RecipeSource: Spanish Recipes

Gazpacho

Chop the herbs and blend thoroughly with the garlic, pepper, bread slices ,boiled, peeled & cored tomatoes, adding olive oil very slowly, and the lemon juice. Serve warm or cold.

Flaming Eggs
Saute onions, chilli Add tomato puree . Transfer the mixture into a shallow, ovenproof dish. make two hollows into the mixture to hold the eggs. Break egg into hollows. Bake till whites are set and the yolks are still soft.

Garlic Soup

Peel garlic and cut into large chunks. Sautee garlic and bread cubes and saute until lightly browned. Add stock, salt, pepper & simmer till bread almost dissolves. Crack two eggs into the soup (Don't stir) allow the eggs to poach until they are set. Serve

Paella( Paa-lya)
(Rice cooked in meat/veggies/fish stock)

A saffron-flavored Spanish dish made with varying combinations of rice, vegetables, meat, chicken, and seafood

From catalan paella meaning frying pan,

Brown garlic in olive oil. Remove the garlic and cook meat/veggies in the same oil
When the vegetables are done, remove them and add grated tomato to the pan, with chopped garlic and (optionally) finely chopped onion
Allow this mixture (the "sofrito") to cook gently over a low heat.
Now put all the ingredients vegetables/meat/fish back in the pan, together with your fry, and add the rice
Season with salt, and add the saffron (or colouring)
The rice needs to cook slowly, over a low heat, until it is exactly right

Tips and tricks
Don't keep sticking your spoon in the rice, or stir it in anyway during cooking. Instead, shake the pan gently using the two handles in order to distribute the water evenly.




Spanish Omlette

Combine the potatoes, onion, the 3/4 tsp of salt and the crushed chiles.
Cook potato until tender. Combine the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the potatoes in the skillet. Reduce the heat, cover and cook over low heat for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the eggs are nearly set.


Spanish flan

Scald milk (warm milk and lemon peel until mixture is
very hot but not boiling). Add gelatin to beaten egg mixture, beat
to ensure that they are adequately mixed and add to the milk,
together with sugar. Stir until mixture begins to boil and then
immediately remove from stove. In another saucepan over low heat,
heat 5 tbsp. sugar until sugar begins to carmelize. Pour caramelized
sugar into mold, following with flan mixture. Allow to cool to room
temperature, then refrigerate overnight. To remove, place mold in hot
water for a few seconds and then invert mold onto a serving plate.
Serve chilled.

Spanish Rice

COOK THE RICE according to the instructions on the package and keep
warm. Sautee onions. garlic, peppers and tomatoes. Add the rice, mix, and cook a while.

Potato, Potato... anytime
A friend of mine had mailed
"Potato
Potato
Potato
Anytime........."

which led me into a bit of potato research.

A bit of history first....

Potato was discovered and cultivated in south america some 7,000 years ago. The world did not know it till 1537 when the spaniards marched through south america. Around 1570, europeans got their first taste of potato and were not too impressed. It was looked down as poisonous( the leaves of potato are indeed poisonous) and a food fit only for lower classes.

A potato left too long in the light will begin to turn green, which makes it bitter. People thought this made it poisonous. However, in about 1780 Irish fell in love with the potato. Partly because it contained most of the vitamins needed for life and because so little effort went into growing so much of it. They became so dependant on potatoes that the Potato Famine in Ireland in 1840 cut the population by half

Potato would become one of the major food stuffs of the world. It is tough, durable and stores well.

It is a mistake people think that potatoes are fattening. Potatoes are no different from rice or wheat as they contain a similar starch. However as most potatoes are normally eaten fried, the oil/butter used are the culprits. Not the hardy potato.

Here are a few recipes

Simple Potato Soup
Cut up and cube potatoes, onions and mushrooms. Boil until potatoes are soft. Dump excess water. Add milk, butter, curry leaves, basil,. Cook a bit more and serve.


Potato Salad
Hard boil the eggs. Cube potatoes and boil till soft. Dice the onion. Cut egs into small pieces. Mix all with along with salt, pepper, mayonaisse and mustard. Mix thoroughly.

Chill to let flavors mix.


Oven baked Potatoes
Drizzle butter in baking dish. Clean and cut potatoes into bite sized chunks. Toss potatoes in pan and sprinkle on spices, onion powder, garlic powder salt and chilli powder Put in oven and bake long enough for the outside to become crunchy and the inside to become soft.


Potato and Cheese Soup
Sautee onions, garlic in butter. Add the potatoes, and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender.

Mix vigorously with a spoon, add milk and spices. Cook over medium heat until the milk begins to simmer, then add the cheddar cheese and stir until it melts.

A nice heavy soup that goes down well in chilly weather. Serve with sourdough bread.

Can't wait to get them cooking.....

