'Pan de leche' Spanish Sweetbread Recipe

Tonight I am going to make this bread again for dinner. It's a spectacular dinner if you accompany it with paté, a little tomato, cheese, cold cuts....

Ingredients:

One packet of baking powder (15gr.)
175 ml. of whole milk (at room temperature)
10 gr. maple syrup or honey
250 gr. flour
5 gr. salt
15 gr. melted butter

Directions:

• In a bowl, mix together the milk and maple syrup (or honey). In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix the ingredients of the two bowls together by hand. Once the dough is sticky, add the butter. Knead the dough with a bit of olive oil approximately 12 times. Let it sit in a greased bowl covered with cling film. Let it sit 15 minutes in a warm and dry area. Knead the dough 12 more times and let it sit for another 15 minutes. Repeat twice more and after the second time let the dough sit for at least 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into two equal parts.  Using your hands roll each half and twist them around each other on top of a piece of baking (wax) paper. Brush the tops with milk and then add the poppy seeds to decorate. Let it sit until it doubles in size. Cover. 
• In the meantime, preheat the oven to 410ºF with an oven-proof dish filled with water inside. When it reaches the right temperature and the dough has doubled, bake it in the oven for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350ºF and bake for 25 minutes more. 

Buen provecho!

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Clam and white beans recipe

Ingredients:

1 jar of pre-cooked white beans (400 gr.)

1 bag of frozen clams (500 gr.)

1 onion

1 green italian pepper

2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon of saffron (optional)
1 teaspoon of spicy paprika

4 tablespoons of white wine (preferably Spanish white wine)

Olive oil (preferably Spanish)
Salt and Pepper (to tast)
A couple of bay leaves

For the parsley oil: 

2-3 teaspoons of dried parsley 

Olive oil (to taste)

Directions: 

• Remove the frozen clams and place them in cold water until the open slightly. If you buy fresh clams, simply rinse them and put them aside.
• In the frying pan, brown the onion and diced pepper together with the garlic cloves. When finished, take them out of the pan and blend everything together in a mixer. Set aside. 
• In a casserole dish, add the bean and enough water to cover them all. Cook over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes. Add the onion, pepper and garlic mixture, as well as the paprika, bay leaves, pepper (to taste), saffron and olive oil. Let it cook over low heat for 10 more minutes.
• In another frying pan, add the clams (well-drained) clams and add a couple of tablespoons of white wine. cook over low heat until the open. Add them to the casserole and let the cook a few minutes all together. 
• When ready to serve, mix the parsley with olive oil to create a homogeneous sauce and pour over the clams. Serve hot.  

Buen provecho!

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Vegetable Paella

I love paella and rice in general, but especially paella. It's a deliciuos dish and at the same time gives a lot of room for variations: paella with mushrooms and sausage, "mar y montaña" (surf and turf), seafood paella, chicken paella.... yesterday I made a vegetable paella and I want to share the recipe with you. I hope you like it!

Ingredients: 

1 large onion

1 Italian green pepper

1/2 red bell pepper

about 9 green asparagus (just the tender part)

2 carrots

1 small can of pre-cooked peas

4 or 5 frozen artichoke hearts

A handful of green beans (I used frozen ones this time)

1 1/2 cups round grain rice

2 vegetable buoillon cubes (you can also use chicken buoillon)

Saffron

Paprika 

Olive oil

Salt

Directions: 

Heat the paella pan with a healthy dose of (Spanish) olive oil. Fry the onion, green and red pepper over low heat.  I use a clay casserole pot when I make rice dishes, because I like the flavor more than with a metal dish. 

While the vegetables are frying, cut up the carrots and cook them in hot water over low heat until they are tender then drain them and set them aside, as well as the broth that's left over. 

When the vegetables are tender, add the peas. 

And you can also add the carrot and the green beans. 

In the meantime, we can use the leftover broth from the carrots to boil the artichoke hearts for 15 or 20 minutes. This time I used the broth to cook them, although you can also cook the artichokes in a separate pan and then add it to the rice.

Cut up just the tender part of the asparagus. 

Fry the asparagus until they are tender and slightly golden.  

Add the asparagus to the rest of the ingredients together with the rice. Stir for a few minutes. 

Add the rest of the carrot and artichoke broth  to the rice. The broth should be almost boiling. If it has cooled too much just reheat it. 

