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There are many things we love about living in Spain. The sunshine, the beaches, the sparkling turquoise water, the laid-back lifestyle, and the food. Oh, the food! Who doesn't love the unique blends of mediterranean flavors that make the tastes buds pop. The Spanish tend to be very traditional in their culinary favorites and for good reason. There's no need to improve on perfection. These are some of our favorite dishes, tried and true. Give them a try and let us know what you think. Or send us your favorite Spanish dish recipe and we may feature it in an upcoming article! Buen provecho!
· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· 1/2 (4 pound) whole chicken, cut into 6 pieces
· 1/2 (2 pound) rabbit, cleaned and cut into pieces
· 1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
· 1 tomato, finely chopped
· 15 ounce butter beans
· 10 ounce green peas
· 10 ounce green beans
· salt to taste
· 1 teaspoon mild paprika, or to taste
· 1 pinch saffron threads
· dried thyme to taste (optional)
· dried rosemary to taste(optional)
· 4 cups uncooked white rice, or as needed
1. Heat a paella pan over medium-high heat, and coat with olive oil. Add the chicken, rabbit and garlic; cook and stir until nicely browned. Move the browned meat to the sides of the pan, and add the tomato, butter beans, peas, and green beans. Season with paprika, and mix well.
2. Fill the paella pan almost to the top with water, measuring the water as you put it in. This is to help you to determine how much rice to add, as paella pans come in different sizes. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 1 hour to make a nice broth.
3. Season with a generous amount of salt, and just enough saffron to make a nice yellow colour. Season with thyme and rosemary if desired. The goal is to make a rich tasting broth that will soak into the rice to make it delicious. Stir in half as much rice as the amount of water in the pan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes. Squeeze lemon juice on it before you eat it!
· 1/2 cup olive oil
· 1/2 pound potatoes, thinly sliced
· salt and pepper to taste
· 1 large onion, thinly sliced
· 4 eggs
· 2 tomatoes - peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
· 2 green onions, chopped
In a large frying pan or skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle potatoes lightly with salt and pepper. Cook until golden brown and crisp. Once the potatoes are golden, stir in the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and begin to brown. Meanwhile, beat eggs together with salt and pepper. Pour eggs into pan and stir gently to combine. Reduce heat to low and cook until eggs begin to brown on the bottom. Loosen bottom of omelet with a spatula, invert a large plate over the pan, and carefully turn the omelet out onto it. Slide the omelet back into the pan with the uncooked side down. Cook until eggs are set. Garnish omelet with tomato and green onion and serve warm.
· 1/2 cup brandy
· 1/4 cup lemon juice
· 1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate
· 1/3 cup orange juice
· 1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry red wine
· 1/2 cup triple sec
· 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
· 1 orange, sliced into rounds
· 1 lime, sliced into rounds
· 1/4 cup white sugar (optional)
· 8 maraschino cherries
· 2 cups carbonated water(optional)
In a large pitcher or bowl, mix together the brandy, lemon juice, lemonade concentrate, orange juice, red wine, triple sec, and sugar. Float slices of lemon, orange and lime, and maraschino cherries in the mixture. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor. For a fizzy sangria, add club soda just before serving.
· 4 cups tomato juice
· 1 onion, minced
· 1 green bell pepper, minced
· 1 cucumber, chopped
· 2 cups chopped tomatoes
· 2 green onions, chopped
· 1 clove garlic, minced
· 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
· 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
· 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
· 1 teaspoon dried basil
· 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
· 1 teaspoon white sugar
· salt and pepper to taste
In a blender or food processor, combine tomato juice, onion, bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, green onions, garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, tarragon, basil, parsley, sugar, salt, and pepper. Blend until well-combined but still slightly chunky. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.
· 2 pounds littleneck clams (about 24), scrubbed
· 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
· 1 fully cooked chorizo sausage, sliced 1/2 inch thick
· 1 leek (white and light green parts), halved lengthwise and sliced
· 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
· 3 cloves garlic, minced
· 2 bay leaves
· 1 cup arborio rice
· 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
· 1/2 cup fresh parsley
· 1 cup frozen baby lima beans, thawed
Put the clams in a large pot or Dutch oven with 1 cup water. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until the clams start opening, about 5 minutes; as the clams open, transfer them to a bowl using tongs. (Discard any unopened clams.) Add the cooking liquid to the bowl with the clams (strain through a paper towel-lined sieve if sandy). Cover to keep warm.
Wipe the pot clean and reduce the heat to medium. Add the olive oil and chorizo. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chorizo is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the leek, bell pepper, garlic and bay leaves. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes. Add the rice; cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and 1 cup water; bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Cover and simmer, stirring once or twice, until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.
Meanwhile, puree the parsley with 1/3 cup water in a blender until smooth. Stir the lima beans, parsley puree, and the clams and their juices into the rice mixture. Cook until the lima beans are tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
· 2 (5-pound) bags mussels
· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· 1 pound spicy Mexican chorizo, casing removed
· 1 Vidalia onion, chopped
· 4 cloves garlic, slivered
· Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
· 1 bottle dry white wine
· Parsley, chopped, for garnish
Working, 1 at a time, scrub any grit from shells under running water. Discard open mussels that do not close with a few taps of the finger and any with cracked shells. Put the mussels in a bowl of cold water.
Heat the oil in a large wide pot over medium-high heat and add the chorizo. Using a wooden spoon or potato masher, mash the chorizo into chunks, so it resembles ground beef. Saute until brown, about 8 minutes. Remove chorizo to a bowl. In the same pot, add the onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Saute 3 minutes to sweat. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Pull the mussels from bowl and transfer them and the water to the pot, do not strain, leaving behind any sand and grit that has sunk to the bottom. Stir to coat. Add the chorizo back into the pot and cover. Cook over medium heat until the mussels open, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large serving bowl, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.
· 250g good quality Serrano ham (one large piece)
· Olive oil
· 120g unsalted butter
· 115g plain flour
· 1 litre whole milk
· 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
· 3 eggs, beaten
· 250g breadcrumbs
· 1 litre sunflower or vegetable oil, for deep frying
Cut the ham into ½cm cubes, then heat a little olive oil with the butter in a large, heavy-based frying pan and gently cook the ham for about 10 minutes, until most of the fat has rendered off. Stir in the flour and continue to cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Bring the milk to a simmer in a small saucepan, then gradually beat the milk into the ham and flour mixture, stirring constantly. Cook for a further 10-15 minutes, until thickened and smooth. Add the nutmeg and then season to taste. Remove from the heat, pour into a bowl or container then cover the surface with clingfilm to stop a skin forming. Chill in the fridge for 4 hours.
To make the croquetas, put the beaten egg in one bowl and the breadcrumbs in another, then roll the ham mixture into small, ping pong-sized balls. Dip each in the egg, then the breadcrumbs, then set aside on a tray.
Heat the oil in a saucepan to 180C/360F – if you don't have a thermometer, the oil is hot enough when a breadcrumb browns in around 30 seconds. Fry the croquetas in batches for around 3-4 minutes, until golden all over. Serve immediately, while still hot.
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