FOOD FOR CHRISTMAS FROM SPAIN

SPAIN

CHRISTMAS TREE IN MALAGA

Endive Salad in Tomato Vinaigrette - Ensalada de Endibia con Vinagreta

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

• 3 Belgian endives
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup (50-60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 3 roma tomatoes
• 3 Tbsp Spanish sherry vinegar or 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• 2 green onions, finely chopped or 2 Tbsp minced red onion (optional)
• 2 tsp capers, minced

Preparation:

Remove any outer leaves that are blemished or discolored. Prepare the endives by trimming off the bottoms, then rinsing each leaf carefully under cold water. Allow the leaves to drain in a colander. If necessary, pat dry with a paper towel. Arrange the endive leaves on a large platter or individual salad plates.

Finely chop the tomatoes and place them into a medium size mixing boil. Finely chop the green onions and put place in the bowl with tomatoes. Remove the capers from the jar with a slotted spoon, so that they drain. Chop the capers and mix into the bowl with other ingredients.

Pour olive oil and vinegar into the bowl and mix with the other ingredients.

Spoon the tomato vinaigrette sauce over the endives. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. 

Cream of Avocado and Cucumber
Basic ingredients:        2 ripe avocados  1 small cucumber  juice of 1 lemon  1 tsp dill  1 litre of stock (chicken or vegetable)  2 tbsp  olive oil  tabasco sauce or other hot sauce  a dozen black olives  salt and pepper