 Add the vegetable buoillon cubes. I added them now because I forgot to add them earlier. Ideally you should add them to the water when boiling the carrots and artichokes so they dissolve then ... 

Add a little bit of saffron to taste. 1/2 a teaspoon is enough.  

Stir so that all the ingredients are well mixed and then stop stirring the rice!

At medium-high heat and with the pot covered, cook the rice for 3 or 4 minutes. By now most of the water should have evaporated. Add 1 more cup of water and cover to cook the rice until it is ready. Don't stir the rice! If the rice is still undercooked and there isn't enough water you can always add more. 

Buen provecho!

Alternatives and advice:

• Instead of using buoillon cubes you can make a homemade vegetable broth that will provide an even better flavor to the paella! I used the buoillon cubes because that's what I had in the house at the moment!
• This rice is even better if you add sausage, and then you have all the ingredients for a complete meal: vegetables, carbs (rice) and proteins (sausage). 

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Migas Festival in Torrox (Malaga) and Andalusian Migas recipe

 

Each year, the Andalusian town of Torrox (45 minutes from Malaga and one of its famous 'white villages') pays tribute to its most typical dish: 'migas' (fried breadcrumbs). 

The ingredients and seasoning used to prepare 'migas' made it an ideal dish for people working on the land. When farm laborers were working in the vineyards and olive groves and lunchtime came, the farmer would ring a bell to let them know that the 'migas' were ready to eat. Today migas are a basic part of our recipe books as one of the dishes most suited to ward off the cold of the winter.

On the Sunday before Christmas, alongside La Almazara Market, the migas are prepared and distributed to all the local residents and visitors who come to Torrox. The ringing of the bell is the signal for everyone to come and collect their plate of  migas. A glass of wine and an 'arriera' salad (with cod and orange) accompany the meal, which takes place in a wonderful festive atmosphere. Later, the music and dancing continue in Plaza de la Constitución square. 

Don't miss the opportunity to come to Andalusia and enjoy this food festival. But if you can't make it, you can try making the dish at home to have one of the most traditional Spanish flavors.

Ingredients:

1kg bread (slightly stale, like yesterday's bread). Make sure it is a baguette or similar style.
300 gr of 'chorizo' (Spanish spicy sausage). If you can't get it, try using another spicy, dry-cured sausuage.
300 gr of pancetta.
Half a head of garlic cloves.
1 1/2 cups Spanish olive oil.
1/2 liter water.
Salt.

Instructions:

'Las migas' are very easy to make, but you have to prepare the ingredients the day before! Follow these step-by-step instructions on how to make it:

1. Break the bread apart into bite-sized crumbs and put all the crumbs in a bowl, adding water and a pinch of salt, and let it sit overnight. 
2. The following day, peel and slightly crush the garlic so that they are open, then fry them in a frying pan until they are a gold color. Put them aside.  
3. Using the same oil you used to fry the garlic, cook the pancetta, having previously cut it into cubes, and the chorizo.  Put it aside.  
4. Still using the same pan, now it's time to fry the bread crumbs over a low heat, so that it saoks in the flavors of the garlic and pancetta.  
5. After about a half an hour, add the garlic, chorizo and pancetta to the bread crumbs. Continue stirring over low heat for 15 - 20 minutes more.  

Buen provecho!

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Calamari 'A la romana' recipe

The other day we were talking about the Calamari Food Festival and our Seafood Tour in Barcelona during October and I have been thinking since then about having some for lunch! So I did. Today I want to share with you a receipe that can be part of a tapas lunch or dinner or you can also prepare it as a main course: Calamari 'A la romana' .

This is a very easy recipe to prepare but delicious at the same time.

Ingredients:

Calamari (I bought three medium sized)
4 cups flour
2 eggs
Olive oil
Salt
A lemon

Directions:

• Clean the calamari. In the fishmarket in Spain you buy fresh calamari but they can clean it for you if you ask for it. Clean it without opening it or cutting it! Rinse it with cold water.

• Once it is clean, cut the head in rings. Don't cut the legs. 
• Mix the calamari with the flour. 

• Prepare a sausepan and add olive oil. Be generous! Let the oil get hot. 
• Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and soak them.

• Add the calamari rings in the hot oil and let them cook both sides. 
• Serve still hot and add lemon juice on top!

Bon profit!

