Flan

I just found this very good recipe! Everyone who tried asked for the recipe. Enjoy it and share with others. The recipe calls for whole milk and sugar, I substituted for semidesnatado and sweetener to taste. For you to have an idea it should taste sweeter than you would like it to be. When cooked and served cold, it will seem to have less sweetener than when you were mixing it.

Ingredients:

1 liter and 1/2 of milk (6 cups)

4 whole eggs

8 egg yolks

Sugar (start with 1 cup and add to your taste, or use Splenda as I did)

lemon peel

Cinnamon stick

Preheat the oven with a cake pan filled with water. Cook the milk with the peel of of one lemon and one cinnamon stick. Boil. Let it reduce a bit, for about 10 minutes on low heat. Let it cool completely. In a bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolk. Strain lemon peel and cinnamon stick from milk. Add the milk to the bowl. Add sugar to your taste. On the stove top, add 2 tablespoon of sugar on a small pan. Let it cook until it melts. Do not let it overcook as it can burn really easily. Use a bundt cake pan or special small pans for the flan. Put the caramel on the bottom of the pan or pans and then the flan mixture. Put the pan to bake placed in the bigger pan with water (baño maría). If the water is already hot it should take about 40-45 minutes and it will be ready. If not, bake it for a few more minutes. Let it cool and then unmold it.

Roscón de Reyes

Hello friends,

This morning I had the BEST Roscón de Reyes ever! We bought at Mercadona and it was really good! It made me curious how hard would be to make it from scratch. I found this website that gives excellent step by step instructions with pictures. I hope you like this. Let me know if you ever try this recipe so I can add a comment to this message. I cannot recommend this until I use the steps but it looks really good!

Enjoy it: http://www.yumsugar.com/950218

Tortilla Española

I wanted to label this dish but was in doubt in what section to place it. It is a favorite in every household in Spain. It can be served as a first plate or second plate in a meal, or it can be served as tapas in a street café. Some will have it for a mid morning snack. Many Americans who live here, love it for breakfast. Kids will often have with a piece of Spanish break for afternoon snack or merienda. It can be served hot or room temperature. Just try it and enjoy it anytime of the day! --- By the way, I labeled it in Spanish and Tapas.

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes

6 eggs

Olive Oil

1/2 Large Onion

Peal the potaoes and slice them in small pieces. Rinse it. Chop the onions as well. Add abundant olive oil in a frying pan to fry the patotoes and onion together. Stir the potatoes and onions often cutting them in even smaller pieces with the spatula. They will be done when they are tender and golden. Remove from pan and set it aside. Remove most of the olive oil from pan, leaving just enough to coat the pan. On a bowl, add the eggs and beat them. Add the potato mixture mixing it well. Add salt to taste. Place the mixture to the pan again on lowest possible heat. When sides are done, make sure, with a fork, that the tortilla is loose from the pan. Turn tortilla on a plate and let is slide back to pan to cook other side. After a few minutes, turn it to a plate again and it is ready to serve.

You can add many things to enhance the taste: sausages, green pepper, zuchinnes, etc. Fry the engredients with potatos and onions.

Paella Valenciana

This recipe was given to me by a real Valencian lady, one of my best friends. "Valencianos" take pride on this wonderful dish. I know why! It is very complete and tasty!

There are several kinds of paella: seafood, vegetable, country style (such as the one below called "campestre"). In the recipe below you can sub the chicken, pork and rabbit for clams, fish, shrimp, calamar and squid what will give you a Seafood Paella. If you prefer, add some extra red and green pepper, carrots, green beans and white beans for a vegetable paella. I love all versions and recommend it to anyone. He it goes ...

