Projects

Hello it's been a month since I last uploaded a recipe and I'm hoping to upload something by this next week but I've been busy with a lot of things, for example my double bass lessons etc. So I can't promise anything but I'll try my best to keep you guys updated with new recipes at a shorter period of time As I always I hope you enjoy your stay in my blog. Happy cooking!!

Nicaraguan Taste + Pico de Gallo

Hello this is part of my special Carne Asada so it's part of a several dishes dish, although those aren't much complicated, so this is Pico de Gallo it's not Nicaraguan of course but we eat it too and it's great for tortilla chips and stuff like that

So if you want something hot and strong this comes in handy


For this you will need

3 Tomatoes
1 Onion
Cilantro leafs
1 Lime
Salt

To make

This is a very straight-forward dish so it's not that complicated, start off chopping your tomatoes in very small dices the smallest you can, do the same with the cilantro leafs and your onion

 Add the juices of the lime, a half does the trick and finally add salt to taste and you're done! some people like to ad chili to it but I'm not a big fan of chili but if you like you can add to it.

As always I hope you enjoy this recipe and if you like it then why not share it it helps me and my blog a lot.

Thanks and happy cooking!

Nicaraguan Taste + Platano Asado

Hello I'm back and as you probably know it this is part of my Carne Asada special so this is basically grilled plantain and we serve it traditionally with Carne Asada as Pico de Gallo it's very straight froward, and easy to do, it might be a little difficult when it comes to when it already cooked or not but you might want to cook these in a medium low heat, just in case.

We eat a lot of plantain whether it's fried, boiled or grilled, and we have lot's of uses to it and many different ways to eat it and of course many dishes that this very humble plantain goes with. So to not bother you anymore here it is

serves 4

For this you will need

4 Plantains

To cook

First take off the shell, to do so with the tip of your knife make a cut, lift up a little bit the shell and start to run your finger up and down releasing the shell


Once you're done with that make little cuts in one side of each plantain this will help to get them cooked faster.



Once done lay down in the grill and try to cook them evenly but don't turn them too often because they are hard to get done sometimes, to know when they're done, cut a little piece and if inside it's white and soft it's done if it's pink or a strong yellow keep cooking them.

Nicaraguan Taste + Carne Asada

Hello I'm back sorry for the delay but I couldn't make an agreement with the weather around here and I had to postpone this recipe for several days but finally there was a nice weather for me to grill. So as always I hope you enjoy this recipe, happy cooking!

Carne Asada (Roast Beef) it's one of a kind, long strips of meat in a charcoal grill equal heaven. To me it has a really special place in my heart and I always loved it, specially when my grandmother made it for us. Served with Gallo Pinto, Maduro Frito or Platano Asado/Frito and salad sometimes in the famous Fritangas they and more things to like Pico de Gallo, but it is also commonly added fried cheese

Fritangas are small places where people sell this kind of food, in Managua you can find thousands, but you know which ones sell good food and which ones not but it's common to find them in the streets selling to people passing by.

So Carne Asada in a nutshell is our answer to fast and delicious food whether you're coming from work or just want to have a delight, this is the number one dish

serves 4

For this you will need

3 Cloves of garlic
2 Lb of rib eye (see picture below for the cut of meat)
4 Tbs of olive oil
1 Lime
Salt
Pepper


To Cook

First cut your meat in long strips, just like a spiral begin to cut around until you end with a nice long strip of meat, after that cut the strip into smaller portion sized ones like in the picture

Now for the marinade, in bowl add in your garlic, peel it and crush it, with a garlic crusher, add the olive oil, and the lime juice. Now the lime is very strong so a half is enough, add salt and pepper to taste and leave to rest for several minutes as it ensures that all the flavors and ingredients will do their work!

This is a special I'm doing so I'm going to do multiple recipes at once you can choose whether you want to them all or do just one or two, so it's up to you, but if you're doing them all then in the meantime you can make the other ones which are Gallo Pinto, Platano Asado and Pico de Gallo


I recommend to start with the pico de gallo and to get someone to help you out, and the gallo pinto you need to check first that recipe out because you have to do the rice and the beans one day in advance, and once you checked that you're ready to go

Once you've got your grill nice and hot lay down the strips, if can get a charcoal grill that'll be perfect but you can use whatever you have if that's the case, I used a electric grill, but still there's nothing like charcoal for this dish. Note: If you're using a gas grill be careful! olive oil and flames don't mix! lay down the meat strips carefully always away from your face! and try to take out excess oil so the flames don't burst so much.

 
Finally try to get a nice color on the meat turn the meat over once in a while keep checking the color, it has to be a nice golden brown











Here is a photo to give you an idea on how we plate it and as always I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do and if you like it then why not share it it helps me and my blog a lot and if you have any suggestions you're welcome to make them just let me know in the comments or by email

Have a nice day!

Nicaraguan Taste + Arroz A La Valenciana

Derivative from the Paella Valenciana, another great bond between cultures represented in a dish. Often made for parties Arroz A La Valenciana is one very delicious dish, just right for any occasion where you have many guests.

