Kitchen Simpatico

Easy Stovetop Tomato Paella

By Caroline · Comments (0) · May 11th, 2013

Paella is a dish that gets a lot of attention for its fancy ingredients: seafood, vegetables, beef, chicken, you name it! Me…I like to focus on getting the rice just right. Great paella-makers will tell you that the rice is the real star of this dish and ensuring that the rice has the right depth of flavor, consistency and creating the beloved socorrat (Catalan word for the caramelized rice crust at the bottom of the pan), is where the secret of a great paella truly lies.

That’s why I’m choosing to make a simple tomato paella today. I’ll even show you where you can add some of your other favorite ingredients. This recipe can be adjusted to include any of the traditional meats, fishes and seafood. Just remember to add a handful of the other extra ingredients and not all at once. You don’t want to overcrowd your paella.

Before we start, lets go back to my Paella 101 blog post that should help us with some tips and tricks to keep in mind as we cook.

I make this tomato paella all the time as a side dish because I always have the basics in the fridge and pantry to make this very basic version of the classic dish. It’s a quick dish that’s easy to make and great for a weeknight – yes, I said weeknight!

Easy Stovetop Tomato Paella

Rating: 51

Yield: 3 servings

A delicious and easy stovetop paella that you can whip up on a weeknight - do I hear an ole?!

Ingredients

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves (pressed)
1 onion (minced)
1 large tomato (finely chopped)
2 heaping tablespoons of tomato paste
1 teaspoon of pimenton (Spanish smoked paprika)
1 very generous pinch of saffron
Salt to taste
3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock (I use chicken stock)
1 1/2 cups of bomba or arborio rice (short grain rice)
1 lemon cut into wedges

Instructions

Bring chicken stock to a boil in a separate stock pot
While stock is heating, warm olive oil in a wide, deep pan (not pot) about 11-13 inches in width
Use your widest stovetop burner to cook the paella so it cooks evenly
Add onion, garlic and saute until onion has softened
Add tomato and tomato paste and stir until tomato has softened (about 3 minutes)
Add pimenton, saffron, salt and stir
Add rice and let the rice "toast" for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally until the rice looks translucent
Add boiling stock and stir through
Let the paella come to a boil and then reduce to medium heat and let simmer (do not cover and do not stir again!)
Cook for about 20 minutes or until ingredients have risen to the top and there is no water left in the pan.
Turn off flame and cover paella with a kitchen towel to finish cooking for about 3 minutes
Check the outer edges of the paella pan rice, if still not cooked through, this time cover the pan with aluminum foil and let it finish cooking for another 3 minutes. That should do it.
Then mix the rice again, add more salt if you'd like, then sprinkle with lemon juice and serve hot.

Notes

Some burners are very small, so if you find that the rice around the outer edges of the pan aren't cooked through, you can add more stock and let it keep cooking until the all the rice is even cooked.

Also, if you'd like to add vegetables (classic ones are peas, string beans and sliced red peppers) or seafood (shrimp, scallops, mussels) to the paella to this quick version, I would add them at the same time the recipe calls to add the rice. For meats like chicken or beef, I would add then to your onion and tomato saute closer to the beginning and keep them in the pan for the rest of the time.

Enjoy!

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin

http://kitchensimpatico.com/easy-stovetop-tomato-paella/

Comments (0)

12 Grapes in 12 Seconds? Scheming My Way into the New Year…

By Caroline · Comments (4) · December 31st, 2012

GRAPES - revised

Ok, so I’m breaking tradition. An important Spanish new year’s eve tradition that could cost me my good fortune in 2013. The grapes you see above, the ones the Spanish (and other Latin American cultures) consume during the last twelve seconds of the year – that represent the upcoming twelve months – are meant to be green grapes. The ones above are clearly red. I’ll explain.

You see, it’s both tradition and superstition to consume twelve green grapes right before the stroke of midnight. One for each time the bell tolls or in more modern times, each time the “Rockin’ Eve” special you have on your television starts to count down to midnight. If you do not eat one for each chime, you risk bad luck in the new year. It is rare the person who can down a grape every second (twelve times) but it turns into a bit of a good-natured competition where your loved ones shove grapes into their cheeks while grape juice squirts haphazardly onto sequined tops and table tops. Sticky hands and all. Charming.

