Wanting to enrich the home diet, many housewives are experimenting with the composition, design and presentation of the usual dishes. More liberated in cooking, they decide to introduce foreign dishes, trying the most unusual dishes and drinks. A colorful guide to the gastronomic journey will be the colorful Spanish cuisine. Thanks to passionate combinations of vegetables, seafood and spice-inspiring taste recipes, she is the friendliest for the unhealed stomachs of Europeans and Asia.
Sociability is the main trump card that spanish cuisine. The recipes of the most complicated dishes can easily be transformed in the skillful hands of a simple housewife, you just have to add a little imagination to the products.
The essence of Spanish cuisine
The three whales of Mediterranean cuisine are quality olive oil, crispy bell peppers and sage. Many will argue with this statement, pointing to the abundance of meat, garlic and vegetables in the menu of the most expensive restaurants in the country. But in its essence, Spanish cuisine preserves the flavor of ancient times, when people knew the price of real oil and the taste of pepper poured with good and sun.
What has changed over the centuries of existence?
Over the centuries of its existence, the food culture of the hot Spaniards has undergone constant transformations: the French brought with them the magnificent wine, which became an excellent basis for stews, the Africans shared the secrets of pairing spices, the “friendship” with Italians gave the locals a wealth of pastries, and the Moors sweetened the dishes with using almonds, milk and couscous. Such influences of foreign traditions, the Spanish national cuisine delicately absorbed and skillfully presented the best of them in their own inimitable style.
Popular foods
The first dishes are distinguished by an incomparable aroma, subtlest taste and a stunning view. Four celebrities among them:
- the most magnificent samphian - a symphony of ripe tomatoes, tart eggplant and tidbits;
- flavored picada - a colorful trio of garlic, to the extent of roasted almonds and juicy herbs;
- laconic Sofrito - a composition of garlic, pepper, meaty tomatoes and herbs;
- unrivaled ali-oli - soft garlic based on olive oil.
Spanish cuisine. Recipes
Acquaintance should begin with simple dishes. You should not immediately rush to harbor king prawns or octopus: the lighter the dish, the faster Spanish cuisine will take root in the house. Simple recipes are easier to remember. And that means to bring to life. To get started, you can cook a light cold soup called gazpacho, which will require not so much:
- 1 kg of fleshy tomato;
- 200-220 g of fresh cucumbers;
- 100-120 g of sweet pepper;
- 100 g of red onion;
- 2 medium cloves of fresh garlic;
- a tablespoon of good wine vinegar;
- 2 tbsp. l olive oil;
- a handful of favorite crackers;
- salt, sugar and lemon flavor completely to your own taste.
Cooking soup
Although Gazpacho is a representative of cold dishes, you can savor it at any time of the year, because it is a kind of Spanish okroshka: it will refresh you in the hot season, and in winter it will remind you of a sultry and passionate summer.
To begin with, it is worth starting to peel vegetables: tomatoes must be freed from a hard peel and the peduncle carefully removed. Cucumbers suffer the same fate - their “clothes” also fly into the trash. Properly washed peppers need to be cut into sound pieces, tomatoes and cucumbers - into small pieces, crush garlic with a press or a glass and put the whole company in a blender. Grind vegetables is until completely homogeneous. After that, you need to tackle the balance of the taste of the soup: if the tomatoes were sour, it is better to add a pinch of sugar. Next, add salt to the soup, drip wine vinegar and olive oil. Having mixed well, the soup can be set to cool in the refrigerator. Serving a colorful dish is with beautiful crispy crackers and herbs (you can also decorate with fresh mint).
Paella
Spanish cuisine does not tolerate unjustified squandering, so many are familiar with the recipe for profitable paella with affordable seafood. To prepare an unusual dish, the housewives need to purchase the following:
- 250 g of a quality seafood mix;
- 350-400 fillets of your favorite fish;
- 200 g of string beans;
- 100 g sweet crisp pepper;
- 3 cups coarse-grained (steamed) rice;
- 250-300 g of fresh tomatoes;
- 2 cloves of fresh fragrant garlic;
- 100 ml of dry wine;
- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley;
- 5-6 glasses of broth;
- 4 tbsp olive oil;
- 2 pinches (0.5 tsp) saffron, salt, pepper, paprika.
Cooking
Sensual Spanish cuisine does not tolerate frozen foods, but in a modern, busy life, you can miss this whim. To begin with, it’s worth warming up the main tool in cooking - a frying pan with a thick bottom, olive oil must completely cover its capacity. The first to go are seafood and chopped fish fillets. This should be done no more than 2-3 minutes, so the optimum amount of juice will come out of the products. After pieces of fried seafood we take out, and into the juice itself we unload the pepper cut attractively. When the vegetable becomes soft, it is worth adding colorful tomatoes that are already peeled, which you can cut into cubes or in the shape of a crescent.
Stew chopped vegetables for at least 10-12 minutes, after which you can add color to them using 0.5 tsp paprika, saffron and salt, as well as ground black pepper. This quartet of spices is unchanged for the preparation of paella, you can supplement the set, but you should not exclude it.
Next, it’s worth doing rice - you don’t need to rush immediately to rinse it, rice dust gives the dishes viscousness, namely it is the hallmark of this dish, which Spanish cuisine is proud of. Recipes of actualized variations are more loyal in this regard, but when preparing paella for the first time, you should trust the advice described in the classic recipes.
Rice is better to pour into a juicy vegetable base in a pan. Then he needs to be given juice, after which it is worth returning the seafood to the hot company, adding the slightly warmed seedless broth and dry wine to the fish.
Paella is mixed only once after the introduction of dry wine. Having turned all layers of the dish well, you should go one more time and cover the pan with a lid.
Refueling is the true chic of any Spanish cuisine. Recipes often begin to write from them, because it is not just a mixture of spices and herbs - this is the final chord of any culinary masterpiece. Paella is complemented by a mixture of painstakingly chopped parsley and garlic. Giving the garlic to let the juice, the dressing can be added to the main company and simmer for 8-10 minutes, then be sure to let the dish brew. Rice should take all the juices and fill to the residue. You can serve the dish accompanied by cherry tomatoes and green leaves.
Turron
What is the decoration of any table? Of course, a delicious and colorful dessert. The visiting card of Spain at Christmas time can be called the Turron - Mediterranean Kozinaki.
To prepare a winter version of sweets, the hostesses will need:
- 3 neatly separated egg whites;
- 250 g of fine sugar;
- a glass of beloved honey;
- a glass of your favorite nuts (you can mix);
- 5-6 sheets of quality rice paper.
Cooking
Fantasy and aesthetics are what impresses Spanish cuisine. Recipes with photos can be scrolled through, like something magical. All the desserts are so colorful and distinctive that most of the sweet tooth, having tried once the Spanish goodies, can no longer eat the usual ones.
First you need to beat the squirrels (they should be cooled beforehand, so the peaks will form faster). Next, you need to cook the syrup from prepared honey and sugar, its readiness can be determined by its attractive density, after which it is necessary to pour the syrup on top of the squirrels and beat again. A mixture of nuts (crushed or whole) should be mixed into the created sweet mass. Pour the resulting nougat onto a layer of rice paper (confectionery) and let it dry, after which you need to cover it with another sheet. You can serve geometrically by cutting the layers with paper.
Conclusion
Now you know what Spanish cuisine is all about. Recipes with photos we provided to you in the article. We hope that you will be able to cook such dishes at home.