Spain Buddy: Spain Recipes

Introduction

We're not going to give you a history of Spanish food. Google is your friend for that... and let's face it - you came here for the recipes rather than a history lesson, right?

Although most of these recipes are authentic, some are simply influenced by Spain (just in case the purists start hyperventilating) and most are regular features on the Spain Buddy dinner table. All are tried and tested and all are super simple!

Have fun trying them all out - and please do let us know how you get on! You can reach us via email on info@spainbuddy.com

LIST OF RECIPES

SAVOURY - Meat/Poultry

Ajopringue (Stewed pigs' liver)

Albondigas (Meatballs)

Alcachofas con huevos y jamón (Artichokes with quail eggs and ham)

Barrecha de liebre o conejo (Hare or rabbit stew)

Cachelada Leonesa (Sausage & potatoes)

Caracoles en escabeche (Snails in spicy sauce)

Carrilladas (Slow cooked pork cheeks)

Chorizo con vino tinto (Chorizo in red wine)

Cochinillo al horno (Roasted suckling pig)

Conejo a la Cazadora (Hunter's rabbit)

Croquetas de pollo (Chicken Croquettes)

Espárragos gratinados (Grilled asparagus with ham and cheese) - V

Estofado (Beef stew)

Flamenquines (Breaded rolledjamón & cheese)

Guisantes con jamón (Peas with ham)

Hígados de pollo (Fried chicken livers)

Higados en salsa de almendras (Chicken livers in almond sauce)

Huevos con Jamón en cocotte (Baked ham and egg)

Huevos rotos conjamón (Scrambled eggs with ham)

Judías verdes con jamón (Green beans with garlic and Serrano ham)

Magra con tomate (Pork & tomato stew)

Migas (Fried breadcrumbs)

Morcilla (Black pudding)

Paella de pollo (Chicken with rice)

Pastél de pollo y jamón (A super cazuela pie with chicken and ham!)

Picadillo (Spicy minced pork)

Pinchitos morunos de Pollo (spiced chicken kebabs)

Plato Alpujarreño (Fry-up from the Alpujarras)

Puchero (Pork and chickpea stew)

Sándwich mixto (ham and cheese sandwich)

SAVOURY - Fish/Seafood

Atún Encebollado (Tuna with onions)

Bacalao al horno (Baked salt cod)

Bacalao con Setas (cod with mushrooms)

Buñuelos de bacalao (Cod balls)

Calamares con Habas (Squid with broad beans)

Caldillo de perro (Fish soup)

Champiñones de Alan (Alan's sardine stuffed mushrooms)

Gambas con limón (Prawns with garlic and lemon)

Gambas de Jerez (Sherry prawns)

Gambas Gabardina (Battered prawns)

Gambas Pil Pil (Garlic Prawns)

Gambas y chorizo (Prawn and chorizo bites)

Guisado de mariscos (Fabulous shellfish stew)

Lubina con naranjas y piñones (Seabass with orange and pinenuts)

Mejillones al vapor (Steamed mussels)

Montaditos de Gambas (Prawn bites)

Ñoquis Con Chipirones (Gnocchi with baby squid)

Pescado al limon (Fish with lemon)

Pescado en escabeche (Pickled fish)

Pulpo con vinagreta (Octopus in vinaigrette)

Suquet de Peix (Catalan Fish Stew)

SAVOURY - Vegetarian

Berenjena con miel de caña (Aubergine with cane honey) - V

Bolitas de calabacín y queso (Courgette and cheese balls)

Buñuelos de queso (Cheese balls)

Champiñones Al Ajillo (Garlic mushrooms)

Cogollos al Ajillo (Lettuce with garlic)

Coliflor con dátiles y aceitunas (Cauli with dates and olives)

Croquetas de pescado (Fish croquettes)

Espinacas a la Catalan (Catalan spinach)

Espárragos (Easy asparagus)

Fabes con ajo (White beans with garlic) - V

Fabes con Almejas (Clams with white beans)

Huevos con bechamel (Eggs with bechamel) - Version 1

Huevos con bechamel (Eggs with bechamel) - Version 2

Huevos Tontos (Fools' eggs)

Montaditos de huevos de cordoniz (Quail egg toasts)

Pan con tomate y ajo (Garlic and tomato toast)

Patatas a la importancia (Potato dish)

Patatas a lo pobre (Amazing potato and onion)

