Mexican 'Tortilla' Bake

It's surprising how many eggs seem to accumulate when you are not baking, so as soon as the oven was back in service I had to find a way to use them.  I'm sure you are probably wondering why I didn't just stop buying them,  but they are hand delivered to my husband by the woman who keeps them and works alongside him, so it would be rude not to buy them each week, don't you think?



So what to do with them, hmm let's have a look in the fridge and see what is there... oh yes, some mini peppers and a courgette, dice and slice them and add a tablespoon of oil then roast in the oven at 180C for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables have started to soften and blacken round the edges.

Now what else can I add...some leftover lamb chopped into pieces and a packet of ready cooked rice, you don't need to add the rice but it does make it more substantial.

Beat five eggs with 1/2 teaspoon of sweet smoked paprika and mix through the other ingredients.

Grated cheese on top is optional, but a nice finish.  Put back into the oven to bake for about 30 minutes or until set in the middle.  Serve with salad.

I'm entering my Mexican Tortilla for The Spice Trail run by Vanesther at Bangers and Mash as the challenge is celebrating Mexican food this month.

I'm also adding this to the No Waste Food Challenge as I used up some extra eggs, random veg from the fridge and leftover roast lamb. It is run by Elizabeth at Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary and hosted this month at JibberJabberUK

Labels: eggs, mexican, smoked paprika, the spice trail, tortilla

posted by Janice @ 20:58 26 Comments

Foods for summer eating - on my kitchen table

Here in Farmersgirl's Kitchen, there is always lots going on.  Exciting parcels have been arriving daily full of interesting products for me to review, here are some I'd like to share with you today.

There are two new varieties of Laughing Cow Cheese: The Laughing Cow Light with Emmental and The Laughing Cow Light with Blue Cheese.  I can't remember the last time I bought cheese spread triangles, not since my boys were little.  However, I was pleasantly surprised by the flavour of these Laughing Cow cheese spreads.  The Emmental had a proper Emmental flavour,  a more grown up flavour than the usual 'sweet' cheese spreads.  The Blue Cheese doesn't have any blue colour or streaking, but it certainly does taste 'blue' which is good for me as I like blue cheese, it is a mild blue flavour though.  I like the packaging of these cheeses too, little strings help you open the boxes and tape tabs make the opening of the triangles easy too.  Added to this these cheese portions are only 25 calories each, I was impressed as there was no artificial flavour about them. Definitely worth a try.

The Laughing Cow Light with Emmental and The Laughing Cow Light with Blue Cheese retail at around £1.25 per box of 8 portions.

It must be the season for cheese portions, as I also have some Boursin cheese portions to review.  I've tried both of these varieties of Boursin before and they are totally delicious.  The difference here is that Boursin have brought their cheeses out in individually wrapped portions.

I have to say that this is a brilliant idea.  The larger round packs always end up really messy and there is just the right amount of cheese in each portion to spread on an average slice of bread or two smaller biscuits.  The Boursin with Black Pepper packs a real peppery punch and the Garlic and Herb does not disappoint with a full flavour hit of garlic and herbs. I even dropped one of the Boursin Garlic and Herbs portions into my pasta sauce to produce a real boost to the flavour and a lovely creaminess.  These would be ideal for picnics or packed lunches, as long as you don't have an important meeting after eating the garlic cheese!

Boursin cheese portions retail at around £1.65 for 6 portions.



And finally I give you La Chinata Pimenton.  I bought my first tin of La Chinata Pimenton (Smoked Paprika) in Harvey Nichols Food Hall when it first opened in Edinburgh about 10 years ago.  It isn't something that is easy to find locally.  It does last a long time, but not that long, my current two tins have lasted about 3 years and have featured in many dishes on my blog including:







There are three different types of La Chinata Pimenton:

Sweet: Subdued but intense taste, ideal to be introduced to and discover our fantastic product. It is thought for all those people who do not like the strong taste of pepper, and highly recommended to be used in fish, soups and rice dishes. It will add a special something to your dishes.
Variety used: Bola and Jaranda.

 

Variety used: Jaranda and Jariza.

Labels: Black Pepper, blue cheese, Boursin, Emmental, Garlic and Herb, La Chinata, Laughing Cow, paella, pimenton, Reviews, smoked paprika

posted by Janice @ 18:00 1 Comments

Paprika Spiced Mixed Nuts

This is a very quick and easy recipe to make some lovely spicy nuts to nibble with your drinks on Christmas Eve or before dinner on Christmas Day.  They are also perfect for a last minute gift.

Paprika Spiced Mixed Nuts

500g mixed nuts
1 1/2 tbsp coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp smoked sweet Spanish paprika or hot paprika (Pimenton)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1.  Preheat the oven to 200C. Place the sea salt and paprika in a mortar and grind with the pestle to a fine powder. 
2. Place the nuts on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and giving off a tasted aroma.  Watch after 7 minutes because they burn quickly.  Pour into a heatproof bowl.
3. Drizzle over the olive oil and stir to ensure all the nuts are lightly and evenly coated.  Add extra oil if necessary.  Sprinkle with the salt and paprika mixture and stir again.
4. Transfer to a small bowl and serve at room temperature.


I used the hot Pimenton and the nuts are not too spicy, just nicely piquant!  Perfect with a nice chilled glass of Fino Sherry, red or white wine or even a beer.

Labels: almonds, brazil nuts, hazel nuts, homemade gifts, mixed nuts, Nuts, paprika, pimenton, smoked paprika, snacks, walnuts

posted by Janice @ 12:09 8 Comments

La Tasca Paella de Carne Recipe

A few weeks ago, I was invited to La Tasca in Renfield Street, Glasgow to watch Executive Chef Antonio Bennetto and Thomas, the La Tasca chef, demonstrate cooking paella, as well as tasting the delicious autumn menu for La Tasca.  You can read about it in my blog post 'Paella People'

After the demonstration I wanted to make some Paella myself.  As I wanted it to be as authentic to La Tasca as possible,  I asked if they would be able to provide a recipe for me and was delighted when the answer was YES!

Paella de Carne ingredients

Frying the onion and peppers in garlic infused oil

Adding the chicken and chorizo

Adding the prawns and peas

Adding the rice in a cross

Finished Paella

Labels: Chicken, chorizo, La Tasca, Paella de Carne, peas, pimenton, prawns, recipe, rice, smoked paprika, tomato

posted by Janice @ 19:24 7 Comments

Farmersgirl Recipe Round Up 2011

Labels: 2011 round up, Beef Wellington, blondies, chickpea, chilli, chocolate pavlova, Christmas Cake, crumble, Gingerbread, jam, lasagne, marmlade, New Year, pepper steak, shortbread, smoked paprika, Soup, tomato

posted by Janice @ 11:00 11 Comments

Chickpea and smoked paprika soup

 I had a few cookbooks lying around in the living room and one of them was 'Supper for a Song' by Tamasin Day Lewis.  It was from this book that I was inspired to  make the Tomato and Chilli Jam, Pineapple Chilli Jam and also the Chocolate Chilli Custards.  Hmm bit of a theme here?  Not all of that is Tamasin's idea as she didn't have chilli in her Chocolate Custard!

Labels: cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, chilli, paprika, pimenton, smoked paprika, Soup, Sweet Heat

posted by Janice @ 18:00 14 Comments