Recipes contained in The Gastrosite of Spanish Recipes
by

Spanish Potato Omelette (Tortilla de patatas) (1)

Four servings: 3 medium-sized potatoes, sliced; 1 onion, sliced; 5 eggs; salt
and oil
Preparation: Start frying the potatoes in a pan with a generous amount of oil (8
tbsp/50 cc); better if they get a bit brown, although do not let them get burned
either. Add the onion and stir the mixture with a spatula until both elements
become cooked. Strain both ingredients to remove the excess of oil, and mix
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with the eggs, which have been previously stirred in a bowl. Place the mixture
made with the potatoes, the onion and the eggs on an anti adherent pan on an
medium fire; the objective is to fry first one side of the tortilla and part of the
medium part of it. Then turn the tortilla over with the help of a dish; also use a
spatula to help the tortilla get a round form by pressing the edges inwards.
Check if the other side has browned, and make sure the central isn't uncooked.
A salad is the best garnish for this dish.
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Fricando (2)

Four servings: 800 g of beef cut into steaks of 50-60 g each; 30-50 g dried up
mushrooms (Marasmius oreades, also known as scotch bonnet or fairy ring
mushroom); 1 onion, finely chopped; 3 tbsp of tomato purée; 750 cc mineral
water; a glass of brandy; salt & black pepper.
Preparation: In the first place, it is of the utmost interest to have the mushrooms
soaked in the specified amount of water for a minimum of 6 hours (this is to
extract the organoleptic properties of the mushrooms, which will pass to the
water; don't use hot water as heat would damage the texture of mushrooms).
Salt and pepper the steaks, dredge them in flour (cover them properly but reject
the excess). Star by frying the meat in a casserole with olive oil (6-8 tbsp); it
must be done on a medium fire, although trying not to overheat the oil in excess
as the other ingredient will be later added to this oil. Once the meat has been
fried and has browned a bit, add the onion and give a good stir to deglaze the
flour clung to the bottom, which is now brown and which will give color to the
final sauce. Let the onion simmer for 10-15 minutes on a medium-to-low fire,
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and rehydrate with some of the water in which the mushrooms were soaked
(now the mushrooms must be sieved and kept aside, and the water must have
a slight brownish color).
After this cooking time, add the tomato, stir again, and let simmer for another
ten minutes (rehydrate if necessary). Next thing to do is to add the meat and the
mushrooms, stir it all, then add the brandy (do not flambé) and cover with a lid.
Stew the preparation for 2 minutes, and finally add the water with no lid on. The
remaining time of cooking will, more or less, be 60 minutes. Some other recipes
use tenderloin steaks, although this is not recommendable as this recipe is in
itself a stew and softer meats result overcooked and lose their flavor in the
cooking process.
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Stewed tripe with cured ham and Asturian Chorizo and black pudding (Callos a
la madrileña) (3)

This is an excellent recipe of the Spanish dish known as callos; it was given to
me by a friend of mine from Madrid who died long ago. Now in Spain tripe
(callos) is sold blanched, so all you need to is cook it on a sofrito (sautéed
sauce), and that's all.
Four servings: 800 g tripe cut into 1-inch pieces; 2 Asturian chorizos, cut into
1/2-in slices; 2 Asturian black pudding sausages (a kind of smoked black
pudding sausage); 150 g dry-cured (Spanish) ham, cut into dices (better if the
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ham is Ibérico); 2 small medium sized onion, cut into brunoise; half glass of
tomato purée; 1 green pepper, cut into big chunks (in the event they have to be
removed); 1 tbsp flour; salt % olive oil.
Preparation: Sauté (slightly) the chorizo slices and the ham dices in a casserole
with some olive oil (no more than 4 tbsp) on a medium-low fire; add the onions,
finely chopped, stir well to mix all the elements and after 5 minutes add the flour
and stir again to prevent it clings to the casserole. Add the tomato purée, the
green pepper and mix everything properly; you can add some water, or better a
glass of white wine to ease the cooking process because as some flour has
been added it could get stuck on the casserole walls and would ruin the
preparation. With all this done, you can now add the tripe (callos), still well and
add water to the casserole (some 500 cc); You will see that the tripe droops a
bit as though it had lost some stiffness, but this is normal: what is left now is a
55-minute period of simmering. I know what you're thinking, what on earth are
we going to do with the Asturian sausages? Well, they are going to be added 20
minutes before the limit time, since a longer time would make them burst. There
is a small variation that consists in adding boiled (that is canned) chickpeas, or
pinto beans (judías pintas), I do prefer the latter. I have only to add that these
preparations taste much better when consumed next day.
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Pig's trotters with snails (Pies de cerdo con caracoles) (4)

To some people, snails are those little animals that drag their way in our
gardens; most people feel some revulsion because they think that snails feed
on insects or the like, but they're vegetarian. My own son felt this same
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revulsion until he tasted a few of them from a dish known as "Cazuela de
caracoles" (Snail casserole), now he has different opinion of these little edible
friends.
Four servings: Four pig's trotters cut lengthwise; 50 g chorizo cut into slices; 50
g cured ham, cut into cubes; 50 g bacon, cut into cubes; 2 tbsp flour; 1 big-sized
onion, finely chopped; 6 tbsp of tomato purée; 1 bay leave, some peppercorns,
a few sprigs of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (it sounds to me like a Celtic
love song to me, I wonder why).
One bag of frozen snails (In previous times, snails had to be collected and
allowed to fast for at least 10 ten days; they then were thoroughly washed
several times with water, salt and vinegar, and put in a casserole with water on
a mild gas fire from where they started to poke their bodies out, and so they
could be cooked to death without their "retreating" back to the shell. Today, we
can spare all this process and use a frozen presentation of the product that has
all the necessary hygienic guaranties).
Pig's trotters management:
In general, pig's trotters in Spain are sold blanched and singed, so what is left to
do for this recipe is to previously boil them for 60 minutes in 1500 cc of water.
They will late be cooked for another 45 minutes in the casserole with the rest of
ingredients. In the first boiling phase skim off the impurities from the water, and
reserve both the water (now a stock) and the trotters.
Snails:
Put the snails in a casserole with cold water (they do not need defrosting) and
add the herbs abovementioned and some salt; start then to cook them on a
medium-to-high fire for 15 minutes until you can notice a dark color in the water,
which is normal; turn off the fire, leave the snails in the casserole for some 5
minutes, sieve them and reserve them.
Preparation: Start to lightly fry the chorizo, the dry-cured ham, and the bacon for
less than 1 minute; add the onion finely chopped and spoon all the ingredients
to get an homogeneous mixture; let the ingredients simmer on a mild fire for a
few minutes, add the flour, stir it all to avoid it sticks to the casserole (add some
of the trotter's stock if necessary). Now you can add the tomato, stir it all again,
and let some simmering for another 15 minutes. After this time you can add the
pig's trotters and a good amount of the stock produced in their cooking to cover
them sufficiently. The time left for the conclusion of this recipe is around 60-75
minutes, although the snails will be added 30-35 minutes before the conclusion
time of the recipe.
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Stewed Cuttlefish with Potatoes (Sepia con patatas) (5)

