Some Spanish favorites!
The brown, jelly-like substance is called membrillo, and it is a quince paste typically served and eaten alongside manchego, a cheese made from sheep’s milk. Especially when the cheese has been aged and is a little drier and the flavor cuts more, the membrillo is a nice way to sweeten each mouthful. Of course there is the obligatory chorizo, and not Mexican chorizo. What defines Spanish chorizo is that it has been cured with pimentón, or smoked paprika, making it hard and able to be eaten sliced straight from the link. It also gives it a richer, more robust flavor than the spicy heat of Mexican chorizo tends to have.Toss in some almendras and you have a nice appetizer plate.
And on to the paella! Originally from Valencia, paella is a rice dish cooked over an open flame in a large shallow skillet called a paellera. This pan can sometimes be as big as a round dining room table! There are many variations of what can go in paella, though seafood paella with shellfish, scallops, and shrimp has become by far the most popular. Rabbit is a very authentic ingredient too, especially common when it is made away from the coast. Many people think that paella always has that dark orange rice, but beware fellow readers! Unnatural colors are usual from unnatural things, in this case, dyes used to heighten the color intensity. The coloring should be a pale to golden yellow depending on the amount and quality of azafran, or saffron, used when cooking the rice. Arborio rice is best for the thicker consistency, though any type will do. Hint: To get the best color, dissolve the threads of saffron in half a glass of warm water before putting it into the rice. This way, the color and taste spreads more thoroughly.
Instead of BBQ-ing this summer, why not try open-flame paella? All you need is a giant fire pit, a rack to hold the paellera, a gynourmous paella pan…I wonder if there is a Guinness World Record for largest paella made…
Gummibärchen mit Lakritzgeschmack! Lecker lecker!
Spring dinner-Farfalle pasta with salmon, roasted asparagus, fresh basil and parmesan. Oh yes, and a nice glass of wine.
Pita Pizza
It’s pita! It’s pizza! And I love it! For all I feel I eat a lot of pizza as it is (it just happens to be where I work, and then I happen to eat it…) I like making it myself. Though I have yet to tackle oven pizza dough (on the to-do list), using pita as a base is easy, fast, perfectly individually-sized, and let’s you make your pizza exactly how you want it. The only thing it lacks is the high-air toss, which is probably a good thing considering my hand-eye coordination and my tendency to get food on the floor.
Ingredients:
Pita (I like whole wheat.)
sauce (if desired. I didn’t desire.)
cheese (I used mozzarella that I tore up.)
toppings (tomatoes, spinach, olives, pepperoni, etc.)
olive oil
Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. Drizzle a little olive oil on the pita.
3. Add a thin layer of sauce if using. Top with toppings and sprinkle cheese on top so that it is not entirely covered. The cheese will melt and spread.
4. Bake 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melty, crust is more golden but not brown or brittle.
5. Remove from oven and eat warm.
What are you waiting for? Make a pretty pizza! Andiamo!
Orange Cranberry muffins! A pantry raid effort following this recipe and using, for the lack of pre-made orange juice, frozen orange concentrate diluted quickly in water. I actually really liked how that worked because it gave a stronger orange flavor to the muffins than plain juice would have.
F.P.C.
A unique unit of measurement, standing for Flavor per Calorie. Developed by food author Peter Kaminsky, the idea is that you will eat less when what you ear has a stronger flavor and satisfies your taste more. Such foods include delicious, fresh buffalo mozzarella, anchovies, prosciutto, yogurt, almonds and dark chocolate. With a list like that, I could get behind this new science!
Yes, the heladeros (street ice cream vendors) in Guayaquil make their ice cream the old fashioned way by hand. Roomie, eat one for me.