Ingredients for 4 people:
1/2 chicken cut in pieces
1 lb rabbit meat (sub for added chicken, if you prefer)
1/2 lbs. pork ribs
1 cup of chopped fresh green beans
4-5 artichoked, chopped
1 tomato
1 or 2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 green or red pepper (maybe half and half), chopped
2 cups of rice (1/2 per person)
4 cups of water
1/2 olive oil
azafran
salt to taste
Lemon wedges

Fry the meat. When it is golden, add the vegetables. Add the water and let it cook for about 30 minutes. You may need to add more water before rice is added. It evaporates after 30 minutes of cooking. Try to ring it up to first measure. Add rice, azafran and salt. Cook for about 20 minutes, until rice is done. Let it "rest" for a few minutes before serving. Sprinkle some lemon to your plate after it is served.

. Families in Spain eat directly from the pan. Each one knows their corner of the pan and they work on it. Once you place the rice, arrange the vegetables and meat nicely, in a way to divide the servings.
. The perfect side dish for paella is a mixed salad with Vinagrette - no need for anything else.
. Note the special pan - if you do not have one, the best option is a large frying pan
. Once you add the rice, let it cook for a while, then place the vegetables. Do not remove anymore - for that reason use the large burner to have equal heat in all sides.
. Here they they say the best paella is done outdoors with wood from an orange tree -- and if you can -- bring the water from Valencia! :)

Gazpacho

This recipe was given to my by one of my friends, but I have to say, I know as many guazpacho recipes as Spanish ladies. There is always a family recipe that is better than the other. I think the key is to have an idea of the basic ingrediends and increase more of one or other vegetable to personal taste. I recommend you start with this recipe and see how it taste. Next time increase or decrease any of the vegetables to your preference. Have fun on the process!!

Ingredients:

4-5 tomatoes

1-2 garlic cloves, depending on personal taste

1/2 cucumber, peeled

1/2 onion

1 cup of water

Salt to taste

1/2 olive oil

1 or 2 T. Vinegar, depending on personal taste

Opt. 3 pieces of Spanish bread (similar to French) soaked on water

Put all the ingredients in the blender and that is it! Place in the refrigerator as it should cold before serving. You can also serve it with ice.

. I add more or less water depending if I want to drind on a cup or eat with a spoon.

. I personally like a little thicker than tomato juice.

. You can peel the tomatoes boiling it beforehand. We keep it for extra fiber.

. Better kept on a jar or recipient that can be shaken before serving.

. My husband loves to have the other half of cucumber, onion, pepper, tomato, all shopped in small pieces and served aside. You can through a few of those in the bowl and it makes it even better.

Tarta de Turron (Turron Cake)

As you probably know "turron" is eaten mostly at Christmas time. But, like me, you may have some "turron blando" left and would like to use it in a creative way. I learned this recipe in Asturias and most people love it! "Turron Blando" is too sweet to some of us, but in this recipe it gives flavor without too much sweetness.

TARTA DE TURRON

1 Bizcocho Mildred (you can find usually by breads or crackers). It is a ready made "bizcocho" (yellow cake) that has a round shape and it comes already cut in 3 layers. It is similar to American yellow cake but less moist and less sweet.

1 Turron Blando (Soft Turron - almond Christmas Sweet treat)

1/2 liter of "Nata para Montar" or heavy cream

1 cup of milk (in Spain they make a syrop using water with sugar, but I thought it was too sweet, try it to see if you like this way)

Open pack of "bizcocho". Whip the heavy cream for a few minutes until is firm. Break 3/4 of Turron bar into the cream and whip for a few more seconds. Moist first layer of bizcocho with 1/3 milk, add 1/4 of cream, add second layer of bizcocho, moint with 1/3 milk and add 1/4 of cream. Add the last layer of bizcocho, moist it with remaining milk and top whole cake with the rest of cream, sides included. Cut or break 1/4 of turron that was left in tiny pieces and decorate top of the cake with it. Freeze it. Take out of freezer a few minutes before serving.

Ps. On the picture the cake was decorated with extra chopped almonds on the side of the cake. I just find it easier to decorate the top with small pieces of turron.