Simple Spanish Food

Caldo Gallego in Thirty Minutes

I've posted before on a vegetarian or vegan caldo gallego. Here's another version you can make in just half an hour.  I used chicken broth for this, but you can use vegetable broth if you want to make your caldo vegetarian or vegan. If you prefer your caldo gallego with meat, just add slices of chorizo during the last ten minutes of simmering.

Ingredients

1 small bunch of kale or collards, washed and chopped

1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans of chicken broth or vegetable broth

1 potato, diced

a few cloves of garlic, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon of pimentón de La Vera

In a medium pot, fry the garlic in the olive oil. Remove the pot from the heat and let the oil cool some. Add the pimentón. Stir.

Add the broth, the potatoes, the greens, and the beans. Bring the soup to a simmer. After fifteen minutes, test one of the potatoes with a fork. If it's soft, the caldo is ready.

Serve in small cups for a tapa, or in soup plates for an easy one-pot meal.

 

 

 

 

 

Easy One-Pot Meal: Judías verdes con patatas, Green Beans & Potatoes

This is another dish that my mother-in-law, Esperanza, often makes for us when we're in Madrid.  It takes about half an hour to make. It's vegetarian (vegan, if you omit the eggs.) It's also authentic--though not something you typically find in Spanish cookbooks.

Here's how to do it.

Ingredients

1 lb "Italian" or wide green beans, fresh or frozen

1lb potatoes

2 or 3 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 teaspoon Pimentón, plus more for sprinkling

Salt

1/4 olive oil

a good olive oil for drizzling at the table

boiled eggs

Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil.  While it's heating, wash the potatoes. Peel them if you like (I never bother).  Cut the potatoes into large chunks and put them in the pot. 

If you're using fresh green beans, wash them, trim them, break them into bite-sized pieces.  Or just rinse some frozen green beans, which work well for this. After the potatoes have boiled 8-10 minutes, add the beans to the pot. Boil the potatoes and beans 10 minutes more. At this point the potatoes and beans both should be tender.  If the potatoes get done before the beans,  just fish them out.

Reserve one cup of the cooking liquid.

Drain the potatoes and beans and leave them in the colander.   Using the same pot, fry the garlic in 1/4 cup of olive oil.  Remove the pot from the burner and let the oil cool some. Add the pimentón.  Stir in the reserved liquid. Add the potatoes and beans. Bring them to a simmer.

Serve with boiled eggs,  good bread,  a good olive oil for drizzling at the table, and pimentón for sprinkling.

 

Summer: Time for Vegetable Paellas

 

Vegetable paella is one of our standard summer dishes. We eat it about once a week, and we never tire of it, partly because we use different vegetables for nearly every paella--whatever is fresh and in season goes in--but mainly because they are so good and so easy to make.  Once you have the technique down, you can make a vegetable paella in just half an hour.

To make a great vegetarian paella, you need three special ingredients.

Pimentón is essential: it gives the paella a rich smokey flavor.

Also essential is the right rice: Calasparra, Bomba, or a paella rice such as La Marjal. Or use Italian arborio.

You can make paellas with a good short-grain brown rice, too. See my post on brown rice paella for the technique.

While I would not say that saffron is essential--you can get away with colorante, yellow dye--it does add a subtle flavor that makes paella, paella.

Once you have these three key ingredients, you can make many, many different types of vegetable paellas in a snap.  You can choose nearly any vegetables you like.   What's in season is usually bonito, bueno, y barrato, as  Esperana, my mother-in-law, always says. 

We always start by sauteeing a chopped onion in about 1/3 cup of olive oil.  (Use a heavy skillet or a small paella pan.) We then add garlic (whole peeled cloves or chopped), a chopped tomato, and a handful of chopped parsley. 

We then add green beans, diced summer squash, peas, butterbeans or limas--whatever you find that you like at the market.  (One exception is eggplant, which I always prefer to cook separately and serve alongside the paella.  See my post on Spanish rice with eggplant).

