Spanish culture differs from our own when it comes to dining. Breakfast is a modest meal, if it’s eaten at all. Lunch is the most elaborate meal of the day. It’s served in many courses with copious amounts of wine. That accounts for the siestas.
During the early evening, around cocktail hour, spaniards often enjoy tapas, or a selection of small plates. The custom began thanks to annoying flying insects. In order to keep bugs out of patron’s drinks, bartenders would place small plates on top of the glasses. At some point, someone with a big mouth probably said,”Quit teasing me! If you want to put a plate in my face, stick some food on it, buddy”
It started with a slice or two of ham. Bars always compete for business, so they each began to offer a special dish. Not wanting to miss out on a unique and tasty treat, patrons began to develop a strategy. They would order one drink, per bar and visit several different locations in an evening, enjoying a bite at each spot.
Dinner is usually served quite late and it’s a relatively small meal.
We will do a separate post on tapas. Today is about a dinner party.
If you’re feeling festive, you might want to make a sangria. If not, serve a selection of wines.
- 1/2 c brandy
- 1/4 c fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 c frozen lemonade concentrate
- 1/3 c orange juice
- 1 bottle dry red wine
- 1/2 c triple sec
- 1/4 c sugar
- Sliced fruit to garnish
- Orange
- Lime
- Lemon
Mix all of the ingredients and refrigerate overnight Garnish with sliced fruit Cut the fruit into round slices for an attractive presentation
The Topping
- 1/4 c chopped green olives from the jar
- 1/4 c jarred roasted red peppers, chopped and drained
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp chopped, fresh oregano
You can make this a day ahead and refrigerate it Just combine the ingredients
Migas
The Croutons
- 4 heaping cups of cubed ciabatta or rustic bread
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 small cloves of garlic, minced
- Preheat oven to 375
- Combine olive oil and garlic
- Toss the bread cubes with garlic oil
- Bake for 10 min
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp sherry wine vinegar
- 1/4 c finely chopped shallots
- 4 c arugula
- 4 c baby frisée, torn into bite sized pieces A pinch of kosher salt
- Whisk the olive oil, vinegar and shallots
- Toss with the arugula and frisée
- Sprinkle with salt
- Divide the salad onto 4 plates
- Distribute the croutons evenly
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 lg eggs
- 4 oz thinly sliced manchego cheese
- 4 slices Serrano ham
- Heat the oil
- Crack each egg into the pan
- Cover each egg with 1/4 of the cheese
- Heat for 2 min, until cheese melts and the egg white is firm
- Place one egg on top of each plate of salad
- Cover each egg with a slice of ham
- Top with a dollop of the olive topping
- Serve immediately
Ingredients
- 3 c bomba or arborio rice
- 8 c chicken stock
- 1 lg onion diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 lg bell pepper, diced
- 4 plum tomatoes, diced
- 1 4 oz can tomato paste
- 1 lb shrimp
- 1 lb calamari
- 2 lbs chicken legs
- 1/2 lb chorizo, sliced into 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 c fresh parsley
- 2 Tbsp fresh thyme
- 1/2 Tbsp paprika
- 1 pinch saffron
- 3 lemons, quartered
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
Preparation
- Heat the stock in a pot, don’t let it boil
- Heat the oil in a paella pan
- Brown the chorizo without fully cooking
- Remove it from the pan and set it aside
- Brown the chicken legs, searing the skin but not fully cooking and set them aside
- Add garlic, onions and pepper to the oiled paella pan and heat until soft
- Add tomatoes
- Push the vegetables to the side of the pan
- Heat the tomato paste on the other side
- Caramelize it by spreading and flipping it for about 2 min on high heat
- Add the meats and mix everything together
- Add paprika, parsley and thyme
- Add the rice and stir to brown, about 90 seconds
- Mix in the saffron as the rice cooks, be sure to break it up
- Add enough hot stock to just cover everything
- It should boil almost immediately
- Lower the heat enough to keep it at a low but steady boil
- Stir it a few times in the first 10 min, adding enough stock to keep it fully covered at all times
- Let it cook for another 20-30 min without stirring
- Continue to gradually add stock to keep it covered until the surface rice is al dente, don’t stir In the last 9 min of cooking, add shrimp and calamari, on top
- Flip the seafood over after 4 min
- Take the pan off the heat and cover for 20 min
- Do not lift the lid until the time is up
- Serve with wedges of lemon
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 c heavy cream
- 1 c whole fat milk
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 1 c sugar
- 1/3 c water
- 3 lg eggs
- 2 lg yolks
- 7 Tbsp sugar
- Fresh berries for garnish
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350
- Combine cream, milk and pinch of salt in a sauce pan
- Scrape the inside of the vanilla bean into the cream and add the bean
- Bring to a simmer
- Remove from heat and let stand for 30 min In a separate sauce pan, combine 1 c sugar and 1/3 c water Heat on low and stir until sugar melts Increase heat to high
- Do not stir, just use a wet pastry brush around the edges to keep melted sugar from burning
- After about 10 min, it should be golden/Amber
- Immediately divide the caramel between 6 ramekins
- Use an oven mitt to tip each ramekins and spread the caramel around, cover the sides too.
- Be careful. Hot sugar will give you a bad burn
- Place the ramekins in a 13x9x2 inch baking pan
- Whisk eggs, yolks and 7 Tbsp of sugar in a medium sized bowl
- Slowly whisk in the cream mixture
- Distribute the mix evenly between the ramekins
- Pour enough hot water into the pan to come half way up the ramekins
- Bake for about 40 min, until the centers are set
- Transfer the ramekins to a rack to cool
- Chill for at least 2 hrs until cold or cover and chill overnight ( up to 2 days)
- To serve, run a small knife along the edges and flip each one onto a dessert plate
- Garnish with fresh berries and serve with coffee and after dinner drinks
Enjoy your Spanish dinner
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