Delicious and it makes you feel satisfied with just a small portion, served with bread this is a piece of cake when it come to difficulty and it's something you can make together with your family, friends etc...  

serves 6

For this you will need

One can of petit puas

500g Rice

A quarter of a onion

A quarter of a green bell pepper

3 Medium carrots
600g Chicken breasts
400g Tomato sauce
5 tbs Worcestershire sauce
4 tbs Mustard 

2 tbs Butter
2 Garlic cloves
4 Hot dogs
Salt to taste

To cook

First cut your chicken breasts in big chunks as usual, and in a medium pot with water place your chicken chunks put them to boil, remove any foam that appears and when you're done removing the foam and in your onion, garlic, bell pepper and salt to taste

Continue to boil for 5 mins in a medium heat the and take out the chicken and place in a bowl to cool.

 Meanwhile is cooling, get chopping your carrots make very small cubes but not too small because if you chop them too small they will puree and you want them visible, slice your hot dogs as shown in the picture below.

Once you're done proceed to mince up the chicken slices, as with the carrots do not mince them too thin you want to taste the chicken


Make your rice here's is the link to how to make rice once you're done come back to continue the recipe

Add the tomato and worcestershire sauce with the mustard add a knob of butter as shown in the picture and mix in. Boil your chopped carrots for 3 mins in a medium high heat, rinse them well (do so with the petit puas)add your petit puas also your sliced hot dogs and mix well everything.

Once you mixed everything it should look like this, it contains a lot of tomato sauce so be quite generous with it and don't be scared by the amount of tomato sauce.

After this step you are very near to finish.

Add oil to a wide and deep pan (a wok should be fine) and add the chicken mix saute the chicken a little to get some color on it, do this for 4 to 6 mins in a medium heat then add your previously cooked rice.

Stir well until  the rice is no longer white, the rice should be a little bit sloppy just like a paella.

Turn off the heat and serve with white bread.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do and if you like it then why not share it and like it.

Thanks!

Working !

You'll probably see that I'm changing the blog template a lot, the recipes and so on well I'm working on my own new template so the blog may be a little bit messy this week but I'm just trying to give it a nice background so I'm going crazy about that hehe also I'm working on a Spanish version so if you have any friends that speak Spanish then please share the news!

I'll try to keep on and hopefully this next week I'll be teaching you how to make tortillas! or maybe Arroz a la Valenciana, so whatever I make I hope you like it and if you do then why not share this blog it means a lot and it helps me a lot too.

Also just to share some news, I'm getting viewed and some contacts are popping out I want to thank everyone that has trusted me, and had a very nice experience, this for me is my dream, and I want to represent my country my culture and show the world of my humble and beautiful land.

Oh and I almost forgot you may LOL if you read this, but if somehow you're Gordon Ramsay or Graham Elliot please let me know in twitter, I know I've been spamming like crazy but my mother told me to... I'm innocent!

So as always enjoy your stay in my blog if you have any suggestions please let me know in the comments Take care!

Nicaraguan Taste + Arroz Aguado

Arroz Aguado it's one very simple straight-forward dish, easy to make and delicious!, Like a Nicaraguan risotto, it's perfect for when you want something simple and comfy. It can be make with pork and beef, literally meaning "watery rice" Arroz Aguado is a lovely dish

It's main ingredients are rice and tomato, here I will add one twist, from my grandma's kitchen and I'll show you how to make the prefect Arroz Aguado.

Note: One thing I'd like to say is that I for chicken dishes I use chicken breasts only, although the recipes uses other parts, sadly I can't get hold of a entire chicken here, but if you're using chicken breasts keep in mind that you'll use less than if you're cooking with chicken legs, if you're using legs you'll probably need 2 kg  assuming two legs per portion.

Also my grandmother adds in chicken consume so if you want you can add it, but it's not the traditional way of making it, and if you're using it add it when you add the chicken stock as I'll show you below

serves 4

For this you will need

2 kg Chicken legs with their thighs
500 g Rice
4 Tomatoes
Spearmint
1 Quarter of an onion
1 Quater of a bell pepper
2 Garlic cloves
Salt
Chicken consume (optional)
To cook

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

In a medium pot, put the chicken legs to boil.
If you're using breasts cut the breast in nice thick chunks.

Once the chicken is boiling remove any blood and foam, that appears you need to take it all out because we are going to use the chicken stock so it's important to keep it as clean as possible.

Once you've removed all foam add in your onion, pepper, garlic and salt to taste, boil for a further 5 mins at a medium heat  and then take off the heat and set aside

Grab your tomatoes and grate 3, this is my grandma trick because it gives it a nice color and texture also because it's not so nice to find a tomato shell between the rice and it makes it more elegant. However it's originally made with sliced tomatoes, we'll slice the tomato we have left to give it a classy look. although if you don't want to it's fine too.

