Looking for a traditional Spanish recipe? Without doubt, the best-known is going to be the prodigious paella ... that tasty, adaptable, gregarious dish famed throughout Spain and the World.
And, what an impressive choice of recipes exist for a pleasurable paella: seafood, chicken, rabbit ... or a mixture of all three! Perhaps you are non-meat eating ... well, just opt for one of the several vegetarian paella recipes. Bit of a health fanatic? Then substitute white rice for whole-grain rice or wild rice.
Got a large family and not much money to feed them on? Use plenty of rice and imagination along with a tasty stock, plus whatever you can find in the cupboard! I have certainly enjoyed many paellas where there have been more bones/shells than meat/ seafood! And, very tasty they have been too, the richness of the company more than compensating for any paucity in the ingrediants.
So ... how do you go about making the perfect paella? First of all, you need to choose your rice. The short-grained rice from Valencia - where most Spanish rice originates - is fine for making paellas. However, the "bomba" rice grown in the neighboring region of Murcia, is the "king" of paella rice: again, short-grained, it has the ability to absorb the stock whilst remaining firm.
Another "must" is to use saffron ("azafrán") to create the gentle, yellow color for which this delectable dish is renowned. Yes, it is possible to buy cheaper, artificial colorings but ... go for the traditional - it will bestow a wonderful aroma and unique flavor.
Many Spaniards swear a perfect paella can only be achieved when using a tasty, home-made stock. Whatever you decide, allow at least double the amount of liquid to rice. If, during cooking, the dish becomes a little dry, just add a dash more water or stock.
Another tip I have been told, on more than one occasion, is to gently fry the rice for a few minutes before adding the stock, ensuring that it is well-coated in oil. I think all Spaniards would agree that, once cooked, it is best to leave your paella to stand for a good five minutes before serving.
Perhaps the most important ingrediant for making that perfect paella, is to use lashings and lashings of love whilst preparing it - for surely, that is something we can all afford - and to enjoy to the full the marvellous company of those who will share it with you.
I shall now have to choose a paella recipe to offer you as an example! I think I will opt for a seafood paella, typical of the region of Valencia, where I live. The ingrediants are for a hearty four servings. If you are not a hefty eater, or on a diet, then reduce the amount of rice/stock slightly.
Paella Valenciana - Paella From Valencia
Ingrediants:
- 4 cups rice.
- 8 cups fish stock.
- 8 king-sized prawns/langoustines.
- 8 mussels.
- 200 gr shrimps.
- 200 gr peas (fresh or frozen).
- 2 tomatoes, skinned and chopped.
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced.
- 3 strands saffron, crumbled.
- Olive oil for frying.
Method:
1. Sauté garlic in a paella-type pan.
2. Add tomatoes, peas, shrimps and saffron.
3. Cook for a few minutes.
4. Add rice and stock.
5. Simmer for approximately 20 minutes.
6. Decorate with prawns and mussels.
7. Cover paella with a lid.
8. Poach the seafood for a few minutes.
9. Decorate paella with lemon quarters.
10. Enjoy!
Linda Plummer is English, and has lived on the Costa Blanca in Spain for 20 years. She is webmistress of the information- rich site: http://www.top-tour-of-spain.com with its FREE monthly newsletter, "The Magic of Spain".
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008
Famous Romanian Food - Love At First Sight
Romanians really enjoy eating. They like to have a full table with every type of goodies, especially for the holidays. Nowadays, nutritionists recommend us to eat healthy food, meaning many raw vegetables and fruits, which are specific to the area where we live and according to the ongoing season.
Romanians know what healthy food means, but that does not mean they give up their famous food. Romanians have special traditional food. As in every country, there are different regions with different original famous specific food.
For example, in Transylvania, to prepare the traditional Sunday meal, housewives get a fat chicken from the household, pick the feathers and cook a noodle soup, but not any type of noodles. They make those noodles, as well as the rest of the food at home. That soup is part of the Romanian famous food list.
There are some types of famous Romanian foods, which have been borrowed from the Austrians, for example the schnitzel prepared with fried potatoes. That specialty is cooked after coming back from church, because Romanians have a tradition in this field too, as many others do. They always go to church on Sunday. As a proof, the schnitzel ritual is still kept today all over Transylvania. Of course, this all comes with good quality wine and homemade palinca (a strong beverage made of grapes or prunes).