Four servings: Four/five cuttlefish (around 500 gm/2.2 lbs) cut into not-too-small
pieces, as sepias shrink when they are cooked. (When using frozen fish, you
should allow for the weight of water that is added in the freezing process, and
which sometimes represents up to 30% of the final weight of the frozen
presentation). Four potatoes (500 gm/2.2 pounds); 1-2 onions, brunoise; 5 tbsp
tomato purée; 3 garlic cloves; 100 gm of green peas; 1 litter of veggies/fish
broth.
Preparation: Start by frying the garlic cloves on a mild fire until they get a brown
color and discard them afterwards; fry the onion in brunoise in the same
casserole for around 10 minutes, stir well and add some water, if necessary, to
avoid its clinging to the bottom of the casserole. Next, add the tomato purée and
let simmer for another ten minutes on the same medium fire. After this time, add
the sepia and wait until it starts to release some juices and add the potatoes
and the green peas together with stock, which must sufficiently cover the
composition, and let simmer for some 20 minutes. The preparation must have
the sufficient amount of liquid to have the aspect of a stew.
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Beef Stew (Estofado de vacuno) (6)

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Four servings: Five-hundred grams (1.1 lbs) of beef meat cut into 1-inch dices;
four middle-sized potatoes (1.1 pounds), cut into cubes; 1 big-sized carrot cut
into not-too-thin slices; 3 ounces green peas; 1 bay leave; 1 glass (200 cc)
white wine; 1 big-sized onion, or two middle-sized ones, cut into brunoise; 5
medium-sized tomatoes (they must be very ripe and red and can be substituted
by 5 tbsp of tomato purée; 4 tbsp olive oil, salt pepper, 3 un-skinned garlic
cloves.
Preparation: In the first place, start frying the meat (do not salt or pepper to
avoid it sweats and loses juices) in a casserole on a medium fire until it browns.
Add the chopped onion(s) to let them get some brownish color, and add the
tomato (purée or chopped) together with the garlic cloves and the bay leave.
Stir the ingredients to avoid they stick on the casserole surface (add some
water if necessary to thin out the mixture) and continue the cooking process
until the tomato and the onion look a single element. Then add the wine, stir it
all, and let simmer for a few minutes; add the water (enriched with a stock cube)
to sufficiently cover all the ingredients, and stew for 70-80 minutes (although
this time may be shorter if you use a pressure cook). It is important to control
the stew process, and stir the ingredients to avoid they stick to the bottom of the
casserole. Once the meat has been stewed (in the casserole or the pressure
cook), you can add the potatoes (this time do not seal the PC with lid), together
with some more water (in the event the preparation looks short of juices ), allow
the recipe stew for some 20 minutes, and serve as usual. In general, stews are
more savory from one day to the other.
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Stewed Meatballs with Cuttlefish and green peas (Albóndigas con sepia) (7)

Four servings: 500 g (2.2 lbs) ground meat (70% of beef and 30% lean pork
meat); 4 medium-sized cuttlefish (cut into medium-sized pieces); 3/4 potatoes
(some 500 gm/1.1 pounds); 2 medium sized onion cut brunette; 5/6 tbsp tomato
purée; 100 gm (0.22 pound) green peas (canned green peas can also be used,
but added only 6/7 minutes before the conclusion of the preparation.
Preparation: Start frying the onion in casserole with some oil for some minutes,
add some salt, as well as some water if the onion starts to get thicker and runs
the risk of getting burned. Add the cuttlefish cuts and stir it all (after a few
minutes you will see that the cuttlefish start to release some juices, which is
normal and convenient). Once the juices have become reduced, add the tomato
purée and let the recipe simmer for 10-12 minutes; after this time you can add
the potatoes and the green peas and allow another 20 minutes of cooking.
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Fresh tuna-fish stewed with Potatoes (Marmitaco) (8)

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Four servings: 500 gm (1.1 lbs) tuna fish cut into 1-inch cubes; 3/4 potatoes
(1.1lbs); cut into 1-in chunks; 1 red pepper; cut into brunoise; 1 green pepper;
cut likewise; tomato purée, 8 tbsp; 2 medium sized onions cut into brunette; the
pulp of a rehydrated "pimiento chorizero" (a dried-up red pepper used to color
and flavor pork meat in the production of chorizos)
Preparation: Start frying the onion dices in a casserole on a medium fire ring
and add some salt; after some 10 minutes start adding the red and green
peppers, and stir the ingredients with a spatula. Keep stewing all the vegetables
for a minimum of 5 minutes, and then add the tomato, and after another 5
minutes add the potatoes, the pulp of the rehydrated pepper (or its substitute)
and stew on a medium fire ring for 20 minutes. Salt the tuna cubes before they
are added to the stew and allow a 2-minute cooking (no more than that as the
fish cubes would become less juicy). This dish should be consumed before it
gets cold.
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Garlic soup (Sopa de ajo) (9)

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This is a very economical and delicious soup that was devised by peasants to
both kill their hunger and warm their bodies in the long winter nights of a Godforgotten Spain. The idea was to make a good use of bread leftovers, as even
bread was very expensive in those dire days.
Four servings: Garlic: 1 and half bulb; four 1-inch thick dried out baguette slices
bread (100 gm/0.22 pounds); 1 liter and a half of light stock (1 1/2 L of water
enriched with 2 stock cubes will do); 2/3 eggs; 4 tbsp olive oil; black pepper (1
tsp), salt (1 tsp).
Preparation: Shred the bread into small pieces and add it to the stock. In the
meantime, peel the garlic cloves and fried them in a sauce pan with the oil on a
medium fire ring until the cloves get a brownish color. Keep aside part of the oil
and start smashing the garlic with the pepper, the red paprika and the salt in a
mortar to get a brownish-red paste that will be incorporated to the stock
together with part of the oil. Stir the soup with a wire whip to allow the bread get
thinner and to obtain a good mixture of all the ingredients. Crack the eggs and
stir both yolks and whites in the mortar with a fork (don't use this time the wire
whip as it would add air to mixture, and this is not a dessert). Finally, allow the
soup to simmer for 10 minutes, cut the fire and slowly add the stirred eggs while
you stir the soup with a fork to mix all the ingredients.
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Baked Pork's Knuckles (Codillo de cerdo al horno) (10)
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Four servings: 4 knuckles; 5/6 onions (small-sized); 4/5 tomatoes (mediumsized); 4 un-skinned garlic cloves; 2 carrots, cut into thick slices; 1 red pepper,
chunked; 1 green pepper, diced; 2 potatoes, cut into chunks 8 tbsp of olive oil +
4 lard cubes (which can be replaced by some more oil); 1 glass white wine &
some warm stock; Salt & pepper.
Preparation: In the first place, brown the knuckles in a frying pan with some oil.
Set them aside for later on, and add the wine to the pan to deglaze the brown
patina produced by the process of browning the meat; add also some stock and
let both liquids get concentrated on a medium-to-high fire. Wet the roasting pan
with some of the oil and add the lard; place the sliced potatoes, the onions, the
tomatoes, the un-skinned cloves, the carrots, and, of course, the knuckles.
Drizzle the remaining oil on all the ingredients, add some salt and pepper and
introduce into a pre-warmed oven at 200 ºC (392ºF) Adjust the oven
temperature to 160º C (320ºF) and wet the preparation frequently with the
sauce made in the pan. The baking time is estimated to be 1 hour and 20 min.
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Stewed pork knuckles (Codillos a la cazuela) (11)

