Steamed Mussels with Lemon Grass, Basil and Wine

After a year, here I am again. Argh! I have neglected my blog by a mile. My last entry was moons ago.  I don't know if its right to promise to be more diligent this time. Yet again. I don't want to make promises I can't keep. I don't even know if I could still write. I will try my best  - is all I can do. Not because I have ceased cooking and baking. Im telling you now, I have taken thousands of photos of my creations. I have been cooking and baking up a storm. I need to get my life back again. Cooking/baking is my life. Working full time is a sideline. Hehehe.

Please wait for me, guys, With vengeance, I will be back.

For the meantime, I shall leave you with this...

Before

After...gone in 10 minutes!

Preparation time time: 30 minutes

Total cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves 4-6

1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) mussels

1 tablespoon oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 stems lemon grass (white part only), chopped

1-2 teaspoons chopped red chillies

250 ml (1 cup) white wine or water

1 tablespoon fish sauce

60g (1 cup) fresh thai basil leaves, roughly chopped 

Before

After

1. Scrub the outside of the mussels with a brush. Remove and discard the beards. Soak the mussels in a bow of cold water for 10 minutes, drain and discard any open shells.

2. Heat the oil in a wok or large pan. Add the onion, garlic, lemon grass and chillies, and cook for 4 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Add the wine and fish sauce to the work and cook for 3 minutes.

3. Add the mussels to the work and toss well. Cover the wok; increase the heat and cook for 3-4 minutes or until mussels open. Discard any unopened mussels. Add the chopped basil and toll well. Serve with steamed rice

Spaghetti con le polpette

Or Spaghetti with meatballs

One of my favourite films of all time is Malèna. I happened to be flicking through the tv channels when a film, which was just showing the title at that time, caught my attention. I cant remember now why I was so drawn to the movie; it could have been the song that they were playing at the time or the cinematography. As soon as the actors started talking...aaaah italiano. The film didnt have any subtitle and to be honest, since they were talking so fast, I couldnt understand a thing or two. I  decided to hang on in a few and before I knew it, I have watched the film from beginning to end.

The film was beautiful, it reaches out to you, it was melancholic and nostalgic despite not I understanding anything. Obviously the movie underpins on the universal theme of L-O-V-E; love for humanity, faithful love of the husband, and love from the little boy to Malèna. Monica Belluci, the beautiful italian actress who played Malèna was at her element. Her luminous beauty sometimes outshone the movie in general. The movie also went back to basic, and didn't really need words to tell a story. But in hindsight, I could have wanted to be able to translate italian to english  when the boy said in italian, from the last scene of the film, "Of all the girls who asked me to remember them, the only one I remembered is the one who did not ask."

When I was reading the wikipedia (click here) about the movie, after I caught it again on telly with subtitles this time, I found out that there was really no raving reviews except for the cinematography and original score (Damn! the song and the cinematography were the reasons that got me after all. Hehehe.) The plot was simple and  revolved around Malèna's beauty and her punishments for being beautiful. How vain huh? Hehehe.

Spaghetti con le polpette or spaghetti with meatballs is quite a simple dish. It is also a beautiful italian dish. And is made out of L-O-V-E. Its beauty exudes exuberance and zest. I never thought that you can actually taste exuberance and zest on any dish but this dish has them and more.

This pasta dish is also my little boy's latest favourite and couldn't stop talking about or gobbling it for that matter, pun intended. If that weren't enough testament of how simple and beautiful this dish then I don't know what is.

This dish is definitely a keeper and I suppose I will be whipping it again tomorrow and again and again for the rest of our lives...

Buon appetito! Salute! :)

 *Snagged from Mama's Italian Cookbook
Serves 6

Ingredients

400 g/14 oz beef mince

1 onion, finely chopped

1 egg

4 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

plain flour, for dusting

5 tbsp virgin olive oil

400 ml/14 fl oz passata

2 tbsp tomato puree

400g/14 oz dried spaghetti

salt and pepper

6 shredded fresh basil leaves and freshly grated parmesan cheese, to garnish

Place the potato in a small saucepan, add cold water to cover and a pinch of salt, and bring to boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until tender, then drain. Either mash throughly with a potato masher or fork or pass through a potato ricer.

