Deep Fried Calamari in its own Ink (calamares fritos en su Tinta)

This is a fun concoction of "txipirones en su tinta." In reality they are deep fried calamari roman style. I just made an ink batter with flour, buttermilk and squid ink. I am still not satisfied but will keep working on it. The flavor was wonderful.

Ingredients:


4 Large Squid
1 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Buttemilk or Water
2 Squid Ink Envelopes


Mix the flour, buttermilk or water and ink. Stir until it becomes a nice batter. Cut the calamari in strips and add them to the batter. Place the battered strips in a pan with hot oil and deep fry.


Chipotle Sauce:


2 Spoons Mayonaise
1 Smoked Chipotle Pepper

The Lucky Grapes (Las Uvas de La Suerte)

It is a tradition in Spain to celebrate the end of a year and the beginning of the next with "las uvas de la suerte" or lucky grapes. This tradition goes back to the end of the XIX century, but it really got a push in 1909 when there was a surplus of grapes, and some vineyard owners got creative and decided to commercialize them as the lucky grapes and from there it took off.

Why 12? Because at 12:00 we change from one year to another and the bell strikes 12 times. And why lucky? Because one is supposed to eat a grape with each bell strike, not before and not later, one at a time in unison with each strike. If you do that you will have a lucky year. In Spain, friends and families will gather at "Puerta del Sol" in Madrid, but most  Spanish families will turn on their TV sets to Puerta del Sol to watch the Bell Tower in the old Post Office Building. Puerta del Sol is the center of Madrid and it is also the km zero. After the bell strikes are over everybody gets ready to go out and spend the night celebrating with family and friends. This day everyone belongs to one family. 


At 4:55 PM in the U.S. We turn to Spanish TV, get on Skype and celebrate with the rest of the family. Who would have imagined in 1909 that we would be able to do something like this?

Coca de "Escalivada" con Romesco Sauce

The "coca" is a type of Catalan pastry and can be sweet or savory. The dough is very much similar to pizza, even though the coca is not related to or inherited from the Italian pizza. I made a savory one with "escalivada" - grilled vegetables, anchovies and "romesco" sauce. The combination of ingredients is wonderful - eggplant brought to Spain by the Moors, peppers from the Americas and onions from Asia. I have always enjoyed this coca since I don't have a sweet tooth as indicated by my few desserts posted but I wil get into it. When walking into a pastry shop in Catalonia you will find these cocas among their many specialties.

Tasty roasted vegetables over a homemade dough

Ingredients for the dough:

2 Cups Flour (can be substituted by gluten free flour)

1 Cup Lukewarm Water

1 Envelope Yeast (gluten free)

Salt

Ingredients for the Toppings:

1 Red Pepper Grilled

1 Yellow Pepper Grilled

1 Green Pepper Grilled

1 Eggplant Grilled (optional)

1 Caramelized Red Onion

6 Anchovy Fillets (optional)

Ingredients for the Romesco Sauce:

1 Head of Garlic roasted

3.5 oz. Toasted Almonds

1.1 oz. Hazelnuts

4-5 Ripe Grilled Tomatoes

1 Slice Toasted Bread

1 Ñora (just the meat) or Chile Ancho hydrated and the meat removed

Salt

On a counter lay the flour and make the form of a volcano. In a bowl put the yeast, 2 tablespoons flour and add a 1/2 cup warm water. Let it rest for few minutes. Pour the mix over the volcano little by little and start working the flour with the mix. Pour the other 1/2 cup  water and keep kneading. Make a ball, put it in a bowl brushed with oil and set aside in a warm place covered with a kitchen cloth for about  two hours or until it doubles in size.

In the meantime grill the vegetables, peppers, garlic and tomatoes for the sauce in a hot oven until brown. Put the peppers in a plastic bag and let them cool off, peel them, remove seeds, and cut them in julienne. In a pan caramelize the onion with a tablespoon of olive oil. 