I’m daring to break tradition this year by using a bit of strategy. You see, all the green grapes I was able to find at the market yesterday were on the largish side, so I opted for the small and roundish red grapes. Figuring it more important to give my family and friends a decent shot at actually consuming all of them. A color trade off I’m thinking the New Year’s Gods would deem wise and scheming – perhaps appealing to their little wicked side? Probably not. But I’ll take the risk.

Oh, and remind me to tell you about the year a particular new year’s party hostess decided to serve seeded green grapes instead of seedless. Story for another day…or year.

Happy 2013, my friends. Writing this blog has brought me such joy. Thanks for reading my little stories and recipes. I hope this year brings you renewed purpose, peace, good health and happiness.

Feliz ano nuevo!

Comments (4)

Top Ten Tips & Tricks for Making the Perfect Paella

By Caroline · Comments (4) · December 30th, 2012

PAELLA

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. Seems I’ve been doing a lot of holiday cooking but not much blogging so in an effort to change that, I’m getting to a post that’s been a long time in the making – how to make paella!

Now, before I just swoop down with a recipe for you, I want to talk about the things that I generally don’t see compiled in a list or talked about that much. The secrets, the little tips, the literal turn of a spoon (or not!) that makes a paella the revered dish it is.

So, here they are. Unfiltered, real, and subject to a lot of controversy the way paella usually is. There’s tons of argument online and off about what it takes to make an “authentic” Spanish paella but I find that if you stick to these tips, you are pretty much on your way. All this to say that authentic in my kitchen may be inauthentic in your kitchen. So take it with a grain of salt…or rice.

Top Ten Tips for Making Paella:

10. Squeeze lemon on top of your paella right before serving.
In the US, you usually only get lemon on the side if you’ve ordered a seafood paella but in parts of Spain we consider lemon on top of any paella a really wonderful way to bring out all the flavors in the rice. Try it!

9. Cook paella in a wide, deep pan – not a big pot!
If you don’t have a paella pan, just use a wide 11 to 12 inch pan. These wide pans are more similar to paella pans and will get your paella rice much more like…well…paella rice.

8. Don’t be afraid of moist rice on top and crispy rice on the bottom of the pan.
Most paellas tend to be a bit on the moist side – and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Also, when you’re done cooking the paella, you’ll find a layer of golden-brown, caramelized (not burnt) rice that in Catalonia, Spain, we call “el soccorat”. This is the most prized part of the rice and it is scraped off the bottom with a spatula or spoon to ensure it’s included when serving. Some cooks and chefs even turn up the heat a minute or two before the paella is done to ensure the soccorat is made!

7. Cover the final paella with a layer of paper towels.
This is an old home cook trick for stove top paella-making. Abuelitas Spain-wide use this trick to finish off their rice. When the rice is almost done (but there’s still a little moisture left), you take the paella off the heat and cover it with paper towels for about 2 to 3 minutes. This lets the rice finish cooking, rest and absorb the water.

6. Don’t cover the paella with a lid when it’s cooking. Yeah, just don’t.

5. Use the right rice.
Bomba or calasparra rice is best but hard to find in the US unless you special order. Using arborio rice will do you just fine and you can find it at most grocery stores.

4. Don’t overcrowd the rice.
Paella isn’t meant to hold a million different vegetables, meats or seafood. A few ingredients, used sparingly is best and will let your rice (the real star) shine through.

3. Add the rice before adding the water or stock.
Some call it toasting the rice. You add the uncooked rice to the pan, cooking it at first with just the sofrito. This allows the rice’s nuttiness to come out, toasting the rice a bit before any other liquid gets added.

2. Use pimenton and real saffron.
Pimenton is a Spanish type of smoked paprika that is really what gives paella it’s unique taste along with the saffron. Pimenton and saffron are essential to paella’s taste. I find it in my grocery store but La Tienda’s online store also sells it through its site or through its Amazon store. Equally important is saffron. Make sure to get the real stuff, not the packaged “paella powder mix” you’ll sometimes find in grocery stores. That contains a lot of colored powder and turmeric that will give paella a fake yellow-orange glow. It’s big on color, low on taste. Get the saffron and your paella will only require a pinch, so it will last you quite a while. Worth the investment.

1. Don’t stir the rice!
When you first add the rice, it’s ok to stir it into place around the pan but after that you must leave it alone to cook. If not, you will get mushy, sad paella rice.

