Roasted Vegetables - Spanish Style

Canapé De Escalivada

This is a traditional Spanish canapé. A canapé is just vegetables cook with a touch of fine olive oil. They are healthy, low in calories, and easy to make.

First, I cut up a bunch of green bell peppers, onion, and zucchini. I arranged them in a large baking pan and roasted them for about 20 minutes. I then took the vegetables out of the tray and drizzled some grapeseed oil over them. After tossing the oil, the vegetables were ready to serve. The recipe calls for olive oil, but I used grapeseed oil because it tastes the same and is healthier. I also left out some of the vegetables because my family doesn't like them.

the vegetables before they were roasted

Here's the recipe so you can try it yourself!

                                        1 small eggplant                   1 tablespoon minced parsley

                                        1 red bell pepper                   1 tablespoon thyme leaves

                                        1 green bell pepper                kosher or sea salt

                                        1 medium onion, peeled        freshly ground pepper  

                                        1 tablespoon virgin                1 large zucchini, skin on

                                           olive oil  

                                         Freshly squeezed lemon juice   

Arrange the eggplant, red and green peppers, and onion in a roasting pan. Roast in a 500￮ F oven for about 20 minutes, turning the eggplant and peppers once. Cool. Skin, core, and seed the peppers. Peel the eggplant, cut in half lengthwise, and scrape out most of the seeds. Cut the peppers, eggplant, and onion roughly into julienne strips about 1 inch long. Place in a bowl and gently mix in the olive oil, a few squeezes of lemon juice, the parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Lightly sprinkle the zucchini rounds with salt and let sit a few minutes. Top the zucchini rounds with the vegetable mixture. Serve at room temperature.     

    the finished vegetables

What's your favorite vegetable, and how do you like it prepared?

Casas, Penelope. New York: Knopf Doubleday Group, 1996. Print.           

Pastissets

Pastissets

In English, the Spanish word pastissets translates to powdered sugar cookies. They are made with cinnamon and lemon flavors, which the book describes as "hard to resist." These cookies are incredibly easy to make and only took about an hour total.
You start by beating together some butter, sugar, egg yolk, and lemon peel. I didn't have any fresh lemons, so I just used lemon juice. However, I wouldn't recommend this because you had to use about 3 cups of lemon juice for the flavor to really get through.
Then, you add some cinnamon and flour to the dough and mix until it is thick. After this, you place the dough in a pan and bake for 10 minutes. The recipe calls for cookie cutters, but I just balled my dough and made circular cookies.

the cookies before they were baked

Here's the recipe so you can make it yourself!

                              2/3 cup vegetable shortening or     1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

                              unsalted butter, softened                1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

                              1/2 cup unsalted butter                   1 egg yolk

                              1/2 cup sugar                                  sifted confectioner's sugar

With a wooden spoon, beat together the vegetable shortening and the butter, then incorporate the sugar, egg yolk, and lemon peel. Combine the cinnamon and flour in working with your hand to form a smooth dough.

On a floured surface, roll the dough a scant 1/4 inch thick, and cut with a 1-inch scalloped cookie cutter. Arrange the cookies on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350￮ F about 10 minutes, or until golden. Cool, then coat with confectioner's sugar.

finished lemon cookies

What are some fun and interesting twists you could make to this recipe?

Casas, Penelope. New York: Knopf Doubleday Group, 1996. Print. 

Marinated Pork with Eggs

Zorza Con Huevos Fritos

This recipe is for marinated pork topped with a fried egg for texture. It marinates for a couple of hours in a mix of paprika and garlic. The recipe originates from Galicia, Spain, and is used in many restaurants there.
You start by thawing the chicken and marinating it in paprika, garlic, and a little bit of water. Let that marinate overnight and take it out when you're reading to cook the chicken. Then, you fry up the pork in a skillet until it's browned. Once the pork was done, I put it in the oven to keep warm while I made the eggs.
To make the fried eggs, I did two per person, so eight eggs for my whole family. I sprayed a pan with butter spray and fried the eggs. I kept them on the heat until the yolks were mostly done, but still a little runny. After everything was ready, I put the pork on a plate and placed the egg on top, and served it with a side of roasted vegetables.

Here's the recipe so you can make it yourself!

