SPANISH TAPAS

1/TIGERS (STUFFED MUSSELS)

1 large can mussels Natural (18 large pieces per can) or 2 pounds of mussels

1 tablespoon fried tomato sauce

Juice of 1 lemon

Chopped parsley

Breadcrumbs

2 eggs

1 tetrabrick of Bechamel Sauce

Mussel shells

Open and drain the mussels.

If using fresh mussels: Wash the mussels and remove the beards. Place in a pot with a finger of water, cover and heat until the mussels open. Strain the juice and separate reserve the mussels shell.

Mix the Bechamel with tomato sauce and juice of the mussels.

Chop the mussels and garnish with the lemon juice and parsley.

Add them to the batter.

Fill the shells of mussels with the mixture.

Dip in egg, cover with breadcrumbs and fry in hot oil.

2/HAM STICKS

12 grissines

12 very thin  slices of Jamón

Wrap each stick in 1 slice of ham.

Arrange the sticks in a glass.

3/SPANISH TORTILLA

6 eggs

6 medium potatoes peeled

Olive oil

Salt

1 green pepper (optional)

1 large onion (optional)

Peel and cut the potatoes into cubes and fry in a pan with olive oil.

Chop the onion into 1/4" pieces. Put potatoes and onions into a bowl and mix them together. Salt the mixture.

Crack and beat  the eggs in a large bowl and pour in the potato onion mixture. Mix together.

In a frying pan, cook the tortilla on one side, turn it over to cook the other side.

The inside of the mixture should not be completely cooked and the egg will still be runny.

DID YOU KNOW?

If you want, you can add 1 green pepper chopped to the potatoes and onions and fry it.

4/HAM STUFFED MUSHROOMS

10 large mushrooms

1 onion

200 gr. (7 ounces) of prosciutto

4 tablespoons of grated cheese

2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs

Oil

Salt

Pepper

Preheat oven to 190ºC (374ºF).

Wash the mushrooms.

Chop the onion and ham.

Cook the onion in a pan with 1 tablespoon oil.

When browned add the sliced ​​mushrooms. Saute until the agua evaporate. Add the ham and saute 1 minute more. Remove.

Add three tablespoons of grated cheese and breadcrumbs.

Fill the mushrooms and sprinkle with the remaining cheese on top.

Bake for about 15 minutes.

5/RUSSIAN SALAD

4 potatoes

3 carrots

150 gr. (5 ounces) of peas

1 small tin of tunna

3 hard-boiled eggs

Olives

3 small roast red peppers

Mayonnaise

Cut the vegetables and the potatoes in small cubes and boil them separately in salted water.  Cooled it.

Chopp the eggs and the olives.

In a bowl crumble the tuna and mix with the eggs and the olives.

Add the rest of the vegetables in the bowl

Add mayonnaise to the taste and cover with strips of red pepper.

Cool in the icebox

6/CHISTORRITAS WRAPPED WITH ORANGE MARMALADE

1 chistorra

1 sheet of puff pastry

1 egg

Marmalade

Cut the sausage into chunks as long as the width of the sheet.

Spread the sausage with some jam.

Place the sausage on the pastry sheet and roll until completely wrapped.

Cut the "tube" of puff pastry and sausage into pieces 3-4 cm. (0,5 inches) in length and paint with beaten egg. 

Place on a tray with baking paper and bake about 20 minutes at 200°C (392ºF).

7/GUACAMOLE TOASTS, ANCHOAS AND OLIVES

1 pack of Krisprolls or toast

1 small can of anchovies in oil

1 can of pitted black olives

1 brick of guacamole. or:

2 avocados

1 chopped tomato

1  chopped onion

1 lemon

2 chopped chilli pepper

Fresh coriander

Olive oil

Salt

In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lemon juice, and salt. Mix in onion, coriander, tomatoes, and chilli pepper. Add olive oil to the taste.

Spread guacamole over the toast and top with the anchovies and the black olives.

8/DELIGHTS OF QUIXOTE (MONTADITOS CHEESE AND QUINCE)

200 gr. (7 ounces) of Manchego cheese

200 gr. (7 ounces) of Quince

1 jar of blackberry jam

Water

Cut cheese and quince into equal slices and pile up making a “mille-feuille”.

In a saucepan dilute the jam with some water until it has a sauce texture.

Decorate the platter topping with the sauce.

8/BLUE CHEESE STUFFED GRAPE

Large grapes

Blue cheese (Cabrales, Gorgonzola, Roquefort ...)

Cottage cheese or mascarpone

Divide grapes in half with a sharp knife. Carefully remove the seeds.