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(This is, more or less, the same recipe, but with a different cooking procedure
that excludes potatoes; although, they can be added if they're previously boiled
or fried)
Four servings: 4 knuckles; 5/6 onions (medium sized) cut into brunette; 5/6
tomatoes (the same size as above); 4 un-skinned garlic cloves; 2 carrots cut
into 1-inch slices; 1 red pepper, cut into strips; 1 green pepper, cut into strips;
1000 cc beef stock; 2 tbsp of flour.
Preparation: As in the other recipe, fry first the knuckles and the garlic cloves
until they all get brown, remove the knuckles from the casserole, set them aside
and discard the cloves; now add the onion and the flour; stir ingredients and
add the carrots, the peppers, a pinch of salt, and let it simmer for a few minutes,
then add the tomato, let another 10-minute simmering, and finally add again the
knuckles, together with the stock. The procedure now is to let the recipe simmer
on a mild fire for 25 minutes, remove the knuckles again, process all the
ingredients of the casserole with a hand-blender, sieve it all with a chine cap,
and put back again the knuckles in the casserole. The time left now of cooking
is about 25 minutes (usually knuckles are cooked when you see that the meat
around the bone shrinks and this allows the bone to be seen). The presentation
of the recipe must be juicy but not soupy.
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Fish Soup (Sopa de pescado) (12)

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Four servings:100 g rice; 1/4 k angler fish; 1/4 K of clams (whether fresh or
frozen, soak the clam in brine water to get rid of the sand they may content; 1/4
K mussels, 2 garlic cloves; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 tbsp of tomato purée;
Olive oil, salt, 1 bay leave, parsley, and some saffron.
Step 1: Prepare the fish stock by simmering the fish's bones, head and other
parts that are not commercially viable, together with the bay leave and the
parsley. Simmer for 20 minutes, sieve the stock and reserve it for a later use.
Any fish stock must no simmer more than 20 minutes with the fish bones, or
other elements, as it would turn bitter to the taste.
Step 2: Fry the onion and the tomato to produce the sofrito base; add some of
the fish stock previously reserved (2-3 tbsp) to thin out the sofrito base, and let
the preparation simmer for 10-12 minutes on a mild fire. Next, add the whole
amount of fish stock, let it reach boiling point and add the rice, and 8 minutes
later add the fish cut into pieces and the clams and mussels without their shells.
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Lobster Casserole (Caldereta de bogavante) (13)

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Four servings: 2 live lobsters of around 600 g (1.350 lbs) each; 700 g (1.500
lbs) ripe tomatoes; 350 g (0.770 lbs) onions; brunoise; 1 green pepper cut into
brunoise; 2-3 garlic cloves cut into small dices; some mineral water; 2 toasts.
Mortar-ground ingredients (2): 1 garlic clove; 6 toasted almonds, 1 sprig of
parsley, 1 lobster's liver, 2 tbsp brandy.
Presentation: Behead lobsters' heads on a tray to collect all the juices. Cut the
head into 2 halves, remove the stomach, and reserve the liver. Cut the lobster's
tail into slices, and deliver a hit to the claws to make easier the process of
peeling them once they have been cooked.
Start frying the onions, the garlic, the pepper and the tomato, the salt, the black
pepper and some sugar in a casserole. Mash all the ingredients with the purée
sieve just once they have thickened.
Put back all the ingredients on the fire and add 250 cc of water per person, plus
another 250 cc of water to correct evaporation. Add the lobsters' slices and their
juices (previously sieved) collected from the heads when the ingredients start to
seethe. Allow 15 to 17 minutes of simmering. Grind the elements mentioned in
(2) in the mortar (following the same order) and add the resulting paste
(majado/picada) in the casserole 5 minutes before the conclusion of the recipe.

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This recipe can be prepared a few hours earlier, and be reheated before being
consumed.
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Lamb Casserole (Caldereta de cordero) (14)

Four servings: 1 kilo of lamb meat (pecho o espalda), cut into 1 and 1/2-inch
pieces; 50 g lard; 3 garlic cloves; 1 tbsp of dried herbs (thyme + oregano; 2
onions, cut in brunoise; 2 tbsp flour; 1 bay leave; 100 cc dry white wine ; 200
cc. meat stock, or water enriched with a stock cube; a few mint leaves; 3
peppercorns and salt.
Preparation: Season the meat pieces with salt, black pepper and the dried
herbs. Melt the lard in a casserole, wait until the fat is a bit hot and add the
cloves, let then brown a bit, remove them and reserve for a future use. Now
you can add the meat, and let it brown, too, on a mild fire. Add the onion and
allow some simmering before adding the flour that will be dissolved by the
addition of the wine and the bay leave. Let the alcohol evaporate on a high fire
and cover the ingredients with the stock. The stew must be on the fire for at
least 25 minutes, now on medium fire; on the other hand pound the reserved
garlic cloves, the mint leaves and the peppercorns and add the resulting mash
to the casserole before the conclusion of the recipe.
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Codfish pil-pil style (Bacalao al pil pil ) (15)

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This is indeed a very difficult recipe that not everybody can execute at the first
try.
Four servings: 8 pieces of desalted codfish slices (100 g each), dried on paper
towels (800 g); 8 garlic cloves, sliced; 3 olive oil.
Preparation: Brown the garlic cloves in a casserole with some oil; then remove
the casserole from the fire gas fire so it cools down to a lukewarm point, remove
the cloves and add the codfish pieces (the skin of the fish upwards); the oil
should not cover not the fish pieces, so they must be placed next to each other,
and with enough room around.
Next is to place the casserole on a very mild fire and start moving the casserole
in a swaying movement (remember the Hawaiian girls' dance, but slower); the
temperature must be constantly kept low during all the process. After a few
minutes we'll start to see the emergence of small white spots, which is in fact
the gelatin released by the codfish and which acts as a gelling and thickening
agent. After 30 minutes of swaying we'll see that the sauce takes on a
mayonnaise-like aspect, and now we can turn the codfish pieces the other side,
and place the browned garlic cloves and some pieces of roasted red pepper.
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Baked Codfish (Bacalao "a la llauna") (16)

Six servings: 1 kg of desalted and boneless codfish; 20 g paprika; 1 glass white
wine; 4 garlic cloves; flour; salt; olive oil, and parsley.
Preparation: 1. It is better to use thick pieces of the high dorsal part (loin) of the
codfish, once bones and scales have been removed. Flour the desalted codfish
pieces and fry in a pan with 2 dl of olive oil. Place the codfish in a roasting pan.
2. Fry 2 garlic cloves, cut into slices, in the oil used to fry the codfish until the
take on a brown color (it is better to sieve it to avoid refrying flour remaining in
the oil); then add the paprika and the wine right away to avoid that the paprika
gets burned, and allow a few minutes of simmering.
3. Pour this base on the codfish in the roasting pan. Pound the remaining garlic
cloves and the parsley in a mortar and add the resulting fine paste on top of the
fish. Place the roasting pan in a preheated oven to 190º C (374º F) and allow a
few minutes of au gratin function until it browns a bit.
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Hake in Parsley Sauce (Merluza en salsa verde) (17)