               1 pound lean ground pork             1/4 cup chicken broth or water

4 teaspoons imported sweet          1 tablespoon olive oil

paprika                      4-8 eggs

                1/2 teaspoon hot paprika               1/2 teaspoon salt                       

8 large cloves garlic, minced                                         

In a bowl, mix the meat with the sweet and hot paprika, salt, garlic, and broth. Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Heat the oil in a skillet, add the meat mixture, and sauté, breaking up the meat as it cooks, until lightly browned.
Once the meat is done, fry the eggs--to taste, or better still, in the Spanish style. Divide the meat onto dinner plates, and place the fried eggs over the meat and serve right away.

How do you like your eggs cooked? Tell me in the comments!

Casas, Penelope. New York: Knopf Doubleday Group, 1996. Print. 

Easy Mediterranean Shrimp

Gambas Al Ajillo

This recipe is an example of a Spanish tapa. A tapa is a bite-sized appetizer, but it is more delicate than most common appetizers we see in the US. They typically use fancier items, such as shrimp or zucchini, rather than cheese and crackers.

This recipe is for a garlic shrimp. It is one of the most classic Spanish tapas, and is wonderfully simple. It is generally cooked in shallow earthenware, however, I made mine in a skillet, and it turned out well. The ingredients can vary, and you can essentially add almost any spice to compliment the garlic flavor.

You start by sprinkling both sides of the shrimp with sea salt. Then, combine olive oil, garlic, some bay leaf, and chile pepper in a bowl and sauté it until it begins to brown. Add the shrimp and cook, flipping the shrimp so both sides get brown. After they are done cooking, I sprinkled them with some ground parsley and served them with asparagus and broccoli.

Here's the recipe so you can make it yourself!

                                    1/2 lb small shrimp, shelled          1 small bay leaf

                                    kosher or sea salt                           a 1-inch dried red chile pepper

                                    1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil         1 tablespoon minced parsley

                                    3 cloves garlic, peeled and

                                    coarsely chopped                            ojlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

                                                                                          

Sprinkle the shrimp on both sides with salt. Let them sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. In a small, shallow casserole (preferably Spanish earthenware) combine the oil, garlic, bay leaf, and chile pepper and sauté over a medium-high flame until the garlic just begins to color. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until the shrimp are just done, about a minute or two (if the shrimp have turned opaque at the center, they are sufficiently cooked). Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately in the casserole dish, accompanied by good crusty bread for dunking.

How can you incorporate ingredients from your culture to make this recipe your own?

Casas, Penelope. New York: Knopf Doubleday Group, 1996. Print.   

Lemon Chicken

Pollo Al Ajillo Con Limón

       

          This is a Spanish recipe, and the title translates to chicken with garlic and lemon. It is a lemon-marinated, broiled chicken, originally from the nuns of the Santa Clara Monastery in Burgos, Spain. The recipe is simple, but extremely good.  

You start by cutting the chicken into individual pieces. The recipe calls for a whole chicken, but I used pre-cut chicken thighs. Then, you combine the garlic, parsley, thyme, and salt in a bowl and mash it to a paste. After they're combined together, add the lemon juice, oil, and white wine to the mix. The directions say to marinate the chicken for two hours, but I only marinated for one because of time constraints. After the chicken was done marinating, I sprinkled it with salt and pepper and put it in the oven at 400ᐤF for 20 minutes. I served the chicken with asparagus lighting drizzled in grape seed oil and salt.

Here's the recipe so you can make it yourself!

                           A 3-3 1/2 pound chicken                          2 tablespoons lemon juice

                           5 cloves garlic, peeled                              1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

                           1 tablespoon minced parsley                    1/4 cup dry white wine

                           1/4 tablespoon dried thyme                      freshly ground pepper

                           salt

Cut the chicken into small serving pieces, detaching the wings and legs and dividing the breast in 4 pieces and each thigh in half crosswise.

In a mortar, mash to a paste the garlic, parsley, thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir in the lemon juice, oil, and wine. Arrange the chicken pieces in a shallow ovenproof casserole dish. Pour the mixture over the chicken and marinate for 2 hours. 

Heat the broiler. Remove the chicken from the marinade (leave the marinade in the casserole) and place skin side down on a broiler tray about 3 inches from the flame. Broil 5 minutes, or until browned. Turn, baste with the marinade, and broil 5 minutes more.

Return the chicken to the marinade in the casserole. Season with salt and pepper and place in a 400ᐤF oven for 15 minutes, basting occasionally.

close up of the finished garlic-lemon chicken

How does this recipe remind you of your heritage?

Casas, Penelope. New York: Knopf Doubleday Group, 1996. Print.