Almond chicken soup

It is my belief that a good bowl of soup can fix almost, almost anything. It does not even need to be a hot soup in the middle of a flu or in a cold night after a horrible day. Even in summer, I love a cold soup, or a liquid custard for dessert.

I guess my love for soup will be an advantage when I become a venerable old lady with no teeth. Until then, I love soups in all their forms and I never get tired of making soups and custards. The secret, in all cases, is a good stock as base, either beef, chicken or vegetables. I usually prepare my own stock in quantity and freeze to go using it as required. But now you can find a full range of quite good quality commercial stock types so you can prepare soup in a moment. Another advantage of  this recipe is that everything is cooked in the same pot, so if you have the stock ready,  in just 15 minutes you'll have your soup on the table, and cleaning the kitchen will not take longer than that.

Almond Chicken Soup

1/2 onion
50 grams of raw almonds, chopped or powdered
1 clove of garlic
Fresh parsley leaves
400 grams chicken breast into cubes
1 liter of chicken broth
A few sprigs of thyme or herbs to taste
Oil

Preparation

In a heavy bottomed pan, put a few drops of oil and sautée the onion over medium heat. Add a few tablespoons of water to finish cooking onion, until it is transparent. While onion is cooking (it takes about 5-7 minutes), mash in a mortar the almonds with diced garlic and parsley until you have a paste. If necessary, you can add a tablespoon of the broth to bind it.

Once the onion is cooked,  add the crushed mortar and fry lightly. Add chicken cut in dices of similar size and fry lightly. Do not worry: cook just the outside, the inside will cook later. Add broth and thyme sprig or herbs to taste. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and cook about 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked thoroughly.

Aubergine bruschetta

This bruschetta is, in fact, a light alternative to bruschetta. A much lighter starter, or a first course, if you take more than one, that is packed with a lot flavor, but  really light and healthy. I would love to say that it is my idea, but I can not. It's a recipe I saw at a wonderful blog, with spectacular photography, and always, always, always full of great inspiring ideas: Smitten Kitchen. I have removed the cheese from the original version, so the dish is even lighter, I've added red pepper and I have changed mint by basil. But basically, it follows the original great recipe.

Aubergine bruschetta

Makes 2 portions

1 to 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium  aubergine in 2 cm  thick slices
1 finely diced onion
2 ripe diced medium tomatoes
1 Red pepper, finely diced
Basil leaves
2 teaspoon vinegar
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper.

Directions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet generously with olive oil, about 1 to 2 tablespoons. Arrange aubergine rounds in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast, without disturbing, for 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully flip each piece: the undersides should be blistery, dark and a bit puffy and should release from the pan with no effort. If they’re not, let it cook longer. Once flipped, sprinkle them with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper and return the pan to the oven for another 10 to 12 minutes or so, until the undersides match the tops.

Meanwhile, mix your onion, tomatoes, red pepper, basil, vinegar and remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in a small bowl. Taste for seasoning. Add more vinegar, if desired. Add freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
When the aubergine discs are done, arrange them on a serving platter. Scoop a spoonful of the salad over each round. Eat immediately.
 

Redberries little pies

Recent days have been a bit chaotic. Sometimes plans change at full speed and you have to react and try to keep up. Above all, sometimes you just have to be there.
There are times when every day makes us forget some important things. But it is enough just a phone call again, and all that matters gets back in place, and time stops for a moment, and you react and you stand for a few days, and recover some things by the way.

Now we just need to give us time to be there much longer.

Fortunately, before having to run away I had prepared these little pies, ready to be published.

I always loved these pies that housewives in cartoons used to put to chill in the window. I had never done these little pies (classics for an american, but shomehow exotic to me) and now I have tried a version with red berries. Personally, I love its acidity as opposed to the pastry base, and its butter content, but you can prepare the pies with the fruit filling of your choice, provided they produce enough juice.

Redberries little pies

Ingredients (for 3  to 4 little pies)

325 grams  all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

125 grams of butter chilled and cut into small pieces

2 to 4 tablespoons ice water 

For the filling

200 grams red berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, etc., fresh or frozen) 

3  or 4 tablespoons of sugar (45 to 60 grams aprox)

1 teaspoon cornstarch

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. 

For the filling, put the berries and the sugar in a pan at medium heat and keep until sugar is disolved and berries are soft and translucid.
Cover the mold with the dough, put the berries (without the syrup they have created). Add a teaspoon at the berries syrup once cooleed, and then put a little into the pie. Cover the pie with the dough and close carefully. Brush with egg, put in the oven preheated at 200 for 10 minutes. Then low to 180º for another 10 to 15 minutes until the fruit filling starts to bubble.