Comments (4)

Tortilla Espanola/ Tortilla de Patata

By Caroline · Comments (2) · October 4th, 2012

Tonight, it’s debate night in America. The first of three and I need to make a quick dinner so I can plop myself on the couch and watch intently as I get all heated. It happens. There’s a ton at stake.

So what do I grab for dinner that gets me on my couch for the 9 pm debate start time? Enter the ubiquitous but always satisfying Spanish Tortilla de Patata. You see in Spain we have this for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It’s more potato than egg which makes for quite a hearty dish and perfect for slicing into 2 inch wedges that are easy to grab as a tapa, meal or snack. Eaten both cold and warm (cold is my favorite!), it is the one dish you will likely find tucked into the corner of refrigerators all over Spain. My favorite way to eat this is paired with some delicious pan con tomate.

My version has a short cut (of course!), and uses a lot less olive oil that the usual almost one cup of olive oil found in most traditional recipes.

So, make this over the weekend, keep it in your fridge and feel like a Spaniard all while still catching your favorite weeknight shows… or debate.

This dish does not disappoint. I can only hope the same for the debate that’s about to start.

Salud!

Tortilla Espanola/ Spanish Potato Omelette

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 4 to 5 servings

Eaten warm or cold or for breakfast, lunch or dinner, there is no surprise as to why this ubiquitous Spanish dish has stood the test of time!

Ingredients

3 potatoes (peeled, quartered and thinly sliced)
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 onion (peeled, quartered and thinly sliced)
3 eggs
Salt to taste

Instructions

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add your sliced potatoes
Boil them for about 5 minutes or until they are half-way cooked, then drain, pat them down with a paper towel and set them aside
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over a medium flame
Add the onions, then the potatoes and stir
In a large bowl, whisk eggs and add salt to egg mixture
Keep cooking potatoes with onions until they are both soft and potatoes start to brown a bit
Add potatoes and onions to the egg mixture and mix well
Add two more tablespoons of oil to the frying pan and add the egg, potato and onion mixture to pan
Cook tortilla for three minutes, turn over and cook the other side for about three minutes or until fully cooked.
Place tortilla on a large round serving plate and let rest for a few minutes before serving

Notes

During the cooking process, I turn over the tortilla by placing a large plate over the frying pan and then very quickly turning over the pan, and then very carefully sliding the tortilla from the plate back into the pan.

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin

http://kitchensimpatico.com/tortilla-de-patata/

Comments (2)

Easy Grilled Nectarines with Yogurt & Honey

By Caroline · Comments (0) · September 8th, 2012

I’ll always remember the evening I sat in a Barcelona restaurant having dinner with my cousin Xavier, a fantastically hilarious and boisterous kindred spirit with an appetite to match. Xavier loves to eat good food and had just had a delicious albeit heavy meal and was ready to order dessert. Smiling ear to ear and rubbing his hands in anticipation of being handed a dessert menu, I was expecting an order of something rich and decadent.

I get the menu and order the flan and Xavier, with a wink and a smile, orders the yogurt and honey.

Huh?

He was indeed indulging. Spanish style.

In Spain and in many parts of Europe, this is a dessert like any other. It’s what my grandmother would give me as a “treat” when I was being “good” or after a meal as a proper dessert. So when I saw these perfect nectarines at the market, I knew I had to grill them and add one of my favorite toppings.

Not only easy but a fantastic dish for breakfast or dessert, you can grill these indoors or outdoors. Either way, this makes for one of my favorite late summer healthy desserts when I actually like taking out the grill because the cooler east coast temps makes cooking and eating outside an even greater pleasure.

Easy Grilled Nectarines with Yogurt & Honey

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 2

This easy dish is perfect for either breakfast or a light, delicious dessert!

Ingredients

1 Nectarine
1 Cup of greek yogurt
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Drizzle of honey

Instructions

Heat grill pan on medium flame
Wash and cut nectarines in half
When grill pan is hot, place nectarines, cut-side down, onto the grill
Grill for about 5 minutes on each side (depending on the ripeness of the fruit)
Remove nectarine halves from pan and plate
Top each piece with a big dollop of yogurt
Sprinkle with cinnamon
Drizzle with honey

Notes

You can use peaches too!

