow the rest of the recipe. Again, I'd recommend visiting your local Asian market  when buying paste. You can get more, and of better quality, and generally for cheaper.

Arepas

Whenever anyone asks what is the most typical Venezuela food, the answer is AREPAS. There´s several articles that put it first on the list of best breakfasts around the world. I don't know if it´s true but I wouldn't be surprised! Arepa is very easy to make, is cheap,  is versatile and also addictive. Paddy loved it and because arepas are GLUTEN FREE and DAIRY FREE he always eats them. He's become an expert making them, even the shape of his arepa is perfect! You can eat arepas any time of the day! I promise, you´ll be addicted too if you try it.

The recipe is super easy, you just need a packet of this beautiful flour ( you can usually find it in Asian or Middle Eastern shops in Dublin) and you are ready to be happy!

Ingredients

for 4 people

2 cups of PAN flower

water

1/2 tsp of salt

for the filling:

Butter for spreading

Black and white pudding

Pickles

Tomatoes

(you can use everything you can think of, but we tried to make a Venezuelan-Irish fusion)

Direction:

Place the water in a bowl and add a tsp of salt, add the flour slowly while mixing with your hands,
until the mix is soft  and slightly sticky (a texture that you can shape without it falling apart).
Turn on your grill to medium heat and heat up a frying pan.





Now going back to the mix,  make a ball with both hands and  press it into a thick disc like in the picture. Put some oil on the pan and place the arepas, Let it cook until it gets brown and flip it over to cook the other side.

Cut the Arepas in half and fill it with butter and add all you want to.. Ham, cheese, tuna, scrambled eggs, meat, chicken etc.

                                           Now the Joy

                                                                                                                                                                                                   



TIPS

• Try to make a soft mix, add more water if needed or more flour if need to thicken. (the first time is a challenge but you find your way
• Most people in Venezuela use this milk sauce name "suero" that is not available in Ireland but i found a way to replace it:g reek yogurt from Lidl and 2 pinch of salt mix it and use it as a dip for your arepas
• We usually put them in the oven to make it crispy,  if you don't want to use the oven, put a little bit more of oil before cooking.

Asado Negro - Venezuelan braised beef

Asado negro is a slow cooked round roast, my favorite dish and my mom obviously is the queen at making it. I haven´t  tried this ever because I always though it was a really difficult process but I was wrong, it is easy to do it but it takes time if you don´t have a  pressure cooker (we don't have it so, I had to wait and wait), but if you do it takes less than 2 hours to get ready. oh! I gotta tell ya, Just the smell of the marinade in the morning brought me back home. Paddy did a great job on the marinade and, surprisingly, with the photographs too! It was so funny the way he wrote the directions, I loved it so much that I had to leave it like that!

Asado negro is ideal for dinner with friends and you can serve it with mash potato and salad! and a really good red wine!

Ingredients

(4-5 people)

For marinade

  

1 kg round roast

2 onions roughly diced

2 small carrots diced

1 ½ peppers (green and red) roughly diced

2 sweet chili peppers  

2 spring onions cut in half

1 leak diced

3 bay leafs

½ tsp of cumin

4 garlic cloves mashed

¼ cup of Worcestershire

4 Tbsp of vegetable oil

2 tsp of ground pepper

For cooking

4 Tbs of vegetable oil

1 ½ Tbs of sugar

1 cup of white wine

2 stock cubes or salt and pepper

Marinade Directions

Now, I’m not one for accurate ingredient lists. My philosophy when cooking is to just chuck things in and often just hope for the best! Fortunately, Eileen is here for that. Anyway, here is how I did it.

First, take the garlic and a few big pinches of salt and grind it together in a pestle and mortar. Add the mix to a small jar along with the Worcestershire sauce, pepper, cumin, bay leaves and four table spoons of oil, and shake it like a Polaroid picture.

Next, take your favourite knife and stab the meat like it owes you money (great stress relief, by the way). Once you’ve exacted your vengeance, place it in a large bowl, add the marinade and rub all the goodness in.

Now, veggies. Chop the lot roughly, haphazardly, however you want. Add the veggies to the bowl, and mix it all up with meat and marinade, making sure it all gets a good coating. Cover with clingfilm, pop in the fridge, cross fingers and hope for the best.

Cooking directions

Take the meat out of the fridge at least an hour before you plan to cook.

Heat up four tablespoons of oil in a large casserole dish. Once it's hot, add two table spoons of sugar, and cook it until it caramelises to a rich, dark brown colour. When ready, take your meat, taking off any vegetables that are stuck to it and cook it until dark on all sides (be careful not to burn it).

Add the vegetable to dish, followed by the wine, then add water until it is all covered. Scrape the bottom of the dish to get all the delicious burned on bits mixed up into the sauce. Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for two hours. Remove the lid and simmer until meat is soft.

When the meat is ready, set it aside and let the sauce boil until thickened. When the sauce is thick, blend it with all the veggies and sieve it to remove any pulp. Put together the meat and the remaining sauce and heat for 10 min and voila!!!!!

Tips: 

• Check the salt at the end when the sauce is ready, if you need more stock or salt put some 

• If the sauce is not thick enough, make a mix with a little bit of water and cornflower and add it to the sauce to thicken 

• I had 1 tbs of sugar to the sauce  because I like it a little bit sweet but is your choice

• Place the remaining sauce in the freezer, we always have pasta with that sauce the day after dinner!!! Add a little bit of white cheese mmmm is just delicious!!!

Guests

Estefania Perez and Kevin Pereira joined us to be the reviewers they will post a comment later!.. trust them, they are venezolanos rajaos! 

from the left kevin, estefania, paddy

Him

Hello, it’s Him! The other half of this show (well, I say half, it’s Her that does the real work). I love food and cooking. I’ve been fortunate enough to have traveled a fair bit through my life, and perhaps my favorite part has been some of the great dishes I’ve been able to experience: Dolmades in Yerevan; tortellini al brodo in Florence; duck hearts and crispy pancakes in Beijing. Quite recently I had the pleasure of going to Singapore and, boy, do those people love food.

So of course, having traveled the world, it’s only natural that I´d discover Venezuelan food from my neighbor.I met Her while living in the same building, and I soon came to love Venezuelan food more than a native. Seriously, I ate so many arepas, she became sick of them!

So I welcome you to our blog, and I hope you’ll enjoy our culinary adventures as much as we do.

Her

Hi all! I have to tell you I am really really excited about this blog! I came up with the idea a couple of weeks ago when I made my first cake (it was a hard process BTW) but it made me realize how much I love cooking. I am from Venezuela and as every Venezuelan I am addicted to food from my roots, like Arepas, Pabellon, Asado and many more, But when I want to do some of those dishes I call mom (poor mom always writes a long post by whatsapp, sending me the recipes). That´s why this time I decided to create this blog, to remember my mom´s recipes and to give a taste of Venezuela to people from Ireland, I cook for  my boyfriend Paddy (Him) and He cooks for me.  He is excellent in the kitchen as well, and he adores Venezuelan food too, that's why he will be part of this project with me. 

   Hope you like this blog, full of new ideas, dishes from Venezuela and around the world, lot of tips, and love!

RECIPES COMING SOON

Eileen