CROQUETTES

Hello, my dear chefs! I'm here with a new Spanish recipe. Croquettes ^0^
I guess have you ever heared about Croquettes.. for the Spaniards are a typical tapas dish, very tasty and easy to cook, we usually  filled with ham or chicken.


(｡◕‿◕｡)Ingredients (for 4 people):

• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 tbsp of flour
• 1/4 litre of milk
• 1 Eggs
• 100 grams of bread crumbs
• Nutmeg
• 150 grams of ham or chicken, cut into small pieces
• Salt

Preparation:
1: Put the oil in a frying pan and warm it. Once the oil is warm (but before it is so hot that smoke rises from it) remove the pan from the heat and add the flour to the oil. Stir with a wooden spoon until it becomes a paste.
2: Put the pan on the heat again and add the milk, little by little, stirring the mixture all the time until it is cooked and even. Add the nutmeg, a pinch of salt and the ham cut into small pieces. Cook in the pan until the mixture is stiff, and don't stop stirring.
3: As soon as the mixture is stiff enough, spoon it into a bowl and let it cool. Beat the egg. Once the mixture is cool, make small portions and mould them with your hands into the shape of a croqueta (oval). Dip each croqueta into the beaten egg and then dip it into the breadcrumbs which will stick to the croqueta because of the egg. Place each croqueta separately on a plate. You can fry them straight away, or put them into the fridge and leave them until you are ready to cook and eat them.
4: Fry the croquetas in a pan with enough oil to cover them. When they are golden and crispy, take them out and lay them on kitchen roll to absorb the excess oil. Serve straight away.

I hope you give me your opinion after you'll cook this recipe. see ya!

ARROZ CON LECHE

Hello guys! today we gonna learn how to cook Spanish Rice Pudding

Some say that Arroz con Leche descends from the Moorish occupation of Spain centuries ago, as may be evidenced by the traditionally Arabic mixture of cinnamon and rice.

This creamy dessert may be savored warm or cold, though most Spanish establishments tend to serve arroz con leche straight from the oven. If you wish, you may decorate the finished pudding with raisins and an extra sprinkling of cinnamon.

  

(｡◕‿◕｡) Ingredients:

    2 cups (16 fl. oz) milk
    1 cinnamon stick
    3 strips lemon rind
    Pinch of salt
    1/2 cup (4 oz) short-grain white rice
    3 medium egg yolks, beaten
    1/3 cup (3 oz) sugar
    1/2 stick (2 oz) butter
    1 tbsp ground nutmeg

Preparation
In a large saucepan, slowly bring the milk, cinnamon stick, strips of lemon rind, and salt to a boil. With a slotted spoon, remove the cinnamon and lemon rind. Stir in the rice and egg yolks, reduce the heat, and allow the rice to simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly.
When the rice is soft, add the sugar and butter and combine well. Pour the mixture into a serving dish, sprinkle with nutmeg, and serve warm

TORRIJAS

Torrijas are slices of bread soaked in milk and fried in olive oil. They are typical from Spain and It's believed that torrijas originated in Andalucian convents during the XV century as a way to use up stale bread.

Although torrijas are a popular breakfast food, they can be eaten any time of the day. This dessert is really cheap and tasty, very easy to cook..
Torrijas are cooked specially during the Easter.

(｡◕‿◕｡) Ingredients:

Day-old bread
3 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
½ liter of milk
Olive oil
Dust cinnamon

Preparation:

-  Put in a bowl the slices of stale bread and cover them with milk. Drain well the milk of every bread slices
- Beat the eggs in a separate dish. Then dip each slice of bread on both sides and fry in a pan with boiling hot olive oil until they are golden brown. Drain well the oil
- Place all the slices of bread over a dish and cover them with cinnamon and sugar.

 

"Torrijas" can be eaten warm or cold. i hope you enjoy them and let me know ^_^

Magdalenas

Hello everyone.

I'm here with a new recipe.

Magdalenas are small sweet cakes with rich-tasting, but light and fluffy. The Spaniards traditionally eat them at breakfast with coffe with milk, and they are said to have originated in Aragon.
Nowadays magdalenas are not often prepared in homes but are sold in supermarkets and bakeries everywhere. These little cakes would be a great addition to the breakfast.