To make the sauce, remove the peel of the tomatoes, add the garlic, bread, the meat of the dried pepper, almonds, hazelnuts, salt and olive oil and blend everything together.

Roll the dough forming a rectangle, brush it with olive oil, lay on the peppers, egg plant, caramelized onions and the anchovies. Put it in a preheated oven at 400 farenhait for about 30 minutes or until done. Remove the coca from the oven and drizzle on the romesco sauce.

New Years Eve Tenderloin (Solomillo Fin de Año)

My brother, Manu, who is a great cook and a cooking enthusiast sent me this recipe with a picture included. This is a wonderful dish for New Year's Eve.

Ingredients:

2 Pound Beef tenderloin

2 Pounds of Yukon Gold Potatoes

2 Pounds of Idaho Potatoes

1 Tablespoon Butter

2 Cups Milk

1 Tablespoon Manchego Cheese, grated

1 Leek, cut in julienne

1 Teaspoon Honey

2 Onions, finely chopped

1 Head of Garlic 

1 Ripe Tomato, grated

1 Glass of Wine

1 Glass of Brandy

2 Boletus or Regular Mushrooms, sliced

Garlic Salt

Salt

Black Pepper

Parsley

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sear the tenderloin in a hot pan, and then put it in the oven at 365˙F for 25 minutes. Then, remove it and let it rest, covered in foil.

Boil the yukon gold potatoes with a garlic head, when tender, strain them and add cream. Mash with a potato masher or a food mill, add the cheese, and stir until you get a velvety mix. Be careful not to mix too much and save for later. 

Boil the pumpkin or Indian potatoes. In the meantime, in a pan with olive oil, add the leek that is cut in julienne. When the pumpkin is tender, strain, add the cream, the leeks, salt, and pepper. Mash it with a potato masher or food mill and save for later.

Add the sliced "boletus" (mushrooms) to a pan with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Add the garlic salt and parsley when the mushrooms are golden brown. Remove them from the pan and reserve for later.

Peel and grate the Idaho potatoes. Then, fry them in very hot olive oil. When brown, remove them from the pan and put them on a paper towel, add salt and reserve for later.

For the Spanish Sauce:

In a pan, at low heat, add the onion and the two garlic cloves until they turn a light brown color. Then, add the grated tomato, the wine, the brandy, a pinch of salt, and black pepper. Cook on a low heat for about 15 minutes, or until the alcohol has evaporated.  If you prefer, you can flambé the alcohol. Then put the sauce in a blender and purée.

To serve:

Get a metal ring and form layers. First, the mushrooms or "boletus", then the mashed potatoes, then the pumpkin or Indian potatoes, and finally the fried potatoes. Remove the ring.

Cut the tenderloin and set a couple of pieces next to the stack. Drizzle the juice of the meat, and plate with the sauce. ¡Buen Provecho!

Walnut Cream Soup (Intxaursaltsa o Crema de nueces)

My friends reminded me that another traditional Basque Christmas Eve staple is the "Intxaursaltsa" - walnut cream soup. Walnuts as well as chestnuts, apples, pears, hazelnuts, cherries, and quince were (and are)abundant in the Basque country and where there is abundance there is a dish. In this case, one with walnuts.

The "Olentzero," a figure dated before Christianity that represents the winter solstice, has a legend that evolved through  different periods adapting to them. Today, the "Olentzero," a coal miner, will come down once a year on Christmas Eve to the village, his face dirty by coal with his beret and pipe to deliver presents to children. While the kids wait in the winter cold night for their presents they drink a glass of "Intxaursaltsa." This tradition was interrupted in the Basque Country but not in Navarre during Franco's dictatorship from 1939 to 1975, and brought back a few years after his death. Now the tradition of the "Olentzero" is very much alive. There is a strong appreciation of him (see link below).

"Intxaursaltsa" top with meringue

Ingredients:


6 ounces Walnut Pieces
2 pints Cream
2 to 3 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Cinnamon Sticks
1 Clementine Peel
Meringue


In a deep pan put the walnuts, cream, sugar, cinnamon and the clementine peel. On a low heat bring it to boil. Remove the cinnamon stick and peel and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from the stove and blend the mix.


