Pohan Piščanec!

Pohan Piščanec or what we might know as simple 'fried chicken' is what's on today's menu!

This recipe is really the basic of the basic. Back in Slovenia this would be something you might have on a lazy Sunday for lunch or a quick and easy dinner! This is a favorite for my husband and I just because of how easy and quick it is to make. Here's what you will need..

Ingredients:

8 pieces of chicken (thigh, breast, etc)

salt

fresh or dried thyme (chopped)

Breading:

Flour

2 eggs

1 tablespoon oil

breadcrumbs

fat or oil for frying

Method:

Prepare the chicken by rinsing it under water. Dry it and cut if needed. Lightly salt.

Next you will need to set up the breading. Whisk your eggs thoroughly and add a spoonful of oil so the breading sticks better. Add the thyme to the egg mixture and stir.

Take your chicken pieces and roll them first into your egg mixture, let the excess drain off.

Now dust the chicken with the flour.

 

Re-dip chicken into the egg mixture and once the excess has dripped off, roll it into the breadcrumbs.

Repeat this with the rest of the chicken.

Once all the pieces have been breaded you can cook it in one of two ways. Either in fat or in the oven. I prefer to cook the chicken in the oven personally but it's up to you. If you are frying, heat up your oil in a pan and cook it for 8-15 minutes on each side depending on the cut. Once its cooked, place it on a paper towel to remove excess oil. If you are baking, place the chicken in a lightly greased pan at 350 degrees until the breading is lightly browned and juice from the chicken comes out clear.

And your done! You can add any side you like and serve!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe, see you next time!

Buñuelos de Espinaca!

Spinach Buñuelos or Fritters. These were something that my grandmother used to make for us when we were growing up.  Unfortunately I never learned how to make them from her before she passed away.  Recently I was able to find a recipe for them on the internet that I figured I should try and see if perhaps, they would turn out like hers.  Well, they didn't quite turn out the way she would have made them but it was worth trying none the less.  I am sure there are several different ways of making these.  If you have a good one, don't forget to forward it along!

Buñuelos can generally be made with just about any type of filling, from spinach to fruit, to figs or marmalade.  The possibilities are endless really.  But for now, lets get to the recipe for these!

Ingredients:

2 bunches of fresh spinach (you can use frozen as well)

1/2 cup of flour

2 eggs, separated

2 tablespoons shredded cheese of your choice

salt

pepper

milk

oil for frying

Method:

If you are using fresh spinach, make sure to wash it thoroughly before using it.  Now you can put it into a medium sized pot filled with enough water to almost cover the spinach.  Set the water to boil.  Once the spinach is cooked remove it from the water to strain.  Cut it into small pieces as much as you can (it will be somewhat mushy so do what you can).  Set aside.

In a small bowl, add the flour, egg yolks and enough milk to make a paste.  Next add your shredded cheese, salt and pepper to taste.  In another small container, beat the left over egg whites until they are frothy and add them to your mixture.  Once everything is incorporated, add the spinach and stir in well.

Now you are ready to fry them.  Carefully heat up your oil in a frying pan and once it is hot, add about 2 tablespoons of mixture for each Buñuelo.  Brown both sides and place onto a paper towel to soak up any excess oil.

For some reason these turned into something that resembles more of a pancake then my granny's Buñuelos.  I am not sure if perhaps this recipe didn't have enough flour or what, but they still turned out ok, if not exactly what I expected.

Let me know what you guys think of these, I am curious to see if in fact these are how many people make them or not.


Thanks for visiting the site!

Chocolate Cupcakes (the best around!)

Helloo! Yes, it may sound cocky - but these cupcakes are the best.  I adapted them from another recipe I found that was for chocolate cake so it's truly twice the fun!  This is the second part of my little post on the halloween cupcakes.

Heres the recipe!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar (I used about half this amount)
2 eggs

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup strongly brewed coffee
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil (again, I used about 1/4 this amount without problem)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350F.  Line your cupcake tins.  In large a bowl mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Make a hole in the center and add the eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil and vanilla.  With an electric mixer, beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.  Don't be alarmed if the batter is thin, it is supposed to be.  Now fill your cupcake tins about 3/4's of the way full.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of the cupcake comes out clean.  Be very careful not to burn these or over cook them.  Otherwise they will come out dry.  Once they are done, make sure to cool these before you add any icing. Fill and/or frost as desired.

I wasn't as pleased with the chocolate icing I used for these as much as I would have liked, so for that reason I won't include it here.  In case you do have a good one, please pass it along and I will post it!!

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as I do and as usual, your comments are welcome!!!


Thanks!

Carrot Cupcakes

Hello everyone!

I was asked by a couple of people to post the recipe I used for my Halloween Carrot Cupcakes and Chocolate Cupcakes.  So here it is!!  I am going to divide them into two posts so it's easier to read.  Hopefully you aren't 'cupcaked out' by now! haha  Also I am in the process of gathering some Uruguayan recipes to post.  I have been having a very hard time with this, as I have mentioned before, mostly because I don't have a cookbook specifically from there.  But I think that I've got some good ones to tied us over for a little while.

On to the carrot cupcakes!

They are pretty much just like any other carrot cake recipe you've probably seen around - only thing I changed was the amount of sugar I used in them.  Not sure about you guys, but I don't like it when carrot cake is too sweet, especially when the icing itself can be overly sweet. 

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 pound  of carrots, grated

3 eggs

1/3 cup buttermilk

1-2 cups of sugar (I used around 1 1/2 cups I think)

1 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 vanilla extract

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

raisins optional

Method:

Preheat your oven to 325F.  Insert your muffin liners into an ungreased muffin tin.  In a bowl, mix together the carrots, eggs, buttermilk, sugar, oil vanilla and raisins, if your using them.  Once everything is well mixed, slowly add your flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices to the mixture, making sure everything is integrated. 

Now you can fill up your cupcake liners!  General rule of thumb is that you only fill them up about 3/4 of the way so they don't spill over during baking.

Bake these 22-28 minutes, depending on your oven's strength.  I only needed to put them in for about 24 minutes.  You will know when they are done by sticking a toothpick or knife in the center of one and it should come out clean.

Before you add any icing, you should let them cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes so the icing doesn't melt when you apply it.

Now the icing is your 'generic' cream cheese icing.  For my cupcakes, again, I tried to add less sugar than the recipe called for, about half.  The only problem with this is that it makes the icing more watery, and thus harder to work with - I haven't figured out at this point what I can substitute the sugar with to make it less watery.  But here is the recipe and instructions either way and you can adjust it as you feel nessissary!

Cream Cheese Icing ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter (soft)

12 ounces cream cheese (also at room temperature)

2 - 4 cups icing sugar (I used around 2)

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

gel food coloring if desired

Method:

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese for a couple of minutes until it becomes light and fluffy.  Now you can add your vanilla and then sugar a little at a time until it's fully mixed.  This would also be a good time to add food coloring if you are using any.

Now you are ready to ice your cupcakes which ever way you like, either with a piping bag or spread with a spatula.

Hopefully you guys like this recipe and if you have any suggestions please do leave a comment!! Enjoy!