Combine the potato, mince, onion, egg and parsley in a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread out the flour on a plate. With dampened hands, shape the meat mixture into walnut-sized balls and roll in the flour. Shake off any excess.

Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan, add the meatballs and cook over a medium heat, stirring and turning frequently, for 8-10 minutes, until golden all over. Add the passata and tomato puree and cook for a further 10 minutes, until the sauce is reduced and thickened. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the pasta, bring back to the boil and cook for 8-10 minutes, until tender but still firm to the bite.

Drain well and add to the meatball sauce, tossing well to coat. Transfer to a warmed serving dish, garnish with the basil leaves and grated Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Thai Fried Noodles (Phad Thai)

Thailand is copping the wrath of the great flood. Central Bangkok is going to brace the onslaught of  THE raging water from the Uplands anytime soon...But stating that opening salvo is in no way of trying to make you lose your appetite due to the seriousness of the problem. My heart goes to the whole nation. Because I am truly enamoured by their culture especially by their food. Thai dishes remain one of my favourite culinary tastes, if not my favourite. Having said that, I also don't want to leave Italian dishes out of the equation. I have loquaciously claimed that I was once an Italian raggaza in my past life. Hehehe.

Phad Thai, Tom Yum soup and Glutinous Rice with Mango, in that particular order, are my top three (3) picks. I could eat them every day and you will never see me complain. I have been meaning to cook Phad Thai for so long as I can remember and yet only managed to cook it for the first time today. Truth be told, Phad Thai is everything I dreamt of and more. And cooking Phad Thai is my claim to fame. I have arrived. Lol!

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Total cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

250g thick rice stick noodles
2 tablespoon oil
3 gloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped red chillies
150g (5 1/2 oz) pork, thinly sliced
100g (3 1/2 oz) peeled raw prawn (shrimp) meat, chopped
1/2 bunch garlic chives, chopped
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons soft brown sugar
2 eggs beaten
90g (1 cup) bean spouts
sprigs of coriander (cilantro)
40g (1/4 cup) roasted peanuts, chopped

1. Soak the rice stick noodles in warm water for 10 minutes or until they are soft. Drain and set aside. head the oil in a wok or large frying pan. When the oil is very hot, add the garlic, chillies and pork; stir constantly for 2 minutes.

2. Add the prawn meat to the wok. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic chives and drain noodles to the wok; cover and cook for another minute.

3. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and eggs to the wok. Toss well with tongs or two wooden spoons until heated through.

4. Sprinkle with sprouts, coriander and peanuts. Traditionally served with crisp fried onion, soft brown sugar and chopped peanuts on the side

Garlic and Thyme Prawns

There is value on skimming through junk mails; while others may deem junk mail as rubbish, we could on the other hand be unearthing a diamond in the rough here. Such is the case of the recipe today. I got the inspiration from one of the inserts of a sunday newspaper; and an exclusive sneak peek of Donna Hay's 10th birthday collector's edition through several recipes was being unraveled right before my very eyes. 

And as I have not been showcasing my non-sweet creations, for lack of better term, as often as I should, I might as well take this opportunity to put the spot light on a scampi dish. :)

6 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of olive oil
60g butter softened
1 bunch of thyme (leaves only)
1 teaspoon dried chili flakes or cayenne
400-500g of green or tiger (raw) prawns

Preheat over to 180C. Place the garlic on a baking tray, drizzle with oil and roast for 30 minutes. Increase temperature to 220C. Remove the garlic cloves from their skins, place in a bowl and mash until smooth. Add the butter, thyme, chilli, salt and pepper and mix to combine. Place the prawns on a baking tay, top with the garlic butter and cook for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through.

A celebration...

Today is Mom and Dad's 40th wedding anniversary...

My love abounds for these two human beings who are larger than life...

Mommy is now an angel who watches over us all the time...