For the Meringue:


4 Egg whites 
4 Tablespoons Sugar
Work the whites with a whisk or an electrical whisk until they are the consistency of whipping cream.


Serve the sauce in a glass bowl or martini glass  Top it with the meringue, a cinnamon stick, sprinkle powdered cinnamon on top and add some walnuts pieces.


To watch the "Olentzero" song go to the link:
http://tdn.com/video-olentzero-christmas-song/youtube_4d4424b0-2915-11e1-a833-001871e3ce6c.html

Shepherd's Style Crumbs (Migas al Pastor)

"Migas al pastor" is one of those rustic dishes, like garlic soup, that started as a hearty breakfast for shepherds and migrants. It consists of bread from previous days, bacon, chorizo and garlic. Today it has evolved into a fashionable first course in many restaurants. It is typical of Aragon, Teruel,  Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura and Andalucia - areas of Spain where the herd of merino sheep was moved from one region to another depending on the season. The shepherds would carry with them chorizo, bacon, ham and bread - products already preserved. These migas are the Aragon style what my grandmother used to make. I don't know if she learned it because her family used to have a merino sheep herd and shepherds or because she moved to Zaragoza, Aragon, after the death of her father and met my grandfather, a medical student at the time. I am sure this recipe came in very handy during the Spanish Civil War because of the lack of food, when every crumb was saved in a napkin to use the next day to mix with milk.

Ingredients:

1 Loaf Rustic Bread 
1 Glass of Cold Water
1 Tablespoon Spanish Smoked Paprika
1/4 Teaspoon Oregano or Thyme
1 Pinch of Salt

2 Garlic Cloves 
1/2 Green Pepper cut in small pieces
1/2 Cup Bacon or Spanish Serrano Ham cut in small pieces or cubes
1/2 Cup Chorizo cut in small pieces or cubes
1 Egg per person (optional)
Grapes

First put the water in a glass, add the paprika, oregano or thyme and a pinch of salt. Mix all the ingredients with a spoon and set aside. Remove the bread crust and cut the remaining bread in small pieces. Put it in a bowl and add the glass of water with the mix of spices. Keep it over night covered with a damp cloth. The following morning, cut the bacon or ham, chorizo and pepper in small cubes. First, cook the garlic and when it starts getting golden brown remove it from the pan. Then cook the peppers and remove them as well. Next cook the ham a little and remove it, then do the same with the chorizo. Set aside all these ingredients and in the same pan with all those flavors add the bread and cook it on a low heat, stirring continuously until it starts separating. Before removing it from the pan raise the heat to high and brown it lightly. Mix all ingredients in a bowl before serving. Serve with a fried egg (optional) and decorate with grapes.

Oyster Soup (Sopa de Ostras)

This is a very typical Christmas or New Year's soup in this area of the world. You find oysters in most supermarkets, they come without the shells and in their liquid. The price is the best during this season. This is a dish that can be done whenever the oysters are at an affordable price.

Delicious!

Ingredients:

6 Tablespoons Butter
2 Small Potatoes cut in very small cubes
1 Leek
The liquid of the oysters
1 Quart Half and Half (la mitad leche y la mitad crema)
1/2 to 1 Pound Oysters (without the shells)

In a pan, add the butter, the potatoes, and the leeks. Let them cook until tender. Add the liquid of the oysters and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the half and half, let it simmer for about 10 minutes. When done, add the mix to the blender and purée, put it back in a pan and add the oysters, do not overcook them. Serve in a bowl with lemon wedges.

Compote (Compota)

This is a typical winter dessert, especially during Christmas time along with such staples as "turrón," "mazapan,"  "polvorones," and for the Epiphany "roscón de reyes."