Then, let's go to know how to cook them! Is very easy,  this is the recipe to  makes 18 magdalenas.

(｡◕‿◕｡) Ingredients:

    4 eggs

    1 cup Granulated Sugar

    1 4 oz. stick Unsalted Butter

    1 2/3 cups Unbleached White Flour

    1 Tbsp Baking Powder

    Zest from 1 lemon

    1 Tbsp Milk

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Centigrade). Measure 1/4 cup sugar into small bowl and set aside.
Beat Eggs and Sugar:
In a medium-size mixing bowl, beat the eggs with 3/4 cup sugar.
Beat until the mixture seem  light.

Add Melted Butter and Lemon Zest
In a small sauce pan, melt the butter on medium on the stove top. Or, melt it in the microwave. Make sure that the butter cools slightly and is not bubbling. As you continue to beat the egg mixture, slowly pour in the melted butter, making sure to mix thoroughly. Stir in the lemon zest and milk.

Measure and Add Dry Ingredients
Measure out the flour into a separate bowl. Add the baking powder to the flour and mix thoroughly.
While stirring the egg mixture, add in the flour mixture. Continue to stir until all ingredients are mixed well. The batter will be very thick.

Spoon Batter in to Cupcake Pan:
Place paper liners in to cupcake pan. Use a large serving spoon to spoon batter into pan, filling each one half full. Batter will more than double in size when baked. Use a teaspoon to sprinkle each magdalena with a bit of the reserved sugar.

Bake
Place pans on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, until magdalenas have turned a golden color. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before taking out of the pan to cool further.

Paella

Hi everyone!

Long time... (｡◕‿◕｡) today i wanna talk about Pealla!

Paella is one of the most popular dishes of Spanish cuisine, there are many different ways to cook it,  you can make paella with different ingredients such seafood, mixed with chicken or just with vegetables.
In Spain you can eat it in some bar as TAPA on weekend. If you are looking for a resturant which serves it, look for the franchise PAELLADOR, rice dishes are very affordable and popular
But If you have some Spanish friend YOU MUST asking them for cook a Paella.

I'm gonna share with you some videos, maybe in this way is gonna be more useful than my poor explication. 

HOW TO COOK A PAELLA

This is another diferent recipe, very similar

Spanish summer typical beverage

Hi everybody!

Summer is comming and Spanish people enjoy to drink cool beverages in the bar's terrace o alleviate the thirst and while eating Tapas.
Two of the most popular drinks are SANGRIA and TINTO DE VERANO.
Don't get confuse because it can have look similar.. the only difference is the small pieces of fruits in the Sangria Sangria. Both are refreshing drinks made with red wine. It's really easy to prepare so i'm gonna give you some tips to prepare it.

(｡◕‿◕｡) Ingredients for Sangría:

    1 Litre of red wine

    2 oranges,  cut into small pieces

    2 peaches, cut into small pieces
    2 slices of melon and watermelon

    2 apple, cut into small pieces

    5 spoons of brown sugar
    a dash of Ron

   
Preparation:
    1: Choose a red wine. Put the wine into a jug, add the brown sugar plus a dash of Ron and stir until it is properly dissolved.
    2:  Cut all the fruits into small pieces, then add them to the jug. If it's not Summer, you can use any other in-season fruit.
    3: Put the jug into the fridge. Sangría should ALWAYS be served chilled. If you want to reduce the alchohol concentration, add icecubes and slices of lemon. If you want to increase the alcohol concentration, add a small amount of cognac or rum.

* Be careful don't be cheated in big cities.. they usually offer a jar of Sangria o Tinto de verano around 8 or 9 euros. A glass of both usually cost 1.50 or 2 euros in the bar.
If don't have much money, you can get this kind of cool drinks in the Chinese stores. the bottle of 1L or 1.5L usually cost around 1.50 or 2 euros.

The Galician Octopus

Hey guys! I'm here with another Spanish recipe. "Pulpo a la gallega" is Galicia's signature dish. If you visit Galicia in the north of Spain u must try the Galician optopus. Is a tradicion for pilgrims in the Way of Sant James eat it when they arrive to Santigo de Compostela to recover their strengths. 