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Four servings: 4 thick hake slices (cut into 1-in pieces); 250 g clams; 125 ml
fish stock; 125 dl of white wine; 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped; 3
tbsp finely chopped parsley;1 tbsp flour; 4 tbsp olive oil; salt.
Preparation: Keep the clams soaked in salted water for at least 6 hours; this
helps to remove the sand from clams.
In a casserole, big enough to hold the four hake slices, put some oil and start to
heat it on a medium-to-low fire; add the garlic and monitor it doesn't get burned,
add straightaway the flour, cook for half a minute, and add the wine and the
stock (warm). Slightly salt the hake slices and add them to the preparation
(when it is hot) together with the parsley. At this moment shake the casserole
lightly so the sauce becomes thicker, allow 3 minutes of simmering, and turn the
hake slices, add the clams, which must be moved to another dish once they
open up (otherwise they would lose their juices and would take on a gum-like
consistency); allow another 3 minutes, and return the clams so they can recover
temperature. Once this has been accomplish remove the casserole from the fire
and serve straightaway.
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Xató (Catalan salad with codfish & canned tuna fish, anchovies, black olives,
escarole (or arbequine), and romesco sauce) (18)

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Four servings: 1 escarole, 200 g of desalted codfish cut, or flaked, into long
strips; 200 g of canned tuna fish, 12 canned anchovies, some black olives.
Ingredients for the sauce: 4 toasted almonds: 3 garlic cloves; 1 hot pepper; salt;
oil; vinegar; paprika.
Preparation:
1· Mash the almonds, the hot pepper and the garlic to a fine paste in a mortar.
Mix the oil, the vinegar, the black pepper and a pinch of salt. Stir all the
ingredients and reserve.
2·Rinse the escarole under the tap, and spread it on a salad platter together
with the codfish, the tuna, the anchovies, and the black olives.
3· Pour over the sauce previously mixed on the salad and toss the salad
thoroughly
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Murcia Salad (Ensalada murciana) (19)

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Six servings: 6 ripe tomatoes (canned one); 2 green onions (or shallots); 3 hardboiled eggs; 75 g black olives; 150 g of desalted codfish (or salted/canned,
tuna); a pinch sugar (optional); and salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar to taste.

Preparation: At the same time, peel, the tomatoes, remove the seeds and cut
dice. Cut the eggs into thin slices. Cut the green onions into julienne. Mix all the
ingredients in a salad bowl, add a pinch of salt and black pepper. Add the oil
and vinegar to taste.
In the event of using canned tomatoes, some of the liquid can be used,
although it is recommendable to add a pinch of sugar to both boost tomato
sweetness and smooth vinegar acidity. Stir all the ingredients and allow some
time so all flavors can properly be combined.
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Romesco Sauce (Salsa Romesco) (20)

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Romesco is a sauce from Tarragona, in Catalonia (Northeastern Iberian
peninsula) It is said that the fishermen of the area made it to eat with fish. It is
great with seafood, but is a tasty sauce to accompany meat and vegetables as
well and is a popular sauce in Spain. Roasted red peppers combined with
ground almonds, olive oil and vinegar to make a smooth, rich sauce that tastes
great simply spread on a slice of rustic bread.
Ingredients for around two cups of romesco: 12 peeled almonds; 10-12
hazelnuts; 1 garlic bulb, (whose flossy white skin has been rubbed off) ; 1 slice
of dried-out bread fried in some olive oil; 2 ripe medium size tomatoes, or 1
large tomato; 2 large roasted red peppers, well-drained; 1 cup extra virgin olive
oil; 1/2 cup red wine or sherry vinegar (approximately); 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
or small hot pepper (optional)
Note: Add approximately 15 minutes to preparation time if blanching almonds.
This romesco sauce recipe makes about 2 cups of sauce
Preparation: Place the garlic hub, the red peppers and the tomatoes in a
roasting pan, drizzle some oil on them and roast in the oven for some 25
minutes at 160º C (320º F, this two-fold value is a coincidence, so do not take it
as a rule of thumb). Next, peel the garlic cloves, the tomatoes and the peppers,
remove seeds, remove some of the juices released by the peppers and the
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tomatoes (not all), and place in a food processor together with the almonds and
hazelnuts (peeled), the bread, the oil and the vinegar, and grind all the elements
to get a fine paste. Taste to correct salt.
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Stewed Chicken with Mushrooms and Bacon (Pollo con champiñones y bacon)
(21) (Mirasierras' style)

Four servings: 1 chicken cut into 4 quarts; 100 dl milk cream; 2 tbsp flour; 100
gm (3 oz) of canned (or fresh) Paris mushrooms cut into slices; 100 gm (3 oz) of
bacon cut into 4/5 slices; 1 big sized onion, finely chopped, or grated , 250 dl of
chicken/beef stock
Preparation: Fry the chicken, once it has been salted and peppered, in a
casserole until it gets a nice brown color. Remove the chicken and add the
mushroom slices, allow a few minutes of frying (a longer time if they fresh), add
the bacon and also fry for a few minutes before adding the flour, stir all the
ingredients to avoid they stick to the casserole, and add the stock while stirring
to get an homogenous creamy mass that will be improved by the addition of the
milk cream: allow a few minutes more till the ingredients get some heat and,
finally, add the chicken to be soaked in this abundant creamy sauce; turn the
chicken pieces so they can get covered in sauce all over and simmer for some
35 minutes on a medium-to-low fire ring so the sauce becomes reduced by half.

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It is advisable to stir all the ingredients from time to time to avoid they get stuck
to the casserole.
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Casserole of Lobster and rice (Arroz con bogavante) (22)

Four servings: 4 small lobsters; 200 gm prawns; 350 gm rice; 1 onion, finely
chopped; 3 garlic cloves; ½ green pepper; ½ red pepper; 1 carrot; 3/4 tomato
purée; 1 tbsp paprika; a few strands of saffron;100 ml white wine; 1 l lobster/fish
stock.
Presentation: We first need a sofrito that will be made by sautéing the onion,
garlic, both half peppers and the carrot, all finely chopped; we subsequently add
the tomato purée and allow some simmering for a few minutes (no more than
5).
After this period of time, add the rice and stir it all with a spatula, while
incorporating the paprika, the saffron strands and the wine. At the same time,
start cutting the lobsters (while alive) into not-too-small pieces, and fry them in
some olive oil on a high fire. Add the fried lobster pieces to the rice The cooking
time of the rice may vary from 15 to 18 minutes, so one minute before the limit
time add the prawns (de-shelled).
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23

Oxtail Stew (Rabo de ternera/buey) (23)

Four servings: 1 oxtail, cut at the joints; 1 onion, diced; 1 carrot, sliced; 2 garlic
cloves, peeled, 2 small tomatoes, chopped.
Preparation: Salt and pepper the oxtail pieces, dredge then in flour, remove the
excess of it, fry in some olive oil, and once they are brown move them to a
pressure cooker with some oil. Fry the onion and the carrots in the same oil (as
long as it hasn't got burned due to an excessive gas fire) as well as the
tomatoes, the garlic cloves for at least 10-15 minutes. Add the wine, allow it to
evaporate, and then add the stock. Now you can also move these ingredients to
the pressure cooker. The amount of juice in the cooker must not be too
excessive, or too short.
Place the pressure cooker on the fire with the lid on and locked, and allow 30
minutes of cooking. Next, let the cooker cool down, open it, remove the tail
pieces to check if they are properly cooked (if so, the meat detaches from the
bone vertebra easily); in the event that the sauce is to watery and abundant, it
can be reduced and concentrated by cooking it some more time (without the
pressure lid on). Once this has been accomplished, process the sauce and
vegetables it contains with a hand-held-blender to a processor, grind and pass
the content through a sieve (a Chinese cap will do), mix again the pieces with
sauce and reserve the stew in the fridge till next day, as stews cooked the day
before taste much better.