Add a pinch of saffron , a teaspoon of pimentón, a teaspoon of salt, and one cup of rice, and stir.

Cook the vegetable/rice mixture a few minutes, then add 2 and 1/2 cups of water.

Bring the liquid to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 18 minutes.  Towards the end of the cooking time, check with a wooden spoon to make sure the rice isn't burning. A crust at the bottom of the pan is ideal. If it seems the rice will burn, turn off the heat and cover the pan.

After 18 minutes, remove the pan from the heat.  Decorate the top of the paella with a handful of chopped parsley and  pimiento strips or, even better,  roasted red peppers or piquillo peppers.

We usually have paella with that other classic Spanish summer standard, gazpacho.

 

A Hearty Vegan Stew for Autumn: Spanish Gypsy Pot, Olla Gitana

Butternut squash,  apples, and smoky pimentón de La Vera give this Spanish bean soup a sweet and spicy flavor perfect for fall.  As it contains no meat or dairy products, it's suitable for vegetarians and vegans, yet it has a nice creaminess, thanks to ground toasted almonds.

I have adapted this recipe from one by Clarissa Hyman. To see the original, and many other great Spanish recipes, check out her book  The Spanish Kitchen.

Here's the recipe:

1 cup of dried chickpeas

1 cup of dried cannellini

2 apples, peeled, cored, and cubed

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into bite-sized pieces

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

2 bay leaves

1/2 cup of olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 or 4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 slice of good bread

1/3 cup of toasted almonds

a pinch of saffron, ground with a little salt in a mortar

1 tablespoon pimentón de La Vera

fresh chopped mint

salt and black pepper

Pick over the garbanzos  and remove any dirt or stones. Rinse them. Put  them in water to soak.

Do the same with the cannellini.   Soak both beans overnight, but keep them separate at this stage because garbanzos almost always need longer cooking.

The next day, rinse the garbanzos. Put them in a large pot with the bay leaves and enough water to cover them. Bring to them to a boil and let them simmer for an hour.  Add more water if necessary.

Rinse the white beans. Add them to the garbanzo pot with  a teaspoon of salt. Let the beans simmer together for an hour more, adding more water if necessary.

Add the butternut squash, carrot, and apples to the bean pot.  Let them simmer slowly for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, fry the chopped onion in the olive oil until soft and golden.  Remove the pan from the heat. Let the olive oil and onion mixture cool some. Add the pimentón and stir. Add this mixture to the pot and stir.

Put the almonds, bread, saffron, and garlic into a blender or food processor and chop the mixture to a paste. Add a half cup of broth from the soup. Whir it smooth. Add this mixture to the pot and stir. 

Again, add more water if the soup gets too thick.

Let the soup simmer a few minutes more. Add ground black pepper and salt to taste.

Serve with chopped fresh mint sprinkled on top.

 

 

 

Easy Summer Squash Paella--arroz con calabacines

This summer squash paella makes a great vegan/vegetarian one-pot meal.  We often serve it with a bean salad, or with vegetarian or vegan "chorizos." It can also be served as a side dish with seafood or game.

As with any Spanish rice dish, it's extremely important to start with the right rice. Use Calasparra or Bomba, or a paella rice such as La Marjal. Italian arborio rice makes a pretty good substitute.  Whatever you do, don't try this with the regular short- or long-grain rices usually found in grocery stores. The results will be disappointing.  I cannot emphasize this point enough: the rice really does matter.

Ingredients

1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil

1 cup of Spanish rice (Calasparra, Bomba, a paella rice such as La Marjal, or Italian arborio)

2 to 2 1/2 cups hot water

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch wedges.