(｡◕‿◕｡) Ingredients:

    - 2  octopus
    - 1 Onion
    - 2 Bay leaves
    - 2 Larger potatoes, boiled and sliced diagonally into rounds (about 1/2" in thickness or less)
    - 1 tbsp hot paprika, to taste (about, or more)
    - Sea salt
    - Extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

 Rinse and clean the octopus, freeze (if you don't, it will be hard as a rock. Before freezers, to make it tender we used to "hit" it).

Put water in a BIG pot until it boils. With the help of a hook or any other instrument, put it in, and remove it from the boiling water 3 times; then let it boil for 25 minutes.

Test with a spike its tenderness, and remove the pot from the heat letting it in the water another 15 minutes.

Cut the tentacles (it's the only part you eat) in slices with some scissors, place the pieces on a wooden bowl and add over it, salt, paprika and olive oil.

(Optional) Cut the potatoes crosswise in 1/2-inch-thick slices and surround the octopus pieces with the potato slices. Drizzle the octopus and potatoes with the olive oil and sprinkle with hot paprika and the remaining tablespoon of salt. Serve the dish while the octopus and potatoes are still warm.

The Spanish omelette

The Spanish omelette it's one of the most popular dish of the spanish cuisine.
Often served in bars and inns as a tapa, you could eaten either hot or cold, also some people prefer to make it without the onions, but in my opinion with onion is more tasty.

Today i share with you the recipe of this tipical spanish dish. Ok, let's go! 

How to make a Spanish omelette:

(｡◕‿◕｡) Ingredients:

 

- 4 or 5  medium-sized potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

- 6 eggs

- 1 onion chopped

- ¼ litre olive oil

- a pinch of salt

Preparation:

First, heat the olive oil in the pan,
then add sliced ​​potatoes carefully until they have a golden color.
You must remove the potatoes from time to time to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan.
then, add the chopped onion with the potatoes in the pan.
Fry over low heat so the onion does not burn.
Potatoes and onions should be very soft and golden, at this point remove from heat and drain excess oil.

Meanwhile in a recipient beat eggs and add a pinch of salt. 

After adding the mixture of fried potato and onion on the bowl stir well.

Next step is heat a little oil in a frying pan on a moderate heat. 

Add the mixture to the hot pan, let it curdle and then turn the omelet with the help of a large plate.
Gently slide the omelette back into the frying pan and continue frying. 

Once again shaking the pan from time to time so that it doesn't stick to the bottom, until it has set all the way through. 

If you need more help, check out the video ^^

Recipe: Pisto Manchego

Pisto manchego is similar to ratatouille. It can be served warm to accompany a main dish or cold as a starter or to accompany a salad. Pisto can be used as a filling for sandwiches, savoury crepes, empanadillas or little puffed pastry pies or even as a pasta sauce. Pisto manchego freezes well, so you can make a big batch and use as required. This is an easy recipe for a traditional Spanish dish which originally came from Castilla la Mancha (hence it's name, Pisto Manchego) but is nowadays a favourite simple dish cooked and served all over Spain.

(｡◕‿◕｡) Ingredients for 4 people:

- 6 eggs

- 4 large ripe tomatoes

- 2 large onions

- 2 fleshy green peppers

- 2 medium-sized courgettes

- 1 red pepper

- 100g cured ham in small pieces (optional)

- virgin olive oil

- 1 teaspoon of sugar salt 

Preparation

Peel the onions; remove the stalks and the seeds from the peppers; scrape some of the peel off the courgettes without actually peeling them and scald the tomatoes to remove the skins. Then cut all these vegetables into cubes. Put a deep frying pan or earthenware dish on the heat. Cover the base with oil and sauté the ham, if you want to add this to the dish. Add the onion and the peppers and lightly fry everything for about 8 minutes, without stopping stirring with the skimming ladle. Add the courgette and, when this is also cooked, add the tomatoes. Mix well and allow the ratatouille to cook over a low heat for about another 20 minutes. Ten minutes before the end, put in a little sugar to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes and salt, to taste.

Presentation

Serve in a dish, with the eggs fried around it, or in the earthenware dish, with the eggs solidified in the oven. In the latter case, you will have to put the ratatouille in for the last few minutes with the eggs on top until the whites solidify and it is ready to serve.