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin

http://kitchensimpatico.com/easy-nectarines-with-yogurt-honey/

Comments (0)

Quick & Crispy Saffron Potatoes

By Caroline · Comments (9) · August 17th, 2012

I wish I could tell you I make these delicious potatoes as a side dish to accompany a main dish. The truth is, when I make these they fly off the ~~plate~~ frying pan between Mr. Simpatico and me. You see, potatoes are Mr. Simpatico’s favorite food, so once he smells the scent of the warmed saffron, olive oil and potato, he’s already asking when they’ll be ready. 16 month-old Baby Simpatica has also recently taken to saying, “Mmmm…” very loudly every time she sees something she wants to eat, which lately has been anything I put into my own mouth. So the crispy potato also gets cut into little bites as Baby S “mmm’s” along.

Creating the smell of warmed olive oil and saffron and other classic scents of Spanish cuisine are one of the reasons I wanted to start cooking Spanish and Spanish-style food regularly for my family. Smell is arguably our most powerful sense. Nothing can instantly transport you back in time in quite the same way. It’s my way of bringing our Spanish culture, rich history and warmth into the kitchen and home. To try and create a sense memory that will stay with my daughter for years to come. A smell I can recreate for her years from now and one that Baby Simpatica will hopefully remember as the smell of home and comfort. In the world of fast food and thrown together meals, it’s the one food promise I hope I can make good on. This blog, besides being my way of documenting our little food journey, is also a way of holding my own feet to the fire or the oven flame, if you will.

These potatoes make for a perfect weeknight dish because the ‘quick’ part comes from softening the potatoes in the microwave first and then frying them. You get all the crispy potato, saffrony goodness without the potato wait! The only thing you really need to learn with this quick recipe is to wait for the potatoes to cool off before popping them in your mouth. That’s a lesson I can never seem to learn.

Quick & Crispy Saffron Potatoes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: about 5 servings

These quick and delicious potatoes make an excellent tapa or side dish!

Ingredients

Extra virgin olive oil - enough to cover the entire bottom of your frying pan
1 bay leaf
1 pinch of saffron (crumbled between your fingers before
25 honey gold potatoes (You may use any potato you have on hand - just cut into small chunks)
2 pinches of course salt (or to taste)
2 pinches of finely chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Take your potatoes and cut them in half
Spread them out in a pyrex dish or other microwave safe dish
Heat in microwave for 6 minutes (on high) or until you can easily push a knife through the potato
Add and heat olive oil on medium heat in a large frying pan
Add bay leaf and saffron, stir it into the oil
Once oil is hot (about two minutes), carefully place potatoes in pan (cut side facing down)
Cook for 8-10 minutes on medium flame, turning them over a couple of times or until potatoes are lightly brown and crispy
Place potatoes on a plate covered with paper towels to absorb the excess oil
Sprinkle salt and parsley on top and serve

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin

http://kitchensimpatico.com/quick-crispy-saffron-potatoes/

Tates in a net!

Give them a wash and scrub.

Ready for the microwave for some initial softening…

Smell that bay leaf and saffron…

Almost done!

Comments (9)

Kitchen Simpatico: Olympic Edition!

By Caroline · Comments (0) · August 7th, 2012

Photo of Scott Donie at the Barcelona Olympic diving finals pictured with the iconic Sagrada Familia Cathedral in the background. Photo by Rol Donie.

This week, I had the privilege of interviewing a friend and two-time diving Olympian, Scott Donie. Scott won a silver medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic games for 10 meter platform diving and placed 4th in the 1996 Olympics in the 3 meter springboard.

Today, Scott takes us down memory lane about his time at the Barcelona games and his tales of Olympic-level culinary events of paella-eating and porron wine drinking. No easy feat even for an Olympian!

Scott, tell us about some of the highlights and memorable experiences from your time at the Barcelona Olympic Games.

There are so many memorable moments from the Barcelona Olympics. It’s hard to top being on the Olympic podium and winning a silver medal. Some other great moments include marching into the stadium for Opening Ceremonies, hanging out on the beach in the Olympic Village, celebrating the win at the local bar at the bottom of Montjuic and spending time with my parents exploring the city.

The architecture in Barcelona is breathtaking. Probably the best photo ever taken of me diving was during the Olympic final in Barcelona. The Olympic pool in Montjuic was spectacular and my Dad took a picture of me with the famous Sagrada Familia cathedral by the legendary Antoni Gaudi in the background. (see above photo) Amazing.

What did you think of the city and its people?

The city seemed so friendly and laid back. Definitely a late night vibe. I remember feeling very welcomed by all the locals. They were very proud to be hosting the Olympics.

What about the food or food culture surprised you the most? Anything you didn’t like?