In a bowl mix the mascarpone cheese with the blue cheese and fill the grapes with a little of the mixture.

PAELLA

Paella

"Paella" is a classic rice dish that is eaten in Spain and is typical of the Levantine and Valencian coast, or the Mediterranean side of Spain.

Like so many other dishes (such as Moroccan Tagine, Beef Stew, or Chicken Pot Pie, which are all cooked in their own cooking containers) the name “Paella” is derived form the cooking pan: a round, two-handled, shallow pan. The reason for the paella pan being so shallow and large in diameter is to ensure that the rice is in a single layer if possible. The paella pan is usually made of a thin layer of iron, as this is essential to transmit the heat uniformly, and to actually see when the rice is ready without touching it.

When cooking paella, the choice of rice is essential. For this reason, the paella originated in Valencia, around a lagoon, where rice has been cultivated since the Eighth Century. Over time, Paella has become one “in-the-same” with Spain. It is Spain’s national dish, and tourists come from far and near to have Spanish paella.

A traditional dish for Sunday lunches throughout the country, it is usually very family-oriented (i.e. the bigger the pan the better the paella).

Additionally, there have always existed Culinary Competitions around Paella, with international chefs from the world around.

Something curious about Paella is that many restaurants all over Spain serve Paella as the “Menu of the Day” every Thursday. Many different theories try to explain the origin of this tradition.

Gastronomically, Paella is considered a 5-fork level dish. Nutritionally, its status is excellent. The Paella is praised in the Mediterranean diet for its grain source of carbohydrates, its variety of greens and vegetables, and its mixture of meats (country paella) and/or fish (fishermen’s paella) that provide a sources of protein. All of the above, along with precious olive oil, provide the necessary components of a Mediterranean diet.

The traditional country paella ingredients can be anything from wild boar, chicken, pork, rabbit or snails; and the fishermen’s paella can contain ingredients such as squid, with its ink, Nettles of the sea, cuttlefish, clams, mussels, and crab claws, all typically Mediterranean shellfish. All of these are based with a broth, be it meat broth fish broth, and always with rice, be it black rice, with squid ink; or yellow rice, with “azafran,” the stamen of a wild flower typically found in Spain and North Africa.

The steps taken to cook the Paella are the following:

First, you fry the rice in the sauce. Then you add the broth and keep an eye on it until the broth does down.

There are many different ways of serving Paella.

A)   Paella a Banda, in which all additions to the rice are served separately.

B)   Blind Paella, where all additions to the rice are chopped up, shelled, di-boned, chopped in bite-size pieces and “Eaten Blindly.”

C)   Brutt Paella, whereby one shells, debones, cuts, cleans and slices meats and shellfish “Brutally.”

All the while, savoring the Rice Dish is “each to its own!”

There are several common steps in the preparation of any kind of Paella:

First is the sauce. One can make the sauce by slowly simmering olive oil, onions, garlic and tomatoes; and adding vegetables such as beans, green and red peppers and dried peppers. This process requires patience and time, since one must cook the vegetables without over cooking them nor drying them out.

Another key element is the stock or broth. It must be of good, pure quality. You should consider cooking more than the amount required, since you can always freeze the unused broth and save it for future use. The Broth should be boiling while you prepare the rice, as it must be poured boiling as to not stop cooking anytime.

Another essential step is the Sautée Rice. Sautée the rice in the Paella pan with the prepared sauce and then add the Broth or Fish Stock. The rice will change from opaque white to a pearl-like transparency.

Let it all cook for about 18 minutes in total: 8 minutes on high heat, 6 to 7 minutes on low heat, and the last 3 or 4 minutes over low heat if the broth has evaporated or over maximum heat if there is still some broth left in the pan.

As a final step, you might add some of the pre-cooked additions on top of the rice and make a design.

Always let it stand for a few minutes before serving.

Following these basic steps as a guide, anyone can make a paella and customize it to different tastes and seasons.

                

OTRA DE MIS RECETAS PUBLICADAS EN CANAL COCINA

RAPE ALANGOSTADO


1 cola de rape deshuesada
100 g de pimentón dulce
1 hoja de laurel
Sal
Espinacas frescas


Salpimienta la cola de rape.

Extiende pimentón dulce sobre una hoja de papel de plata y reboza el rape sobre el pimentón hasta que quede bien impregnado.

Envuelve el lomo en el papel de aluminio como si fuera un caramelo, y ponlo a cocer al vapor sobre una cazuela con agua, una hoja de laurel y un puñadito de sal durante unos diez minutos.

Corta el pescado en rodajas y sirve acompañado de las hojas de espinacas.