Hummus

Today I am going to introduce you to an Arabian recipe which is getting very popular in Spanish cuisine, perfect as an appetizer,  easy to prepare, not many ingredients and healthy, is there a better deal?

Ingredients

-500 gr. dried Garbanzos or Chickpeas.

-Juice of 1 Lemon (or to your liking)

-3 Tablespoons of Tahini.

-2 Garlic Cloves.

- A couple of pinches of Ground Cumin.

-Salt and Pepper.

-2 Tablespoons of EVOO.

-Fresh Parsley.

This recipe starts by soaking the chickpeas the night before, the next day boil them until they get soft.

Put in the blender bowl or in a food processor, the chickpeas,  the EVOO,  garlic and lemon juice. Grind all together until you get a smooth paste. Add the ground cumin, salt and pepper and Tahini and grind them again until all the ingredients are blended.

You can have it right away or put it in the fridge for a little while.

To serve pour it in a bowl sprinkled with a good EVOO, a pinch of paprika (if is it sweet or hot is to your liking) and some chopped parsley.

Accompanied with pita bread.

Note: You can substitute the dried garbanzos for baked meat eggplant, named as Mutabbal.

Cookie Nutella Cake

Hello again!! It has been a while, but we are coming back and for that I choose a recipe for a party o celebration. The cookies cake, a classic in the birthdays parties for a generation in Spain, in this case blended with another delicious recipe, the Nutella cake.

Ingredients

- 125 gr. (4.5 Oz) Soft Unsalted Butter.

- 250 ml. (8.5 Fl. Oz.) of Milk.

- Maria cookies.

- A pinch of salt.

- 2 Eggs.

- 400 gr. (14.10 Oz) Nutella (a big jar).

- Liquor (Brandy, Frangelico, Rum…).

So, we start whisking the butter along with egg yolks and the Nutella, save the egg whites for later.

Beat the egg whites and the pinch of salt to stiff peaks and add it gently in a third at a time to the first mix.

In a bowl mix the milk with the liquor (not in case of a child birthday) and submerge the cookies in it to get them moistened but not soaked.

Place the cookies in a large bowl making layers and cover each of them with the Nutella mix, we will continue do it like that until the cream is finished and this will be the top of the cake.

Cover it with plastic film and refrigerate it for one day to the cream combines.

Decorate to your liking.

Mango & Jicama Salad

It seems summer has come early this year to Seattle. We will have more rainy days for sure, but we can enjoy this fresh salad for now. Obviously this is not a Spanish recipe but it is always good a pinch of innovation.

Ingredients for 4 people:

-2 Mangoes not too ripe.

-1 Jícama.

-1/2 Red Onion.

-1 Bunch of Cilantro.

-1 Lime or Lemon.

-1 Teaspoon of Chile flakes.

-Spanish Olive Oil.

-A Couple of Pinches of Salt & Pepper.

Dice the red onion and soak it in water while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Cut the mango and jicama in cubes or sticks, place them in a salad bowl. To prepare the dressing, mince the cilantro (approximately a cup), squeeze the lime/lemon and mix both things with the chile flakes and the Spanish olive oil, add the salt and pepper.

Rinse the onion and put it in the salad bowl along with the mango and jicama. Pour the dressing over the ingredients and serve.

Galician Octopus (Pulpo a Feira o Gallega)

This is a traditional recipe from the North of Spain, easy to find in every bar and restaurant there, as well in the rest of the Iberian Peninsula. Even there are fairs and competitions all through Galicia where Pulpo a Feira is the star dish.

Ingredients:

-1 Octopus.

-Water.

-Spanish Olive Oil.

-Sweet/Mild Paprika.

-Sea Salt.

The way to make Pulpo a Feira depends on if the octopus is fresh or frozen. If the octopus is fresh you should hit it against a hard surface to tenderize it. If the octopus is frozen it is not necessary to do this before because the freezing makes the octopus get soft naturally.

