Basic Cheese

2 Tbsp    butter
2 Tbsp    flour
2 cups     milk
2 cups    cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1/2 tsp    dry mustard
a pinch of    paprika

Melt the butter in the saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a paste, and remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the milk, a bit at a time so it doesn`t get lumpy. Return the pan to the heat and keep stirring until the mixture comes to a boil and starts to thicken. Stir the grated cheese, mustard and paprika into the milk mixture, reduce the heat to low and keep stirring until the cheese has melted. Great over steamed broccoli or cauliflower.

Tortilla de Patatas

2 Tbsp    olive oil
2    potatoes, cubed small
1    onion, chopped small
4    eggs
1 tsp    salt
1/2 tsp    pepper

Heat a frypan over medium heat, add the oil. Add the chopped onion and potato to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes or so. Beat the eggs, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Reduce the heat to low and pour the beaten eggs over the cooked potato mixture. Cover the frypan and let the tortilla cook until the top is firm. Remove the lid and invert a plate over the frypan. Flip the frypan over so the tortilla drops onto the plate, and slide the tortilla back into the frypan and cook for 2 more minutes, uncovered. Serve wedges of the tortilla hot, cold or lukewarm.

Mushrooms and Garlic

2 Tbsp    butter or oil
3/4 lb    mushrooms, quartered
1 clove    garlic, chopped
a squeeze of    lemon juice
a sprig of    parsley or mint, chopped
salt
pepper

Melt the butter in a frypan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring. Add the lemon juice and cook for a further 2 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Ricotta with Honey and Nuts

1/2 cup    ricotta cheese
2 Tbsp    honey
handful of nuts (walnuts and hazelnuts are best)

Scoop the cheese onto two dessert plates. Drizzle the honey over top. Toast the nuts until lightly browned, chop them and sprinkle over the ricotta. Garnish with a pinch of oregano.

Good Ol` Southern Corn Bread

2 Tbsp    butter, melted
2 Tbsp    sugar
3    eggs
1/2 cup    flour
1 Tbsp    baking powder
1/2 tsp    salt
2 cups    yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 cups    buttermilk

Whisk together the butter, sugar and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt, until the flour is just mixed in. Add the cornmeal and buttermilk and stir until smooth. Pour the batter into a non-stick frypan and bake until golden, about 1/2 an hour.

Options: Add grated cheese with chili flakes; grated onion & cheese.

Hot Biscuits in a Hurry

2 cups    flour
1 tsp    salt
1 1/2 tsp    baking powder
1 cup    sour cream

Preheat your oven to 375F. Stir together the flour, salt and baking powder, and then add the sour cream. Mix it all together until you have a soft, even dough. On a floured surface, pat the dough out to a

Hiyayakko

medium tofu, cut into cubes
ice cubes
green onions, chopped
bonito flakes
fresh ginger, grated
soy sauce

Place the tofu cubes in two small serving bowls on top of some ice cubes. Arrange the green onions, bonito flakes and grated ginger on a plate and drizzle with soy sauce. Dip each piece of tofu into the condiments as you eat.

Whore`s Pasta – Pasta Puttanesca

1/2 lb pasta

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tin anchovies or tuna, drained

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 tsp chili flakes

2 Tbsp capers

a handful olives, black or green or mixed

 

Put the pasta on to cook. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat and add the fish and garlic. Stir until the fish has fallen apart. Add the tomatoes, chili flakes, capers and olives, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 5-6 minutes, until the tomatoes start to collapse. Season and serve over the cooked pasta.

Eggs with Mashed Potatoes and Horseradish

2 cups leftover mashed potatoes

1/2 tsp grated fresh horseradish or bottled horseradish

4 eggs

1 sprig of fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried

 

Preheat the oven to 375F. Stir the horseradish into the mashed potatoes, and spread onto a small baking dish. Make 4 holes in the potatoes and crack an egg into each hole. Sprinkle with thyme and bake for 10 minutes, or until the eggs are just setting.

Mexican Flag Rice

1 cup cooked rice

juice of 1 lime

a handful of cilantro

2 reen onions, chopped OR 1 poblano chile, roasted

pepper, roasted and seeded

1 cup cooked rice

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 1/3 cup salsa

 

Green: Combine the cilantro, lime juice and green onions or pepper in a food processor and blend until smooth. Stir into the rice.

Red: Combine the salsa and tomato paste in a food processor and blend until smooth. Stir into the rice.

Flag: Arrange the coloured rices side by side on the plate, to resemble the Mexican flag (horizontal stripes of red, white, green)

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