We are blessed to have daddy as healthy and gorgeous as ever

I must have done something good in my past life to have been given this opportunity to become their daughter. Their first born. I couldn't thank the good Lord enough.  

Beef and Red Wine Pies

Tomato sauce/ketchup in an egg cup. Hehehe.

Tomato sauce/ketchup in an egg cup. Hehehe.

I am proud of these babies. Lol. But it would probably take a while for me to bake them again. Not because they were hard to make but just the time  they took from preparation to bake; my little boy said they took 6 hours. I lost track of time. I remember prepping midday and my little boy finally digging in the final product at around 7pm. I supposed its easier to short cut the process by buying ready made short crust and puff pastries, that way the process could have been much easier but as I am a creature of habit and an old school in the kitchen, and so I do everything from scratch; I cooked the filling for 2 hours, after marinating the beef overnight. I mixed, rolled, chilled and blind baked my own short crust pastry and I mixed, rolled, chilled, folded (6 times!) my own puff pastry.  Hence toiling through the best beef pie ever in the kitchen for 6 hours. All the time, my thought bubble was "These (babies) better be good!"

My little boy said they were the best pies he has ever tasted so I reckon all the hard work is worth wait. Those words from my little boy are good enough for me.

He has been urging me to bake meat pies for the longest time, and I have not taken the bait until now. Now I know why; its tough standing, cooking in the kitchen and rolling and folding doughs for 6 hours straight. As I have been whining for some time now about not having much of a challenge in the kitchen, he issued the marching order for me to bake meat pies, I finally took it. Once and for all.

And so my question now is, what's the next challenge.....

Tricks No More:

• Marinate your beef in red wine overnight. This will make your beef so amazingly tender.
• Use the same red wine you marinated your beef in for cooking the filling.
• I suggest you dont use/buy deep dish pie tins ( I did!), trust me it will make your life easier
• When blind baking, use foil instead of baking sheets. I got this trick from Dorie Greenspan. Pie and tarts' base is evenly baked. I couldnt agree more. I only trust the experts.

Make 6

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (60 ml/2 fl oz) old

1.5 kg (3 lb) chuck steak, cubed

2 onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/4 cup (30 g/l oz) plain flour

1 1/4 cups ( (315 ml/10 fl oz) good-quality dry red wine

2 cups (500 ml/16 fl oz) beef stock

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 carrots, chopped

500 g (1 lb) home-made or bought short crust pastry

500 g ( 1 lb) home-made or bought puff pastry

1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

1. Lightly grease six metal pie tin measuring 9 cm (3 1/2 inches) along the base and 3 cm (1 1/4 inches) deep.

2. Heat 2 tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan and brown the meat in batches. Remove from the pan. Heat the remaining oil in the same pan, add the onion and garlic and stir over medium heat until golden brown. Add the flour and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until well browned. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the combined stock.

3. Return to the heat and stir until the mixture boils and thickens. Return the meat to the pan, add the bay leaves and thyme and simmer for 1 hour. Add the carrot and simmer for another 45 minutes, or until the meat and carrot are tender and the sauce has thickened. Season, then remove the bay leaves and thyme. Allow the cool.

4. Preheat the oven to moderately hot 200C (400F/Gas 6). Divide the shortcrust into six and roll out each piece between two sheets of baking paper to a 25 cm (10 inch) square, 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick. Cut a circle from each shortcrust sheet big enough to line the base and side of a pie tin. Place in the tins and trim the edges. Line each pastry shell with baking paper and fill with baking beads or uncooked rice. Place on a baking tray and bake for 8 minutes. Remove the paper and beads and bake for another 8 minutes, or until the pastry is lightly browned. Allow to cool.

5. Divide the puff pastry into six portions and roll each piece between two sheets of baking paper to a square. Cut circles from the squares of a dough, to fit the tops of the pie tins. Spoon some of the filling into each pastry case and brush the edge with some of the beaten egg. Cover with a pastry round and trim any excess pastry, pressing the edges with a fork to seal. Cut a slit in the top of each pie. Brush the pie tops with the remaining beaten eggs and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is cooked and golden brown.

