ANGELINES' CROQUETAS (CROQUETTE)

Para ver esta receta en castellano, pulse aquí: LAS RECETAS DE ANGELINES

Hi!

Today we are going to show you how to make spanish croquetas, but even better the Angelines' croquetas! We are pretty lucky to enjoy them when she prepares them for us. Maybe you think it is hard work to prepare them, but you can see how easy the process is. Now, you don´t have to wait to go to spain, or to go to a restaurant, you can prepare them at home! You just need a bit of practice...

- 3 tablespoons of flour

- Jamón serrano, ham, cod, chicken, cheese, turkey, spinach... (you can choose your favourite)
- 3/4 of a cup of meat stock

- Olive oil

- Salt
- Milk
- 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine 
- 1/4 of an onion
- 2 cheese wedges 
- Egg
- Breadcrumb
- Flour

- Chop the onion finely,

- Warm the milk, but do not boil it.

- Prepare a plate with flour on it.

- Prepare a plate with breadcrumbs on it.

- Cut finely the 3 slices of ham, better from the butcher.

First.  In a deep pot, place olive oil and the onion that we cut before. Cook the onion, until it looks gold, then add the butter.

Second. Today we are doing the ham croquetas, so place it inside of the pot with the 2 cheese wedges. Move it until looks like a mixture.

Third.  Add the flour and move it, until it has a some colour.

Fourth.  Add the milk, depends of the creaminess that you want you should add more or less. If you add too much, it will be liquidy and  complicated to make the croquetas. If we add not enough, the paste will be too dense and will be hard to eat them. That is the hardest part of the recipe, you need some experience to prepare them in the right way.

Fifth.  Add 3/4 of a cup of meat stock, and move again the mixture until it is perfectly cooked. The trick to know when it is done, the mixture will start to pop.

Sixth.  Take the pot out of the heat, and we mix the mixture with a blender, if you don't want to feel some clumps in it. Taste it and add salt if needed. 

Seventh.  Place the mixture on a dish and let it cool, at least for an hour and a half, until it is mild and you can manipulate it to do the croquetas. 

Eighth.  Whip at least one egg on a plate. 

Ninth.  To make the croquetas, you also need a bit of experience, pick a bit of mixture with a tablespoon, place them on the plate with flour (be careful not to put so much flour, if not they will dry). With the hand make the form, and place it first on the place with egg, and then on the one with breadcrumbs. 

Tenth.  In a pan, place a bit of oil, and fry them. Move them, so they will have a uniform colour. 

And..... They should look like that! 

And try to eat them when they are still warm! Enjoy them!

Cheers,

Arantza

Note:

- If you are not going to eat them the same day, you can freeze them in a tupperware after the step eight. It is worth it to make more, so you have for some days.

SPANISH POTATO OMELETTE (OMELETE)

Para ver esta receta en castellano, pulse aquí: LAS RECETAS DE ANGELINES

Hi:

Without a doubt Paella and potato omelette or omelet are the most known spanish dishes! Everyone has it own way to prepare it, with or without onion, a bit runny or well done, thinner or thicker... Here is our way, and of course the best one! You are indeed lucky, because we already showed you the way of preparing paella, so you can know how to prepare the most traditional spanish dishes!

We hope you like the potato omelette!

   (for 4 people):

- 3 medium potatoes

- 4 eggs
- 1/4 onion (optional)
- Oil (cooking olive oil or vegetable oil, because you need quite a bit)
- Salt
- Cayenne pepper (optional)

Option 1 -  WITH onion

- Chop finely about 1/4 of the onion.

- Peal and chop the potatoes in small pieces. We recommend first to cut lengthwise and then chop it in horizontal. 

Option 2 -WITHOUT onion

- Peal and chop the potatoes in small pieces. We recommend first to cut lengthwise and then chop it in horizontal.

- Please go directly to step 2.

First. In a pan place the oil, then add the onion, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook it medium heat, we don´t want to burn it.

Second. When the onion is soft, but still white, place the potatoes, keep it at medium heat.

Third. Move the potatoes and onion, and when they become softer, try to melt the potatoes with a wooden spoon. The process depends on the kind of potato, but should take about 15 min. They should look like the picture below, before adding the eggs. 