I love food and I always enjoy exploring local cuisine whenever I travel. All the food was great and my favorite was easily the paella. I also love tapas of every kind but always order the chorizo. And I love the late night dinners.

After the competition was over we were treated to a feast at a great restaurant. This is where I was introduced to the tradition of drinking from a porron. It is a glass wine decanter that looks like a watering can. We passed it around the table drinking a very sweet local wine. It was delicious and seemed like the perfect way to celebrate together.

Side Note: To drink from a porron, you begin by bringing the spout very close to the mouth and tilting it forward hoping to get the stream of wine into your mouth and not all over yourself and any others around you! It is rare to find someone who does it well, even in Catalonia, and even rarer to find a novice who will try it! Kudos to Scott!

Your parents stayed with a Spanish family instead of a hotel when they attended the Barcelona games. What was their experience like?

My parents were hosted by a local family during the Olympics and they were fantastic. When I visited it seemed like there was food and drink everywhere. The kitchen was always cooking. They were so warm and welcoming and my parents are still in touch with them 20 years later!

Anything else you’d like to share?

I absolutely love coffee. But when I was training for the Olympics I didn’t touch caffeine. But ever since my daughter was born I have become a coffee person. I would love to go back to Barcelona to experience the coffee and espresso. I guess that’s one thing I missed!

Thanks so much Scott, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk with us!

Here’s a link to my cafe cortado recipe , the espresso drink Scott was referring to. Scott, you and your family will have to join us for lunch and I’ll make you that espresso!

Scott recently wrote a blog post on how to enjoy watching the Olympics with your kids. Some great insights from a real expert. Worth a read.

More about Olympian, Scott Donie:

Scott is a two-time Olympian having won a silver medal in Barcelona in the 10 meter platform diving and also placing 4th in the 1996 Olympics for the 3 meter springboard.

Scott is an 11 time National Champion and currently is the Head Men’s and Women’s Diving Coach at NYU. He’s been Head Coach there since 2000.

Scott lives on Manhattan’s Upper East Side with his lovely wife and 6 1/2 year old daughter, Lucy.

Photo courtesy of Bill Frakes for Sports Illustrated

Comments (0)

Cafe Cortado: A Truth, a Dare and a Ritual

By Caroline · Comments (0) · August 1st, 2012

Coffee was king in my household. A ritual that set the day’s pace. No matter what was happening, all things were paused three times a day for the espresso. Plans were changed, events were reorganized to accommodate the ever-important drinking of the cafe.

I remember the way my grandfather would make his announcement, like a bell that tolls at the same time everyday, that he was about to make “el cafe.” He would lovingly prepare it for the family, then sit on his favorite mustard-colored kitchen chair, legs crossed, and wait patiently for his brew. He would do nothing else to occupy his time. He would just turn his chair to face the stove and wait.

There was a reverence to the process, a respect for the act of drinking coffee that fascinated me. A time to sit down and take enjoyment. I was too little to partake in the drinking of the coffee but the aroma was strong and satisfying enough to fill me up. It is one of the great sense memories of my childhood.

In Spain, the cortado (In Spanish: to cut) is a national coffee ritual. It is also popular in Portugal and in Latin America. It is an espresso cut with some warm, steamed milk. No foam. Whenever I’m in Spain I need to prepare myself for the shock of caffeine my body gets, because you see, a cafe visit for a cortado can happen upwards of three times per afternoon. No take out cups needed, just you, in a cafe with your cortado and a ritual that is still kept alive in even the most bustling of cities.

Through the years of making my own cortado at home, I’ve experimented with my own variations. In some Latin American and Caribbean countries, you’ll see a cortado made with sweet condensed milk. I’ve found that my favorite variation is one that is cut with evaporated milk and sweetened with a touch of honey. The evaporated milk idea came inspired via a trip to Belize where I was always served coffee with evaporated milk due to the apparent high cost of import tariffs and refrigeration. So I was told. It’s a creamy twist on the classic cortado and makes the 4 pm slump completely bearable.

Either way you make it, with whole milk or canned, I dare you to take that afternoon siesta.

Cafe Cortado

Yield: 4 or 5

An Iberian and Latin American coffee ritual, this satisfying cortado is a twist on the original recipe. It's creamy but not too rich - perfect for that afternoon fix!

Ingredients

Medium Grind Espresso (about 5 tablespoons)
1/2 cup of evaporated milk
1 teaspoon of liquid honey or to taste
*You will need an espresso maker. For this recipe, I used an inexpensive stove top espresso maker.