24

This delicious dish can be accompanied by French fries, or mashed potatoes.
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A quick recipe of Stewed Beans (Judías estofas rápidas) (24)

Four servings: 100 g of chorizo cut into half-inch cubes; cured ham, cut into
half-inch cubes; bacon, cut into half-inch cubes, 1 big-sized onion, grated, or
finely chopped; 1 garlic clove; 3 tbsptomato purée; 800 g canned boiled white
beans; 1 glass white wine; 400 cc stock (or warm water enriched with a cube
stock).
Preparation: Fry the garlic, so it can flavor the oil and discard it; then slightly fry
the chorizo, cured ham and the bacon for less than a minute on a mild fire; add
the onion, stir the mix and allow a few sec before adding the wine. After a few
minutes of simmering you can add the tomato, spoon all the ingredients, let
them cook for some more minutes and add the beans and the stock; wait again
some 5 minutes, with no lid on the casserole, although the beans must be juicy,
but not soupy.
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Lentils Soup with spare Ribs (Lentejas con costilla de cerdo) (25)

25

Four servings: 250 g of lentils; 150 g pork spare ribs, chopped; some chorizo
slices; 1 carrot, sliced; 1 onion, finely chopped; 4 tbsp of tomato purée; 2 garlic
cloves, peeled; 1 slice bread fried in oil; 1 bay leave; 1 litter chicken or veggies
broth;
Preparation: Salt and pepper the spare ribs and fry then in a casserole with
some oil until they get brown color, and put aside. Next, add the chorizo slices,
let them fry very lightly, add the onion, and let simmer for some time on a
medium fire. After some minutes add the tomato purée, let simmer another ten
minutes (add some of the stock if you see the ingredients look to thick). In the
mean time, pound the garlic cloves and the fried bread in a mortar, and add the
result to the casserole together with the bay leave. Finally, add the lentils and
the stock; at first you will think there's too much water, but lentils absorb a lot of
liquid, so keep an eye on them to see if they need more water (not more broth)
The cooking time now is around 45-55 minutes (depending on the type of
lentils). A pressure cooker can also be used, although taking into account the
frying procedure explained before.
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Catalan Stew and Soup with assorted meats and veggies (Escudella i carn
d'olla) (26)

26

Six servings: 500 g ground beef meat; 1/4 of stewing chicken; 1 chicken cut
into quarts; 200 g raw pig's ear and snout; 1/2 pig's trotter"; 1 ham dry-cured
ham marrow bone; 100 g streaky pork; a big piece of backbone; 2 beef marrow
bones pieces; 150 g of white Catalan sausage; 150 g black Catalan sausage
(both types of sausages are known as Butifarra blanca y Butifarra negra,
respectively); 250 g chickpeas, soaked previously in water 12 hrs; 1 cabbage;
250 g peeled potatoes (rather small ones, or cut into cubes); 1 turnip; 1 carrot; 1
leek; 1 branch celery.
Ingredients for the meatballs: 200 g ground pork meat; 250 g ground beef pork;
1 eggs; 2 tbsp breadcrumbs (finely ground); 1 garlic clove, finely chopped;
parsley; salt; and flour.
Ingredients for the soup: 400 g of "galets" (a type of snail-like pasta piece)
Preparation of the meatballs: Mix both types of meats together with the egg, the
parsley, the garlic, some salt and pepper, first with a fork and then with both
hands to make a meat mass, which must be cut into 4 quarts to form 4
meatballs that will be dredged in flour and subsequently added to the stock.
Preparation of the soup:
Put the pig's trotters, ear and snout, together with the stewing chicken, chicken
and bone pieces in a big pot and cover it sufficiently with water. Next, bring the
pot to a boil and start to skim off the fat and other oily impurities released by the
27

ingredients; after some 10 minutes add the chickpeas and bring back the pot to
a boil. This done, add the carrot, the turnip, the celery, and skim off again. Let it
all simmer for 90 minutes, a period long enough to render the meats soft. Then,
add the cabbage, the potatoes, the sausages, the meat balls (pilotas).
Let the pot simmer another half hour, check the salt taste, and add salt if
necessary. Next, sieve all the ingredients, collect the soup where the "galets"
will be cooked, place all the veggies, potatoes, chickpeas and meats on serving
dish to be kept in a warm place (a preheated oven, for example). The galets will
be boiled in the soup according to the manufacturer's instructions, while the rest
of ingredients will constitute the second course. Drizzle oil and add some salt
and pepper to taste.
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Castilian Stew and Soup (Cocido madrileño) 27

Four servings: 1/2 k of shank; 1/2 stewing chicken; 1pig's trotter, quartered; 1/2
k of chickpeas; 1 tbsp coarse/normal salt; 1 marrow bone (4-5 inch-long); 100 g
streaky pork; 100 g cured ham; 1 chorizo sausage; 1 black pudding sausage;
28

150 g short noodles; 1 carrot; 1 cabbage; 6 medium-sized potatoes; oil, some
garlic cloves, celery, paprika, saffron, and salt.
Preparation: Keep the chickpeas soaked in water from the previous night; a
good trick is to add some salt in the soaking water to improve the cooking
process; this water will be eventually discarded.
Pour 1600 cc of cold water into a pressure cooker, add the shank, the pork, the
marrow bone, the cured ham, the pig's trotter, and the stewing chicken. Let all
these elements almost reach boiling point before adding the carrot, the celery,
the chickpeas, and the salt. Next, lock the pressure cooker and let simmer for
16-18 minutes; after this time, open the cooker, and add the potatoes, the
chorizo and blood sausages, the cabbage, cut into quarters. Lock again the
cooker and simmer for another 4-6 minutes; finally, open it again, sieve the
liquid from the meats, discard the marrow bone and reserve the meats, veggies,
potatoes in a warm place (a preheated oven for example), and use the resulting
broth to cook the small noodles. The resulting soup will be the first course, and
the remaining elements can be arranged on a tray from which the second
course will be served. Sprinkle some paprika (to the taste) on the stewed
ingredients and also drizzle on them some extra virgin oil (recommended)
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Tuna Fish in Tomato Sauce (Atún con tomate ) (28)

