Shrimp in Romesco Sauce

So, I was in the mood to try out a new recipe from my new cookbook, Culinaria Spain.  I chose Romesco de Langostinos (Shrimp with Romesco sauce).  Romesco is one of the more common sauces used in Spanish cooking and I was anxious to see what it tasted like.  Let me tell you it is a bold vivid sauce that lights up and delights the palate.  For me, it was an exotic use of ingredients and methods.  This was my first time using a mortar and pestle!  Next time, I will definitely use the food processor.  hahaha  I made a couple of mistakes in this dish.  First, I didn’t peel the shrimp.  Peel the shrimp.  This is much to messy to do afterwards.  Second, I couldn’t get the paste-like consistency that was called for with the mortar and pestle.  Mine was much to small to hold all the ingredients.  Even with these mistakes, my husband and I enjoyed this dish so very much.  It felt so much like fine dining.  I hope you give it a try and enjoy it as much.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

12 – 16 tiger Shrimp

½ cup olive oil

½ cup blanched almonds

3 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 dried red chili peppers, cored and finely chopped

3 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, skinned and diced

1 bay leaf

A slice lightly toasted white bread

1 tbsp chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp sherry vinegar

Fry the shrimp lightly in the olive oil.

Remove and set aside. 

Fry the almonds and garlic in the oil until golden.

Lift them out with a slotted spoon.  Sweat the onion in the oil until transparent.

Add the chili peppers and tomatoes, and stir to mix.

Add the bay leaf and cook these ingredients briefly together on a high heat.

Pound the almonds, garlic, bread, and parsley with a mortar and pestle. 

Add this to the tomatoes, and pour on a little water.

Season with salt, pepper, and sherry vinegar. 

Place the shrimp in the finished sauce, and leave to infuse for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Empanadillas

It wouldn’t surprise me to find out that my kid’s friends thought I never left the kitchen. They seemed to have the knack of showing up right in the middle of me preparing supper or some weekend treat.  I never minded. There is nothing more satisfying than feeding a teenage boy. One time in particular I remember making empanadillas, a dish most Georgia boys aren’t acquainted with. The oddity of the name gave the young man some hesitation, but soon he was devouring them.  After that, when he called the house, he always asked if I was making empanadillas.  Of course he didn’t say empanadillas, but empadiadas or empediamas.  hahaha  I hope you enjoy them just as much!

Ingredients (Makes 10 6" empanadillas)

Dough (Adapted from Daisy Cooks! Cookbook) 

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp fine sea salt

½ cup cold water

1 egg plus 1 egg white

1 tsp sherry vinegar

3 tbsp butter

Stir the flour and salt together in a large bowl.

Beat water egg, egg white, and vinegar together in a small bowl. 

Cut butter into flour mixture.  I do this with my hands until it resembles crumbs.

Make a well in the center of the flour and add wet ingredients.

Stir until it forms a smooth dough.

Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to overnight.

(It can also be frozen)

Filling

4 cups leftover roast beef

1 28oz can of whole or diced tomatoes

1 lg bell pepper

1 lg onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 bay leaf (optional)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Olive oil for sautéing

Sauté onion and bell pepper until translucent and add garlic and cook for 5 minutes longer or until golden.

Add tomatoes and roast beef.

Let simmer until most all of the liquid has evaporated, shredding the roast beef as you stir.

When most of the liquid is gone, remove from heat and let cool.

Remove dough from the refrigerator and cut into 10 equal balls.

Roll each ball into a 6” circle.

Put filling in the center, fold, and seal edges with a fork.

Fry in medium hot oil until golden brown.

 

Enjoy!

Albóndigas

Albóndigas

or Meatballs to us speakers of English.  This dish comes to me from my husband’s side of the family who are Spanish.  It is one of my mother-in-law’s signature dishes.  I love it because it is made with ground beef, but seems special anyways.  I always enjoy serving things in my house that are not the standard fare of most people around us.  Especially when the kids were small, I felt it bonded us and made us feel unique.  That aside, I still consider this in the group of comfort food.  I hope you give them a try.

Ingredients:  Serves 4

Meatballs

1lb of ground beef

1 clove of minced garlic

½ cup of fresh bread crumbs (1/4 cup of dried)

1 egg

½ cup of flour

1 tsp of salt

Oil for frying (I used olive oil)

Gravy

Pinch of saffron (ground turmeric can be substituted here)

Salt

Pepper

4 TBS of flour

4 TBS of oil (the oil the meatballs were fried in is good)

1 cup of hot water

1 cup of milk

Mix the ground beef, garlic, breadcrumbs, and the egg.

Let mixture sit for 1 hour if possible

Meanwhile, steep the saffron threads in 1 cup of hot water

Roll the meat into 1 1/2 inch meatballs

Roll in salted flour

Heat oil for frying and place meatballs in medium hot oil

Turn to brown all sides

Remove meatballs from the pan along with all but 4 TBS of oil

Add 4 TBS of flour to the oil

Stir and cook the flour for a few minutes

Add the water (saffron removed) and stir, then add the milk

Stir until gravy thickens

(I halved the gravy amount because only 2 were eating this meal)

Add the meatballs back in and if possible let simmer gently for about 30 minutes (sometimes my mother-in-law lets them sit on low for hours.) 

Enjoy!