1 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch wedges

1 large onion

2 cloves of garlic

1/3 cup chopped parsley

1 medium tomato, chopped (or a few cherry type tomatoes)

a small pinch of saffron, ground with a little salt in a mortar

1 teaspoon of pimentón  (see my post on pimentón)

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1/4 cup of flame-roasted red peppers, cut into slivers (see my post on flame-roasted red peppers), or piquillo peppers

Heat a heavy skillet or a paella pan. Add the olive oil and the  chopped onion.  When the onion is soft, add the squash, the tomatoes, the garlic, and all but one tablespoon of the parsley. Cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, for five minutes or so.

Add the rice. Stir until it is well blended with the oil and vegetables.  Let the rice "fry" for 3 minutes or so.  (This helps the grains to stay separate). Add the pimentón.  Stir.

Add two cups of hot water, the salt, and the saffron.

Stir. Let the rice come to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium. Let the rice simmer for twenty minutes.  During the last 5-7 minutes, you may want to insert a wooden spoon into the rice to see how it's cooking on the bottom of the pan.  Ideally, a paella develops a crust on the bottom, but you don't want it to burn, so add a little more water if necessary.

Remove the rice from the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes. (This rest is important to the texture of the rice, so don't skip it).  Garnish the paella with the remaining chopped parsley and strips of roasted red peppers or piquillos.

 

 

 

Simple Spanish Recipe for Eggs in Tomato Sauce, Huevos con tomate

Eggs baked in tomato sauce--huevos en tomate--is a hugely popular dish in Spain.   There are elaborate versions with bits of jamón serrano and slices of chorizo simmered in the tomato sauce, usually called huevos a la Flamenca--Flemish eggs.  Some recipes call for Spanish cheese melted on top.  In her excellent book My Kitchen in Spain, Janet Mendel suggest arranging anchovy fillets between the eggs.

But this dish does not have to be complicated. The combination is delicious on its own,  with nothing more than some steamed peas sprinkled on top and a piece of good bread to dip into the yolks and mop up the sauce. 

Here's a simple recipe:

First, make some tomato sauce. See my recipe for a simple Spanish tomato sauce, salsa de tomate.

Next, heat up a cazuela in a 350 degree oven. You can use one big cazuela, or you can heat up as many small cazuelas as you need for individual servings, which makes a neat presentation.

Carefully remove the hot cazuela(s) from the oven.  Fill the cazuela with hot tomato sauce.  With a spoon, make indentations or "nests"in the sauce. Crack an egg, and being careful not to break the yolk, slip it into a nest. Continue to add as many eggs as you like.

Return the cazuela to the oven. Bake the eggs in tomato sauce at 350  for about ten minutes, until the whites set.  Garnish with steamed peas if you like.

 

An Easy Cocido: Chickpeas with Spinach (garbanzos con espinacas)

Chickpeas with spinach--garbanzos con espinacas--is a classic Spanish combination.  It's prepared in many different ways.  Some recipes include a small amount of salt cod (bacalao). Many call for chopped boil egg or egg yolks.  My recipe for chickpeas, spinach, tomatoes and mushrooms and rice with chickpeas and spinach are variations on the garbanzo-and-spinach theme.

Today's recipe is one the simplest. It's  meatless, suitable for vegetarians and vegans, and also very tasty, thanks in large part to smokey and spicy pimentón de La Vera which adds a chorizo-like flavor.  If you like, you could garnish this with chopped boiled egg.  We just sprinkled on some toasted pine nuts.

It is important to start with the best dried garbanzos you can find.

Here's how to do it:

Ingredients:

One 14 ounce bag of garbanzos

1 large onion, chopped

1/3 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons of pimentón picante de La Vera

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

2 bay leaves

2 or 3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 or 3 small tomatoes, or 1 large, chopped

1 large bag of pre-washed spinach, chopped

Look over the garbanzos. Remove any stones or twigs. Wash them a couple of times. Soak them overnight.

When the garbanzos have soaked 12 to 24 hours, drain  them, rinse them, and put them in a large pot with enough cold water to cover them a couple of inches.  Bring the garbanzos to a boil.  Skim off any foam. Turn down the heat to medium.

