Black bean salad

Ingredients (for 2 persons):

140 grams of beans (steamed)
1 cucumber
3 tomatoes
1/2 garlic, chopped finely
salt
pepper
Extravirgin olive oil
glaze of balsamic vinegar
fresh parsley, chopped finely

Preparation:
Drain, wash and pour the black beans in a bowl
Wash and cut cucumber and tomatoes into small pieces.
Mix black beans with cucumber, tomatoes and salt. Let it for 5 minutes.
Then add, extravirgin olive oil, glaze of balsamic vinegar, pepper and fresh parsley, mix all.
And ready to serve.

Risotto with dried mushrooms

Risotto is a classic italian dishes.

Ingredients:
1 ounce dried mushrooms
2 cups  rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced garlic
2 cups meat broth
salt
black pepper
Italian parmesan cheese, grated
fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions:
Prepare the dried mushrooms by put them in a bowl with 1 cup boiling water. Weight down the mushrooms with something so they stay submerged for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, squeeze mushrooms (saving all liquid) and chop them finely.

Heat broth and mushroom liquid in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat. set aside.

Sauté onion and garlic over medium heat until pale yellow. Add mushroom and continue to mix all for 5 minutes. Then Add rice and mix well.When rice is coated add wine. Cook, stirring constantly, until wine has evaporated.

Stir in 1 or 2 ladles of broth and mushroom liguid to cover rice. Stir over medium heat until broth has been absorbed. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding broth a little at a time until rice is done, 15 to 20 minutes. Rice should be tender, but firm to the bite.

At the end, stir in butter, salt and pepper.  And put on the top italian parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Serve it warm and "Buon appetito!"

Simple Cabbage salad

A Turkey dish, simple and easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

1 cabbage

2 carrots, shredded

olive oil

vinegar or lemon juice

salt

pepper

sugar (optional)

Directions:

Cut the cabbage in half and discard the outer tough leaves and the inner core.

Cut each half into quarters and wash under cold water.

Place each quarter on its side and slice very thin slices with a sharp knife.

Place cabbage and carrots in a bowl and dress it with salt, pepper, sugar, oil and vinegar or lemon.

Taste it well with enough dressing to suit your taste then serve.

Futomaki sushi

I remember the time when I was in the philippines where I lived together in the same house with a Japanesse girl. She was good in cooking. One is the futomaki!
Ingredients:
3 cups rice
3 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup rice vinegar
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cucumber, sliced into 1/2 cm strips
2 eggs
1 tbsp soya sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 carrot, sliced into 1/2 cm strips
1 fresh fish fillets (salmon, tuna or any other you like) also smoked salmon works or little prawns, surimi (edible paste made from processed meat or seafood)
4 sheets of nori (dried seaweed)
sushi mat for rolling

Direction:
Dissolve rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a sauce pan over low heat.
Cool the vinegar mixture.
Steam rice and cool in a large non metalic bowl separating the grains with a rice paddle.
Sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice and fold the rice the rice paddle quickly.
Beat eggs and sugar in a small bowl. Add soya sauce.
Cook rolled omelet and cool. Cut it into long strips.
Put a sheet of nori on a bamboo mat.
Spread 1 cup of sushi rice on top of the nori sheet.
Place the cuccumber, carrot, egg and fishcake lengthwise on the rice. Roll up the bamboo mat, pressing forward to shape the sushi into a cylinder.
Press the bamboo mat firmly and remove it from the sushi.
Cut the rolled sushi into bite-size pieces.