Instructions

Unscrew the bottom of your stove top espresso maker.
Fill the bottom with water. I add water up until you reach the top of the little screw that you always see on the side of the stove top espresso makers.
Slip metal filter on top
Then add the espresso so that it covers the top of the metal filter - about 5 tablespoons. Do not overfill or press down on the espresso (about 5 tablespoons)
Twist top on and place on stove top over low to medium flame ensuring flame does not go over the sides of the coffee maker
Once you hear it peculating and the espresso maker cup is filled with coffee, remove from heat
For Evaporated Milk: If you have a steamer, feel free to use it but if you don't, you can do what I do and just warm the evaporated milk in a saucepan
Pour the espresso into a small espresso cup or small glass cup, fill half the cup
Top the espresso with some of your warm evaporated milk
Add honey to taste ( I use about 1 teaspoon)
Enjoy!

Notes

You could also use whole milk (or reduced fat) for the cortado.

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin

http://kitchensimpatico.com/cafe-cortado/

Comments (0)

You Say Prosciutto, I Say Serrano: Honey Dew Melon & Serrano Ham in a Sherry Vinegar & Honey Sauce

By Caroline · Comments (0) · July 27th, 2012

The combination of cantaloupe and serrano is a popular one and with good reason.

I was about nine years old when I first tried this flavor combination. I was sitting in a fancy pants restaurant in Barcelona with my family and feeling incredibly stressed about all the courses I knew were about to come my way.

There was no kids menu available and the thought of eating for the next two hours (or more!) was enough to send me into a mild food panic. If I was dressed up before dinner, it meant that there was tons of eating involved and as much as I loved to eat it was so hard to keep up! I just wanted to get to the flan. It’s all my little nine year old heart ever wanted to eat. Could we all just get to the flan?

But then, this elegant little sliver of cantaloupe was placed before me. It was served wrapped with serrano ham. Fruit for dinner? Win!

I took a bite and remember being surprised that I actually loved the flavor combination. Such a simple and elegant dish. I felt like quite the sophisticated little senorita eating it. I still do. It remains to this day my favorite first course to serve whenever I’m entertaining on a hot summer day.

For today’s post, I wanted to try making it with honey dew melon, to see if the flavors would work – and they did!

I also wanted to make a special sauce for it. I’ve always enjoyed the balsamic reductions that I’ve been served with this dish in the past, so I reduced some Spanish sherry vinegar for the sauce. Although not necessary, it made for a perfectly tart, sweet and savory dish.

So easy to throw together and a perfect pairing.

Honey Dew Melon & Serrano Ham in a Sherry Vinegar & Honey Sauce

Prep Time: 20 minutes

This dish can be served as a tapa or first course and is a refreshing way to start any meal!

Ingredients

Half of a honeydew melon (sliced)
8 to 10 thin slices of serrano ham
1/2 cup of sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon of honey

Instructions

Wash and cut melon in half
Slice the melon into however many pieces you'd like to serve
Wrap one or two slices of serrano around the melon
For the Sauce:
Pour 1/2 cup of sherry vinegar into a small sauce pan and place over moderate heat
Stir in the honey and bring to a low boil
Adjust the heat to maintain a steady simmer and allow the vinegar to reduce slowly. Keep stirring to prevent burning and sticking to pot
After a few minutes the vinegar will thicken and start to appear syrupy
Remove from heat, let cool for a minute and then lightly drizzle over your melon slices.
Serve immediately

Notes

If you can't find serrano ham or sherry vinegar, feel free to substitute with prosciutto ham and balsamic vinegar.

For a fancy tapa or appetizer, use a melon baller and make little bites of melon and wrap just a bit of serrano around each one. Pierce it with a toothpick and you're done!

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin

http://kitchensimpatico.com/serrano-and-honeydew/

Comments (0)

A Message in a Cookbook – Honey Fried Cod (Bacalao Frito con Miel)

By Caroline · Comments (4) · July 19th, 2012

I finally bit the bullet and ordered a copy of Penelope Casas’ cookbook, One Pot Spanish, which you can’t find in bookstores and depending on the day, a copy of it online can sell for upwards of $120. I am a huge fan of the cookbook’s author, Penelope Casas. I liken her to a Spanish Julia Child. In the same way that Julia brought the art of French cooking to American home cooks and general audiences, Casas did the same for Spanish cuisine. And we’re talking way before the tapas craze even hit the States. Growing up, her cookbooks were the only ones I’d see in bookstores. All that to say that since $120 is not in the budget for a cookbook, I settled on ordering a lightly used version.