In a bigger pot pour in oil and add you rice, in a medium high heat when the rice grains are white add the grated tomatoes, stir well and then add your chicken stock and the chicken.

Let it simmer down, and cook at a medium low heat, if it's starts to get dry add in more water but not too much just the right amount to cover up again the rice.















When the rice has burst, add your sliced tomato and the spearmint, and here come in the game the onion, the bell pepper and the garlic, slice your bell pepper and just tear apart the onion shells and add in the garlic, adding back those ingredients makes the whole thing more flavorful and adds some colors to the Arroz Aguado.

Finally cook for further 5 to 8 mins and serve!


I hope you enjoy this recipe, and don't forget to leave a comment with your suggestions! and if you like it then why not share this recipe it helps me a lot. Thanks

Nicaraguan Taste + Basics + Rice

Nicaraguan cuisine uses many dishes as bases for others, so sometimes you'll see that I ask you to do for example rice the way we do it, and for us rice is as important as it is for Asiatic countries like China or Thailand.

But the thing is that for me is a little bit difficult to upload the same rice recipe every time so I made this basics so your life and my life are easier to handle when it comes to cooking Nicaraguan food.!

So the first basic for almost any Nicaraguan dish is rice, as I mentioned above rice is one of our base ingredients, so here's how we make it

For this you will need

400 g Jasmine rice
A quarter of an onion
A quarter of a green bell pepper
Salt
Water
Oil

To cook 

In a wide pot, pour oil until the surface of the pot is covered by the oil, then put in the rice, the onion and the bell pepper, and water until the rice is covered by the water 5 cm above it, if you add more water it will get doughy when cooked, if add less water then it will not cook properly so you've got to be a little precise there.

Once you added the water and in 2 tbs of salt, stir the rice so the salt and the oil mix well bring to the boil.



When it starts to boil lower the heat to a medium heat and cook until the rice is dry once is dry remove the onion and the bell pepper, turn the rice clockwise so the rice on top gets to the bottom so it cooks evenly put a lid on and cook for further 2 to 3 mins.



Then remove the pan from the heat and serve !

Nicaraguan Taste + Indio Viejo

Indio Viejo resembles the bond between Mayan and Spanish culture, for centuries this has been a meal in every Nicaraguan table. It's one of the most known dishes in Nicaragua after Gallo Pinto. Originally made with goat meat, this recipe has been handed down trough generations, and each one of them have added something new to it. Vibrant and classy, Indio Viejo has represented Nicaraguan cuisine as no other.

I personally love it, is one of my all time favorites, and I think that you'll love it too. Some ingredients might be very hard to find depending where you live but if I found the ingredients here in Bergen Norway you have a big chance of finding them all!

Hope you enjoy it!

serves 4

For this you will need

1 kg Shoulder top blade steak
1 Green bell pepper
3 Tomatoes
1 Onion
3 Garlic cloves
A handful of spearmint
Maseca (corn flour)
Achiote
Salt

To cook

Cut the meat in thick slices, in a pot pour in 1 Lt of water, put the sliced meat on the pot and bring to the boil, once is boiling take away any foam and blood, once is not producing any foam add  salt to taste a quarter of the bell and half of the onion together with the 4 garlic cloves peeled.

After leave the meat on a medium-low heat and boil further for an hour, sometimes the meat can be hard, if so it can take up to an hour and a half.

Mean while get slicing the tomatoes and the onion
and the bell pepper you have left.

When the meat is tender, take off the stock and set aside to cool, then proceed to crumble the meat slices as shown in the pic at the left, after you've done that is time to do the Maseca (corn flour) batter

Keep the beef stock as you will use it for the batter. Use a colander to separate the stock from the vegetables.

                                                                             

Achiote paste

 This corn based dish, hasn't been always done with
 corn flour, originally made with tortillas, it really depends on the taste of the maker, my mother likes the fine smooth texture that gives the corn flour to this dish, other people like the flavor of a tortilla.
In some parts of the country this method is used regularly.
People leave tortillas in water for about 2 hours and then they mince them by hand.

However I prefer to make them with Maseca based batter because the texture is even and the flavors spread better.

To make the batter start off making a normal Maseca dough follow the instructions on the back of the bag, or follow mine if you like, pour 2 cups of Maseca and add 1 cup and a quarter of water, once you've got your dough done add in the achiote paste.

Now you've got be careful as this is one powerful natural colorant, use 1tsp of achiote, and add the stock gradually until the batter has the thickness of oil.

In a deep frying pan, add oil and fry the sliced veggies at a high heat let them fry for about 4 mins and then add the crumbled meat and lower the heat to a medium heat continue frying for a 3 mins and then add the batter, stir vigorously, if you stop stirring the batter will get hard so you've got to work it a lot.



When the batter starts to get a orange color add the spearmint and
stir a little, keep cooking for 5 mins at a low heat and then take off the heat and serve!











I hope you liked it and enjoyed it as much as I enjoy it. We serve this with fried or boil Maduro (plantain) I'll upload the recipe for the fried Maduro soon.!