Irene Subirats is a 23-year-old student of Psychology at the University of Groningen. Although she was born in Girona in Catalonia, Irene grew up in the Canary Islands in Spain. She moved to Groningen three years ago to start her bachelor degree and quickly befriended a group of German students. She loves cooking with them and trying out her mother’s Spanish recipes. Despite the rainy weather of the Netherlands, she chose to prepare the traditional gazpacho recipe (a cold soup for spring and summer) and an easter dessert called torrijas for UKook.

Dish 1: gazpacho
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Considerations: vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free

STEP 1
Chop the tomatoes, pepper and cucumber into medium-sized pieces, as well as the garlic.

STEP 2
In a deep pot, pour 250ml of olive oil, 250ml of cold water and 50ml of vinegar.

STEP 3
Add the vegetables in the pan and mix it well with a hand-mixer. All the ingredients combined should turn into a thick, orange coloured soup. Taste it and add salt if necessary. You can make the gazpacho thinner by adding more water or make it thicker by adding pieces of bread. As a final tip (optional), you can pass the mix through a strainer to give the gazpacho a smoother texture. Now it’s time to enjoy it… que aproveche!

Dish 2: torrijas (Easter dessert)

STEP 1
Cut the bread into medium slices. Meanwhile, in a small pot, warm up half a litre of milk along with one tablespoon of sugar. Soak the bread pieces individually in the milk for a few seconds and then place them on a flat plate.

STEP 2
Break four eggs and whisk them in a large bowl. Then, soak the bread in the egg mix for a few seconds.

STEP 3
Next, fill a pan with olive oil and heat it until it begins to boil. Once you see the bubbles, add the bread pieces and fry both sides. Remove them once they have become a beautiful, golden brown colour. Leave the torrijas on a plate to cool down for a few seconds. As a final step, prepare a bowl with white sugar (you can add cinnamon, too). Dip the torrijas in the sugar to finish them off. Torrijas taste like churros: fatty, but delicious!

Did you enjoy this recipe? Do you like cooking, too? If you are a RUG student, this is your chance to show off your culinary skills! Contact us at ukook@ukrant.nl with the name of the dish you’d like to make and your availability!