29

Four servings: 1/2 kilo fresh tuna fish cut into 1-in dices; 1 onion, cut into
brunoise; 250 dl fried tomato; 2 garlic cloves, cut into small dices; 1 dl olive oil;
salt & black pepper; half a glass of white wine; a pinch of oregano & 1 bay
leave.
Preparation: Fry the tuna dices on an intense fire in a pan with 3 tbsp of olive
oil, and reserve (the ideas is to "seal" the external side of the tuna dices and
leave the central part of them more juicy). On another clean pan add 2 tbsp of
olive, fry the garlic and add the onion before the garlic turns too brown; keep
frying both ingredients on a low fire for some minutes, add the tomato and allow
10 minutes of cooking on low fire.
Once this process is over, add the tuna fish, the salt, the pepper and the wine;
stir the ingredients to get a perfect combination and allow 2 or 3 minutes on a
low fire (The sauce must have a thick aspect).
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Bean/chickpea Salad (Empedrado)

(29)

30

Four servings: 300 g canned beans, or chickpeas; 200 g canned tuna fish, or
desalted cod fish, or both; 2 tbsp extra olive oil; some vinegar (amount and type
of it to taste) 1 green & 1 red peppers; 2 tomatoes; 1 big-sized onion; and 1, or
2, garlic cloves finely chopped & salt.
First of all, put the white beans, or canned chickpeas, in a sieve and rinse the
cooking liquid off; next cut the rest of ingredients into small dice and place in a
bowl, add the olive oil, the vinegar, the salt, the garlic, stir the ingredients and
reserve in the fridge for a later consummation.
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Chicken Croquettes (Croquetas de pollo) (30)

31

Four servings: 300 g chicken meat (cooked, roasted or boiled from a stock
preparation); 1/2 onion, finely chopped; ; 4 tbsp flour; 250 dl warm milk; 200 dl
of stock (or similar amount of water and 1 cube stock); 1 egg; breadcrumbs
(finely ground); olive oil, a pinch of salt.
Preparation: Chop the meat, remove the bones, skin, fat and reserve. Fry the
onion in a pan on a light fire until it gets softer; then add the flour, stir all the
elements and cook for a few seconds while you continue stirring the mass and
add the milk and the stock (both warm), and the nutmeg. Spoon again all the
elements, add the meat, and go on cooking on a mild fire until you see that the
mass takes on a semi-compact aspect and detaches, bit by bit, from the walls of
the casserole.
Let the mass get cool; next start to form the croquettes by scooping some of the
mass with a table spoon and shaping a quenelle with another table spoon;
cover with flour, soak each piece in bowl containing 1-2 whisked eggs, cover
with breadcrumbs and finally fry in a generous amount of oil. Croquettes can be
accompanied by a green salad to add some fiber to your diet.
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Cured Ham Croquettes (Croquetas de jamón) (31

32

Four servings: One golf ball of butter; 4 tbsp flour; milk; 350 g cured ham cut
into very small cubes; 3 eggs (2 of them fresh, and the other one hard-boiled
and finely chopped); breadcrumbs (finely ground).
Preparation: Melt down the butter in a pan on a medium fire, and add the flour
to get a thick paste. At this moment, add the milk (a little warm) bit by bit to get
a thick béchamel that will allow to produce the croquettes.
Now add the ham dice and the hard-boiled egg to this béchamel, stir all the
ingredients and pour this paste in a bowl to get cold.
Once the croquette paste is cold, arrange 3 plates in a row: one containing the
flour, another containing the egg/s whisked, and the other containing the
breadcrumbs. Form the croquettes by cutting some paste with one table spoon
and shape a quenelle-like croquette with the help of another table spoon. Now,
flour the croquettes, soaked them in the whisked egg and cover with the
breadcrumbs, while giving the finishing touches to the form of croquettes with
both hands. Finally, fry the croquettes in abundant olive and place them on
paper towels.
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Codfish Croquettes (Croquetas de bacalao) (32)

33

Ingredients for the croquettes: 300 g desalted and boneless codfish, shredded;
100 g potatoes; 2 eggs; 1 tbsp parsley finely chopped; 200 g breadcrumbs,
finely ground; 100 g flour; olive oil.
Ingredients for the béchamel: 50 g of butter; 2 dl of milk, black pepper; nutmeg;
40-50 g flour;
Preparation: cut the potatoes into cubes and put to boil in water for 15 minutes;
add the codfish 2 minutes before the time limit expressed; sieve both
ingredients, put in a bowl together with some béchamel sauce, the fine
chopped garlic cloves and let it cool for 4 hours in the fridge. Form the
croquettes with 2 tables spoons (in the same way as quenelles), flour them,
soak them in 1-2 whisked eggs, dredge in finely ground breadcrumbs and finally
fry in a generous amount of oil.
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Spare Ribs Casserole with small noodles (Fideos a la cazuela) (33)
Small noodles (fideos) resemble 1-inch pieces of spaghetti. They are very
popular in Spain, and a thinner presentation of them (vermicelli) are known as
"cabello de ángel" (Angel's hairs), while these lasts are used in the "fideuá", a
fisherman's dish from Gandía that has prawns as the soul of the dish.

34

Four servings: 400 gm small noodles; Sofrito base (1 onion, 6 tbsp tomato
purée)
300 gm pork spare ribs cut into 1-inch pieces (or pork lean meat, chopped into
1-inch dices); 100 g fresh/frozen green peas (they can be replaced by canned
ones but must be rinsed to avoid the excess of salt they contain, and added at
the last moment).
Preparation: Fry the spare ribs/pork meat to a brown color, salt and reserve on
a dish; add the sofrito base to the still-hot oil, and stir from time to time to avoid
adherence to the casserole, and keep simmering for 15 ms; then add the fried
meat and the juices (gravy) that it may have released, pour in a glass of white
wine, stir and allow a ten-minute cooking on a low fire ring. After this time, add
the fideos, the green peas, as well as some 500 cc of water (which can be
enriched with a stock cube, and if so be careful when adding salt to the dish)
and keep simmering for 11 to 13 ms, depending on dente options. Keep an eye
on the casserole to monitor that fideos don't get stuck and allow, if necessary,
some more water. In general, fideos are not served dry or too soupy. You can
also pre-cook fideos on another casserole for 5 ms, so they release the starch
they contain Therefore, the time left for obtaining a desired dente option may
vary from 6 to 8 ms.
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Lobster Casserole (Caldereta de Langosta) (34)

35

Four servings: 2 lobsters (1 kilo each, Aprox.); 1 liter fish stock; 1 onion; 4 red
peppers (ñoras, etc); 1 small bouquet of parsley; 250 g tomato purée; 2 small
branches of fennel; 2 stems of leek (the green part); 2 garlic cloves; ¼ liter
olive oil; salt & pepper to the taste; 1 small glass brandy.
Ingredients for the mortar: 50 g angle fish liver fried ; 8-10 toasted almonds; 1
garlic clove; 1 branch of parsley; 1 small glass of brandy.
Preparation: Sauté lightly the lobsters in a casserole on a high fire is cut into
slices, add the brandy and flambé and reserve; next fry the rest of the lobsters'
bodies in the same oil together with the garlic and the veggies cut into brunoise.
After some minutes of simmering on a medium-to-high flame, add the fish stock
and let simmer again for 20 minutes on a lower fire. Remove the lobsters'
bodies, mash on a mortar, add some of the fish stoke of the preparation and
sieve it all through a china cap to get a fine cream with no shell traces
Heat again the casserole on the fire, place the lobster slices, and all the juices
that have been produced after the flambé, add some more water if the sauce is
thick in excess, and simmer for 15 minutes. Mash the angle fish liver (fried),
together with the garlic, the almonds, the parsley to a fine paste, add the brandy
and pour it on the preparation 5 minutes before the conclusion of the recipe.