Pimientos al piquillo (Sweet red peppers with garlic)

Queso de cabra frito con miel (Fried cheese withhoney)

Tortilla (Spanish omelette)

Zarangollo (Fried potato, courgette and onion)

SAVOURY - Sauces, soups, side dishes and salads

Ajoblanco (Chilled garlic soup)

Alioli (Spain's favourite dip) - V

Crema de Guisantes con Jamón Serrano (Pea soup with Serrano ham)

Ensalada de calabacín (Courgette Salad with Citrus Chilli Dressing) - V

Ensalada de hinojo y naranja (Fennel and orange salad) - V

Ensalada de patatas (Potato salad with a Spanish twist) - V

Ensalada más facíl (The easiest salad) - V

Ensaladilla Rusa (Russian salad)

Gazpacho (Andaluz tomato soup)

Mojete Murciano (Murcian salad)

Mojo rojo (spicy sauce) - V

Mojo Verde (spicy dressing) - V

Papas Arrugadas (Canarian potatoes)

Pasta vanailla (Pasta with vanilla and parmesan)

Patatas aliñadas (Potato salad)

Patatas Bravas (Mini roasties with two sauces)

Pipirrana de Jaén (Tomato salad) - V

Pimientos de Padrón (Deep fried padrón peppers) - V

Piriñaca (Fresh tomato relish) - V

Porra (Tomato soup)

Salsa de Alcaparras y Anchoas (Caper and anchovy sauce)

Salsa de barbacoa (Barbeque sauce)

Salsa de frijoles y queso (White bean and cheese dip) - V

Salsa de pimientos del piquillo (Sweet pepper sauce)

Sopa de calamares al laurel (Squid and bay leaf soup)

Sopa de chorizo (Chorizo soup)

Sopa de esparragos (Asparagus soup no cream)

Sopa de fideo (Chicken noodle soup)

Tumbet (Hot vegetable salad) - V

SWEET TREATS

Brazo de Gitano (Spanish Swiss roll)

Crema Catalana (Creme brulee)

Empanadillas con Batata (Sweet potato pastries) - V

Granadas con yogurt y miel (Pomegranates with yoghurt and honey) - V

Granizado (Fruity ice)

Greixonera (Ibiza bread pudding)

Higos con miel y canela (Figs with honey and cinnamon) - V

Huesos de Santo (Marizipan fingers)

Huevos moles (Canarian custard)

Leche frita (Fried milk)

Miguelitos (Flaky pastry treats)

Polvorones (Shortbread)

Suspiros de Novicia (Nuns' sighs)

Tostada con chocolate y sal (Toast with chocolate and salt) - V

Torrijas (Easter treats)

Turrón (Christmas sweets)

NIBBLES

Aceitunas (Marinated olives)

Almendras con sal (Salted almonds)

DRINKS

Chocolate caliente (Hot chocolate)

Horchata (Almond drink)

Sangria (basic recipe)

Spanish Flirtinis

Tinto de Verano (Summer wine)

SAVOURY DISHES

Any of the dishes in this section can be eaten as a meal, a starter, a light lunch, a tapa or a snack. Multiply the measures up or down as necessary.

We've split the recipes down for you into:

Meat/Poultry

Fish/Seafood

Sauces, soups, side dishes and salads

Vegetarian

Enjoy!

SAVOURY - Meat/Poultry

The Spanish are a nation of carnivores and nothing goes to waste.

This group of recipes marries seamlessly the flavours of Spain with the sturdy meats and poultry to be found at every dinner table of self- respecting Spaniards

Ajopringue (Stewed pigs' liver)

This ajopringue recipe is only really for absolute lovers of pigs' liver. We Hope that those of you that enjoy such things give this recipe a go.

You can use any liver of your choice of course, but pigs' liver works best.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

Ingredients

1 kilo of pigs' liver, cut into bite size chunks. Set 2 of these to one side

1 tablespoon of lard or butter

4 to 6 cloves of garlic - peeled and cut roughly

1 tablespoon of dried oregano

Pinch of ground cinnamon

150ml of cream or tomato frito

2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs. I use a grater to make mine.

2 tablespoons of pine nuts - optional.

Salt and pepperfor seasoning

Method

Season the liver and then brown it in a large pan with the butter over a medium heat

Using a pestle and mortar, grind together the 2 cubes of liver, the garlic, oregano and cinnamon to make a thick paste

Add a little of the cream or tomato frito to loosen the paste. Add to the pan and stir well.