I love to finish a Christmas meal with the aromas of cinnamon, orange, star aniseed and the flavors of fruits and dried fruits combined with the syrup of water, wine and sugar.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Dried Apricots
1 Cup Dried Figs
1 Cup Prunes
1 Cup Raisins
2 Apples peeled, cored and cut in squares
2 Pears peeled, cored and cut in squares
1 Orange Peel and one Lemon Peel
1 Cinnamon Stick
6 Star Aniseed
1 Cup sugar

1 Bottle Red Wine
Water

In a deep pan add all the dried fruits, pears, apples, orange peel, lemon peel, cinnamon stick, star aniseed and sugar. Add the wine and cover with water. Bring it to boil, reduce heat and let it simmer for about 45 minutes. Before serving, remove the star aniseed, peels, and cinnamon stick.

Caramelized Scallop Salad (Ensalada de Vieiras)

Galicia and Asturias in Spain have an abundance of scallops. The most traditional recipe is cooked in the oven and called "Vieiras de Santiago." The shell represent the pilgrimage route to "Saint James." At one point the shell, one being flat and the other concave, became the symbol of the returning pilgrims and it was also used as a plate "escudilla" to collect food and water, served thru the route in monasteries. Since they have to travel light, to make such a long walk, they wear it around their necks. 

I made a more refreshing recipe than the traditional one, with a green salad. The scallop cannot be cooked through, it has to be raw in the center like the tuna and it has a sweet flavor.

Ingredients:

2 Large Scallops or 3 Medium Scallops
A reduction Balsamic Vinegar or a glaze
Grape Tomatoes
Clementine or Lemon Juice
Arugula Salad or Mixed Greens
Olive Oil
Salt

In a pan, put the reduced balsamic vinegar at a high heat, add the scallops and the tomatoes, caramelize each side without cooking it through. Drizzle some clementine juice and remove from the pan.

Make a dressing with olive oil and clementine juice. Mix it with the salad greens, put it in a plate or shell, add the scallops, drizzle some of the juice, add sea salt and sesame seeds. Instead of tomatoes, you can use fruits like grapes, strawberries, pears, apples, etc.

Escargot Basque Style (Caracoles a la Vizcaina)

This dish cannot be more typical of Christmas in the Basque Country. After all these years I found a place in the States where they sell snails from Spain in jars (I will put the address below). Imagine how excited I was when I found them and I also had all the ingredients for the sauce. There are a few differences with the french snails. In Spain they are smaller in size and we cook them in their shells with a "vizcaina sauce" with chorizo and serrano ham. These really bring me wonderful memories of growing up in the Basque country and probably I only had them five times in the last 20 years so this is very special. One time I even made the dish out of season during the summer. My aunt Mari Carmen was in charge of two dishes for Christmas, the "caracoles" and the squid in its own ink. Both have great aromas. However, I don't know how well I followed the traditional recipe...oh, well!!! They are great anyway. Yummmm!!! Delicioso!!!

This dish can also be served as a cazuelita "small portion"

Ingredients:

2 Red Onions finely chopped
5 Garlic Cloves finely chopped
3 Tablespoons Tomato Sauce
2 Tablespoons of Choricero pepper meat already in a jar  or 12 dozen Choricero peppers dehydrated.
1 or 2 Dry Cayenne Peppers
Beef Stock
Spanish chorizo cut in cubes
Ham cut in cubes

I also add to the sauce:

1/4 Green Pepper finely chopped
1 Leek finely chopped
1/2 Cup Brandy

We can skip the step pertaining to the cleaning of the snails since I bought them cleaned and boiled and we can start with the sauce. In a pan with olive oil on low heat, add the onion, garlic, pepper, leek and cayenne pepper. When the onions are done and the vegetables tender add the half cup brandy, then add the tomato sauce. Stir for a few minutes, add the meat of the "choricero pepper" and stir for a few more minutes. Blend everything if the sauce is very thick, add the beef stock and set aside.

In another pan cook the ham, add the chorizo and cook until done.