Greek Recipes

EGGPLANT SPREAD
Pierce the eggplants with a fork and grill them till very soft. Peel, halve, discard seeds and squeeze between paper towels to remove as much excess liquid as possible.

Mash the eggplant coarsely, stir in the onion, the garlic, the minced herbs, the oil, the vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and let the spread stand, covered and chilled, for 3 hours to allow the flavors to develop.


Cucumbers in yoghurt
Greek yogurt is thick and creamy. Greeks use it as a dip, in sauces, or for dessert.

Filter regular yoghurt and drain liquid( on a paper towel lined sieve) to approximate greek yoghurt.

Cut cucumber into cubes. Transfer to sieve set over a bowl and toss with salt, then drain. Rinse cucumber and pat dry.

Mince and mash garlic to a paste with salt using a large heavy knife. Stir together yogurt, cucumbers, garlic paste, and salt to taste in a bowl.


Broiled eggplant

Broiling the eggplant gives it a delicious deep roasted flavor.
Preheat broiler. Pierce eggplants with fork. Broil until skin is crisp and flesh is soft, turning frequently, about 25 minutes. Cool completely (liquid will drain from eggplants as they cool).

Peel skin from eggplants. Coarsely chop eggplants; place in large bowl. Add tomatoes, onion and garlic. Using electric mixer, beat 1 minute. Add yogurt; beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low. Add vinegar and lemon juice; beat to blend. Gradually beat in olive oil. Mix in herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.


Avgolemono.
Bring stock to boil. Mix in carrots, onion, then rice; return to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until rice and vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Ladle 2 cups hot broth from soup into measuring cup. Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl until stiff but not dry. Beat yolks into whites. At low speed, beat lemon juice, then 2 cups hot broth into egg mixture; return mixture to soup. Rewarm soup (do not boil). Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls. Top with lemon slices if desired.


SPINACH AND FETA TURNOVERS

Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly grease baking sheet. Whisk 2 eggs in large bowl to blend. Transfer 1 tablespoon beaten eggs to small bowl and reserve for glaze. a fillng.

Unfold dough on prepared baking sheet. Gently stretch dough to 11-inch square. Cut dough into equal squares. Spoon 1/4 of spinach filling (about 1/3 cup) into center of each dough square. Fold 1 corner of each square over filling to opposite corner, forming triangle. Press dough edges together tightly with fork to seal. Using sharp knife, cut 3 small slits in top of each turnover to allow steam to escape. Brush tops of turnovers with reserved egg glaze.

Bake turnovers until filling is cooked through and tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Filling
Chopped spinach thawed & squeezed dry,mixed with crumbled feta cheese, mint, garlic, pepper & eggs in large bowl.

Malay recipes

Roti Canai
Mix together flour, water, sugar and egg. Knead until a soft dough is formed.
Form into small balls and keep overnight.
When you are ready to make the roti canai, spread the ghee on the balls and flatten.
Heat an iron griddle and fry the rotis individually until cooked.
Serve hot with a curry or dal


Beriyani
Grind together garlic, ginger, chillies, poppy seeds, cashew nuts and almonds.
Heat ghee and fry cloves, cinnamon, shallots.
Add salt, ground ingredients and curry powder.
Stir to mix and cook covered for 10 minutes.
Extract 1 - 2 cups coconut milk from coconut. Add in salt. Mixed with washed rice and cook it.
When the rice has absorbed all the milk, make a well in the center and put the cooked veggiesin it.
Cover and allow rice to cook over very low fire.


Nasi Minyak

Hat ghee in a large pot and put in the bay leaf, sliced large onions and fry until golden brown. Add crushed garlic, star anise, cloves,sliced onions, cinnamon stick, shallots, cardamoms. Add water, salt and evaporated milk and bring to boil. Add in the rice and mix well .
Cook till rice is soft.Garnish with fried shallots when serving.


Chicken satay
Cube the chicken, drain and put aside.
Grind coriander, cummin, tummeric, peanuts, salt and sugar.
Mix this with the powdered cinnamon, diced shallots, cooking oil, marinate the chicken with this mixture.
Skewer chicken, as in Kebabs.
Gril over burning coal, constantly sprinkling cooking oil
Turn over and continue grilling until the chicken is cooked
Serve with peanut sauce.


Nasi Lemak
Clean the rice
Squeeze out 2 cups of thick coconut milk with aromatic leaves. Add salt.
Add in some sliced shallots and ginger.
Serve this rice with sliced hard-boiled eggs, cucumber.


Kurma
Pound shallots, cloves & garlic together.
Mix with kurma powder and water. Blend well into paste.
Slice finely the remaining shallots and garlic.
Heat oil and fry the sliced shallots and garlic with the spices until fragrant.
Add in the blended kurma powder and fry further until oil separates.
Pour in the thick coconut milk, bring to boil and pour it in the thin milk.
season with salt to taste and cook further over a low flame until the gravy is thick.
Add in the large onion and red chilies. Stir once and remove.