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Spanish Burger

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Spanish Burger

Spanish Burger got a thick patty made of minced pork, paprika, parsley and garlic topped with manchego cheese, roasted bell pepper and a nutty homemade Romesco sauce to give this burger an “Olé” touch! This Spanish burger taste like Spain, with a lovely pork patty filled with sunny spices, a bit like chorizo style. A really traditional recipe filled with Spanish flavours. They would be great also as tapas, a smaller version would make fantastic little bites. The patties In Spain, pork is king! It’s everywhere, sandwiches, hams, meatballs, stuffing, etc. Plus, beef is pricy so they often use a mix of pork and beef or solely minced pork to make their burgers. Surprisingly juicy and tasty, these patties bring a whole new perspective on burgers. On top of that, I’ve spiced the patty up ‘chorizo’ style! Meaning I’ve added some lovely paprika powder to the meat, giving it a sunny touch. The…

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Appetizers

Zamburiñas

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zamburinas

These Galician Scallops, also known as Zamburiñas, are exquisite especially served with a smooth white wine béchamel and a crunchy Iberic ham! Surf and Turf at its best! The Variegated Scallops, called Zamburiñas in Spain, is a small variety of scallops that are about half more petite than average scallops. Check the picture below to see the difference. Those mollusks change sex many times during their lifetime to end up male. Which I find strange because ‘shell’ or “Concha” in Spanish means “the lady part” in South America… Well, let’s leave it to that! The Coral The coral (roe) is also eaten in Spain, especially with this smaller variety of scallops. The coral is that orange part lying on the side of the scallop, with Zamburiñas way more tender than the usual scallops. If you make the recipe with normal-sized scallops, you should avoid leaving them in; they are usually quite rough to…

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Main Meals

Eggplant, Pepper and Goat cheese Coca (Catalan Pizza)

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coca pizza eggplant goat cheese

“Coca” is a Catalan, or northern Mediterranean coast of Spain, traditional dish. In other words, it’s a Catalan Pizza made with a touch of olive oil resulting into a crusty soft bread sometimes thick and other times thin and crunchy. They do all kind of “Cocas” in Catalonia, from sweet to savoury, minis to long and large, thin to thick and most of the time into rectangular form. One of my favorite is the “Coca de recapte” which means “leftovers coca” and mainly it is an eggplant, onion and pepper in escalivada (smoky, roasted veggie) but it could also contain meat, etc. because its name says it… it’s “a leftovers” coca. This version of coca, I’ve posted here, is a similar one although I’ve added a touch of goat cheese (my leftovers of the day) and let go of the whole roasting part. Cutting the cooking time by 1 hour. You could also add anchovy to…

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Main Meals

Smokey Vegan Paella

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Vegan Paella

Vegan Paella contains many Mediterranean vegetables; zucchini, onion, garlic, and bell pepper. All are slowly cooked in a simple veggie broth, wine and smokey paprika (Pimentón de la Vera) for a sunny main dish! Paella is a great dish; you can make it with whatever you feel like; seafood, meat, fish, veggies, etc. The base always stays the same; the Sofrito, which is; frying the onion and garlic with the pulp of tomato in olive oil. You let it reduce until pasty, and voila the base of all paellas! Then grill a topping in the pan first, and the rest will boil in the rice filled with a yummy broth. For this Vegan Paella version, we’ll grill the zucchini first to make it as a topping. I’ve done the zucchini separately because it would become soft and unpleasant in the broth. This way (grilling it at first), you’ll get the crunch and full flavour…

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Fish & Sea Food

Monkfish in a saffron, sherry sauce and dried tomatoes

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Monkfish in saffron-sherry-almond sauce

Monkfish in saffron-sherry sauce and dried tomatoes is a dish inspired by a southern Spanish dish called Cazón en amarillo. Cazón is a small shark (school shark), a traditional dish from Andalusia, but since those are becoming hard to come by, I’ve exchange it for monkfish or as they call it in Spain “chicken of the sea”. The recipe is usually served with fried potato in a stew style terra cotta pot. My personal touch is the dried tomatoes, which give that dish some extra color and also a welcomed salty touch that contrast good the wheaty saffron flavor. The base of the sauce is the most important part here, it’s a “tipico Spanish” base sauce, which is called sofrito. It consist mainly of softening a finely chopped onion, garlic in olive oil and reduce the juice of a grated tomato to a paste, then you add whatever liquid to it like; wine,…