To boil the octopus we have to clean it first, empty the head out, remove the mouth and eyes and scrub the tentacles.

Pour water in a pot with no salt and boil it, when it gets to a rapid boil take the octopus by the head and dunk it in and out on the pot 3 times. We call this “asustar” or scare the octopus. After this process we let it boil approximately 30 minutes in the case of an average octopus.

30 mn. later take the octopus out and slice the tentacles when the octopus gets cool. Cut the head too.

In another pot boil chopped potatoes with a little bit of salt.

To present the octopus, in a wood plate place the potatoes with the octopus over them. Sprinkle the Spanish olive oil, the sweet paprika and the sea salt.

Cuttlefish Marmitako

This recipe is a variation of the original Marmitako made with tuna, delicious and perfect for these coming chilly days.

Ingredients for 2 people:

-2 Pounds of Baby Cuttlefish.

-½ Onion.

-1 Garlic Clove.

-1 Small Tomato.

-1 Green Bell Pepper.

-1 Ñora (Dried Red Sweet Pepper)

-1 Pimiento Choricero (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsicum_annuum)

-2 Large Potatoes.

-1 Zucchini.

-1 Cup of White Wine.

-Olive Oil.

-Salt

-Water.

Clean the cuttlefish and place aside. Hydrate the ñora and pimiento choricero by putting them in a bowl with warm water, scrape the pulp from the peppers and discard the skin.(some Spanish stores sell the pulp of these peppers in a jar, so you can save all this process).

Peel and slice the garlic clove, chop the onion and the green bell pepper, poach everything in a deep pot with a little bit of olive oil. When it gets soft add the peeled tomato and the pulp of the peppers, stir it up and incorporate the cuttlefish, mix everything.

Peel and cut the potatoes, place them in the pot and pour the white wine, turn up the heat to evaporate the alcohol. Meanwhile clean and cut the zucchini. When the alcohol is gone, add the zucchini, mix all the ingredients and pour water to cover all the ingredients. Cook till the sauce thickens.

Vinaigrette Mussels

Today we are going to cook a fresh, and easy recipe. Summer is the time of the year when this dish is the most enjoyable as a tapa or aperitif due its freshness and lightness.

Ingredients for 4 people:

-2 kg. of Raw Mussels

-1 cup of White Wine.

-½ Onion.

-1 Green Bell Pepper.

-1 Tomato.

-1 Boiled Egg.

-Salt.

-Vinegar.

-Olive Oil.

The recipe is easy just steam or boil the mussels using water and white wine. This process does not last long, just check when the mussels are open, then clean the mussels removing the beards and one part of the shell. Put the mussels aside for later and let them cool.

Chop the veggies, onion, green bell pepper and tomato along with the boiled egg in small pieces, mix all of them and add the vinegar, olive oil and salt to your liking.

Present the mussels on a plate or a tray, in their own shell with a spoon of the vinaigrette on  top of each one.

Peas & Cod

Today recipe is an adaptation from one of my favorite blogs. I just changed a couple of things.

Ingredients for 4 people:

-800 Gr. (1.10 Lb.) Peas. (Canned peas or fresh)

-1 Onion.

-150 Gr.(5.30 Oz.) of Cod. (Fresh or Salted cod)

-1 Tablespoon of Ground Parsley.

-Salt.

-Olive Oil.

Poach the chopped onion in a pan with 4 or 5 tablespoons of olive oil until the onion is a little golden, stir it up from time to time. Put the fresh cod in a pot with cold water(the original recipe uses salted cod, so previously it must be desalted by soaking overnight in water) when the water heats up (not boiling) and the fish is white, take it out and flake it in averages pieces. Put the cod aside and also keep the cooking water.

Place the peas and 3 tablespoon of cooking water in the pan along with the onion, let it cook for a couple of minutes and add the cod. Simmer everything for 3 more minutes, remove the pan from the stove and sprinkle the parsley. Splash a little bit of olive oil and shake the pan gently until the sauce gets thicker. Season it and serve.