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Ok, so that’s fun to say, isn’t it? lol Fun to say, and fun to eat! Looking for something simple and packed with flavor? This is just the ticket. Active work time is only about 15 minutes, the rest is just bake time. Empanadas are great for lunch, or for a snack, and are great the next day…perfect to take with you wherever you need to go. They’re even good cold, so are perfect picnic fare! When we had the sailboat, I’d make these all the time to take with for a day out on the water. You can make them up ahead of time, and they keep really well. Empanadas can be made into a pie, like I’ve done here, or if you’re feeling feisty, go ahead and make them into individually sized empanadas, for a quick bite, or a great party appetizer.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (or pure)
1 pound (1/2 kilo) light tuna, drained and flaked
pastry for 2 pie crusts (either homemade or store bought)
1 egg, beaten

Preparation:

Heat oil and saute garlic first until golden.
Add onion and pepper and saute until tender.
Add thyme, bay and tomato sauce and season with salt and pepper.
Cook about 5 minutes on medium heat.
Add tuna and stir until combined.
Remove from heat and remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf.
Spread half of the pastry on a baking sheet.
Cover with tuna mixture, leaving a 1″ border.
Top with remaining pastry and seal edges.
Brush pastry with beaten egg and poke a few ventilation holes.
Bake at 400ºF/175ºC for 20-30 minutes or until golden.

Y en español:

Ingredientes:

3 cucharadas de aceite de oliva
3 dientes de ajo, majados
1 cebolla, picada
1 pimiento rojo picado
3 ramos tomillo
1 hoja laurel
sal y pimienta al gusto
1 1/2 vasos tomate frito (salsa de tomate o puré de tomate)
2 láminas de masa quebrada
1 huevo, batido

Elaboración:

Calentar el aceite y dorar los ajos.
Añadir la cebolla y el pimiento y freir hasta que estén blandos.
A continuación, añadir el tomillo, laurel y salsa de tomate.
Salpimentar.
Cocinar unos 5 minutos.
Añadir el atún escurrido y desmenuzado y mezclar bien.
Extender 1 lámina de masa y cubrir con la mezcla de atún, dejando unos centimetros al border.
Tapar con la segunda lámina de masa y cerrar bien por los lados.
Pintar con huevo batido, y abrir unos agujeros en la superficie.
Hornear a 175ºC durante unos 20-30 minutos, o hasta que esté dorada.

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Did I scare you? I mean, the idea of frozen salad probably isn’t that appealing. LOL But. And this is a pretty big BUT. (no, it’s not mine! ) Gazpacho. Sorbet. Combine the two and you have a bit of frozen heaven. This traditional Spanish soup is always served chilled, and often with ice…why not go just another step and turn it into a savory sorbet, I asked? Top that with the traditional finely chopped vegetables for added crunch, and you have entered into yum world. This one is going to be making regular appearances at our summer table, folks. It’s the perfect way to begin a meal in the sweltering heat of summer, or even as an afternoon snack. It’s packed with vegetables, very low in fat, and delicious. Oh!  And super easy.  So whatcha waitin for?

Ingredients:

2 pounds (1kilo) very ripe tomatoes
1 cucumber, peeled
1 small red onion
2 cloves garlic
1 italian pepper
olive oil to taste (about 3 tablespoons)
red wine vinegar to taste (about 3 tablespoons)
salt to taste
4 cups ice cubes (or more)

Preparation:

Roughly chop all vegetables, reserving a bit of tomato, cucumber, pepper and onion to garnish.
Place all ingredients in blender or food processor and process until smooth.
Add ice and process until smooth.
Serve sorbet garnished with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and topped with finely chopped tomato, cucumber, pepper and onion.

Y en español:

Ingredientes:

1 kilo tomates maduros
1 pepino, pelado
1 cebolla roja pequeña
2 dientes de ajo
1 pimiento italiano (para freir)
aceite de oliva virgen (3 cucharadas, mas o menos)
vinagre de vino rojo (3 cucharadas, mas o menos)
sal al gusto
4 vasos de hielo (o mas)

Elaboración:

Cortar las verduras en trozos (no tiene que ser muy pequeñas), reservando un poquito de tomate, pepino, cebolla y pimiento para adornar.
Poner todo en la batidora o robot y triturar hasta que esté bien molido y homogéneo.
Añadir el hielo y triturar hasta que esté suave.
Servir adornado con aceite de oliva virgen, vinagre de modena y las verduritas reservadas (picadas muy finas).

