Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

i just cooked some cupcake, i found the recipe in http://www.browneyedbaker.com but i used cupcake backer and it was really good

Potato tortilla

The classic tortilla stands on every tapas bar in Spain. The size of a laege cake, it is dense and very satisfying. It can be eaten in wedges with fork - a meal in itself with salad - or cut up into chunks and spread, to be enjoyed as a snack with drinks

Ingredients:

Serves 6 to 8 as a tapa, 4 as a light main dish.
3 medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and quartered lengthwise
Coarse salt (kosher or sea)
1 1/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, quartered and thinly sliced
6 large, very fresh eggs, preferably organic
2 tablespoons chicken stock or broth

Sopa de Marisco (Seafood Soup)

  This hearty seafood soup contains all the colours and flavours of the mediterranean. It is substaintial enough to serve as a main course, but can also be diluted with stock and water,  to make an elegant eppetizer for six

Ingredients

olive oil

½ onion (or about ½ cup), finely chopped

2 large garlic cloves (or about 1-2 tbsp), minced

¼ fennel bulb (or about 1-2 tbsp), finely chopped

4 large vine ripened tomatoes (or about 2 cups), seeded and chopped

1 tin of peeled plum tomatoes

mixed seafood (prawns, large chunks of cod or any white fish, mussels)

½ cup white wine

seafood stock

1 tsp saffron

pinch of celery salt

1 bay leaf

3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
fresh parsley for garnish

Breakfast ensaimada

Originally from Mallorca, these snail-shaped buns, made of the lightest possible dough, are delicious traditional treat. they are now eaten in Madrid and throughout southern and eastern Spain for breakfast. Traditionally lard or saim, as it is known in Spain, brushed over the tops, but nowadays butter is used and adds a delicious richness

Orange Salad with Red Onions & Black Olives

During the winter in the south of spain, when other salad ingredients are in short supply, oranges often form the basis of salads. In this Ensalada de Naranjas they are partnered with thinly sliced red onions and black olives, and flavoured with tow populare middle eastern ingredients - cumin and mint

Ingredients:

• 3 fresh navel oranges
• 1/2 – 1 red onion
• 1 handful of black olives (12 or so)
• 2-3 Tbl. olive oil
• freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime
• sea salt
• 1 t. cumin seeds, roasted
• 1/2 t. Spanish smoked paprika
• 1 small bunch of fresh miçnt, coarsely chopped

Gazpacho

This classic chilled soup is deeply rooted in Andalusia. The soothing blend of tomatoes, sweet peppers and garlic is sharpned with sherry vinegar, and enriched with olive oil.
serving it with saucerfuls of garnishes has virtually become a tradition.

SPANICH COOKING

this week i will post recipes from the Spanish cuisine

Salade Blankite

This is a traditional Tunisian recipe for a classic salad of baguette pieces soaked in vinaigrette with harissa that are topped with a vegetable, cheese and tuna mix, chilled and served.

Ingredients:

1 fresh baguette

1 bell pepper, de-seeded and diced

2 tomatoes, blanched, peeled and diced

1 onion, diced

1 small tin of tuna

2 tbsp capers, finely chopped

50g Gruyère cheese black olives, finely chopped

3 tbsp white wine vinegar

4 tbsp olive oil

1 dessert spoon harissa

250ml water

salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Ojja Merguez

This is a traditional Tunisian recipe for a classic stew of Merguez sausages and eggs in a tomato and bell pepper sauce flavoured with Tunisian five-spice.

Ingredients:

 4 Merguez sausages

4 eggs

3 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 green bell pepper, de-seeded and cut into strips

400g tin of diced tomatoes

1/4 tsp Gâlat dagga (Tunisian five-spice)

salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Blanquette de Veau Tunisienne (Tunisian Veal in White Sauce)

This is a Tunisian version of a classic French-insipred dish. Classically a blanquette is a ragoût with a white sauce which is given a Tunisian twist with the addition of ground cumin and ground caraway seeds.

Ingredients:

900g veal, thinly sliced and cut into 7.5cm squares

120ml olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

2 tbsp plain flour

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp freshly-ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground caraway seeds

1/2 tsp ground cumin seeds

2 egg yolks

4 tbsp lemon juice

salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Heat 60ml of the olive oil in a large frying pan or shallow casserole and use to braise the veal. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon then use the remaining oil to fry the onion until soft (about 5 minutes). Add the remaining olive oil to a small pan, scatter the flour over the top and lightly fry then season with salt, black pepper, caraway seeds and cumin seeds. Blend with the fried onions in the larger pan then return the veal to the pan and blend in 400ml hot water (or stock). Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes over low heat, or until the meat is tender. If necessary, add a few more tablespoons of water to prevent sticking.