In an earthenware pot, place the snails (previously washed), pour in the sauce, the ham and chorizo and keep it in the refrigerator until heating and serving. This is a dish that gets better if prepared two days before serving.

http://www.deliciasdeespana.com/store1/intro.asp

Cod Fish "Ajoarriero" Style (Bacalao al Ajoarriero)

"Ajoarriero" is a style of cooking in which the main ingredients are garlic, peppers and potatoes. The most famous dish is "cod fish ajoarriero style." The origins of this dish are unknown but something we know is that the word "ajo" is garlic and "arriero" is a mule driver who used to move goods on mules from one point to another in Spain. It is possible that the "arrieros" cooked with garlic and vegetables preserved in olive oil.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Pound Unsalted Cod Fish
5 Garlic Cloves Finely Chopped
1/2 Onion
1/4 Green Pepper
1/4 Red Pepper
1/4 Yellow Pepper (optional)
3 Tablespoons "Vizcaina Sauce" 
4 Potatoes Cut in Cubes
Salt
Olive oil

In a pan place 2 tablespoons olive oil, then add the onion, garlic and peppers and cook on low heat. Remove when done and then add more oil and the cod fish to the pan. Cook on low heat (confit) and remove when done. In the same pan cook the potatoes on low heat and at the last minute raise to high heat. When done remove from the pan and add the potatoes and cod to the onions, garlic and peppers. Mix all the ingredients together and add the "Vizcaina Sauce." Serve with a poached egg. (For sauce recipe, see Bacalao a la Vizcaina - Cod Fish Vizcaina Style).

Octopus Galician Style (Pulpo a la gallega)

Pulpo a la gallega or "polvo a feira" is a traditional Galician style way of preparing octopus by cooking it in a copper cauldron and dipping the octopus three times in boiling water to tenderize it.  The octopus is served on wooden plates during the celebration of the Patron Saint of many villages in Galicia in Northern Spain and therefore has the name "octopus fair style."

"Pulpo a feira" served in a traditional wooden plate

I don't put the octopus three times in boiling water. Since the octopus is frozen and defrosted, it has a high water content, so I just put potatoes and the octopus in a pan to cook without water and close the pan with a lid. After 20 minutes the only thing to do is to check for tenderness and that the pan still has water.


Ingredients.


2 1/2 Octopus
4 Potatoes Peeled
Garlic
Hot Paprika
Salt
Olive Oil

In a cauldron or deep pan, cook the potatoes and octopus on  low heat until tender. Check that the pan has water from the octopus. If it is not tender and is running out of water, add hot water. When it is done let it rest for 20 minutes. In the meantime, cut the potatoes in small pieces and fry them in a pan with oil and garlic. Then cut the octopus in small pieces -  first the legs, and then the head if tender. Place everything on a wooden plate, add salt, hot paprika, drizzle some olive oil and serve.

Spanish Meatballs (Albondigas)

The word "albondiga" comes from the Arabic word al-bunduqa meaning hazelnut, and it got its name from its round shape, simulating a hazelnut. It is not strange that we find so many words that are of Arabic origin in Spanish since Southern Spain, Al-Andalus, was almost 800 years under Arabic rule, and that translates into ¼ of Spanish vocabulary of Arabic origin.  The Spanish meatball must have as many recipes as cooks. As a matter of fact, I think every time I make them I change something because I don’t have an ingredient or because I want to add another.

Ingredients:

1 Pound Ground Beef

½ Pound Ground Pork

7 Smoked Bacon Strips (crispy, crushed in bits)

1 Slice of Rustic Bread soaked in Milk

½ Cup Parsley Finely Chopped

3 Tablespoons Garlic Cloves Finely Chopped

1 Egg

(Usually I make them 1/3 beef, 1/3 veal and 1/3 pork but I have to say these were very tasty.)

In a large bowl mix the ground beef and pork. Add the bread, bacon, parsley, and garlic, and keep mixing the ingredients very well. Finally, add the egg and mix it with the rest.