Oooh, and a steep price it is….Free.  LOL  Before moving here to the Canaries it never–and I mean NEVER–would have occurred to me to make my own mayonnaise.  I mean, why?  It’s so easy to buy it at the store, and inexpensive to boot.  Why would anyone even bother?  But then I tried my mother in law’s alioli.  It was like a serious revelation, a turning point in my life.  Homemade mayo?  WAY better than store bought.  Add garlic?  Even *better* than WAY better than store bought.  It only takes about 2 minutes start to finish, too.  You’ll need a food processor or blender with an opening at the top to pour in the oil, but it really is one of the easiest things in the world to make.  So that’s recipe number one of this post.  Keep reading for a super easy spring/summer sandwich recipe…

 

Ingredients:

2 generous pinches of sea salt (the amount that you can pick up between your thumb and fingers)
3 cloves garlic (more or less, to taste)
1 egg
sunflower oil (I prefer sunflower to olive in this recipe…the olive oil makes the alioli bitter imo)…now this will vary, but about a cup?
2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Preparation:

Add salt, garlic and egg to your food processor or blender and process until garlic is finely chopped.
In a thin, steady stream (this is really important), add the sunflower oil until the sauce thickens. I have had it happen where the mayo never thickens. Don’t worry, just pour the mixture into another receptacle, add another egg and slowly pour it back in in a steady stream.
When the mayo has thickened, add the vinegar (processing all the while) to mix.
Adjust salt.
Done!
How easy was THAT?
Alioli goes very well with just about everything (except dessert), so be sure to have it handy at all times! lol It keeps in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days, tightly covered.

Now, let’s move on to that sandwich recipe I promised. Would you LOOK at this organic baby watercress my veggie vendor had?!

Doesn’t that just look fresh and delicious?! Watercress is a very common ingredient in Canarian cooking. We make stews with it, salads, and the ever popular, “Sandwich de Berros.” (berros=watercress) The watercress sandwich is common for breakfast, for an afternoon snack, and is often served at family gatherings and parties. The sandwiches are great when you first make them, but in my opinion are even better the next day, so they are a perfect make ahead addition to whatever fun gathering you have planned.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup alioli
4 cups baby watercress (or regular watercress, stems removed)
1 loaf sandwich bread

Preparation:

Place alioli and watercress in your food processor and blend until smooth.
Spread mixture on sandwich bread and cut into triangles.
Cover and reserve in refrigerator until ready to serve.

So, remember I was telling you about all the grilling we’ve been doing?  Often times, the leftover grilled meats and vegetables are less than appealing, am I right?  I mean, who wants to eat a cold chorizo?  Chorizo is one of the best things EVAH just off the coals, but later?  Not so great.  They tend to be dry when reheated, and generally not the most appetizing of foods.  Other ingredients are easier to find uses for, like roasted peppers and baked potatoes for example.  Potato salad, anyone?  But, I was feeling guilty about tossing all of those lovely chorizos after our barbecues…there must be *some* way to salvage them?  Well, there is.  And it’s delicious!  And they are revived to their delectable juicy selves.  Awesome! :D  Just look at these tasty little bites of goodness:

There are many names for this particular style of egg dish.  Here in Spain, we call it a “tortilla,” whereas in Italy, it’s called, “frittata,” and in the States it’s generally referred to as an omelette (depending on your heritage, that is. lol).  The funny thing is that tortillas are made with eggs, but it’s really about the ingredients you add to them.  Traditional Spanish tortillas are all about the potatoes.  This one includes the conventional potatoes, but also includes delicious toasted garlic, onion, roasted red peppers and grilled chorizo to make for a mighty tasty, wonderfully easy meal.

Ingredients:

