For 4 servings

Ingredients

4 slices bacon
2 hard boiled eggs, cut in cubes
2 tsps white sugar
2 tbps cider vinegar
2 tbps water
½ tsp salt
1 lb spinach, washed and cut into pieces
¼ lb fresh mushrooms, sliced

Preparation

Place bacon in a large, deep saucepan. Cook over medium heat until brown. Crumble and set aside.

Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the saucepan. Stir in sugar, vinegar, water and salt. Keep warm.

Place spinach pieces in a salad bowl. Pour warm dressing over and toss until coated. Top the salad with mushrooms and bacon, garnish with egg.

For 6 servings

Ingredients

2 lb mussels
2 red tomatoes
1 medium green pepper
1 medium red pepper
½ red onion
1 garlic clove
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp win vinegar
Salt

Preparation

Wash and clean mussels under the water.

Put on a pot with ½ cup of water. Close the pot and boil mussels until they open naturally.

Prepare a vinaigrette with the other ingredients: dice very small the tomatoes, the peppers, the onion and the garlic. Put on a bowl and dress with olive oil, vinegar and salt, mixing perfectly.

Finally, open the mussels and remove one of the shells. Place on a dish and add a tablespoon of the vinaigrette over each mussel.

For 4 servings

Ingredients

8 slices boiled ham
100 gr ground toasted hazelnuts
1 lemon
100 gr butter
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
50 gr soft grated cheese

Preparation

Mix soft butter with ground hazelnuts and chopped eggs. Add grated cheese and a stream of lemon juice.

Spread mix over ham slices and roll. Wrap rolls with aluminum foil and put on the fridge.

When cold, remove from the fridge and slice.

For 4 servings

Ingredients

1 cabbage (2lb)
2 medium red peppers
5 tbsp sunflower oil
5 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 parsley sprout, chopped
Salt and pepper at taste

Preparation

Remove external leaves. Cut cabbage in four and remove trunk. Cut leaves into thin strips and place on a salad bowl. Add salt at taste.

Clean peppers and cut into thin strips. Mix them with cabbage and chopped parsley.

Mix vinegar, salt and pepper and pour over salad. Mix and leave aside for a couple of minutes. Re-season if necessary.

For 4 servings

Ingredients

2 lb potatoes, cut in cubes
Olive oil
Sal

For the alioli (garlic mayonnaise)
3 garlic cloves
Olive oil
1 yolk at room temperature
Salt

Preparation

Boil the potato cubes in water for a couple of minutes, until they are tender. Drain and fry in olive oil until brown.

Crush garlic and a pinch of salt on a mortar. Add the yolk and mix slowly, checking that the yolk binds. Add olive oil as a trickle and never stop mixing. The alioli will grow while adding oil.

Serve potatoes while hot with the alioli on top. If you want to spice the taste, add some tabasco sauce to the mix.

For 6 servings

Ingredients

6 fresh figs
2 garlic cloves
3 fresh clean anchovies
24 olives filled with anchovies
Some drops of sherry vinegar
Toasts
Butter

Preparation

Peel the figs and grind them with garlic, anchovies and vinegar.

Spread butter on toasts and cover with a tablespoon of the mix.

Put an olive over each toast.

For 4 servings

Ingredients

4 mature plantains
Vegetal oil
2 cups of prepared chopped meat or your favorite filling
½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
2 big eggs, whisked

Preparation

Peel plantains. Cut two of them in four vertical pieces and the other two in round slices.

Heat oil on a big pan at 350ºF and fry the big pieces. Remove plantains and drain them with paper towel.

Grease 4 medium ceramic moulds (3.5” approximately) and cover the bottom with the round pieces and the edges with the vertical ones. Fill each mould with the chopped meat. Add a layer of grated cheese and spread whisked egg with a brush on top of each mould.

Put on a metallic tray and bake 25 minutes.

Let cool down at room temperature and detach the pinonos from the moulds with a sharp knife.

For 6 servings

Ingredients

2 lb beef ribs
2 cups beef broth
4 cups water
1 onion, chopped in small dices
2 garlic heads, chopped in small chunks
1 tomato, chopped in small dices
1 lb potatoes, sliced in medium chunks
3 corncobs, sliced
1 lb yucca, chopped in medium dices
2 green plantains, chopped
4 tbsp coriander, chopped
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp cumin
Salt and pepper at taste
Juice of 1 green lemon

Preparation

Put ribs on a deep pot, pour tour cups of water, two cups of beef broth and a big tablespoon of salt. Boil for an hour over a medium heat.

Sautée onions, garlic, tomatoes and two tablespoons of coriander. Mix with oregano, cumin and pepper and set aside.

After an hour and a half of cooking, let the broth settle and remove grease from the top.

Add the stew to the pot.

Heat broth over a medium heat, add plantains and corncobs and cook 15 minutes. Add yucca and potatoes and cook 10 minutes.

When the broth is ready, add the rest of coriander and the green lemon juice.

Serve very hot on casseroles with one serving of white rice and one of avocado and enjoy your meal!

For 6 servings

The perfect side dish for fish, red meat and chicken.

Ingredients

2 lb small confetti colored (three skin color small potatoes-purple, red, Yukon)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 fresh rosemary sprig leaves, chopped
1 tbsp salt
Pinch of pepper

For the sofrito
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 small red pepper, julienned
1 small yellow pepper, julienned
3 scallions, finely cut
1 teaspoon salt
¼ tsp crushed red peppers
½ tsp sherry vinegar

Preparation

Pre heat oven at 375º F.

Rinse potatoes. Place in a bowl with oil, salt and pepper and rosemary. Toss well.

Roast the potatoes, checking once until done, approximately 25 minutes. Place in a serving bowl.

For the sofrito, heat a frying pan at medium-low heat, add oil, when warm, add shallots and sauté 1-2 minutes. Add bell peppers, scallions, and salt. Cook one minute.

Turn off the heat, add crushed red peppers and vinegar. Stir and pour on the potatoes. Mix gingerly and serve.

By popular demand, this class comes back with a revised menu! Join me at The Institute of Culinary Education from 6pm-11pm. Space is limited. To sign up, go to: www.iceculinary.com