Start spooning the mix and work to form meatballs the size of a ping-pong ball until you are done. I made about 18 balls out off this mix.  The next step is to dust them with flour, and then fry them in olive oil to sear them. When all the balls are seared set them aside while making the stew.

For the stew:

1 Onion Finely Chopped

1 Garlic Clove Finely Chopped

1 Tomato Chopped or 1 Can

3 Medium Potatoes

2 Boxes of Oyster Mushrooms

1 cup Peas

Chicken or Beef Stock

First, make the "sofrito." In a pan at a low heat, cook the onion and garlic  until translucent. Then add the tomatoes until it is almost a paste, add the mushrooms and potatoes, and cover with the chicken stock. When the potatoes are half done add the peas. Keep cooking and when the potatoes are almost done add the meatballs and cook for another 5 minutes.

Cod Fish Biscayne Style (Bacalao a la Vizcaina)

This is another Basque staple and also another way to serve salted cod fish.

Ingredients:

1 Red Onion

1 Leek

2 Garlic Cloves cut in thirds

1/4 Green Pepper for the Sauce
3/4 Green Pepper cut in julienne to decorate 

3 Tablespoons Tomato Sauce

1 1/2 Tablespoon Pimiento Choricero (the meat of  the Choricero Pepper sold in Spanish Stores) or 10 Dried Red Peppers, but not hot.

Water or fish stock to add to the sauce if it is too thick

We start with the process of desalting and rehydrating the cod. Put the salted codfish under running water to get rid of the exterior salt, then cover the cod, skin up, with cold water for 48  to 72 hours, or follow the instructions on the package, or do what they tell you to in the “bacalarería” (cod store), changing the water every eight hours.

To make the Biscayne Sauce:

In a pan cook the red onion and garlic until it gets translucent, then add the tomato and the meat of the choricero pepper. (If you use dry red peppers, you have to rehydrate them -boil twice, remove from the water, open them to remove seeds with the help of a spoon, remove the meat leaving a translucent skin.

Stir the mixture of onions, garlic, tomato, and the pepper meat for about 3 minutes. Put the mix in a blender and purée until it becomes velvety and smooth.

Once the cod is ready to cook, pat it dry and set aside. In a pan add the pieces of cod one at a time with the skin up and “confit” them, meaning the oil shouldn’t get hot, so set your burner at the lowest possible setting. Remove the cod when it is flakey but not dry - it should be juicy and tender. Add the sauce and continue on low heat so as to not overcook.

Cod Fish Pil Pil Style (Bacalao al Pil Pil)

This recipe is another one of the Basque staples. Pil pil  is a sauce that is produced by the gelatin of the cod, extra virgin olive oil, the water that contains the cod and movement to create and emulsion lighter than mayonaise.

To start this recipe we need a good piece of salted cod.  The process of drying and salting the cod as a preserver is believed to start during the bronze age. The salted cod fish became very popular with the discovery of the new world and was done mostly by Portuguese and Spaniards 500 years ago.  We already mentioned the importance of preserving food with salt (sal). In the Roman Empire they used to pay the soldiers with salt - a commodity at the time, and that is where the word "salary" come from.

Ingredients:

1 Salted Cod Loin cut in 6 pieces

5 Garlic Cloves Sliced

3 Dry Cayenne Peppers

1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Put the salted codfish under running water to get rid of the exterior salt, then cover the cod, skin up, with cold water for 48  to 72 hours, or follow the instructions on the package, or  what they tell you to do in the “bacalarería” (cod store), changing the water every eight hours.

Once the cod is ready to cook, pat it dry and set aside. In a pan place the slices of garlic and the dry cayenne pepper, cook until lightly brown, remove it from the pan and set aside. In the same oil, but not hot, add the pieces of cod one at a time with the skin up and “confit,” meaning the oil shouldn’t  get hot, so set your burner to the lowest possible heat. Remove the cod when it is flakey, but not dry. It should be juicy and tender.