Add the bay leaves and one teaspoon of salt.  Let the garbanzos simmer until they're nearly tender. This may take an hour. It may take two or more. It all depends on the garbanzos. After an hour, try one and see if it's tender.  Add more water if necessary.

Meanwhile, saute the chopped onion in olive oil until slightly caramelized.  Add the garlic and tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes soften.  Remove the pan from the heat and let the oil cool some.  Add the pimentón, stir, and add this mixture to the garbanzos.

Add the chopped spinach. Keep simmering the garbanzos until they're tender.

Like so many soups and stews, this dish is even better the second day. Serve it with toasted pine nuts,  a simple Spanish red wine, and good bread.

 

A Simple Spanish Recipe for Rice with Salt Cod (arroz con bacalao)

Rice with salt cod (arroz con bacalao) is another easy, tasty, one-pot meal.  Esperanza, my mother-in-law, makes it for me whenever I'm in Spain, and I love it. This is real Spanish home-cooking.   As with any Spanish rice dish, it's extremely important to start with the right rice. Use Calasparra or Bomba, or a paella rice such as La Marjal. Italian arborio rice is not quite the same, but it makes a pretty good substitute. Whatever you do, don't try this with the regular short- or long-grain rices usually found in grocery stores. The results will be disappointing (as I know from bitter experience). The rice really does matter.

As with my recipe for bacalao con salsa de tomate, start with good salt cod. Latin American groceries often carry it.  La Tienda also sells top quality salt cod.  Remember, salt cod needs 24 hours or more soaking, so plan ahead. Otherwise, this dish is easy.

Here's how to do it: 

Ingredients:

1 cup of Spanish rice (Calasparra or Bomba, or a paella rice such as La Marjal. Or substitute Italian arborio)

1/2 pound of salt cod fillets

1/4 cup of olive oil

1 large onion

3 or 4 small tomatoes, or 1 or 2 large ones, chopped

1/2 a large red sweet pepper (bell, cubanelle, marconi, etc.), sliced

a tablespoon of chopped parsley

2 garlic cloves, chopped

a small pinch of saffron, ground with a little salt in a mortar

freshly ground black pepper

salt to taste

First, soak the salt cod for 24 hours (see my directions for soaking salt cod in my post on bacalao con salsa de tomate). 

Heat a large skillet. Saute the chopped onion in olive oil. Add the sliced red pepper. When the onion is soft and translucent, add the garlic. Stir. Add the chopped tomato, the parsley, the saffron, and a pinch of black pepper.  When the tomato is soft, add the rice and stir well.  Let the rice "fry" for a few minutes. 

 Arrange the fillets in a single layer over the rice. Add two cups of water (a little more if you like wetter rice). Add salt--but go easy. The salt cod may still be somewhat salty.  I usually add 1/2 teaspoon or less.

Bring the rice and bacalao to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium. Let the rice cook, uncovered, for twenty minutes. Towards the end, keep an eye on the rice. Check it by inserting a wooden spoon. A crust may form at the bottom of the pan (this is ideal) but you don't want it to burn. If you think it will, turn down the heat some and/or add a little more water.

Remove the skillet from the heat. Let the rice and bacalao rest for 10 minutes (this is important) and serve.

A Simple Spanish Recipe for Salt Cod in Tomato Sauce, bacalao en salsa de tomate

Salt cod in tomato sauce (bacalao en salsa de tomate) is an easy, convenient, and delicious one-dish meal.  If most fish-and-tomato dishes are too fishy for you (they often are for me), try this. Salt cod in tomato sauce is much milder and cleaner tasting than, say, fresh tuna or swordfish in tomato sauce.

All you need is a good tomato sauce (see my recipe for easy Spanish tomato sauce), a cazuela (if you want to be authentic), and good salt cod (bacalao). It does not have to be great salt cod, which is difficult to find in the U.S. and expensive. But you do want to search out good salt cod (which may be various other types of cod-like fish preserved in salt). I've had luck finding quality salt cod in Latin American groceries.