Note: You can make a family-size pie using the same ingredients, but substituting a 23 cm (9 inch) metal pie tin. Bake in a moderately hot 200C (400F/Gas 6) oven for 30-35 minutes. Any remaining pastry can be rolled and used to decorate the pie or frozen for later use.

The alcohol content of the red wine dissipates on heating. While it adds a distinct flavour, you can use all stock if you don't like to use wine.

Pan-fried salmon with herbs lemon dressing

I went to St. Patrick's Cathedral yesterday at lunchtime hoping to catch its Thursday mass. I know it was like hoping against hope because usually during lenten season the masses are set on a different time. While praying and still hoping for the usual daily 1pm mass, a lady guard quietly approached me and whispered that the church will be closed at 1pm, and so with after I-should-have-known-better moment, I said my thanks giving to the good God and hurriedly ushered myself out of the church, On my way out, as I was about to do my one last glance and prayers towards the altar, I saw a lone person in the corner, the last person left in one of the pews still praying, with his shoulder slumped onwards and quietly praying with his hands clasped together and crying his heart out....His quandary seems to echo within the hallow corners of the majestic Cathedral. The scene has affected me a great deal and as I write this, I can feel my eyes welling up once more. With prayers for my own needs easily discarded, I offered my prayers for that lone person I saw yesterday instead. Where ever he is, whoever he is, may he find peace in his heart and our prayers heard by heavens above.  

There are events, and/or people that affect us in many ways than one in our lives. People come and go in our lives for a reason.  And in many ways than one, we learn from our experiences, they either bring joy  or  sorrow but..."the greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return", (Toulouse-Lautrec, Moulin Rouge). 

So, I lay my head back down

And I lift my hands and pray

To be only yours, I pray, to be only yours

I know now you're my only hope.

*Snagged and tweaked from Guy Grossi's Family Feaster for Good Friday (which I cut out from Woolworth's grocery junk mail)

Ingredients

1 tbsp chopped oregano

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 tbsp chopped marjoram

1 clove garlic, chopped

Finely grated rind & juice of 1 lemon

100 ml olive oil (extra for cooking, approx 2-3 tbsps)

8X100-150g salmon fillets, or 4 large 200g portions sliced in half

Pinch of salt and twist of ground pepper

Lemon wedges to serve

Method

1. In a small bowl or food processor, whisk together the chopped herbs, garlic, zest, juice and oil. Season to taste.

2. Heat a large fry pan over medium heat, add some oil. Season salmon, cook one side for 2 minutes. Turn salmon over, cook for a further 2 minutes or until cooked to your liking (Oh yes, since I love my salmon crispy and crunchy, I cooked them longer)

3. Drizzle dressing over and serve with lemon wedges.

Fish Pan-Fried with turmeric and dill

A couple of years ago I had the chance to visit Hanoi, Vietnam for work, I was so taken by the oriental beauty of the place, struck by the provencal allure (no fast food centers at that time, not even the perennial McDonalds) and mystified how oriental was infused by colonial french to evolve into one dynamic culture - east meets west of sorts. So much so that I wishfully thought and said, " I won't mind living here you know".  The pagodas were everywhere, an array of colors billowing above your head and truly a shopping haven if you are into chop sticks, bowls and cheong sams. 

Ever heard of be careful what you wish for, it might come true? Fast forward 2008, I was well and truly living in Vietnam! But Ho Chi Minh City this time. My little boy was assigned there for work and when love beckons you, you follow love without any iota of doubt. It was our first home together as husband and wife. Vietnam is a mad mad place to live in. And a place not for the faint hearted indeed. Our Vietnam experience truly deserves a blog entry of its own, so I will segue to this dish entry instead because it reminds me how excellent and exotic the food  repertoire Vietnam has.

If there is one thing I miss about Vietnam?...the food (and the shenanigans it brings from one intake to the another. LOL!)

