Flan

6 people

2 glasses of milk (around 1/2 l)
The skin of a small lemon
2 cinnamon sticks
6 medium eggs
6-7 tbs of white granulated sugar

For the caramel: sugar (enough to cover the bottom of the mold up to 1/2cm deep) & water

1 large flan mold or large nonstick loaf pan or 5-6 individual molds or ramekins

Whipped cream


1. Simmer the milk with the lemon skin and the cinnamon sticks. Turn the stove off when boiling, remove the lemon and the cinnamon and add the sugar and let it cool down for half an hour.

2. Melt the sugar in the molds soaking it with a little bit of water and heat it until it becomes brown. Let it cool down until it becomes hard.

3. Heat the oven at maximum temperature.

4. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl using the blender and slowly add the milk without stop mixing.

5. Pour the mixture into the molds, seal the molds with aluminium foil, and cook them in a bain-marie in the oven (reduce temperature to 250ºF - it is important that the flan mixture doesn’t boil) for 1 hour.

6. After one hour remove them from the oven and cool them down until room temperature. Keep them in the fridge and serve them cold with whipped cream.

Paella

4/6 people

500gr bomba or arborio rice
5 tbs olive oil
1 small-medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, finely diced
2 artichoke hearts – diced
3 medium ripped tomatos – shredded
1 pinch of saffron or 1 tsp of sweet paprika
Salt and black pepper

1/2 pound Calamari – chopped
1/2 pound Prawns
1/2 pound Clams - to clean them, leave them half covered in cold salty water for 1 hour
1/2 pound Mussels
1/2 pound Chicken – chopped in small pieces

1, 5 l. Fish or Vegetable stock

Paella pan & non stick-pan

1. Add 3 tbs of olive oil to the non-stick pan and sauté the prawns, calamari and chicken separately, having seasoned them previously with salt and black pepper, and keep them aside. I always use this type of pan for the "sofrito" to avoid the mess of splashing oil all over the kitchen.

2. In the same pan, add 1-2 tbs of olive oil if necessary, sauté the onion until it becomes transparent, add the pepper and the artichokes until they start becoming golden and then add the shredded tomatos, season with salt and pepper and sauté the mixture until it starts becoming shiny and the oil starts separating from the “sofrito”, then move it to the paella pan that you have previously started heating on the stove. Add the cooked meat and fish to the sofrito and once the mix is warmed up and sticks together add the clams and stir.

3. At the same time steam the mussels in a separate pot until they are just cooked. Warm up the stock until boiling temperature. Separate the mussels in a plate and pour the juice from cooking them, into the stock.

4. Add the rice to the sofrito/meat/fish mixtures – 1 tea cup (1/2 cup in American measurements) per person and stir until some of the rice becomes golden. Add the saffron or sweet paprika and mix, they will contribute to intensify the flavour and will add color.

5. Pour the stock into the paella, twice the amount of rice plus one extra cup ( if you like juicy paella, you can add 1-2 extra cups of stock towards the end of the cooking period), stir the paella mixture until it is well mixed with the stock, make sure it is centred on the stove so it cooks evenly. Taste the stock and add salt if necessary.

6. Leave it cooking on the stove for about 20 minutes without stirring, or until the rice looks cooked. If the rice is not cooking evenly because of the size of the stove, shake it regularly and finish it of in the oven (previously warmed up to 450 degrees) for the last ten minutes.

7. 5 minutes previous to finish cooking, add the mussels distributing them decoratively around the pan.

8. Serve it with optional lemon wages to intensify the flavor.

Croquetas

One of Spaniards favorites appetizers!


Makes 25 to 30 croquetas


Ingredients

1 small roasted chicken
1 medium-small onion
4 spoonfuls of olive oil
400 ml. of milk
80 gr. of flour
Salt, black pepper and nutmeg

2 or 3 eggs
Bread crumbs
Light olive or canola oil




Mince the chicken after removing bones and skin, I normally break the chicken in pieces and pass them through the food processor. Mince the onion (using the food processor). Heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan, and add the onion, season with black pepper and cook the onion until it becomes transparent and sweet. Add the flour and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes stirring with a spoon and taking care the mixture doesn't burn (a thick paste will form). Add the milk and stir with a beater to avoid the creation of lumps. Add salt and nutmeg to taste. When the mixture becomes creamy add the minced chicken, and continue stirring until the mixture is thickened and starts to separate from the edges of the pan. If the paste is well cooked there will be less opportunity for the croquetas to open when frying them. Spread the paste on a tray about one inch deep and let it cool down.

To shape the croquetas, make small balls with two spoons by filling half of the surface of one spoon with the paste and shaping it with the other. Soak the balls in beaten eggs and then cover evenly with bread crumbs. Fry in hot and abundant oil (preferably olive oil), until the balls become golden brown, turning them around to make the frying even. Let the croquetas rest on kitchen paper to drain the extra oil.


Suggestions and variations:

Add cooked or serrano ham to the chicken or cook diced pancetta with the onion, to intensify the flavour.
Replace the chicken with cod which has been previously lightly boiled or steamed, and with small shrimps cooking them with the onions.
Or make them with cheese instead of chicken, using a mixture of selected manchego, mozzarella or emmental, or mozzarella and parmesan.
In these last two cases use 250 ml of milk instead, to make sure the final paste is thick enough.

Pumpkin Soup

Great for everyday dinner, especially in winter and fall. Kids love it!

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 medium pumpkin or butternut squash
3 medium onions
1 l. water
100 ml. extra virgin Spanish olive oil

1 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
(you can add more seasoning at the end, depending on your taste)

Peel, remove seeds and roughly dice the pumpkin, do the same with the onions. Add them to the saucepan and cover with water. Cook on a medium heat for 40 minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat, add salt and pepper and liquidise with a blender, slowly add the olive oil and keep the blender on until it emulsifies (the soup changes to a lighter colour and shines).

Season again to taste and serve with multigrain bread croutons, crispy onions or crispy serrano ham on the top.

Apple Sponge Cake

This cake is perfect for afternoon tea or as a dessert served with clotted cream or vanilla ice cream.

Serves 8.

Ingredients:

2 golden apples, peeled and with the heart off
125 gr margarine 
150 gr caster/white sugar
2 large eggs
175 gr white unbleached flour or self-rising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp milk or apple juice
Round medium size baking tin

Preheat the oven to 350ºF or 180ºC.

Beat the margarine until creamy, add the sugar and continue beating until the colour becomes lighter and the mixture is fluffy. Add half apple grated and mix, add the eggs one a time mixing well. Sieve the flour and the baking powder and stir just until combined. If the mixture is too dry you can add a table spoon of milk or apple juice.


Grease the baking tin with margarine and pour the mixture. Finely slice the rest of the apples and distribute them on the top making a spiral, sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let it cool for at least 3 hours.