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We always crave empanadas! Today the “Passion for Cooking” suggest these, because they have a touch of “originality” not like the same old tuna, meat or cheese … today’s empanadas are made of monkfish and vegetables! This is how you make them:

 Ingredients
 8 people

 • 8 empanada sheets

 • 250 g of munkfish

 • 1 zucchini

 • 1 red pepper

 • 1 yellow pepper

 • 1 green pepper

 • 2 dried tomatoes

 • 1 clove garlic

 • 1 small onion

 • 2.5 dl of milk

 • 2.5 dl fish stock

 • 125 g flour

 • 100 g butter

 • Olive oil

 • Salt

Directions

Add a little olive oil to the skillet and fry the chopped vegetables for a few minutes, then add the chopped garlic. Remove three quarters of the vegetables and place in a bowl. Cut the monkfish in squares and add to the skillet for a few minutes.

 Filling:
In  another pan add melt the butter incorporate the flour. Let it cook a little, add the hot fish stock and milk until it’s thickened. Then add  the sauce with the monkfish, the salt and let cool.

 The dough:
Stretch it in the center, placed one teaspoon of filling, moisten the edges with water and seal with the fork.

 Add Oil to a skillet and fry the empanadas (the oil has to be very hot)  Serve in a dish with a layer of the leftover vegetables and herbs.

Bon appetit!

No question about it: There’s some serious culinary talent among our fan base! Our poor beleaguered IberostarChef panel reports this was one of the toughest assignments of their lives, selecting just one winner among such a mouth-watering smörgåsbord of offerings. Put yourself in their shoes: how could you possibly choose between Sunita Bassra’s adobo shrimp tacos with goat cheese, and Kate Hochstein Rivas’ crème brûlée with a dollop of coconut whipped cream? Patricia George’s roasted red pepper and herbed-chèvre swirls, topped with jumbo shrimp made all our heads spin, and don’t get us started on Priya Sethi Malhotra’s alluring Do Not Disturb! cocktail!

But in the end, rules are rules, and the panel had to choose but one. After much angst, deliberation, and some serious hunger pangs, John Kwan’s fire roasted foie gras with stuffed cornish hen on a bed of caviar and wild mushroom risotto won the day. His tantalizing prize: round-trip flights and an all-inclusive 5-night stay for two at Iberostar’s Paraíso Resort on Mexico’s Riviera Maya*, during which he and his companion will have the opportunity to sample this sublime dish, prepared by one of our talented chefs. How’s that for a mouth-watering prize?

For the rest of our contestants, our “heartiest” thanks for tempting us with your culinary creations. We’re still in a mood to hand out great travel prizes, so do stay tuned and keep an eye on Facebook in the coming week! Bon appétit!

*Not including the Grand Hotel Paraíso.

A hearty stew is the perfect antidote for the cooler days and longer nights of fall, when you start to dream of escaping to a tropical paradise. Today’s recipe, taken from Iberostar’s “Passion for the Palate” cookbook, will help you on both fronts, warming your day with its tempting goodness while recalling the flavors of Iberostar’s master chefs. Best of all, it’s healthful, tasty, and easy to prepare, so get your pots and pans out and let us know how it goes!

Ingredients

300 g (10.5 oz) of lentils
1 onion
2 tomatoes on the vine
2 potatoes
1 carrot
1 green pepper
2 cloves of garlic
Paprika
Olive oil
Salt

Preparation

Rinse the lentils and place them in a pot with the onion, pepper, tomatoes and garlic (all whole, not cut).

Peel and cut the potatoes into big chunks and add them to the pot, along with the peeled and sliced carrot.

Cover the lentils with approximately 1.5″ of water and add the salt, paprika, and olive oil to taste. Cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes (until the lentils are ready).

Once cooked, remove the onion, tomatoes, pepper, and garlic and mash with some of the lentil broth until puréed. Strain through a colander and mix back into the lentils.

Bring back to a slow boil, adjust salt as needed, and let it rest before serving. Easy and appetizing, wouldn’t you say? Bon appétit!

Cream & Crab-Stuffed Tomatoes

Looking for something light, healthy and different for the dinner table? Have we got a recipe for you! This tempting creation was a hit at our recent “Passion for the Palate“ event at Iberostar Royal Cupido in Majorca, Spain, where we launched our new Iberostar cookbook. Today we share with you the first recipe from this mouth-watering collection: a quick, easy and refreshing creation by chef Jan Rene Brack, perfect for a late Indian summer afternoon.

Ingredients

4 tomatoes
1 onion
1 lemon
10 crab sticks
salt & pepper

For the cheese cream

0.4 cups (1 dl) milk
7 oz. (200 g) cream cheese

Garnish

8 cooked shrimp
4 slices of ham
Colorful baby lettuce

Preparation

The day before, scoop out the tomatoes and save the pulp, which we will leave overnight in a strainer so that all the liquid is drained.
The next day, prepare the cheese cream by mixing the milk with the cream cheese. Set aside.
Next, mix the finely chopped opion with the tomato pulp and the crab sticks cut into pieces (not too small and not too big!). Mix well. Add the cheese cream and mix well again. Finally, salt and pepper the tomatoes to taste and fill with the prepared mix. Arrange the tomatoes on a tray with the shrimp and ham and garnish with the lettuce.

¿Easy, right? Why don’t you give it a try? We’d love to know what you think!