What's A-cookin'?, Post your favorite dinner recipes! Options

[stargelman]

In our modern times, the ability to cook for oneself has become one of the most important cultural assets. In a world that is increasingly inhabited by "singles" - people who live by themselves - everyone has to have this ability.

In recognition of this fact I am opening this thread as an opportunity for everyone to share their favorite recipes. I will begin by posting one of my favorites.

The recipe I'm sharing with you I picked up in one of the finer italian restaurant in my town. It is a sardinian recipe that supposedly the shepards of that beautiful island enjoy.

Ingredients (2 persons):

500 gr (~1 lb) Pork meat
250 gr (~1/2 lb) sheep cheese - the soft kind
6-8 large tomatos
15-20 black olives
2 onions
1 TS Herbes de Provence
1/2 TS Salt

Preparing this dish is rather easy. First, you prepare your ingredients for frying:
Slice the meat into stripes, peel and cut the onions and wash and cut the tomatos to quarters.

Then, heat up the ole' frying pan at maximum burn. Be sure to put enough oil in it and get it well heated up - don't want your meat to get dry! When it's really hot (you can test this with a piece of onion - if you sink it into the fat and it instantly starts to fizzle, then you're set - watch your fingers!), you put the meat in and get it a good tan from both sides.

When the meat is good, add onions and decrease heat. Keep this up with regular stirring until the onions are glassy.

Now, add half a cup of water and the cut tomatoes. Put the lid on the frying pan and let this work on its own for at least 45 minutes on small heat - it can simmer a bit, but it shouldn't be too hot. Stir every now and then.

In the meantime, get the cheese and cut it into small pieces. We want the cheese to dissolve entirely, by cutting it in small pieces this process is sped up a little. Also, cut the olives into rings.

When the tomatos have become soft enough for your taste, add the cheese. Let this work for another 10 minutes, then add the olives, the herbes de provence, the salt and perhaps a bit of pepper if you like, but not too much.


After another 5 or so minutes, you're done! Serve with pasta of your choice. I recommend Rigatoni


Note: some people prefer to not melt the cheese entirely. This may look better, but the consistency of the sauce is better if you let it melt. Same goes for the olives: optic is better with whole olives, but taste is better with cutting them into pieces

[minque]

Have to share this with you, it´s delicious!

Picadillo (from Mexico)

4-6 persons

800 gr minced meat (beef, not pork!)
butter or oil
1 large onion, neatly hacked
4 tblspoons red wine or sherry
3 tblspoons lemon juice (from fresh lemon)
2 tomatoes, peeled and hacked
2 jalapenos ot chili-fruits, hacked
20 pimiento-filled olives, sliced
3 tblspoons capers
75 gr raisins
2 big potatoes diced
1 segment of garlic, pressed
½ teaspoon grinded caraway seeds
salt
50 gr almonds, roasted and hacked..(take double amount.....)

1. Fry onions and minced meat in butter or oil in a large pot until it gets a nice colour. Add wine and lemon-juice, simmer for approx. 5 min.

2. Add tomatoes, chili-fruits, olives, capers and raisins. Simmer for another 20 min.

3. Fry potato-dices together with garlic and caraway seeds for 10-12 or till the potatoes are soft. Mix the potatoes with the other ingredients and simmer for a couple of minutes.

4. Spread the almonds on top......and ENJOY!!