FLAN

Children like this, but you have to be really careful if they help you to prepare this as they have plenty of opportunities to burn themselves.

The recipe looks laborious but it is really easy to make. You need to prepare a caramel first and then the flan.

These quantities are enough for 6 small flans. We use small (metal) pudding basins but you can do this in normal ramekins and you can make a big flan (in a big pudding basin or in a pyrex bowl). 

For the caramel you need:
- 75 g sugar
- 6 teaspoons of water

And for the flan:
- half a litre of full fat milk
- 3 eggs and 2 egg yolks
- half a table spoon of vanilla essence
- 175 gr sugar

Preheat the oven at 150 degrees.

For the caramel, put the sugar and water in a pan over medium heat. Let it bubble without touching it (do not stir) until it gets to a dark golden colour ( it takes 3-4- minutes only but you have to watch it carefully as it is easy to burn it). Pour the caramel over the flan ramekins so that it covers their base.

For the flan, heat the milk until it is about to boil. Separately in a bowl mix the eggs, yolks and sugar and beat well. Add the hot milk while you keep stirring and finally add the vanilla essence. Pour the mixture into the caramelised pudding basins.

Put the basins on a deep oven tray and into the preheated oven. Pour carefully boiling water into the tray (up to one third of the hight of the ramekins) so that you get a 'bain marie'.

The small flans are ready in 30 minutes ( if you do a big flan with all the mixture you will need 50 minutes)

Let them cool down for at least 2 hours and get them out of the basins by going around the edges of the basins with a snap knife first. They keep for 2-3- days in the fridge (the easiest is to keep them inside the basins).

SPINACH SOUP

Yes I know, we have a bit of a 'soup thing' lately, but after getting soaked watching/playing rugby, a soup is nice.

You need:
- 2 onions (diced)
- a garlic clove (sliced thinly)
- 350 gr spinach
- a little bit of lemon juice
- 600 ml boiling water
- olive oil
- salt
- creme fraiche: a generous tablespoon and more to serve it  (if you like it - you can also serve it with parmesan cheese on top, or fry some lemon zest in olive oil and add a few drops)

Heat the oil and fry the onions and garlic over low heat until they become translucent. The add the spinach and lemon juice. After 5 minutes add the boiling water, creme fraiche and salt. Let it boil for 5 minutes and blend it.

 

TOMATO SOUP

Another favourite with my children. You need:
- 1 kg tomatos
- 1 l water (you can use stock of course, but stock over-complicates home cooking and it also masks the vegetables flavour)
- two onions
- olive oil: three table spoons
- one teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
- salt

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees. Cut the tomatoes in quarters and the onions in eights. Put them on a roasting tin and add the salt, oil and balsamic vinegar. Roast for 45 minutes until the edges get dark. Boil the water and add it to the roasting tin  - scrap the burned bits with a wooden spoon (as you would do to prepare gravy). Put it all in a pan and blitz it with a hand held blender (or in a food processor). You can add more water if you find it too thick.

If the result is too acidic (it really depends on the quality of the tomatoes) you can add a quarter of a teaspoon of sugar.

You can serve it with parmesan shavings, with croutons, you can also blitz a few leaves of basilic with olive oil and pour a few drops on top.... we like it on its own.

RICE PUDDING/ARROZ CON LECHE

Lots of countries have a version of rice pudding. This one comes from the north of Spain.
You need:

- 1 l of milk (preferably full fat). And then around 350 ml more.
- 200 gr rice (the round variety, such as bomba' or 'arborio')
- rind of one lemon
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 125 gr sugar

Wash the rice thoroughly. In a pan heat the milk (1 l) , cinnamon stick and lemon rind until the milk boils. As soon as you see the bubbles add the rice.  Lower the heat as much as you can and let it all simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the sugar and simmer for another 25 minutes. You need to stir it often from the moment you put in the rice, as otherwise it will stick to the pan. During the last 25 minutes keep adding bits of milk every time you stir it, especially if the mixture is too dry and it is starting to stick to the pan (we use 350 ml for this because the children like it creamy, but you may be able to do it with less milk). Put it into small bowls and let it set for at least half an hour. We serve it with a bit of cinnamon (very little) sprinkled on top. You can also cover it with sugar and caramelise it with a torch (this is how they do it in Asturias, which claims to have the best 'arroz con leche'  in Spain). You can keep this in the fridge for a couple of days (cover it with cling film) - take it out of the fridge for 30 minutes or so before serving it.  

Children find it very easy to help with this. It is indeed very handy to have them around  so that you can take turns with the regular stirring.

PINEAPPLE WITH MINT

This is a super-simple dessert.

You need:
- one pineapple
- one handful of mint leaves
- two tablespoons of white sugar
- one teaspoon of water  - if you are preparing this for adults, substitute the water by a tablespoon (or two!) of vodka.

Cut the pineapple into small chunks.  Just before you are going to serve it, put the mint leaves, sugar and water into a mortar and bash them with the pestle (do this in the last minute as otherwise the mint will go brown). Mix it with the pineapple.

If you do this for adults, replace the water with the vodka. You can serve it with chocolate brownies - everybody loves it.

CUCUMBER SOUP

You need:

- 2 cucumbers
- 1 clove of garlic
- salt
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 300 ml of yogurt
- one and a half handfuls of pine nuts or walnuts
- one glass of water
- dill


Reserve a quarter of one of the cucumbers and cut it into small cubes. Put all the other ingredients except the dill into a bowl and blitz them (with a hand held blender - you can also do this in a food processor). This tastes better when it is cold, so leave the soup in a fridge for an hour or so. When you are going to serve it, sprinkle the diced cucumbers and dill on top.

SWISS CHARD

This is one of my favourite vegetables - it has taken a while to get the children to eat it but they are there now. Some people treat it like spinaches and as a result they undercook it.

You need:
 - swiss chard: two big bunches. It seems a lot at first sight but it loses a lot of volume as you cook it.
- one big onion - diced
- two carrots - in small cubes
- one table spoon of vinegar
- olive oil- three table spoons
- salt ( swiss chard is naturally salty so be careful wit the amount of salt)

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the onion and let it fry (medium heat) for five minutes. Then add the carrots and wait for another three minutes. Finally add the swiss chard, salt and vinegar. It is difficult to calculate how long you should cook it as it depends on the thickness of the stalks, but they should be soft (and therefore ready)  after 10 to 15 minutes.