To make the Pil Pil sauce: 

There are two ways of bringing the sauce to the consistency of a light mayonnaise. One is by cooking the cod with the oil at a very low temperature, and moving the pan in consistent strokes. The most modern version is, after the cod has been cooked and removed from the pan, you prepare the sauce with a small colander, stirring the sauce in circles with the colander until it starts thikening. If you add some water you can create a thicker emulsion.

In this case, I got a lighter pil pil due to the quality of the oil.

Galleta's Chicken or Pollo Dominicano

When we worked at the Spanish Language Village, a language and culture immersion program, our cook was Jan, better known as Galleta. At the Villages all the recipes have to be authentic. One day she got a big batch of chicken legs so she decided to make something Caribbean. She invented this chicken marinated in rum, lime or lemon juice, and soy sauce. This one has been the favorite dish for years of villagers and staff members in the program as well as in our home. Because of the ingredients, Galleta decided to call it "Pollo Dominicano." My friends in Spain call it "drunken chicken."

To marinate the chicken:


Cover with a mixture of equal parts 1/3 rum, 1/3 lime or lemon juice, and 1/3 soy sauce. Keep it overnight in the refrigerator.


For the dry batter:


Equal parts of powdered milk and flour and a generous dash of paprika.


Preheat the oven to 375˚. Remove the chicken from the marinade, pat dry and then dust with the batter. Bake for 60-75 minutes until the chicken is done. Serve with rice and your favorite vegetables.


The chicken is very juicy because the dry batter keeps the juices in. Also, your kitchen will smell fantastic!

Chicken Croquettes (Croquetas de Pollo)

This is one of those dishes that kids grow up with in Spain. It is a simple and delicious recipe to use leftover chicken, ham, codfish etc. It uses a thicker béchamel with those leftover ingredients and the croquettes are breaded. In Spain "croquetas" are served as a tapa, an appetizer, or main dish. I don't know any kid or grown up who doesn't like them. In this case I had one uncooked chicken breast -not enough to feed a family of five so the solution was to make croquettes.

Ingredients:

1/2 Chicken Breast boiled and finely chopped in a food processor
1/4 Pound Unsalted Butter
1/2 Onion finely chopped
1 1/4 Cup flour
4 Cups whole milk
Salt to taste
Nutmeg to taste
Olive oil

To bread:

Flour
2 Whisked eggs
Breadcrumbs

In a deep pan melt the butter and cook the onions until translucent. Then add the flour and stir until it is cooked a little bit to get rid of the flour flavor. Add the milk, stirring continuously until the mixture starts thickening, and then add the chicken, salt and nutmeg until the mixture starts bubbling. Remove from the stove and pour in a flat pan. Let it sit in the refrigerator overnight or at least a few hours.

When you are ready to make the "croquetas" have three plates ready - one for the flour, one for the egg and one for the breadcrumbs. With a spoon get some of the mixture and start forming small oblong shapes (about two inches), then put them in the flour, egg and breadcrumbs. I do the last steps with the egg and breadcrumbs twice. In hot olive oil, just enough to cover half the height of the croquettes, cook them, making sure they are done evenly on all sides. Remove when they get a nice brown color and set them on a paper towel.

Guacamole

Guacamole is not a typical Spanish dish but it makes a good appetizer and is an excellent source of minerals, vitamins and good fat.

The main ingredient of guacamole is the avocado or aguacate from the aguacatero tree. The word aguacate comes from the indigenous Nahuatl word ahuácatl. The habitat of the aguacatero was originally Central America and Mexico. The tree belongs to the family of lauraceae, like the bay leaf (laurel in Spanish), cinnamon and camphor. The avocado is excellent for treating high cholesterol because of the monounsaturated fat. It is also rich in potassium, calcium, phosphorous and vitamin D and E.

Ingredients:


2 Avocados
1/2 Red Onion
1 Ripe Tomato finely chopped
1-2 Limes 
Salt


In a bowl place the meat of the avocado that has been spooned out and mashed with a fork. Then add the tomato, onion, the juice of the lime(s) and salt. Mix everything very well and serve with chips as an appetizer. The lime works as an antioxidant and stops the avocado from turning black. Some people put the pit of the avocado in the guacamole for the same reason.