Just before serving, remove the meat and set aside to keep warm. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl then whisk in the lemon juice. Stir a little of the gravy from the pan into the egg mix to temper then stir the egg mix back into the remaining gravy.

Arrange the meat on a serving plate, spread a little of the gravy over the top then pour the remainder into a gravy boat to serve as a sauce.

Salade Michwiya (Grilled Salad)

This is a traditional Tunisian recipe for a classic salad of a pureed blend of grilled vegetables served topped with olives, tuna flakes and hard-boiled eggs.

Ingredients:

500g tomatoes

500g bell peppers

4 eggs, boiled until hard, peeled and quartered

3 garlic cloves

100g hot chillies

1 onion, peeled

1 small tin of tuna

100g olives, pitted

1/2 tsp caraway seeds, crushed

1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Method:

 Peel the garlic cloves then crush on a chopping board with the caraway seeds and coarse sea salt. Drain the tuna, turn into a bowl and flake.

Place the onion, bell peppers and chillies on a baking tray. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 200°C and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until slightly blackened on the outside (turn the vegetables several times during the cooking process so they cook evenly). Remove from the oven then transfer to a plastic bag to sweat for 10 minutes.

Remove from the bag and peel them then remove any stems and seeds. Turn the bell peppers, onion and chillies into a blender and process until smooth.

Turn the vegetable purée into a bowl and stir in the crushed garlic mixture. Pour this mixture onto a serving plate and sprinkle over the oil and lemon juice.

Garnish with the olives, tuna flakes and hard-boiled egg quarters then serve.

Djerba-Style Grilled Prawns

This is a traditional Tunisian recipe for a classic dish of prawns brushed with a harissa paste that are cooked on a barbecue and served with a fresh tomato relish.

Djerba is the largest island off the coast of North Africa and is sited just off the coast of Tunisia. Legend has it that Djerba was the island of the Lotus-Eaters where Odysseus stranded on his voyage through the Mediterranean.

Ingredients:

For the Prawns:

16 whole green prawns, peeled, backs spit open and deveined (leave the tails on)

2 tsp harissa paste

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

For the Tomato Relish:

2 large, ripe, tomatoes, diced

100g spring onions, diced

1 large Spanish onion, diced

2 tsp coriander leaves, chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds, ground

1 tbsp fresh garlic, chopped

2 tbsp capers, chopped

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

pinch of sugar

Method:

Combine the harissa paste, olive oil and lemon juice in a small cup and use to baste the cut flesh of the prawns. Set aside as you prepare the relish.

For the relish, simply mix all the ingredients in a bowl and toss gently to combine. Cover and set aside to marinate for 20 minutes.

Cook the prawns on a barbecue until pink and cooked through. Serve immediately, accompanied by the tomato relish.

Tajin Sibnekh (Chicken and Egg Tagine)

This is a traditional Tunisian recipe for a classic stew of potatoes, chicken breasts and peas flavoured with chillies and spices that's finished by the inclusion of beaten eggs and which is typically cooked in an earthenware tagine.

Ingredients:

A tagine is the dish in which the meal is cooked rather than the meal itself. It's an earthenware pot with a tall conical lid hat has a hole in the top. The lid acts like a condenser, allowing the steam from the dish to coalesce and drip back into the dish. This allows for low, slow, stewing on top of a range with very little intervention on the cook's part as the dish will not dry out. If you are going to cook North African or Middle Eastern dishes then it's well worth your while investing in a Tagine.

 80ml vegetable oil

2 potatoes, peeled and diced

225g chicken breasts, diced

1 large onion, diced

 1 tbsp Harissa

1 tsp Ras el hanout

120ml water

1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp butter

1 bunch fresh spinach, washed and shredded

8 eggs

150g fresh or frozen garden peas

2 heaped tbsp freshly-grated Parmesan cheese s

alt and black pepper, to taste

Tunisian Vegetable Couscous

This is a traditional Tunisian recipe for a classic dish of couscous cooked with chickpeas, beans, mixed vegetables, fruit and herbs for a very tasty and rich accompaniment or vegetarian dish.