*Adapted from Luke Nguyen's Vietnam

Ingredients
1kg (2 lb 4 oz) ling fillets (blue marlin would be nice, sword fish is even nicer)
8 spring onions (scallions)
4 garlic cloves
1 tbsp ground turmeric
2 tsp hot curry powder
2 tbsp plain yoghurt ( I didn't have this so I used coconut milk instead)
125ml (4 fl oz/1/2 cup) fish sauce
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 bunch dill
250ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) fish stock
1 lemon
300g (101/2 oz) bean sprouts (I didn't have this either)
125g (41/2 oz) rice vermicelli, cooked ( I was too lazy to cook noodles, I cooked jasmine rice instead)

Preparation
Cut the ling fillet into 4cm (11/2 in) pieces, place in a bowl and set aside.

Put the white heads of the spring onions (reserving the stalks) and garlic in a mortar and pound to a paste. Add the turmeric, curry powder, yoghurt, fish sauce, sugar, 2 tablespoons of the oil and a third of the dill, roughly chopped, to the fish and mix well.

Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Thinly slice 4 of the green spring onion stalks.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the remaining oil, then fry the fish fillets on one side for 30 seconds.

Turn the fillets over, add the fish stock and simmer for 3–5 minutes, until the fish is cooked through. Remove the fish and squeeze over the juice from the lemon.

Mix the bean sprouts, sliced spring onion, remaining dill and vermicelli together.

Place into bowls and spoon over the fish fillets and sauce.

Pasta with tuna, capers, green olives and pine nuts

I know, I know, I have been slacking off with my food blog of late and Im sorry... I must have been very tired lately. There are just so much on my plate at the moment that it takes all my will power to just do anything after a day's worth in the grind. But opening this blog and sharing the wonders of cooking and baking is a commitment. And albeit the days are getting harder and the nights are getting colder in my scheme of things,  cooking and baking remain my passion. I haven't stopped baking and cooking, really.  Nor had I stopped taking photos. I was, slacking off producing food blog entries and that's just being politically correct. Lol!

So without further ado, here is another dish amongst a few of pasta dishes I have created...

Ingredients:

250-300grams pasta

2-3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 can of tuna in olive oil 

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 white medium onion, minced

2 tablespoons of capers

2 tablespoons of green olives stuffed with pimiento

1 lemon

2 tablespoons italian herbs

2 tablespoons pine nuts

white wine

1 tablespoon white sugar (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Cook the pasta following package directions.  Drain, and keep aside,.

Heat the oil and add garlic and onion. When the veggies had turned translucent, add in tuna, and cook for 2 minutes, stir then add capers and green olives, half of the lemon, salt and pepper, sugar (optional) and italian herbs,  a few dashes of white wine, pine nuts then stir and taste if the taste is balance.

Add the spaghetti to the frying pan and stir it around to reheat and coat it evenly with sauce.  Add the other half of the lemon. Season to taste with salt and  pepper  (if needed), Remove from heat. Plate your pasta, drizzle with olive oil and top it with parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Pasta with Chilli prawns, sweet basil and sun-dried tomatoes

I hesitated to post this pasta entry only because I cook pasta week in week out, its easy to make  so much so that I find nothing special doing pasta anymore. And when you are caught between a wall and a hard place (read: toiling away to get your day's worth) you relish any opportunity to cook a meal that can be prepared in a breeze.

Not like when I was growing up, pasta on our table means birthdays, celebrating christmas day and new year's, and usually cooking pasta is synonymous to pasta bolognese. I grew up with my Mommy cooking her famous pasta bolognese until my sister and I were old enough to prepare it for the whole family. We knew the drill and the ABC's of her bolognese. And every time I go home to my family to this day and age, I would still cook her pasta bolognese. Going home now is such a treat so I don't fail to serve it to my family.

My sister would urge me to cook any pasta dish every so often that I have concocted my own pasta dishes. She would prepare the ingredients, I cook the dishes. According to her, I cook the best pasta dishes in the whole world. Whether she is biased or not, your guess is as good as mine. :)) In hindsight, I must say the taste of my pasta dishes aren't bad at all, they are actually good.  Hence, pasta lover not a fighter  should be my name tag. Lol! If there were a dish that I cook and enjoy eating, its my pasta. A pasta dish was also one of the first dishes I cooked for my darling little boy. So please humour me, by letting me post, albeit hesitantly, one of my own pasta dishes...

