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.

STEWED POTATOES "RIOJANA STYLE"

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

Today we want to introduce to you, one of the most know dishes of La Rioja, Spain. You can see that no some many ingredients are needed, and that its a really easy recipe with tasty results. Hope you are going to like it. 

(for 8 people):

- 1 Kg. of potatoes
- 8 pieces of Chorizo (spanish sausage)
- 1 onion
- 2 dried capsicum (pimiento choricero)
- Tomato sauce
- Paprika
- Salt
- Olive oil

First. Place 2 tablespons of olive oil in a pan on medium heat and add the finely chopped onion. Cook it until is brown.

Second. Add the chorizo and cook until the juices come out.

Third. Add the potatoes in pieces (its important to break up the potatoes with a knife, not cut them). Add salt and paprika to taste. Cook it for 3 or 4 minutes while moving, so they will not stick on the bottom. 

Fourth. Place a tomato sauce tablespoon in the mixture.

 Fifth.  Add cold water until the potatoes are totaly covered (If it is necessary, you could add hot water afterwards if the liquid is leaving). In that moment you could also add the dried capsicum in pieces (remove the seeds before you add them).

Sixth.  Cook for 20 minutes. The time can change depending of the quality of the potatoes. To check if they are ready, poke them with a knife to see if the are soft. 

I hope you like them ¡buen provecho!.

Cheers,

Virginia

Note:
There is a variant placing pork ribbs in adition, to make the dish more filling. If you want to try it, cook the ribbs separately (because the ribbs need more time to cook than the potatoes) and add them in the fourth step. 

MEATBALLS IN SPANISH SAUCE

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

Over Easter we decided between my cousins and me, to create a blog as a space were we could publish the recipes from my auntie Angelines and some others that we do too. In this way we don’t forget the recipes from the matriarch of the family, and also other people can enjoy them.

The first recipe is meat balls in sauce, because I have always thought it is one of her best meals. Angelines’ meatballs are my favourite, sorry mum yours are also pretty good, maybe it is because are not in a normal tomato sauce… Even my dad, who doesn’t eat the meat balls, eats them.…

Last year in summer finally we met together and she taught me how to prepare them. I cooked them also for my boyfriend, who is Australian, and we liked them a lot. So, when we had Friends over one night we decide to prepared them again and they loved the too, even one of them we back home with the recipe and some capsicum (Hope Rob you cooked them already ;) ). I guess she didn’t think that her recipe was going to be a bit international….

- Minced meat: 3 parts of beef for one of pork (like a half a Kg.)
- 1 Onion
- 2 Egss
- Parsley
- Salt and Pepper
- 3 hands of bread crumbs
- White wine
- 2 dried capsicums (see below picture)
- Flour
- Olive oil
- 1 tea spoon of beef stock

First. Place the mince meat in a bowl with salt & pepper to taste. Add the finely chopped onion and mix together with your hands. Next, add two lightly beaten eggs, two teaspoons of chopped parsley and two tablespoons of bread crumbs to the mixture. If you add too much bread crumbs the mixture will be too dry. After mixing with your hands once again, add a splash of white wine and allow the mixture to settle for half an hour.

Second. Place some flour in a dish. Coat your hands with some flour then use your hands to form some meatballs (the size depends on individual taste).

Third. Heat a pan with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Fry the meatballs until they are well cooked on all sides.

Fourth. For the sauce: Dice half an onion and cook on medium heat in olive oil. In a mortar and pestle, crush two cloves of garlic with a bit of parsley..

Fifth. Add the finely chopped dried capsicum to the onion on medium heat and stir for one minute. Add the cooked meatballs, one cube of beef stock, and the previously prepared garlic/parsley mixture. Add loads of white wine.

Sixth. Cook the meatball mixture for approximately 10 minutes. To thicken the sauce, you can mix in some flour.

Allende

LENTILS WITH CHORIZO SAUSAGE

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

We have a saying in spanish "lentejas comida de viejas, si quieres las comes y si no, las dejas".  It refers to the lentils but what it means is that if you don´t take what you are given or offered, you will get nothing. We love them, and of course we eat all is that on the plate! Lentils is also a quick dish to prepare and is a great meal for cold weather. Lentils are also an excellent healthy source of iron. 

   (for 4 people):

- 4 small cups (100 ml each) of lentils

- 4 pieces of spanish chorizo

- 3 slices of onion

- 4 cloves of garlic

- 1 small carrot

- Half of leek

- Olive oil
- Fried tomato paste

- Salt

- Pimentón (spanish paprika powder)

- Place the lentils in a bowl with water the night before. See also the instructions in the bag, they may not need this step.

- Peal and cut or slice 2 of the garlic cloves.

First. Place inside of the pressure cooker the lentils, onion, leek, carrot, 2 cloves of garlic with the skin, the pieces of chorizo, a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, one tablespoon of tomato, and the salt. Add water to cover the mixture by about 2cm. 

Second. Cook for 15 minutes at medium power, then open the cooker. 

Third. Take out the chorizo and reserved it. Also, remove the 2 cloves of garlic and throw them away. 

Fourth. Take out the onion, leek and carrot, and mix them with an electric mixer. Then add the mixture to the lentils.

Fifth.  At this moment, add the chorizo from third step. Cook all together for about 2 or 3 minutes with pressure cooker open. Add some water if needed. Try it and add salt, if necessary. 

Sixth.  In a pan, place a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, and fry the two remaining garlic cloves, sliced, until they look gold but be careful, don´t burn them. When they are done, add a tablespoon of spanish pimentón, mix then remove from the heat, the pimenton must not get burnt. 

Seventh.  Add the mixture to the lentils.

And... it is finished! ¡Really yummy, makes you feel at home!

Cheers,

Esteban and Virginia

Notes:

- If you like the lentils with the blood sausage, add it in the FIFTH step.

- You can also add a dried capsicum (at the beginning with all the ingredients) but be careful not to mix it in the fourth step.