Steps: . Peel the cucumber and avocado and cut into cubes . Place in a bowl and mash together . Add the lemon juice, olive oil and 2 or 3 drops of tabasco sauce or other hot sauce and mix everything together well . Add the stock and mix well (the consistency of the cream will depend on how much stock you use so it´s best to add it little by little) . Chop the olives and dill and add to the mixture - stir well . Serve cold with a little fresh yoghurt, cream or olive oil and lemon juice on top Spanish Omelet Recipe - Tortilla Espanola Yield: 6 Servings Main Dish Ingredients: 6-7 medium potatoes, peeled 1 whole yellow onion 5-6 large eggs 2-3 cups of olive oil for pan frying Salt to taste Preparation: This tortilla espanola or tortilla de patata makes 8-10 servings as an appetizer, or 6 servings as a main course. Cut the peeled potatoes in half lengthwise. Then, with the flat side on the cutting surface, slice the potato in pieces approximately 1/8" thick. If you slice them a bit thick, don’t worry – it will simply take a bit longer for them to cook. Peel and chop the onion into 1/4" pieces. Put potatoes and onions into a bowl and mix them together. Salt the mixture. In a large, heavy, non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Carefully place the potato and onion mixture into the frying pan, spreading them evenly over the surface. The oil should almost cover the potatoes. You may need to turn down the heat slightly, so the potatoes do not burn. Leave in pan until the potatoes are cooked. If you can poke a piece of potato with a spatula and it easily breaks in two, your potatoes are done. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon or spatula and allow oil to drain. Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and beat by hand with a whisk or fork. Pour in the potato onion mixture. Mix together with a large spoon. Pour 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil into a small, non-stick frying pan (aprox. 9-10”) and heat on medium heat. Be careful not to get the pan too hot because the oil will burn - or the tortilla will! When hot, stir the potato onion mixture once more and “pour” into the pan and spread out evenly. Allow the egg to cook around the edges. Then you can carefully lift up one side of the omelet to check if the egg has slightly “browned.” The inside of the mixture should not be completely cooked and the egg will still be runny. When the mixture has browned on the bottom, you are ready to turn it over to cook the other side. Take the frying pan to a sink. Place a large dinner plate (12”) upside down over the frying pan. With one hand on the frying pan handle and the other on top of the plate to hold it steady, quickly turn the frying pan over and the omelet will “fall” onto the plate. Place the frying pan back on the range and put just enough oil to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Let the pan warm for 30 seconds or so. Now slide the omelet into the frying pan. Use the spatula to shape the sides of the omelet. Let the omelet cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the tortilla sit in the pan for 2 minutes. Slide the omelet onto a plate to serve. If eating as a main course, cut the omelet into 6-8 pieces like a pie. Serve sliced French bread on the side. If you are serving as an appetizer, slice a baguette into pieces about 1/2 inch think. Cut the tortilla into 1.5” squares and place a piece on top of each slice of bread. It is simply delicious served with soffritto, fried tomato sauce that is very popular in Spain. Tip ; boil the potatoes for 15 minutes before frying; let them cool and then follow the recipe. Tomato Sauce Recipe - Sofrito Ingredients: 1 can crushed tomatoes (28-29 oz) 1 long green pepper (Anaheim or other type that is not “hot”) 1 yellow onion 1 clove garlic virgin Spanish olive oil 1 tsp Spanish sweet paprika salt and pepper to taste Preparation: Finely chop the onion and garlic. Chop the pepper into 1/4" (or smaller) pieces. Heat a large frying pan with a heavy bottom over medium heat. Pour in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Put the onions into the pan and sauté them until they are transparent, reducing the heat if necessary so as not to burn them. Add the green pepper and continue to cook for 5 minutes, adding olive oil if necessary. Be sure to stir often, to vegetables do not burn. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Pour the crushed tomatoes and paprika into the pan and mix well. Continue to cook for about 10-15 minutes. Ensalada de Arroz (Andalusian rice salad) This cold rice salad is a modem variation on traditional Spanish ingredients. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add salt and rice; cover and cook slowly 20 minutes or until rice is just tender. While the rice is cooking, make vinaigrette sauce by combining the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and onion. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 1 cup converted rice 1 tsp. salt 8 Tbsp. olive oil 3 Tbsp. wine vinegar 1 large clove garlic, minced 1 small onion, minced salt and pepper 1 4-oz. jar whole pimentos 2 Tbsp. chopped parsley green and black olives for garnish Drain the pimentos. Cut 6 narrow strips and set them aside. Finely chop the remaining pimentos. Cool the rice slightly. Add the vinaigrette sauce, chopped pimento and parsley. Toss gently Spoon rice into serving bowl. When cool, cover and chill thoroughly. Decorate the top with the reserved pimento strips and olives. Makes 4-6 servings. "Escudella" There are many different versions of this recipe, but this is one that is easy to prepare and tastes good. Ingredients for 4 people: 2 cans. Chick peas 2 cups Catalan sausage or Chorizo 2 hard boiled eggs 3 onions 2 tbsp olive oil 4 tomatoes seasoning: pepper & salt, Spanish paprika and multi purpose seasoning. Instructions: . Fry the peeled, finely chopped, onions and skinned tomatoes in the oil Add the sliced sausage. Add the chick peas into a casserole. Cover with chicken bouillon. Chop the hard boiled eggs and add to the mixture. Bring to the boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Judias Verdes con Salsa de Tomate (green beans in tomato sauce) 2 Tbsp. olive oil 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 lb. (5 cups) green beans, cut into 1inch lengths 1 1/2 lb. canned tomatoes (chopped) and juice 1 Tbsp. chopped chives salt and pepper 1 bay leaf 1 Tbsp. pine nuts 1 Tbsp. lemon juice Saut� garlic in olive oil for 2 minutes, stirring. Add beans and cook 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in tomatoes with liquid from can and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer 25-30 minutes. Remove an discard bay leaf. Serve at once. Makes 6 servings. Spanish Flan   Original Recipe Yield 1 - 9 inch round Ingredients 1 cup white sugar 3 eggs 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk 1 tablespoon vanilla extract Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt sugar until liquefied and golden in color. Carefully pour hot syrup into a 9 inch round glass baking dish, turning the dish to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Beat in condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla until smooth. Pour egg mixture into baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven 60 minutes. Let cool completely. To serve, carefully invert on serving plate with edges when completely cool. Sweet Potato Turnovers Recipe - Truchas de Navidad Sweet potato mixed with ground almonds, lemon zest and anise make the filling for these delicious traditional Christmas treats from the Canary Islands. They are delicious when dusted with powdered sugar and eaten warm. Called "truchas" or trout because of their shape. Ingredients: Crust: 2 pkgs (12 oz each) puff pastry OR 4 cups unbleached white flour dash of salt 2 heaping tsp sugar 8 oz (226 gr) margarine, cold 8-10 oz cold water (approximately) Or you can use two can of crescent rolls or puff pastry Filling: 2 lbs. white or orange sweet potato 1/2 cup granulated sugar zest from 1 lemon 2/3 cup whole peeled almonds 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp anise extract 1 egg yolk powdered sugar for dusting Preparation: This sweet potato turnover recipe makes approximately 2 dozen truchas or turnovers. If using puff pastry: Remove the 2 packages from the freezer. If making crust: Place flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut margarine into tablespoon-size pieces and add to flour, cutting with a fork to mix. Sprinkle in a few tablespoons of the cold water and continue to mix with a fork. Sprinkle in more water and gently knead the mixture just enough so that it becomes a smooth dough, no longer sticking to your hands. If the dough is kneaded too long, it will become tough. Cover the dough in the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator while the filling is prepared. Rinse the sweet potatoes under cold water to loosen any dirt. Place potatoes whole and unpeeled in a pot and cover with water. Bring water to a boil and cook until soft, approximately 20-30 minutes. The potatoes are done when you can easily insert a fork or knife into the thickest part of the potato. Remove from water and place on a plate or rack and allow to cool thoroughly. While the potatoes are cooking, grate the lemon zest onto a plate. Grind the almonds in a food processor. Separate the yolk of one egg into a small bowl for later. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel the skin. The skin should easily “rub” off. Cut the cooked potatoes into large chunks and place in a mixing bowl. Mash with a potato masher or fork. Add the lemon zest, ground almonds, cinnamon and anise extract. Mix together. Add sugar and mix thoroughly. Pre-heat oven to 400F degrees while assembling the “truchas”. If using home-made crust, lightly flour a cutting board, so dough does not stick. Divide the dough in half. Place half of the dough on the cutting board and using a rolling pin, roll it out thin. If using puff pastry, roll out one of the pastry sheets on waxed paper or floured cutting board. Cut circles in the dough approximately 3 to 3.5 inches across, using a wide mouth jar or glass. Place a dollop of sweet potato filling on each circle, then fold the circles in half to form a half moon. Press edges together with a fork to seal. Place on cookie sheet or baking stone. Whisk the egg yolk and brush the top of each “trucha” with beaten egg yolk. Using the rest of the dough, roll and cut to make the rest of the turnovers. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until the "truchas" turn golden brown. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes or so. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm. If you are using crescent rolls, put the stuffing in the middle and then start rolling using the instructions on the can; brush with the beaten egg yolk and bake