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Spanish Recipes

Gazpacho - Chilled Tomato Soup

Summer in Andalusia has many associations with red foods - watermelon, cherries, strawberries, tinto de veranos (red wine spritzer) and of course gazpacho. Gazpacho can be light and watery or thick and chunky. Each person knows how they best enjoy it. The most important aspect of gazpacho is that it be served very chilled on very hot days. It is such a thirst quencher! Trivia: the word gazpacho means "soaked bread" in Arabic.

Ingredients:

1 large garlic clove -- peeled and minced
8 large cucumbers-- peeled and coarsely chopped
8 large tomatoes, red ripe - peeled and coarsely chopped
(to peel a tomato dip it into boiling water)
4 cups dry French or Italian bread crumbled -- soaked in water
1 1/2 cup water -- for soaking bread
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper -- freshly ground
1/2 cup sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Finely grind the garlic cloves in a large bowl by hand with a food processor or a hand blender. Process the cucumbers, tomatoes and soaked bread in batches, mixing them together in a large mixing bowl. When processing the last batch, add the salt, pepper and vinegar. With the processor running, slowly add the olive oil to the last batch and allow it to be fully incorporated into the mixture. Add the last batch to the others and mix well; adjust seasoning, if desired. Cover the bowl tightly with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours; preferably overnight.

For Garnish

Use the ingredients you prefer. I like to add croutons that have been lightly sautéed in oil with fresh herbs such as basil and rosemary. Others like the croutons sprinkled lightly with cheese and put under the grill. Remember to add them chilled! Just before serving, whisk the gazpacho lightly and serve in a large chilled tureen or individual soup plates. Each person tops their gazpacho with their choice of chopped garnishes.

1 cup red onion -- diced
1 cup green pepper -- diced
1 cup peeled cucumbers -- seeded and diced
1 cup tomatoes -- seeded and diced
1 cup eggs, hard-boiled -- diced
1 cup seasoned croutons

Pan con Tomate -Spanish Bruscetta

This is a traditional Andalusian breakfast. The better the quality the bread, the tastier the dish.

1 loaf of sliced rustic bread
5 cloves of garlic -- peeled
6 red, ripe tomatoes -- finely diced or grated
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Buy a loaf of sliced hard round bread at your local bakery. It is important that this be "rustic" in other words hearty and not soft supermarket quality. You toast the bread on both sides.

In a small bowl mix the olive oil with the finely diced or grated tomatoes.

Optional: Rub the sliced toasted bread with garlic, then spoon on the tomato/olive oil mixture. Add salt and pepper to suit your taste. You can also serve finely sliced cold meats such jamón serrano, cured ham or chorizo, or cured Manchego cheese.

Paella Mixta / Mixed Paella

Paella is like Gazpacho in that everyone has a different recipe. This dish originated in Valencia and was traditionally cooked outside on an open wood fire. There are many varieties of paella, some with rabbit, some with fish, even some with snails,.The following recipe is for the popular 'paella mixta' or mixed paella. The dish takes its name from the special frying pan used in its preparation, very wide and shallow. The ingredients vary: if you can't find something that's listed here, be creative and replace it with something similar.

Ready in: 1-2 hrs

Ingredients:

2 chicken thighs -- chopped into bite size pieces
2 chicken legs -- chopped into bite size pieces
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup olive oil -- extra-virgin
1 Spanish chorizo sausage - in thick slices
4 cloves garlic-- crushed
1 onion -- diced
1 can (16-ounce size) whole tomatoes, --drained and crushed
1 cup Spanish rice -- short to medium grain
1 teaspoon saffron threads
4 jumbo shrimp, peeled-- with heads and tails on
2 lobster tails-- split
6 littleneck clams -- scrubbed
6 mussels --scrubbed
1/2 cup frozen sweet peas-- thawed
Fresh parsley leaves for garnish
Lemon wedges for serving

Directions:

Thoroughly rinse the chicken pieces and pat them dry. Mix the oregano and paprika with some salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken and stick it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a paella pan (or a wide shallow skillet over medium-high heat) Add the chicken, skin-side down when the oil is beginning to smoke and brown while repeatedly turning. Add the chorizo and continue to cook until the oil is a vibrant red colour. Set aside the chicken and sausage.

Return the pan to the stove and lower the heat to medium. Now make a "sofrito" by sautéing the garlic and onion in the oil that remains in the pan for 7 to 10 minutes, until they begin to brown. Add the tomatoes (either tinned or fresh and diced small) and cook it all down until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavours meld. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in the rice, stirring to coat the grains. Stir in the saffron. Pour in 3 cups warm water and simmer for 10 minutes. Take care to cook the rice evenly by turning the pan as the liquid is absorbed. (you are not to cover nor stir the rice)

Add the seafood, chicken and sausage. Give the paella a couple of good stirs to tuck all the pieces in there; then just let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, about 15 minutes. Scatter the peas on top and continue to cook for 5 more minutes, until the paella looks fluffy and moist. (The ideal paella has a toasted rice bottom called socarrat.) Then let it rest off the heat for 5 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve with lemon.

Tortilla de Patatas/ Spanish Potato Omelette

A mainstay in the Spanish diet.

Ingredients:

Extra Virgin olive oil
250 grams of potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch
1 small onion
4 large eggs

Cut the potatoes in thin slices and lightly fry them in plenty of olive oil. Remove and let cool. Sauté a small diced onion until golden brown. Mix in with the lightly fried potatoes. Beat the eggs add a few pinches of salt and blend in the potato and onion mixture. Separating the potatoes as much as possible by pressing down with the spatula so that they are covered with egg. Let sit about 10 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in an 8 or 9 inch non-stick skillet. Quickly add the egg-potato mixture, flatten with the spatula, and reduce heat to medium-high. Shake skillet, constantly to prevent sticking. When the underside begins to brown, slide the omelette onto a plate. Place another plate over it, and flip. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in the skillet, remove the top plate from the omelette, and slide it back into the skillet, smoothing out any rough edges

Tinto de Verano - Red Wine Spritzer

The secrets to making a delectable tinto de verano are simple: use all chilled ingredients and a good quality full bodied red wine (Rioja is always a good bet.) Fill a tall glass halfway with chilled Rioja wine over 2 ice cubes, top off with a carbonated beverage (gaseosa, sweetened soda water or lemonade) stir and add a thin slice of lemon.

Sangria - Summer Punch

This drink is synonymous with Spain. Served throughout the country during summer, sangria is a wine punch (more formally and precisely, an aromatized wine) It typically consists of:

Red wine (the better the ingredients, the tastier the sangria -- use Rioja red wine)
Cubed and sliced fruit
A sweetener either honey or sugar
Small amounts of brandy and triple sec
Carbonated beverage

White wine can be used instead of red, in which case the result is called sangria blanca. In some parts of southern Spain, sangria is called zurra and is made with peaches or nectarines.

Preparation

Mix the chopped fruit, sugar and liquors together. Refrigerate over night so that the flavours blend. Leave out the seeds if possible.

Pour the chilled red wine into a pitcher; add the fresh fruit mixture and just before serving add the carbonated beverage. Serve over plenty of ice.

Addition ideas: sliced strawberries, peaches, raspberries, kiwi, a shot or two of gin, rum, or a splash of lime cordial. Sparkling wine or champagne may be substituted for the red wine.

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