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Croquettes
Hello,
Croquettes are very typical in Spain as a tapa in bars or as an appetizer. There are several ways to prepare them around the world, but my approach will be a very spanish one 🙂
Ingredients ( ~ 16 croquettes)
- 2 eggs
- 100 gr breadcrumbs
- 200 gr flour
- 200 gr ham
- Ground nutmeg
- 100 gr unsalted butter
- ½ litre of milk
Start cutting ham in very small pieces. I used about 200 gr of ham, but you have to use less amount if your ham is too salty. Also you can add other ingredients as for example chicken or tuna.
On a pot add 100 gr of unsalted butter, when butter is almost molten add cut ham, stir it until butter is totally molten. Then add 100 gr of flour, stir while cooking it for about 1 minute until flour is cooked. Then add ½ litre of milk at ambient temperature and a bit of ground nutmeg. Move constantly with a wooden spoon to avoid lumps and it will be ready in a couple of minutes when you can see the bottom of your pot when moving with the spoon.
Empty the pot in a recipient and level the surface. Cover with a transparent film stick to the surface to avoid crust in the surface. Let cold and maintain in the fridge until next day.
Next day with a spoon take portions of the dough and give them a cylindrical shape with your hands. Try to get always a similar amount of dough so each croquettes result in a very similar size. Â Once you have all your croquettes shaped, pass each of them first in flour, then in whisked egg and finally in breadcrumbs.
In a pot heat oil, adding enough to immerse the croquettes. When you insert a wooden spoon in the oil and bubbles appear the temperature of oil is right to fry. Now immerse the croquettes in small batches cooking them about 40 to 50 seconds. Retire them over a paper towel to absorb the excess of oil, and let the oil heat again between each batches of croquettes.
Music played in the video (Airport Lounge) was composed by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com), also he is the owner of song’s rights which are released under a CC-BY license.
Vinaigrette mussels
Hello,
This is a very typical tapa in Spain (in Spanish, mejillones en vinagreta) and it’s a really nice recipe for sumer because you can eat them at a lower temperature and they’re still delicious, furthermore mussels are one of the cheapest seafood you can find (at least in Spain) making this recipe really a winner: rich, healthy, fresh, cheap. What else do you need? Of course it is also easy to prepare.
Ingredients:
- Mussels
- Sherry vinegar
- Spring onion
- Red pepper
- Green pepper
- Olive oil
Let’s start preparing the mussels, we will steam it. If you don’t have a tool to steam you can use just a pot, boil water and put the mussels in a metallic colander on top, cover the pot with a lid and maintain cooking for about 15 minutes. Use a tall pot in order to avoid water get off the pot, and be careful there’s always water in the pot otherwise you will burn it, and it’s not good to burn a pot on each recipe.
While the mussels steam we will prepare the vinaigrette, you need to chop more or less the same amount of spring onion, red pepper and green pepper, obtaining very smalll pieces. Then put all together in a bowl and add salt, sherry vinegar and olive oil (using 2 times more olive oil than vinegar). Mix well, Â if there is too much oil and vinegar you can reuse them later to dress a salad.
Discard those mussels not opened, remove half of shell, let cold and just add a coffespoon of vinaigrette over each mussel.
Music used in the video (Airport Lounge) and it’s rights belong to Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) who distributes it under CC-BY license.
Cider chorizos
Hello!
This is a a very typical recipe from Asturias (north Spain) , it is really easy todo, perhaps the hardest part will be getting the ingredients. It is normally served as a tapa, something you should taste if ever visit Asturias 🙂
Ingredients
- Tender chorizos
- Natural cider
You must choose tender chorizos and natural cider (no gas). Add the chorizos in a pot and make little punctures with a knive. Cover them with cider and turn on the fire. Once starts to boil cook for 15-20 minutes and the recipe is ready. Enjoy them with a good bread just after cooked.
Mushroom bombs
Ingredients:
- 2-3 potatoes
- 500 gr mushrooms
- 3 garlic cloves
- Parsley
- Cheese to grate
- 1 egg
Start chopping 3 garlic cloves. Chop a bunch of parsley. Clean the mushrooms and cut them in 4 pieces. Peel the potates, cut in regular pieces and add them in hot water with a bit of salt, let cook for 15 minutes until they are soft.
Add olive oil in a pan, and when it’s hot add mushrooms and salt. When the mushrooms start to loose their water add the choped garlic and parsley; move them in the pan to mix uniformly. When the lost water is evaporated add oil and move the mushrooms until they are to your taste.
Put the potatoes in a bowl and add an egg, salt and pepper, and grated cheese. I used Old Amsterdam cheese, but you can also use parmeggiano. Crush the potatoes with a fork , while also mixing all ingredients well.
Now took a spoon of potatoe in your hand, put some mushrooms in the middle, wrap them with the potate forming a ball. Add some grated cheese over each ball and cook in the oven at 350º F for 25-30 minutes.
Stuffed mushrooms
Ingredients:
- 10-12 big mushrooms
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 100 gr ham
- Parsley
- Gorgonzola cheese
Start removing the mushroom walk with a knive from big clean mushrooms. Chop an onion. Chop 100 gr of ham.
Add olive oil in a pan, and when it’s hot add the onion, the ham and 2 crushed garlic cloves. Cook it for 8 to 10 minutes stiring frequently.
In a grilling add olive oil and when the grilling is hot add the mushrooms with the walk side down. Over them add salt and olive oil. Move around the grilling and let cook for about 5 minutes. Then turn them. With a spoon fill mushrooms with the cooked ham. Add parsley. Finally add a spoon of gorgonzola cheese over each mushroom, if you prefer you can try with another cheese, grating it if it is not a creamy one. Let them cook for 10 minutes and the recipe is ready.
Garlic prawns
Garlic prawns (“gambas al ajillo” in spanish) are a very popular tapa in Spain. They are very tasteful and easy to cook.
Ingredients:
- Prawns
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Chili
Start peeling the prawns; after peeling make an incision with the knife in the back, remove this small thread which are the bowels of prawn. Dry the prawns with towel paper.
Cut 1 garlic clove for each 2 prawns and a bit of chili. Add oil to the pan, when it’s hot add garlic and chili, 30 seconds later add the prawns and cook them for 2 minutes.
Serve on a mud casserole and add some parsley
Patatas bravas
This was the recipe used to cook my mother in our bar, and it liked lot of customers. As there are a lot of different ways to prepare “patatas bravas”, this is not “the recipe” but just one of the possible ways to cook them.
Ingredients:
- Potatoes
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Oregano
- White vinegar
- Paprika
We will start cutting the potatoes but instead of using the knife to the end we will break it next to the end. On a pot put oil and let it to get heat, then throw in it the potatoes. Add salt, cover the pot and let them cook about 12 minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking, lets prepare the sauce. On a mortar put 2 garlic cloves and grind them with the pestle. Add oregano and continue grinding. Also add paprika, white vinegar, water to fill the mortar and mix it.
When you can puncture the potato with the knife they are ready, and you can extract them from the pot.
Now mix the potatoes with the sauce and enjoy!
I hope you like the recipe, see you next time.
Recipes from Spain 