For dessert, women usually bake special cookies and all sort of pies. The most famous of them are the pies and the cookies made with nuts cream or vanilla, baked, of course, in the oven of the wood stove. Romanians also have a tradition in baking homemade bread in a special earth made oven.
That is one of the traditional famous Romanian food specialties. The huge fluffy bread was, and still is made with potatoes and wheat flour, and all the ingredients used for baking it are natural. Everybody should taste this type of bread, because it is very tasty, the crust is very crunchy and the taste is special.
Whether there are special original traditional famous Romanian food specialties, or some borrowed influences, the variety of the cooking department is huge. No matter what we are talking about, all the results can be categorized as tasty.
Many people choose their food today being influenced by the colours of the wrappings or the colour of the food itself. Unfortunately, there are generations, which do not know the taste of a garden grown tomato, or the taste of a chicken grown up on corn.
Romanians can still afford to be conservative about the culinary art. Of course, not all of the Romanians cook at home and they do not always eat traditional famous food. There are people, who have got used to eating ready-made food, and they just heat it in the microwave oven.
However, the traditional world famous Romanian food is something that each individual should try. It is impossible not to like the famous "sarmale", (cabbage rolls), or the different soups and "ciorba", (broth), cooked according to special Romanian recipes.
One of the world's best kept secrets is that Romanian women are amongst the most beautiful, stylish, well dressed, educated, loving, loyal & family orientated women on the planet. If you are serious about finding a Romanian bride, or even just a Romanian girlfriend, you must read our hard hitting and honest reviews of the top Romanian dating web sites. Don't get scammed. Visit us now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Finch
Romanians know what healthy food means, but that does not mean they give up their famous food. Romanians have special traditional food. As in every country, there are different regions with different original famous specific food.
For example, in Transylvania, to prepare the traditional Sunday meal, housewives get a fat chicken from the household, pick the feathers and cook a noodle soup, but not any type of noodles. They make those noodles, as well as the rest of the food at home. That soup is part of the Romanian famous food list.
There are some types of famous Romanian foods, which have been borrowed from the Austrians, for example the schnitzel prepared with fried potatoes. That specialty is cooked after coming back from church, because Romanians have a tradition in this field too, as many others do. They always go to church on Sunday. As a proof, the schnitzel ritual is still kept today all over Transylvania. Of course, this all comes with good quality wine and homemade palinca (a strong beverage made of grapes or prunes).
For dessert, women usually bake special cookies and all sort of pies. The most famous of them are the pies and the cookies made with nuts cream or vanilla, baked, of course, in the oven of the wood stove. Romanians also have a tradition in baking homemade bread in a special earth made oven.
That is one of the traditional famous Romanian food specialties. The huge fluffy bread was, and still is made with potatoes and wheat flour, and all the ingredients used for baking it are natural. Everybody should taste this type of bread, because it is very tasty, the crust is very crunchy and the taste is special.
Whether there are special original traditional famous Romanian food specialties, or some borrowed influences, the variety of the cooking department is huge. No matter what we are talking about, all the results can be categorized as tasty.
Many people choose their food today being influenced by the colours of the wrappings or the colour of the food itself. Unfortunately, there are generations, which do not know the taste of a garden grown tomato, or the taste of a chicken grown up on corn.
Romanians can still afford to be conservative about the culinary art. Of course, not all of the Romanians cook at home and they do not always eat traditional famous food. There are people, who have got used to eating ready-made food, and they just heat it in the microwave oven.
However, the traditional world famous Romanian food is something that each individual should try. It is impossible not to like the famous "sarmale", (cabbage rolls), or the different soups and "ciorba", (broth), cooked according to special Romanian recipes.
One of the world's best kept secrets is that Romanian women are amongst the most beautiful, stylish, well dressed, educated, loving, loyal & family orientated women on the planet. If you are serious about finding a Romanian bride, or even just a Romanian girlfriend, you must read our hard hitting and honest reviews of the top Romanian dating web sites. Don't get scammed. Visit us now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Finch
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