Cook for 2 or 3 minutes

Add the rest of the cream or tomato frito.

Once bubbling, turn the heat down low and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the liver is cooked through

Add the breadcrumbs and pine nuts. Stir well and simmer for 5 more minutes. Season to taste

Serve with shedloads of bread and plenty of wine... or perhaps some mashed potato if you prefer.

Albondigas (Meatballs)

Albondigas are Spanish meatballs, often served as tapas, and usually smothered in a tasty tomato sauce. You would be hard pushed to find a tapas bar that didn't have them. But be careful... as good as some may be, some bars sell the awful tinned variety!

I like to spice mine up a little - so here's one of the recipes I use. Let me know how you get on!

Makes a dozen one inch meatballs

Ingredients

225 g ( 8 oz) minced beef or lamb 1 onion really finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped A good glug of olive oil

250 g tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tbs pimenton picante (spicy paprika)

As many chopped chillies as your palate can handle (of course the chillies are optional)

pinch of sugar

salt and freshly ground black pepper fresh thyme, to garnish

Method

Place the mince, onion, garlic, salt and pepper into a large bowl and mix well. If you think you've mixed enough... then mix for a couple more minutes just to be sure

Shape the mixture into 12 evenly sized meatballs

Heat the olive oil in a very large saucepan on a medium heat and cook the meatballs until they are brown - turning them frequently so they don't burn

Add the tomatoes, chopped chillies, pimenton and sugar and stir once, very gently.

Season to taste

Turn the heat right down - cover and simmer for around 20 minutes until the tomatoes have pulped, and the meatballs are cooked throughout.

Serve with plenty of bread for dunking into the sauce, and garnish with your favourite fresh chopped herb - I like it with basil.

Alcachofas con huevos y jamón (Artichokes with quail eggs and ham)

This recipe is designed to impress your guests. It takes less than half an hour to make, from start to finish... so won't drag you away from your guests for too long.

Ingredients

A jar of whole artichoke hearts in olive oil. Allow two hearts per person as a starter.

2 quail eggs per person

A couple of slices jamón Serrano (Spanish cured ham), cut into thin ribbons (this is decorative, so more or less won't matter)

Spanish Extra-Virgin

Olive Oil Sea Salt

Method

Drain the artichokes. Place 6 of the largest artichoke hearts in an oven safe dish, bottom-side down. The terracotta dishes so common in Spain are perfect for this, but any oven tray will suffice.

If you need to trim the bottom so it sits still in the dish, then do so. You will see a small hole in the top - so use a teaspoon to widen that - ever so gently. This will leave you with an open cup shape area.

Here's where you have to be really careful. Very carefully open the quail egg (a knife tapped on the side will do this - don't crack it with pressure like you would a hen's egg), and then slide the egg into the artichoke cup you have created. Repeat with the remaining eggs.

Sprinkle the eggs with a little salt.

Pop the artichokes in a medium/hot oven for 3-4 minutes until the eggs set.

To serve, sprinkle the artichokes with the ham. Drizzle with olive oil and season to taste with salt.

Serve to your guests and enjoy the praise lavished upon you!

Barrecha de liebre o conejo (Hare or rabbit stew)

A hearty flavourful dish this one. A barrecha is a barrel, so picture a hearty big tub of stewed rabbit or hare and you can't go far wrong. It's a perfect recipe for colder evenings and if you're having bread too, you'll be fit to burst after a plate of this succulent goodness!

Ingredients

A kilo of hare or rabbit, chopped into medium sized chunks (your butcher can do this for you if you'd prefer)

6 fresh tomatoes (peeled) or 2 tins of whole plum tomatoes

1 large green pepper and 1 large red one - chopped into inch long chunks

2 medium onions, roughly chopped

3 to 4 cloves of garlic (according to taste) - sliced 3 bay/laurel leaves

a wine glass of olive oil

a wine glass of white wine... or beer if you prefer a richer dish.

Paprika

Salt

Method

Brown the meat in the olive oil in a cazuela or heavy based pan over a medium to high heat.

Once cooked through (about 15 minutes), pour in the drink and allow the alcohol to burn off by letting it bubble for a couple of minutes

Sprinkle over the paprika

Throw in the onions, peppers, tomatoes, bay leaves and garlic Cook through