Note: salt cod must be soaked for 24 hours (more or less, depending on the salt cod) in several changes of water, so it's necessary to plan ahead for this dish. Otherwise, nothing could be simpler. 

Here's how to do it:

1 lb of quality salt cod fillets

tomato sauce  (see my recipe for easy Spanish tomato sauce)

Steamed baby English peas (for garnish)

Rinse off the salt cod fillets. Place them in a bowl, cover them with cold water. Put them in the fridge. Let them soak for 24 hours, changing the water every 8 hours.  If the salt cod you're using is 1 inch thick or thicker, you may want to soak it even longer, up to 48 hours.  If the fillets are thinner, you can soak it 18 hours, and so on. These are general guidelines.  The saltiness of salt cod can vary, so experiment with soaking times.

Here's a pic of some salt cod fillets before soaking:

And here's a pic of salt cod fillets after they have been soaked.

Make the tomato sauce. While it's simmering, heat a cazuela, or a casserole dish, in a 375 degree oven.  

Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce across the bottom of the cazuela. (Both the cazuela and the sauce should be hot). Arrange the cod fillets in the cazuela in a single layer. Top them with the rest of the hot tomato sauce. Bake them in the oven for 7-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. The  sauce should just begin to bubble.

Garnish with steamed peas. Serve this with good bread and a simple Spanish red wine.

A Simple Spanish Recipe for Rice with Mussels, or A Better Mussel Paella (Arroz con mejillones)

This dish of mussels and rice (arroz con mejillones), loosely based on a recipe by popular Spanish television chef Karlos Arguiñano, resembles the mussel paella in Penelope Casas' Paella! Spectacular Rice Dishes from Spain, but it's different in one important way: the mussels are cooked first, set aside, and mixed into the rice at the last minute. The mussel broth is used to cook the rice.  This way the rice is flavorful but  the mussels are not overcooked ( as lamentably they so often are in paellas).

You could cook this in a paella pan, the breadth of which creates  a lot space for decorating the rice with mussels still in their shells. 

As with my recipe for Spanish rice with spinach, chickpeas and eggplant, or indeed any Spanish rice dish, the key to success is starting out with the right rice. Ideally, use Calasparra or Bomba rice, or a paella rice such as La Marjal.

I cannot emphasise enough: the rice really does matter. Regular long gain rice just doesn't work well for most Spanish rice dishes.  Look at this cup of Bomba rice. Notice the small, round grains.

Italian arborio rice is a pretty good substitute, but different.

Here's how to do it

Ingredients:

2 lbs of mussels, scrubbed, beards removed

1 cup of Spanish rice, such as Calasparra, Bomba, or a paella rice such as La Marjal. Or substitute arborio.

a few garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 onion, chopped

a good tomato, chopped

olive oil

a handful of chopped parsley

a small pinch of saffron, ground with a little salt in a mortar

salt

Heat up  a cup of water in a pot. Add the mussels. Cover, and gently steam them for a few minutes until they open.  It shouldn't take more than five or six minutes, eight tops.  Don't overcook the mussels.

Strain the mussel broth through a few layers of cheese cloth and reserve.

Discard any mussels that don't open.   Select a dozen or so especially pretty mussels and reserve them for the garnish. Remove the rest of the mussels from their shells and reserve.

Heat up a large heavy skillet or a small paella pan.

Add a good dash of oil (between 1/4 and 1/3 cup ). Add the chopped onions and garlic. Cook it until the onions turn translucent. Add the chopped tomato and saffron.  When the tomato turns liquid, add the rice.  Stir, letting the rice fry in the onion-oil mixture for a few minutes. Add the mussel broth and enough water to make 2 1/2 cups total liquid.  Add a pinch more salt (not too much: the mussels are already salty) and let the rice simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes. Don't cover the rice.  

Mix the mussel meats into the rice and let it rest a few minutes.  Meanwhile decorate the rice with the mussels still in their shells and sprinkle with parsley.