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Spanish Codfish Salad (Empedrat)

The hot days of summer have arrived and all I want to eat is salad, fruit and refreshing things like ice cream! Since ice cream was not a valid option for lunch I made a decision: today is a perfect day for a Spanish codfish salad! It is very good, it has a lot of flavor (but not fishy flavor!), it's perfect served cold and you can prepare it in 10 minutes! 

So I took some pictures to share my Spanish summer meal with you! 

Ingredients (for 2 people):

1 pepper (I used just half but it was an enormous pepper!)

1 green tomato

1 onion

1 can of white kidney beans 

4-6 oz salted cod
olive oil

5 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Spanish black olives

Directions:

• Place the cod in a bowl and fill it with cold water. Let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. That way we get rid off most of the salt. I didn't have enough time and I let it soak for a couple hours, but didn't add any salt afterwards. 

• Chop the green tomato, the pepper and the onion. 
• Shred the cod with your fingers, making sure to take off the skin and remove any remaining bone. 
• Rinse the beans. 

• Mix all the ingredients together and add the black olives, the olive oil and the vinegar. Taste it before adding any salt (if necessary)!

Buen provecho!

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Spanish deserts for the San Juan Festival

San Juan Pastries.
On the left: coca de llardons.
On the right: coca de crema. 

On the 23rd Spain celebrates the San Juan night and during that night and the following day it is very traditional to eat those pastries. In Catalonia we have different type of 'coques', but today we want to share with you one of the most common in every house: 'coca de llardons'.  

You only need 20 minutes to make this pastry and it is the easiest one to make. 

Ingredients:

500 gr. puff pastry crust

250 gr. pork rinds

1 egg

Pine nuts

Sugar

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to about 425º F (220ºC). 
• Start with a thick layer of puff pastry pie crust like they sell in the supermarkets. Remove it from the fridge to bring it up to closer to room temperature. 
• chop up the pork rinds in the blender. How finely you chop the pork rinds is a question of personal taste.  
• Next pour out a healthy portion of the chopped pork rinds over the pie crust. Don't worry about whether or not it's evenly distributed, as later we are going to flatten it all with the rolling pin. 
• Now add a second layer of puff pastry crust and more pork rinds on top. 
• Fold the pastry crust and pork rinds in half. repeat as many times as necessary until you've got a good mix of puff pastry crust and pork rinds. Then using the rolling pin and a little bit of flour, roll the crust until it's about 2cm (about 1") thick. 
• Beat the egg and the paste the coca with the beaten egg. Don't be shy with the egg! 
• Add a generous portion of pine nuts on top. 
• And to add the finishing touch, pour a healthy measure of sugar on top of the coca (remember, up to this point the coca has no sweet flavors, and it is, after all, a dessert). So it's better to err on the side of too much rather than too little when it comes to adding the sugar, at least for the first few times. 
• Put the coca on the bottom rack of the oven at 425º for 3 minutes, then immediately drop the temperature to 350 and let it cook for 12 to 15 minutes more. 

Buen provecho!

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Simple and delicious: bread with garlic, tomato and olive oil (pà amb tomàquet)

This is super easy to prepare. It's perfect for one of those dinners where you don't feel like cooking or don't have enough time. Pà amb tomàquet (literally translated as bread with tomato) is a common dinner for many people in Catalunya, Spain. And they eat it with cheese, ham and other cold cuts or even a Spanish omelette (tortilla de patatas). 

Buy some good bread. 

We bught the traditional 'pà de pagès' 

(a rustic bread from Catalunya). 

Toast it!

Spread some garlic on it. 

Spread some tomato. We pureed some tomatos but

you can just spread the tomato on the bread. 

Now the olive oil. 

Add some salt and the bread is ready to be enjoyed!

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Roasted Bass and Xató Recipe

After spending the day in Sitges (http://thespanishtouch.blogspot.com.es/2015/03/sitges-day-trip-part-i.html), we decided the best way to celebrate our day trip was to make a Sitges-style meal at home. As Sitges is a beach town, the dish was inspired by the sea but the star of the show is the 'xató', a Sitges specialty: an almond based sauce that can go with salads (as we choose to do) or fish.

The first stop: the fish market! It is always fun to buy fish at the market. Our choice was 'llobarro' (sea bass). And the recipe is Roasted Sea Bass.

Ingredients for 2 people:

2 cleaned Sea Bass.
1 Lemon.
4 medium potatoes.
1 large onion.
1 cup white wine.
Parsley, pepper and salt to taste.