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Main Meals

Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Sauce

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pork tenderloin with a cherry and sherry sauce

A Sous-Vide cooked Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Sauce brings the sun of Andalusia into your plate! A elegant yet powerful dish made with Cherry and Sherry! The magic in this Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Sauce dish is the sauce, a pure delight for the tastebuds. Sherry and cherry sounds similar but they are far from being similar in taste, the sherry is dry and the cherry sweet. Mixing those two together and you’ll get a divine combination. This is a recipe from the South of Spain, Andalusia, where the famous sherry is from. Andalusia Andalusia is a strong, bold and passionate place, just like it’s fortified wines and gastronomy. There are 4 main types of sherry, 2 mild ones; the Manzanilla and the Fino and 2 darker ones, richer and nuttier; the Amontillado and the Oloroso. The last one, Oloroso, is the richest of them all, and the one used in this…

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Fish & Sea Food

Paella Marinera (Seafood Paella)

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Seafood Paella

The most popular dish in Spain, the famous Paella Marinera or Seafood Paella, is a lovely mix of seafood in a bomba rice dish flavoured with veggies, smoked paprika, and saffron. Spain gastronomy at its very best! Paella Marinera (seafood paella) is a dish; I’ve studied quite a lot since I live in Spain. Also, it’s “the meal” every guest visiting looks forward to experiencing. So I did my share of Seafood paella; I even bought a unique burner and massive paellera pan for six people. The beauty in seafood paella is that you can use whatever “seafood” you prefer, although the usual crawfish (Cigalas) and prawns (Langostinos) are the standard toppings. You’ll also find mussels and clams in most seafood paellas, but it’s ultimately up to you and what you find at the market. The squid and cuttlefish are also used, although usually reserved for the black paella. I’ve used crawfish…

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Fish & Sea Food

Black Paella

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Arroz Negro, black paella

Arroz negro or Black Paella is a popular rice dish on the Mediterranean coast of Spain made of cuttlefish, its ink, white wine, onions and bomba rice. A famous Spanish dish is called “Arroz negro” made with the fresh ink of cuttlefish. I don’t know why they call it “black rice” instead of “black paella” since it’s done exactly like paella. Usually served with an Aïoli sauce (garlicky mayonnaise). Nonetheless, this dark paella is my personal favourite of them all! Get over it! I know it can be challenging for some, even for me at first, the colour and the fact that you eat ink… but if you are courageous enough to take the first bite. Oh my! You will discover another dimension! The ink actually is a mouthful of sea aromas, saline, it’s really a flavour of its own. But if you want to be submerged in that meal… you’ll have to be brave enough…

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Fish & Sea Food

Monkfish in Brandy Sauce

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Monkfish in Brandy Sauce

This dish is terribly simple to make, and oh so delicious! This is a dish from my adoptive land: Spain. It’s called “Rape con Salsa Costa Brava” which means Monkfish with Costa Brava Sauce. Costa Brava is the northern Mediterranean coast line between Barcelona and France. Where the Famous #1 “El Bulli”restaurant is… or was should I say… In other words, a quite special place! Last weekend, I was actually on the Costa Brava for the birthday of my step brother, living it up by a calm and clear water creek of Joncols, at the end of the Cap Creus, right next where Salvador Dali is from. We went on a kayak tour and ended up on a big rock by the sea to check out the view… when I saw… the famous “Fonoll de Mar” or Sea Fennel in the cracks of the rocks. I took a few leaves with me, brought them back…

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Appetizers

Spanish Ham Croquettes

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Spanish Ham Croquetas

One of the most appreciated Tapas in Spain is the famous cured ham croquette made with bechamel. Spanish Ham Croquettes have a crunchy exterior with an ultra-creamy interior, impossible not to fall for those little bites. The Spanish Ham Croquettes or Croquetas, as they say in Spain, are simple to do. It’s basically a thick Béchamel sauce mixed up with cured ham, codfish, cuttlefish, mushrooms, or anything you want. In Spain, the most beloved gastronomic tapa would probably be Iberic ham croquetas. A pure delight! However most of the time, they are made out of serrano ham, the equivalent of prosciutto ham. But indeed it can be replaced by whatever cured ham you prefer or leftovers you have. Usually served as a tapas, it could also make a great light lunch served with a green or couscous salad. History of Croquetas Back in the day, they would use the leftovers of meat…

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