HOME-BAKED BREAD WITH WILD MUSHROOMS
AND GREEN SALAD (SERVES 4)

Ingredients:

• - 4 slices of toasted home-baked bread
• - 100grs of dried mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 30 min
• - 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• - 150grs of cream
• - A tot of cognac, red wine or sherry
• - Salt and pepper to taste
• - Chopped parsley

 

Cut the bread at an angle so as to obtain a large slice (aprox. 15cm)

Toast until firm and keep on a kitchen cloth.

Fry the onion in olive oil with a pinch of salt until transparent, and add the mushrooms. Stir and add the wine of your choice. Let the alcohol evaporate, and add a little of the water used to soak the mushrooms. Cook until reduced to about half, add the cream and simmer for 5 min. Taste for salt and pepper, remove from the heat and add the chopped parsley.

Serve on the toast with a green salad dressed with a vinagrette of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and mustard.

 

CARBONADA OF CHICKEN IN A PUMPKIN (SERVES 4)

Ingredients:

• - 1 pumpkin of about 3 kgs.
• - 5 cubed chicken breasts
• - 3 medium-sized onions
• - 2 red peppers
• - 3 boiled corn cobs, grained or cut into discs
• - 3 roughly- chopped spring onions
• - 100 grs. prunes, stoned and chopped
• - Cumin, salt, pepper, chilli and curry powder.

 

Cut the top off the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Slash the interior to speed cooking, taking care not to damage the the skin. Add some butter and milk, seal the top with foil, and bake in a moderate oven.

Fry the chicken in butter and olive oil till golden, and reserve. Fry the onions, chilli brunoise, peppers and spring onions in olive oil with a pinch of salt until soft, add the corn, prunes and chicken and stir until all the flavours have blended, then and add the spices to taste. Place a piece of soft cheese in the bottom of the pumpkin and fill with the mixture. Bake until hot and serve whole with the punpkin top as a lid.

 

STRAWBERRY BAVAROIS

Ingredients:

• - 250grs. strawberries
• - Syrup (equal parts of sugar and water boiled for 2 min.)
• - Juice of half a lemon
• - 15 grs. flavourless gelatin
• - 250grs. cream

 

Prepare the syrup and purée the strawberries.

Soak the gelatin in not more than 4 times it's volume of water, and heat until transparent. Whip the cream until thick but not stiff. Mix the syrup with the strawberry puré, add the jelly and the lemon juice, and cool at 38º. Fold in the cream and cool.