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large Spanish onion, minced
3 baked potatoes, skin removed and roughly chopped
3 chorizos, grilled and chopped
1 roasted red bell pepper, chopped
8 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized, deeper saute pan.
Saute garlic until golden, then add onions and continue to saute until translucent.
Add potatoes, chorizos and peppers and heat through.
*note* if you don’t have leftovers, I suggest baking the potatoes in the microwave or oven until done, and cooled, using canned roasted peppers, and for the chorizo, just saute it until cooked through before adding the potatoes and peppers)
Meanwhile, beat eggs with salt and pepper until beginning to froth.
Reduce heat to low, and pour eggs over meat and vegetables.
Stir around a bit, to permit egg to solidify slightly, then cover.
Using a spatula, press egg toward center occasionally, to form the rounded edge.
After about 10 minutes, when egg is beginning to set, carefully place a large plate over the saute pan (one that larger than the pan).
This is the tricky part.
I usually count to three and flip the tortilla onto the plate.
Please be careful not to burn yourself! It’s also important to make sure the egg is beginning to set before doing this, or you’ll have egg all over the place. Ask me how I know this. LOL
Wipe out saute pan, and add a bit more olive oil.
Slide the tortilla back into the pan and cover.
Repeat the pressing of the sides occasionally, and when the egg is really looking like it’s set, sort of “shake” the tortilla around in the pan a bit to prevent sticking.
This should take about 10-20 more minutes, depending on the size of your pan.
Repeat the “flip” process (I find that it looks prettier when you flip a second time).
To see what a finished tortilla should look like, have a look HERE.
Serve as desired. Here I’ve cut the tortilla into cubes to serve as tapas.

Potaje (pronounced po-TAH-hay) is a delicious multi vegetable stew very typical of the Canary Islands.  Here, rather than have all the food served at once, meals are served in courses.  Generally a first course, which can be either a soup, stew, salad, or pasta and is then followed by the main course and of course following that, dessert and coffee.  Many restaurants in Spain offer a lunch “menu,” where you can choose a first and second course from the day’s specials, and it comes with a beverage and dessert.  I’m pretty sure that the variety of potajes are as varied as the chefs that prepare them.  There are lentil potajes, watercress potajes (look for this one soon), corn potaje…the limit is your own creativity, much like soups and stews everywhere else in the world.  Let me share with you my mil’s recipe for Potaje Canario….

Ingredients:

*note, add or subract at your preference, the amounts are approximate.

2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon smokey paprika
2 ripe tomatoes, skinned, seeded and diced
1 onion, diced
a few sprigs of thyme
1-2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 cob corn, broken in two pieces
3 zucchini, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 large handful green beans, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
1 large handful of fresh pinto beans, shucked (you can also use canned)
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 of a sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 chunk of pumpkin, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
1 thick slice of bacon, sliced (omit for vegan/vegetarian)
enough broth to generously cover vegetables (I used about 3 1/2 quarts I’d guess?)

Preparation:

In a large stockpot (this makes a LOT!), heat olive oil and saute garlic just until golden.
Add tomatoes, onions, paprika, thyme and bay, then season with salt and pepper.
Saute until vegetables are tender (this is called the “refrito.”)
Add remaining ingredients and generously cover with stock.
Season with salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer about 30 minutes.
Remove lid and simmer another hour or so, until the stew begins to thicken.
Adjust seasoning.
Serve with Queso Fresco and nice crispy baguettes.

 

Do you even recognize that name?  I sure as heck don’t.  Ho. Lee. Crap I had a hard time translating that one.  :P  This particular fish is called “Sama Dorada” (even though it’s pink) in Spanish, and is very common, but being the gal who grew up in Minnesota, I had no idea what the English translation might be, so the internet search began.  Thanks to my fil who helped me figure it out, because there is actually various types of Samas, and another different fish, though from the same family, called “Dorada.”  Are you confused yet?  Yeah, me too. lmfao  Whatevertheheck it’s name is (Peter at Kalofagas tells me that it’s also known as Pandora fish! Thanks, Peter! ), it’s an incredibly delicious, delicate and mild tasting white fish that lends itself perfectly to pretty much any preparation.  It *is* known to have quite a few small bones, though, so it’s probably best to check it well for children, or sub something else less boney.  The way my mil has always served it is “desmenuzado,” which means “broken up” or “shredded.”  Sooo, that’s what I did too (this method of serving really helps get rid of all of the bones, too).  And of course, I had to prepare some fresh homemade “chips” to go with it.  A little lemon, and we were good to go. 

Ingredients:

1 pink dentex (about 2 pounds/1 kilo) (or 2 smaller ones) (entrails removed)
2 pounds (1 kilo) sea salt
1 lemon, sliced
a few sprigs of cilantro, washed
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 onion, sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400ºF/200ºC.
Sprinkle the bottom of a baking dish with enough salt to cover the bottom surface.
Place fish on top of salt bed, and stuff with a couple of lemon slices, cilantro sprigs, garlic and onion slices.
Pour remaining salt over fish, covering completely, and packing it around the fish.
Sprinkle a bit of water over the salt.
Bake fish about 40-45 minutes and remove from oven.
Crack the salt “crust” and remove.
Remove skin and bones from fish and serve with chips and lemon wedges.