Fourth. While the potatoes are cooking, place 4 eggs in a bowl, beat them an add salt to taste. Don´t add to much salt because we already add some to the onion.

Fifth. Add the potatoes to the eggs, be careful and try to drain as much oil as possible from the potatoes before adding them to the eggs. Move until it is an uniform mixture. 

Sixth. Take the oil from the pan, let just a tablespoon of it. Don't trow it away, we will need the oil later. Wait until the oil is hot, on high heat, and place the mixture in the pan.

Seventh. Cook it for about 15 seconds, and turn it over. For that you are going to need a flat lid, see picture, if not you also can use a flat plate, bigger than the omelette. The procedure is to hold the lid with the left hand and the pan with the right, and turn it over using the lid. The omelette stays on the lid, don't worry if some liquid drips, you need some experience.

Eight. Add again just a bit of oil, and place the other side of the omelette to cook. Let it run carefully from the lid, use a wooden spoon to help. Cook it for 20 seconds.

Should looks like the picture!

Don't worry if the first time doesn't look perfect, keep trying!

Enjoy it!

Esteban

Notes:
-  If somebody doesn't like spicy food, don't use the cayenne pepper.
- You also can try and add other elements inside of the tortilla, like red or green capsicum, add them in the second step.
- We normally use piquillo capsicums or roast capsicums as side dish.

RICE WITH CLAMS

Para ver esta receta en castellano, pulse aquí: LAS RECETAS DE ANGELINES

I have tried to find a translation of the word "chirlas", that is a shellfish very often used in Spain, without success.  Do not worry, for this purpose you can used "clams". You will see that this recipe is practically the same that for "Rice with mussels" but, curiously, the flavour is completely different.

(for 3 people):

- 3 small cups (100 ml cup aprox.) Rice
- 400 gr. of fresh clams
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1/2 cub of meat (or better fish) stock
- Olive oil
- White wine
- Parsley
- Salt





For avoidance of doubt, the cup size would be this:  

- Open the clams by cooking them by steam process but, instead of water, put small quantity of olive oil.  In this occasion we have used the clams that we had previosuly frozen.

- Peel and slice the garlic.

First.  Using a sauce pan, place the garlic in olive oil, till its color looks golden-brown (nope, it mustn`t be burned). If, by mistake, they burn a little longer than expected, you must remove and fry the rice without it (later, during cooking, all you add again). 

Second. Add the rice and fry it lightly (with the garlic) for 1 minute.  Stir, with a wooden spoon, to prevent sticking.

Third. Add half a glass of white wine and let it to reduce (1 minute will be enough time).

Fourth. Add 6 small cups of hot water, the cube of meat, the salt and the parsley. Cook it, on "high heat", for aprox. 10 minutes. It is possible that you have to add more water. You can add liquid untill 5 minutes before the end of cooking . Taste and correct for salt, if necessary.

Fifth.  Add the clams by "nailing" in the rice (they mustn´t be just above of rice), low the heat slightly (but do not let it stop boiling) and keep it for another 8 minutes. Do not forget that this is not a paella dish so the rice should be "very slightly soggy." Then, when you serve the liquid will desappear on the plate. This is the aspect it will have on the pan while cooking ... 

and this is the point at the end of cooking ...

In the course would look like ....

And it's over!  Very easy and tasty!.

Regards,

Esteban

RICE WITH MUSSELS

Para ver esta receta en castellano, pulse aquí: LAS RECETAS DE ANGELINES

"Rice with mussels" or, if you prefer so, "Mussels with rice". Another dish, typical, of sailors and fishermen. At home, we cook it very often because we like a lot and is much easier to prepare tan "paella".

(for 4 people):

- 4 small cups (100 ml cup aprox.) of Rice
- 500 gr. of fresh Mussels
- 2 cloves Garlic
- Olive oil
- White wine
- Parsley
- Salt

For avoidance of doubt, the cup size would be this:  

- Clean, carefully, the mussels by taking away the foreign elements of the shells (algae,...). Open the mussels by cooking them in water (by steam process). Add a few more water that usually because the resulting broth will be used, after passed through a sive, for cooking the rice. Remove one of each mussel shells.
- Peel and slice the garlic.