36

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Fried puffs of codfish (Buñuelos de bacalao) (35)

Four servings: 200 g desalted cod-fish, drained on paper towels; 1 egg, 150 g
flour; coloring powder (better if you can afford saffron, a few chopped pistils);
Salt, 1 tbsp yeast, or baking soda.
Preparation: Shred the desalted codfish into small pieces and mix all
ingredients in a bowl to form an homogenous and not-too-thick paste (a bit
runny, but only a bit). What is left to now is to scoop some paste with a tbsp and
drop it on hot oil and fry until the fritters get a nice brown color; you can use a
deep fryer, or a sauce pan with enough oil (in this case you can use sunflower
oil, although take into account that this type of oils have a lower boiling point, so
they become denatured earlier). Once they are fried, drain them on paper
towels to discard excess of oil.
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Cheese & Bacon Puffs (Buñuelos de queso y bacon) (36)

37

Four servings: 125 gm of grated cheese; 125 gm cured ham cut into very small
cubes;1 egg; 125 g flour; 300 cc water; Salt; 1 tsp yeast (o baking soda);
coloring agent.
Preparation: Fry the ham in a sauce pan with no oil, and reserve it on kitchen
roll paper. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl together with the ham to form a nottoo-thick paste. Scoop some paste from the bowl with a tbsp and drop it into the
hot oil. Remove each fritter when they get brown, and let them drain on paper
towels.
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Russian Steak (Bistec ruso) (37)

38

I have read several recipes on this minced meat preparation, but all of them are
different and quite bizarre. So I have finally come up with a recipe that my
grand-ma used a long time ago.
Four servings: 800 gm minced/ground beef meat; 1 egg; parsley and 3 garlic
cloves finely chopped; salt ; breadcrumbs (finely ground).
Preparation: Grind the meat in the processor to the size normally used in
hamburgers. Mix the ground meat, the egg, the salt, and the finely chopped
parsley and garlic, to form balls the size of a tennis ball, and then flatten to a
half-inch-thick hamburger-like steak. Cover with finely-ground breadcrumbs (it's
necessary to homogenously press the meat on the breadcrumbs, so they cover
the meat, and fry in a generous amount of sunflower oil.
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Codfish & Artichocke Rice (Arroz con Bacalao y Alcachofas) (38)

39

Four servings: 4 cupfuls rice; 8-9 cupfuls fish stock; 500 g desalted codfish; 4
fresh artichokes, cut into quarters, or smaller pieces (once some of the external
green leaves have been stripped off); 1 onion, grated, or finely chopped; 100 g
fresh green peas (optional); olive oil.
Preparation: Fry lightly the onion in a flat casserole on a medium-to-low fire for
5 minutes. Add the artichoke quarters, wait until they get fried. Next add the
green peas and the rice, spoon all the ingredients, add the fish stock, and
increase the fire until the casserole starts to boil, and then turn down the fire to
a medium level. The time left for the conclusion of the recipe is around 18
minutes, and that means you have to add the codfish 5 minutes before the time
limit. The amount of stock fish, whether 4 or 5 cupfuls, will determine the final
level of dryness of the recipe.
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Macaroni with Pork Meat (Macarrones con Carne de Cerdo) (39)

40

Six servings: 500 g macaroni; 300 g ground pork meat; 2 garlic cloves;1 green
onion; tomato purée; 1 green pepper; salt; some parsley, finely chopped; black
ground, cut into rings; pepper; olive oil & salt
Preparation: In the first place, cook the pasta in abundant water with salt,
according to the manufacturer's instructions, minus 5 minutes; next, sieve, rinse
the starch off with tap water and reserve.
Sauté the garlic, the onion and the green pepper in a casserole with olive oil,
and after a few minutes (no more than 5) add the meat, together with some salt
and pepper. Let some cooking for a few minutes, and add the tomato purée and
the parsley; stir it all and let simmer for 10 minutes on a low fire to get an
homogeneous mixture of both flavor and color. Finally add the macaroni, mix it
all well and let the preparation simmer for 5 minutes (the same amount of time
subtracted firstly) . To me, it is better to let the macaroni take part in the cooking
process without adding starch to the recipe, this improves the result because
otherwise macaroni seem to have a detached role in the preparation.
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Boiled Ham and Cheese Croquettes (Croquetas de jamón cocido y queso) (40)

41

Four servings: 100 gm grated gruyere cheese; 50 gm boiled ham, cut into small
dice; 25 gm flour; 150 gm finely ground breadcrumbs; 25 gm butter; salt,
pepper, nutmeg; 1 whisked egg, parsley, oil, and some lemon slices.
Preparation: Mix the cheese, the egg, the boiled ham, and the butter, melted
down; add the salt, the pepper and the nutmeg to all this and make an
homogeneous paste. Form with this paste 1-inch balls that will be dredged in
flour, then soaked in whisked egg, covered with breadcrumbs and finally fried in
oil.
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Monkfish Stew with Potatoes (Guiso de Patatas con Rape) (41)

42

Four 4 servings: 800 g monkfish; 400 g potatoes; 1 big-sized onion; . 4 tbsp
tomato purée; 1 hard-boiled egg; flour; parsley; paprika; fish stock from
Preparation: Salt the fish pieces, dredge in flour, fry them in a casserole with
olive oil and reserve. Sauté, in the same casserole, first the onion on a medium
fire, and afterwards add the tomato purée, give a stir and let it simmer for 10
minutes (rehydrate if necessary). Next, add the paprika, and the fish stock
straightaway to avoid the spice gets burned, and finally add the potatoes..
Simmer the for 18-20 minutes (check if potatoes are cooked). If you want to use
hake or fresh codfish, then the fish should be added ten minutes after the
potatoes have been added to avoid it breaks up.
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Piquillo Peppers stuffed with Cod (Pimientos del piquillo con bacalao) (42)

43

Four servings: 200 gm desalted cod-fish (shredded); 2 potatoes: Allioli (or
mayonnaise, although allioli is preferable); 12 canned red Piquillo peppers.
Ingredients for the béchamel: both preparing the fills and the sauce: 2 tbsp
flour, 1 oz. butter, 200 ml milk cream (3 oz.), 400 ml fish broth (warm); and
some paprika.
Preparation: Boil the peeled potatoes for 18 minutes, and add the desalted codfish only 3 minutes before removing the potatoes from the fire ring. Strain the
potatoes and the fish and start smashing the ingredients with a fork, or with your
customary tool, and reserve for a later use. Prepare the béchamel by melting
the butter in a medium-sized casserole and on a light fire ring, and add the flour
and mix with the wire whip to get an homogenous paste (it is called "rouge"
when it is cooked a bit longer and acquires a red color). Now you can add the
fish broth, warm, and the cream bit by bit to finally get a creamy, thick sauce.
Now you can mix the smashed cod-fish and potatoes with the allioli, or
mayonnaise, to get the stuffing for the Piquillo peppers. Now you need a sauce
in which the piquillos may swim. Melt the butter with some oil in a small
saucepan, add the flour and stir with wire whip. Start to add, bit by bit, the milk
cream (better if it's a bit warm), and then the fish broth; let it all simmer for a few
minutes so the béchamel cream gets thicker, add 1/2 tsp of paprika, and finally
pour this sauce on the stuffed red peppers, sway the casserole a bit to improve
the mixing process and serve, or heat again the whole preparation a bit if the
peppers are not warm enough.
44