Cajun Shrimp with Basmati Rice

This is a simple and delicious dish from the Cajun country of southern Louisiana that is cooked in a cast iron shell. We serve it with Basmati rice and French bread to enjoy all of the rich sauce.

Ingredients:


1 pound raw shrimp, medium in size and peeled
1/3 cup Butter
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1 tablespoon each of Paprika, Oregano, Parsley and Thyme
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground Black Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper flakes
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 cup Chicken Stock
Salt to taste

Melt the butter in a cast-iron pan or other sauce pan. Add the other ingredients, bring to a boil and lastly add the chicken stock.  
Remove the sauce from the heat and let it stand about 20 minutes.  Then return the sauce to medium heat, add the shrimp and cook just until the shrimp are done.  Serve on top of basmati rice and with baguettes.

Potato and Leek Soup (Purrusalda)

"Purrusalda" is a Basque dish of potatoes and leeks, ingredients that are abundant in northern Spain. When my brother was little he fell a couple of times into empty swimming pools and both times he blamed the "purrusalda" for his misfortune, alleging that it made him dizzy. One day, he came home from a friend's house and when my Mom asked what he had for lunch he responded: "A wonderful dish of leeks and potatoes." I guess it is always better in somebody else's house. The moral of the story: When your kid doesn't like something, send him/her to a friend's home.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
5 Large Potatoes, peeled and cut in cubes
4 medium Leeks
5 Garlic Cloves
Chicken Stock 
1 Slice of Fried Bread per person

In a deep pan put the olive oil and garlic and then fry the bread on both sides. Remove the bread and then add the leeks. Stir and add the potatoes and the chicken stock to cover them. Let it simmer until the potatoes are tender.

Fried Wild Rice (Arroz Salvaje Frito)

We have visited Minnesota for many, many summers due to our involvement with Concordia Language Villages (a fantastic language and culture immersion program). First, my husband was a villager (camper), then a counselor, and now he is a professor. I was a counselor as well and our kids are now villagers in Bemidji. You cannot leave Minnesota without a bag of wild rice. After you buy the rice, you wonder how to cook it. Don't worry, there are thousands of recipes that you can make. The interesting irony is that I learned the most unorthodox way to cook wild rice through a Spanish cooking program with the famous Chef, José Andrés. One day my son, Alex, asked me to cook something extraordinary and different for his 4th grade class. Quickly, I remembered this crazy recipe where you deep fry the wild rice. Once the rice pops it looks like maggots. I thought either those 4th graders would think  it's cool or else.....; Well, it turned out they thought it was the coolest thing and they finished it all.

The wild rice pops up looking like maggots!!!

I must say that wild rice, even though it's called rice, is not rice but rather the seed of a grass found on the river banks and lake shores of Northern Minnesota. The rice from Lake Itasca, the headwaters of the Mississippi River, is especially famous. The collection of the rice is a Native American tradition of the Leech Lake Tribal Reservation. The Ojibwe get into their  canoes, paddle to the river banks and shores of the lakes, shake the grass and the grain falls into their canoes. It is black and brown in color and long.

Roasted wild rice

Truthfully, it makes a great snack and a conversation piece for those Viking and Green Bay Packer games. Don't forget to wear your Norse helmets and cheese heads while you are enjoying fried wild rice.

Deep Fried goes well with grapes

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Wild Rice

Oil

Salt

Utensils:

2 pans

strainer

Before you start, you need two deep pans. We add oil just to cover 1/3 the height of the pan and heat it. When it gets really hot, add the wild rice. When the rice starts popping and opening, remove it very quickly by pouring everything into a strainer covering the second pan. Remove the rice from the strainer, and lay it on a paper towel. Now we can cook a second batch in the second pan, the oil will be hot already. We can do this as many times as we need.

The wild rice cooked this way can also be used to top other dishes.