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF (180º celsius). While the oven is heating up, prepare an oven tray with a coating of olive oil. Peel and slice the potatoes and layer them on the tray. Salt and pepper potatoes. Slice the onion and put it on top of the potatoes. Bake the potatoes and onion for 10 minutes. 
• Once the potatoes and onion are ready, rinse the fish and put it on top of the potatoes. Stuff the fish with sliced lemon and season it with pepper, salt and parsley. Add the wine. Place in the oven for 20 minutes. There should be a layer of juice at the bottom of the tray. If you see the fish looks too dry, you can pour some water on top. 

While we wait those 20 minutes for the fish to be ready, we can prepare the Xató for our salad.

Ingredients:

100 gr. roasted almonds.
60 gr. roasted hazelnuts.
2 anchovies.
2 cloves of garlic.
1 nyora (a type of dried red pepper).
Half a chilli pepper.
2 or 3 dry bread slices (or toasted).
Oil, salt and vinegar.

Directions:

Mix all the dry ingredients using a morter and pestle. Add the oil and vinegar until you achieve the right consistency.

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Andalusian cuisine: cooking with "miel de caña" (sugar-cane syrup)

Eggplant with miel de caña

Miel de Caña, sugar-cane syrup, is a rarity in Europe. In fact, there's only one factory in Europe which produces it: El Ingenio in Frigiliana, a tiny white village of Andalusia just north of Malaga. It's unique flavor is great for cooking, and if you can get your hands on some, it's a great way to add an Andalusian touch to your cooking.

Here are some recipes to use the spectacular "miel de caña", starting with my personal favorite!

Eggplant with sugar-cane syrup. Cut the eggplant into thin slices and place them in a bowl with salted water for half an hour. Make a mixture with egg, 1 cup of milk and flour (as required) and dip the drained eggplant in the batter before frying. Once cold, place on a dish and sprinkle with molasses just before serving. 

Other interesting recipes:

Torrijas. Slice the bread to a finge's thickness. Soak in sweet wine and dip in beaten egg. Then fry them in hot oil and remove from the pan when golden brown. Dip in miel de cañathat is on the verge of boiling, remove from the pan and drain well.

Sponge Cakes. Add 2 1/2 cups of bread wheat flour to 1 1/2 cups of miel de caña. Mix well and then gradually add 1 cup of milk, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or almonds) and 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder (or bicarbonate). Bake in a moderate oven.

Flan. For 1 kg of bread dough, use 1 cup of cold vegetable oil, 1 cup miel de caña and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Mix to a spongy consistency and then place in a greased flan dish. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and decorate with almonds. Moderate oven.

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Romesco Sauce - Traditional Catalan Sauce recipe

Salsa Romesco is a sauce that is traditionally associated with calçots and eaten during the wintertime. That said, this sauce can also be used for vegetables, meats and a wide variety of other plates and dishes.

Nyora Pepper

The key ingredient in the salsa is the nora (nyora in Catalan) pepper, a type of dried red pepper originally from the Valencia area. This pepper is sold dried and is typical in Catalonia and Valencia. It can be found in specialty stores but if you have trouble finding it it can be substituted with a sweet, mild dried red pepper.

This is our recipe for making the Romesco:

Ingredients (4 people):
40 gr of toasted almonds / 40 gr toasted hazelnuts / 1 clove of garlic / 5 ripe tomatoes / 1 onions / 3 nora peppers / 1 slice of baguette / olive oil / vinager / salt

Romesco Sauce

Process:

• Heat the oven and put the onion and garlic colve on a oven-safe plate with a pinch of salt and a shot of olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil for 1 hour at 350ºF.
• Do the same with the tomatoes, but leave them uncovered.
• Soak the nora peppers for 10 minutes in warm water. Cut them open and scrape our the pulp.
• Fry the slice of bread with the hazelnuts and almonds.
• Put the onion, the clove of garlic, the nora pepper pulp, tomatoes, nuts and bread in a blender and mix it all together. 
• Add olive oil, a little bit at a time, to acheive desired consistency.
• Add salt and vinager to taste.

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New Blog Section: My favorite recipes

I'm not a chef, but I am very pleased to introduce a new section of our blog for you: my favorite recipes! What do you think? Some of the recipes that we'll be sharing are family recipes that have been passed down through generations, others form a part of the food culture of Spain, and specifically the Catalan culture. I hope you get the chance to try some of the recipes at home and be sure to let us know what you think!