____________________________________________________
Cod with Peppers and Onions in White Wine (Bacalao con Pimientos y Cebolla
al Vino Blanco) (43)

Four servings: 600 g desalted codfish (dried on paper towels); 1 onion, finely
chopped; the flesh of 2 red peppers (roasted in an oven with some olive oil,
skinned and seeded); 1 garlic clove, finely chopped; 1 glass of white wine; 1
glass fish cod; 1 tbsp of flour; olive oil; salt & pepper; parsley.
Preparation: Sauté the onion and the garlic, then add the flour and stir
thoroughly to mix it all. Add the fish stock (warm), stir again the ingredients and
then add the wine (it is as though you were making a béchamel cream). Let this
cream simmer for 6 minutes on a mild fire Grind the flesh of the red peppers
with a hand blender, add it to the previous cream, mix all the elements and pour
this sauce on top of the codfish pieces, which had previously been placed on a
roasting pan. Place the roasting pan in a preheated oven to 180ºC (356ºF) and
cook au gratin for ten minutes.
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Monkfish fishermen's style Rape a la Marinera (44)

45

Four servings: 3/4 k of angler fish, cut into slices (1/2-inch thick); 8 prawns; 1
onion. finely chopped; 2 tbsp of tomato purée; 1 glass white wine; 2 garlic
cloves, finely chopped; some parsley, finely chopped; 8-10 almonds (peeled
and toasted); a few saffron pistils; salt & olive oil; some finely chopped 1/4 k
clams & 1/4 k mussels that will be placed in a pot with some water to allow their
opening, and the juices produced in the process will be reserved (Clams should
be soaked in salted water for at least 8 hours, so the sand they contain may be
released)
Preparation: First, salt the angler fish pieces and then dredge them in flour; next
fry the pieces with some olive oil on high flame and reserve in a warm place (a
preheated oven turned off). Fry in the same oil the onion, and some minutes
afterwards the tomato. Let it all simmer for some 8 minutes. Now, mash the
almonds and the saffron, then add the wine and pour this liquid mash in the
casserole with the rest of ingredients, turn up the fire and let the wine
evaporate. So, at this point add the angler fish slices, let simmer for 8 minutes
(add in the meantime some 2 or 3 tbsp of mineral water if the whole preparation
dries out). Next, add the clams, the mussels, and the juices collected, together
with the prawns and let preparation simmer for 8 minutes. Sprinkle the chopped
parsley on the fish.
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Codfish with sanfaina (Bacalao con sanfaina) (45)
46

Four servings: 4 pieces of desalted codfish; 1big-sized onion; 3 red and ripe
tomatoes; 1 garlic bulb; 2 small eggplants; 2 small red peppers; 1 zucchini;
1tsp of paprika; 1 bay leave; 1 pinch of salt; 50 cc of olive oil; 1 glass of wine.
Preparation of the sanfaina: Cut al the veggies into strips, except the tomato,
and start to fry in oil: Add the white wine and the paprika when you notice the
ingredients start to take on some color. Reduce the wine, then add the tomato
cut into cubes and let simmer for 10-12 minutes on a mild fire.
Preparation: Dredge the codfish pieces in flour and fry them in olive oil until they
get a brown color; this is obtained when the oil is quite hot (not smoky) and the
pieces are turned again and again. Once they're fried, place them on paper
towel to drain the excess of oil.
Place the codfish pieces on a roasting pan, and cover each piece with the
veggies. Place the roasting pan in a preheated oven and cook au gratin for a
few minutes at 180º (356ºF).
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Roasted Shoulder of Lamb (Paletilla de cordero asado) (46)

47

Two servings: 1 lamb shoulder blade; four ripe tomatoes; 10 garlic cloves; 1 bigsized onion (or 2 medium ones); 2 bay leaves; thyme; rosemary; 4 tbsp of olive
oil; salt & pepper.
Remove superfluous skins and fat. Pierce some cuts on the meat with the point
of a knife and introduce a garlic clove on each cut; do not salt. Place the piece
on a roasting pan, pour 2 tbsp of oil it, and place in the oven preheated to 240 º
C (464º F). In the mean time, cut the tomatoes and the onions, place on a plate,
add the salt and the pepper as well as the thyme, the rosemary, the bay leaves
and the rest of oil.
After about 15 minutes, depending on the desired point of roasting, add the
ingredients of the plate; at this point you can also add a few medium-sized
potatoes, previously peeled.
Forty-five minutes later you can salt and pepper the meat; at this point the piece
is not very roasted yet, but you have to lower temperature to 175 ºC (346º F) to
get the good roast point that you wish. Also, you can also add small peeled
potatoes, previously boiled in some water and salt, to the preparation 5 minutes
before the conclusion of the preparation, or serve with mashed potatoes, or
fried potatoes as garnish.
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Veal or beef with mushrooms. (Ternera con setas) (47)

48

Four servings: 600 g beef meat cut into thin steaks; flour; 1 big-sized onion; 4
tbsp tomato purée; 12 almonds; 12 hazelnuts; 1 can of assorted mushrooms
(rinsed in tap water and drained); 1 glass wine; 1 glass light beef stock; olive oil;
salt & pepper.
Preparation: Salt and pepper the steaks and fry them with oil on a medium-tohigh fire. Reserve the steaks in a casserole; in the mean time, fry (now on a
medium-to-low fire) the onion in the same oil; let simmer this onion until it gets a
bit brown, and then add the tomato and, after 2 minutes, the glass of wine. Let
it simmer for 20 minutes and move this sauce to a glass blender together with
the almonds and the hazelnuts (peeled) and process it with a hand-blender.
Next pour this thick sauce on the steaks and thin it out with 1 glass of light beef
stock. Let the preparation simmer, on a low fire and with the lid on, for 1 hour
(or 90 minutes, depending on the softness and thickness of the meat steaks; I
usually cut a small piece and taste it to check it). And finally, some 10 minutes
before the conclusion time add the mushrooms.
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Chicken Drumsticks with Samfaina (Muslos de pollo con sanfaina) (48)

49

Four servings: 8 chicken legs (or a whole chicken); 1 red pepper and 1 green
pepper, both cut into brunoise; 1 medium-sized eggplant; 1 big-sized onion, cut
into half-moon slices ; 5-6 ripe tomatoes, coarsely cut; 3 garlic cloves, cut into
slices; olive oil & salt..
Preparation: Salt the chicken drumsticks and fry them in a casserole with olive
oil (4-5 tbsp) until they brown (you can also remove the chicken skin if you want
to).
Now, add all the veggies to the casserole, together with some salt, and let it all
simmer for an hour on a mild fire with the lid on. Shake the casserole from time
to time.
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Braised Squids stuffed with Pork Meat (Calamares rellenos) (49)

50