I hear the thump of a package being dropped off and run to my front door. As I do with all eagerly anticipated cookbooks, I tear open the package to delve right into the recipes that I have longed to try in my own kitchen.

I was stopped on the first page. There was a post-it note. It read:

To my dearest Alejandra.

With the hope that you learn to make a few of these little plates and take the opportunity that we have to go deeper into our roots.

With all my love.

For Alejandra.

From your grandmother,

Lola

In that instant, I felt locked in a moment that wasn’t my own, reading words that weren’t meant for my eyes. I was filled with questions, excited by what I had found, and saddened. Why would someone leave such a personal note in a cookbook they were selling? Why would they sell the book at all?

I flipped through the recipes, happy to see a Spanish pork stew dish I’d never seen before but I took the cookbook back to my couch and unable to focus on anything else, I went back to the note. Lola’s words resonated with me. The desire to make and share food as a way to understand who we are and where we come from is something I deeply identify with. Lola’s handwriting had also made my heart skip a beat, as it seemed like an exact replica of my own beloved grandmothers. It was a handwriting-style that I assumed must of been the one taught years ago in Spain. Of course, being as sentimental as I am and deeply missing my own grandmother, I took it as a sign. Something about what I had found felt urgent. The need to go to my kitchen and cook was strong and being that baby simpatica was napping, I did just that. Lola may not be my grandmother but her message was delivered to me, the inadvertent recipient, and I needed to honor it in some way. The way came in the form of a dog-eared recipe for Atun Frito Con Miel or Tuna Fried with Honey. Like I said, the page was dog-eared; clearly a sign. At this point, my sentimentality was like a runaway freight train. I was on board and there was no turning back. Everything was a sign at this point.

I used the recipe straight from Casas’ book. Nothing’s changed from the original recipe with the exception that since I didn’t have any tuna in the refrigerator, I used cod. I can honestly say it’s one of the best ways I’ve ever had fish. Really, it’s that good and so incredibly simple. The honey is such a compliment to the fish but the cumin (something I usually reserve for beef dishes), is the perfect spice for the fish. There’s very few ingredients and the freshness of the fish remains front and center. Just how I like my fish – underwhelmed. Unlike myself.

This dish has an exotic moorish side with its use of cumin and honey. The Moorish occupation of Spain lasted from 711AD–1492AD and left its greatest mark in the south of Spain. A place called Andalucia which was originally called Al-Andalus in Arabic. Here and in other parts of Spain, you will find dishes that are rich with the Arab culinary influence. Cumin (the herb) grows abundantly in the mountains of Spain. Because of its abundance, Spaniards sometimes charmingly use the word to convey something that has low value. I assure you that’s not the case in this dish. Honey, it’s counterpart in the recipe, has been used in Spain since Neolithic times, as a way to preserve fruit. It’s still a very popular sweetener and used in traditional cakes and holiday desserts like turron.

It’s Honey-Coated Fried Cod (Bacalao Frito con Miel) but for today’s post, I’ll take the liberty of renaming it, Lola’s Fried Cod with Honey.

Recipe adapted from Penelope Casas’ One Pot Spanish

Honey Fried Cod (Bacalao Frito con Miel)

Total Time: 25 minutes

Serving Size: Serves 2

Ingredients

2 Cod Steaks
2 Eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
Pinch of crumbled saffron threads
Extra-virgin olive oil
Liquid honey
All-purpose flour
Salt to taste

Instructions

Sprinkle cod on both sides with salt and then set the fish aside
In a separate dish, beat together the eggs, cumin, parsley and saffron
Pour enough oil into a large skillet so that it covers the bottom of the pan (about 1/8th of an inch)
Heat the skillet over medium-high heat
Spread each side of the cod steaks with honey
Dust cod steaks with flour, then coat on both sides with egg mixture
Arrange steaks side-by-side on skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes (about 4 to 5 minutes on each side depending on thickness of steaks)
Serve immediately

Notes

This makes a wonderful lunch or light dinner if served with a fresh green salad. You can also cut the cooked steaks into one-inch cubes to make an amazing tapa!

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin

http://kitchensimpatico.com/honey-fried-cod/