Ingredients:

250 grams spaghetti pasta
250-300 grams shelled prawns

3 cloves of garlic, minced

medium-sized white onion, minced

handful of sweet basil leaves

lemon

1 1/2 teaspoon of chilli flakes (if you are not keen on chilli then ignore this ingredient)

2 tablespoons of italian herbs

2 teaspoons of  capers

1/2 teaspoon of  powdered cayenne chilli

1 tablespoon of brown sugar (or more to taste)

3 tablespoons of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

50-75 grams of sun dried tomatoes (or more, its really up to you, I usually add more, I love sun-dried tomatoes long time :) )

a handful of shredded or thinly sliced parmesan cheese (I usually add more and more. Lol!)

I can't help it, I loooove parmesan cheese

Method:

Cook the pasta following package directions.  Drain, and keep aside,.

Heat the oil and add garlic and onion. When the veggies turned translucent, add in your prawns until   they turned slight pink, add chilli flakes and powdered cayenne, stir then add capers and sun dried tomatoes, half of the lemon, salt and pepper, sugar and italian herbs,  stir and taste if the taste is balance, let it simmer for 3 minutes (make sure that you don't over cook your prawns, prawns are cooked 4-6 minutes) stir once in a while.

Add the spaghetti to the frying pan and stir it around to reheat and coat it evenly with sauce.  Add the other half of the lemon. Season to taste with salt and  pepper  (if needed), Remove from heat then stir in  a handful of basil.  Plate your pasta, drizzle with olive oil and top it with parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

This pasta dish is as good as serving it immediately or reheating it for the following day's lunch or dinner. :)

Beef caldereta (beef stew) one way

I had a gnawing craving for beef caldereta (beef stew), and for some reason the beef caldereta from this spanish restaurant that I used to frequent at home kept popping up in my mind. And as Im the type of a person who doesn't leave any stone unturned, I vagabondly (for lack of better term) visited one blogsite to the another until I found the one.

And so finally, with tongue-in-cheek, as I have tried many recipes from different blogsites and alas they are not really what they are seemed to be, I dawdled my way through cafenilson blog and surprisingly, found 'the one'. And as far as Im concerned, this is the best recipe closest to the one I usually order in that spanish restaurant. The blog has two recipes - the author's and one from a Filipino chef on parallel review, and as nothing is impossible in this world, and persistence is my name, I tweaked the recipes once again by combining them together and creating a recipe one-way. Hence the name of this recipe: Beef caldereta (beef stew) one way. Lol!

Beef Caldereta is a filipino dish but the spanish influence is all over it. What with Philippines under Spanish rule for 300 years, I am no longer surprised.

The recipe also asks for red wine and sherry, so take it easy on them huh, lest you get so excited and drink yourself silly. :)

The result speaks for itself; the beef just simply melts in your mouth and is ridiculously tender that seemingly having a mind of its own, the meat just separates and breaks on its own term.

Inspired by http://www.cafenilson.com/2009/03/beef-caldereta-two-ways/

Ingredients:
1 kilo beef, cut in bite size pieces
1 1/2 cup red wine
2 tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium size onion, diced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/3 cup brine of green olives
1 large tomato, diced
1 tsp paprika
1 carrot, diced
1 tbs grated cheddar cheese
1 small can liver spread
10 green olives (or black olives)
2 pieces roasted bell peppers (any color)
1 carrot, diced
1potato, diced
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs sherry or brandy

Directions:
Marinate beef in red wine overnight (this is really important as I believe this makes the meat extremely tender).
Boil meat in enough water until tender.  Remove and reserve stock.
In olive oil, saute garlic and onion.  Add the meat to brown.  Add tomoto paste, olive brine and tomato.  Simmer until meat is tender.  Season with paprika.  Add stock and wine as needed until meat is tender and cooked. Add potato and carrot.
Thicken sauce with liver spread and cheese.  Add olives and peppers.  Season with salt and pepper.
Add sherry and continue to simmer on low until cooked or reduced.