First.  Using a sauce pan, saute garlic, in olive oil, till its color looks golden-brown (nope, it mustn`t be burned). 

Second. Add the rice and saute it (with the garlic) for 1 minute.  Stir, with a wooden spoon, to prevent sticking.

Third. Add half a glass of white wine and let it to reduce (2 or 3 minutes will be enough time).

Fourth. Add 8 small cups of the broth that we have made on the preparation (from cooking the mussels) and the parsley. If required more water, fill it with hot water. Cook it, on "high heat", for aprox. 10 minutes. It is posible you need to add more broth or water. You can add liquid untill 5 minutes before the end of cooking . Taste and correct for salt, if necessary.

Fifth.  Add the mussels by "nailing" in the rice (they mustn´t be just above of rice), low the heat slightly (but do not let stop boiling) and keep another 8 minutes.  

And there is no more to do!  Just enjoy the food!.

Regards,

Esteban

RICE WITH CHICKEN AND SHELLFISH (PAELLA)

Para ver esta receta en castellano, pulse aquí: LAS RECETAS DE ANGELINES

Today we are going to cook a rice dish that you could call paella, even though it is not the typical one. It is an easy and filling lunch if you have lot of people visiting. 

(for 8 people):


- 8 small cups (each cup 100 ml aprox.) of rice.
- 500 grs. of fresh mussels 
- 500 grs. of clams
- 6 chicken wings
- 8 pieces of chorizo
- 1 squid, aprox. 300 grs. (also you could use "rings of calamari")
- 300 grs. of small shrimps
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 head of fish (hake, goosefish,...)
- 3 eggs
- Tomato sauce
- 1 cub of meat stock
- Olive Oil
- food colouring (like Saffron).
- Salt

For avoidance of doubt, the cup size would be this:  

- Clean the mussels, taking out the dirt outside like algi. Open them in a pot with a bit of water. When the water starts boiling place them, not all at the same time, and take them out when they open. If they don´t open, it means that they are not good ones. Reserve this liquid (previously drained), because adding a bit of water to it we are going to have a stock to cook the rice with. For each mussle take one side of the shell out.
- Clean the squid and cut it in rings.
- Open the clams (with a bit of water, like with the mussels and reserve the liquid for the rice too).
- Make a broth with the head of the fish. Drain also this stock, that we will use for the rice as well.
- Mix all the stock that we prepared with the cube of meat stock in a pot and keep it warm.
- Boil water just in case the stock is not enough and we should add some extra liquid. 
- Boiled 3 eggs, peal and chop them finely.

First.  Use a paellera, the typical pans for paella (see the next photo), if you don´t have one, use a big flat pan. 

Second. With olive oil fry the chicken wings until they look like gold. Take them out, but the oil should stay.

Third. Fry the squid´s rings until they feel soft (about 7 or 8 minutes).

Fourth. Add to the squid, the shrimps and cook them for 2 minutes. Move them to avoid them sticking on the bottom.

Fifth.  Add the clams, the chorizo, the garlic and the chicken. Move them a bit to mix all. See the photo below.

Sixth.  Place the rice to the mixture, move for a bit.

Seventh.  Add the colouring and move to share it all over the food.

Eighth. Add the broth that we have prepared until the border of the pan, if it´s not enough we should add some boiling water. Should be like 16-17 cups from the ones that we used for measuring the rice. 

Ninth.  Try the stock and add salt to taste.

Tenth.  Add the mussels.

Eleventh.  Add a tablespoon of tomato sauce.

Twelfth.  Let it boil for 10 min and then to medium heat (but should still boiling) for another 9 or 10 minutes. If you realise that it starts to get dry you could add more liquid, until 5 minutes before finishing the cooking.

Thirteenth.  Take the pan off the heat and cover it with a clean tea towel (it is still cooking with it owns steam). Keep that for 3 minutes.

Fourteenth.  Decorate the paella with the egg. Serve quick so the rice doesn´t cook too much. 

Enjoy it..........

Cheers,

Esteban

Note:
-Don´t be afraid to experiment with other seefood and meat. 
-If you can´t find fish to make the stock, you may find bricks with fish broth already prepared.