Day: 18 December 2021

Feeding your demons

This is not another cooking recipe. This is a book a finished this week. Initially I was a bit worried that it was going to be a pain. As usual, I dont remember where I got the recommendation for the book. But after starting reading it, I didnt regret it. It hit me. The concept of feeding your demons it based on the teachings of Machig Labdron. She was a Buddhist master that developed a new way of meditation. She faces problems with a different approach, instead of fighting them (very western style) tries to connect, understand, nurture and merge with them.

I remember while doing my headspace meditation some time ago, one week exercise was to focus in somebody you hated and wish then the best. It was hard but I felt at peace after that. This is the “Chod” method in a very simple way. I liked the example of Hercules fighting the Hydra. Whenever he cut a head, another grew and there was an immortal head. So that’s how we normally deal with our problems (internal or external) fighting them, trying to defeat them. But unfortunately, our mental/philosophical/live issues always come back alive like the hydra. So we need a different approach.

The book give you plenty of examples where you can use the Chod method. And explain the different types of demons, finishing with the main one, the ego. At the end of the day, that’s the source of all our problems. And this is something that reminds me too to Stoicism.

From my point of view, my main demon is relationships/feelings. My excuse is I dont want to lose my autonomy/independency. I dont want to get hurt. I dont want to show my weakness. It is fear to be loved and love.

It is something I still need to work on, not fight.

I take this as a new and important skill in my mental toolbox. And I need to practice it. Theory is not enough.

Tapenade – Olive spread

Once a month I buy two big containers of olives: blacks (small) and greens (big). Just with stone. I found them with much more flavor that anything you buy without stone. It is like sunflower seeds… the ones you have to peel feel tastier!

Yesterday I noticed the green olives were getting moulds…. They were not the typical ones I buy, they had some kind of cut sideways… that makes the meat to be in contact with the air… and get spoiled much faster…. The black olives were fine. So I decided to clean the olives, remove the stones, put them in a container with water and next day cook something with them.

So I remember some kind of paste you could do with olives and that is tapenade. So I found this super quick recipe and gave it a go.

Ingredients

  • 300gr olives without stone
  • 1/2 lemon juice (or less)
  • 1/2 glass olive oil ( or less)
  • 4-5 garlic cloves
  • bunch of fresh basil leaves
  • 4-5 slices of sundried tomatoes.

Process

  • In a blender, add all ingredients and blitz for a couple of seconds and give it a test. more lemon? more olive oil?
  • Transfer to a clean crystal jar and keep in the fridge.

In my case, I made a mistake of putting too much lemon (full lemon juice) and I had to add more olive oil and olives to compensate. Will learn for the next time. I hope It last for a bit in the fridge. It will be very nice with a toast…

Atun Escabechado

I am allergic to fish. But I love tuna… if comes from a can. When I was in Madrid, I tried homemade marinade tuna a.k.a “atun en escabeche”. It was amazing. So I decided to try myself (and hope to not end in a hospital like when I was a kid)

So searching I decided to try this recipe. I was planning to make a big batch like in the video but when I managed to find a fishmonger with fresh tuna… I was amazed how expensive it was. I only could get the leftovers, a 600gr slice, already cleaned. That gave me at the end for one 600ml jar (plus a small one for the confited onions)

Ingredients:

  • 600gr fresh tuna, cleaned.
  • 2 onios sliced
  • 2 glasses of mild olive oil
  • 1 glass of vinegar
  • 2 cloves
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 5gr salt
  • pepper
  • several cloves of garlic

Process:

  • In a high pan, put the sliced onions in the bottom, then garlic, bay leaves, cloves, pepper.
  • Then add the tuna and salt on top of it. Then add the olive oil and vinegar
  • Heat the pan until boil. Then lower to mid heat and leave it for 20 minutes.
  • Let it cool down. Then take the tuna out and leave in another tray.
  • Filter the liquid and keep the onions. We will add it into another jar.
  • In a crystal jar (that has been previously cleaned with boiling water) put the tuna. Try to fill it as much as you can. Leaving as few air pockets as possible.
  • Then add the liquid you filtered before. Fill the jar till the top.
  • Add the onions to another jar and add the liquid to the top.
  • Let the jars open, and leave it overnight.
  • Next day, close the jar with their lids.
  • Put the jars (vertical if you can) in a high pan. Fill with water, hopefully water will be one finger than the jars, if not, you will have to be sure the jars are properly closed and then put in horizontal.
  • Boil the water, then let it simmer at mid heat for 1h 30m or so. This is the critical step to allow the tuna last for months.
  • Let the jars to cold down in the water.
  • Label the jars with a label with the date of preparation. You can eat the tuna in three months!!

So I will have to wait for a bit until I try it. So very likely I will make another batch next month.