Cooking lesson 3: Elizabeth’s Donuts

Ingredients (makes approx 120 donuts!)

3 lb flour

1 ½ lb sugar

1 egg well beaten

½ litre water

3 oz bicarbonate of soda

3 oz yeast

A pinch of salt

3 oz margarine broken into chunks

1 lb flour to sprinkle

2 litres oil

Method

1. Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl.







2. Add 1lb of the sugar to the flour and mix in.

3. Add the beaten egg.

4. Heat the water to luke warm and add the bicarbonate of soda and yeast. Use your hands to mix into a smooth paste.

5. Add this yeast paste to the first bowl and bind the whole mixture together using your hands.

6. Add the salt, the rest of the sugar and the margarine pieces to the mix.

7. Kneed the dough until it is springy and light. Leave it to rest for 15 minutes when it will grow dramatically!

8. Prepare a clean surface for rolling out the donuts. You will need to sprinkle with flour to ensure the dough does not stick. Take a handful at a time and roll out and cut with a cup and a small bottle top to take out the centre.

To cook the donuts you will need a large wok or frying pan where you can deep fry a few at a time. You will need to keep the oil levels up and ensure that no pieces of broken donut stay in the oil (otherwise they will burn).

Deep fry the donuts for a few minutes on each side until they are golden and then immediately put into a bowl of sugar to coat and set aside in a bowl.

I think you will agree that these donuts are absolutely amazing, plus you can have a lot of fun cooking them!

Cooking lesson 2: Elizabeth’s Gisado des papas

Ingredients (serves approx 12)

2 lb potatoes

½ lb corn flour

½ tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon mustard

½ tablespoon achiote (if you can get hold of it)

1 tablespoon worcester sauce (known in Nicaragua as ‘salsa inglesa’!)

1 whole garlic

1 orange or lemon juiced

½ tablespoon oregano

Chili to taste

Salt to taste

1 litre milk

2 tablespoons of margarine (melted)

½ litre cream *(optional)

Method

First cook the potatoes until soft.  Then mix the flour with the remainder of the ingredients (except the milk and margarine) in a food processor.  Put this mixture into a large saucepan and put on a low heat.  Add the milk and then stir in the melted margarine and the potatoes.  Mash and take off the heat.  Leave for one minute before adding the cream. 

*(To make a slightly healthier version of this leave out the cream – this is known as ‘gisa’)

Cooking lessons with Elizabeth

As promised in my previous post ‘Living, eating, breathing, rural Nicaragua’ here you will find links to a series of recipes I picked up from my first host mum in La Naranja de Tiacan, Elizabeth.  

She was the most loving, fun and creative lady who loved hosting the Raleigh International groups and was passionate about food.  It was amazing to witness the methods and implements used in her fantastic kitchen!  The recipes always fed hundreds…please bare this in mind!  Also please note that Elizabeth does not cook from strict recipes so the recipes are the first attempt at 'documenting' them!  (therefore amounts may need to be played with!)  I hope you have fun trying to recreate some of Elizabeth’s wonders!

Cooking lesson 2: Elizabeth’s Gisado des papas

Cooking lesson 3: Elizabeth’s Donuts (possibly the best in the world!)

Cooking lesson 4: Elizabeth’s Polvorones

Cooking lesson 5: Elizabeth’s Tortas

Cooking lesson 6: Elizabeth’s Rosquillas