So, I know it has been about a month since my last post and unfortunately I have no real excuse except to say that there are quite a few other things that I have been interested in doing.
I do, however have some wonderful news!! My husband got his green card!!! After all the stress and worry it is nice to have it actually pay off!!
With out paperwork and forms to start and finish my days I have turned to domestic responsibilities...and apparently the 1950s. My husband works, that bread winner, and I cook and clean. He fixes things that break and reaches things on high shelves for me. I vacuum and do laundry. A few hours before he returns home from work I don an apron and cook dinner and usually bake some cookies or cupcakes.
It's funny, after all that rebellion and girl power of the 90s and my college years I have become my Nana, the ultimate housewife, without the quite the talent and panache...or the cute dresses! I am learning to really enjoy cooking and baking and since my husband is like a puppy who hears the word "treat" when anyone brings up cookies, I think we are all pretty satisfied with ourselves.
PA AMB TOMAQUET (BREAD WITH TOMATO)
This is really easy and so so good.
Ingredients:
a loaf of good bread, you can use french baguette or ciabatta style, they work best
a few tomatoes
a clove of garlic
olive oil
sea salt
1. Preheat the oven to 325.
2. Slice the loaf down the middle like you would make a sub sandwich and then slice each half into pieces that are about 2-3 inches wide.
3. Place the bread on a baking sheet and toast for a few minutes until lightly golden.
4. Peel the garlic clove and rub the toasted tops.
5. Cut the tomatoes in half and rub onto the tops of the toast.
6. drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and you are ready to eat them!
LENTILS/LENTEJAS
Ingredients:
500 g. Pardina Lentils (Spanish Lentils, about 17.5 oz)
1 green pepper
4 large carrots (I used 2 because I hate cooked carrots, but they add nice flavor)
4 garlic cloves (I always used LOTS of garlic)
2 large onions
1 Laurel leaf (Bay leaf)
1 Tbs Pimentón de la Vera (Smoked Paprika, I used the sweet type, can be difficult to find, but you can check online like tienda.com)
4 Tbs Olive Oil
1 large can or 2 small cans of diced tomatoes, plain
2 chorizos (Spanish chorizo works best since the flavor matches that of the Pimentón, but it can be difficult to find, I learned that the difference between Spanish and Mexican chorizo is that Spanish chorizo is usually cured and uses Pimentón de la Vera and Mexican chorizo can be uncooked or cured but uses chilli and vinegar)
1/2 packet or full packet of bacon
water
1. Generally you are supposed to soak lentils overnight, but I'm lazy and it doesn't really need to be soaked because you can just add a little extra cooking time at the end, they get soft quickly if you use the Pardina lentils. You do need to wash them. When I did it I washed them and soaked them in water with salt for about an hour while I got everything ready.
2. Chop the onion, garlic, and pepper into small pieces so the essentially dissolve as they cook.
3. Peel the carrots (those healthy vitamins on the skin make it a little bitter), and chop them or just slice them up as the round orange circles make it look nice.
4. Cut bacon into small bite sized bits. Open can(s) of tomatoes.
5. Put olive oil in a large pot and heat. Add the onions and garlic. Fry for about 10 min. and then add the carrots, tomatoes and Laurel leaf (Bay leaf). Fry 2-3 minutes more.
6. Add the bacon and a heaping spoonful of Pimentón de la Vera. Let cook for a few minutes.
7. Stir rapidly with wooden spoon as you add in lentils, stirring until mixed well.
8. Cover with cold water until the pot is almost full (just keep in mind that you still need to add the chorizo) I also added a little broth which I had left over in my fridge, which added a little flavor.
9. Let it come to a boil and leave it to bubble for a few minutes. Turn the heat down just a touch and let it cook for about 1/2 an hour. Then add salt and pepper to taste.
10. Cut up the chorizo into bit size pieces and put into pot. Let it cook down until it is thick and the lentils are soft. When it was done I turned it on low and let it sit a little while so everything picked up all those lovely flavors.
11. Serve with a couple slices of pa amb tomàquet!!
The flan I made did not turn out as I had hoped, so I will test and try again and get back on how best to do it. It actually wasn't that difficult, I just need to work on timing with my ancient electric GE stove and oven. (Although it matches perfectly with my apron, Joy of Cooking, and housewife attitude!)
As I was looking at 1950s ovens I found an old add for the exact GE electric stove and oven that we have and use!
