Mollete/Spanish Antequera Bread Rolls

After some soft pancakes from Somali and a bowl of comforting soup from Sudan, my today's post is from Spain. Yes my theme for this week's blogging marathon is Pick a Alphabet,3 Countries as theme, and i picked 'S'. Hence i grabbed a popular Antequera bread rolls aka Molletes for this theme.This Molletes are super soft and delicious bread rolls which is typically served for breakfast or for a afternoon tea. And this bread is originally from Antequera which is just 30kms from Spain. Mollete is also a typical food of Mexico as well, and its consumed as a open sandwich. However this Spanish Mollete is a piece of a soft crumb bread which is quite known as an Andalusian breakfast bread which is quite like a star product of this region after Olive oil. The typical way of having this bread is to serve with olive oil, salt, tomato and garlic. Usually they are eaten as split, drizzled with olive oil, salt. If you want to make more filling, dont forget to add some sliced tomatoes and chopped garlic cloves to tickle your tastebuds.

Frisuelos/Spanish-Austrias Style Crepes

This week's posts are going to be Crepes, yes i picked Crepes for all time as theme for this week's blogging marathon. Crepes, these thin pastry are usually made with flour and eggs, however many versions do exists either by making with buckwheat flour (as galettes in French) or else flavored by spices or fruit peels. My today's post is a Spanish style crepes which is called Frisuelos and this crepes have their origin from Austrias and Leon, the northern regions of Spain. This crepes is a typical Spanish crepes which is flavored with lemon rinds and alcohol like cognac, rum or brandy.

Chickpeas Couscous Paella/Vegan Chickpeas Paella with Couscous

Paella is a Spanish/Valencian dish with is usually prepared with rice. Many types of Paella exists from meat to seafood, mixed to vegetarian/vegan. However the original, traditional Paella recipe consists of white rice, green beans, white beans, meat and seasoning like saffron and rosemary.Some says that this dish is a Spanish's national dish but the real spanish peoples consider this rice dish as a regional Valencian dish. Paella is cooked usually in a special pan and it is cooked over open fire, fueled by orange, pine branches along with pine cones  gives an excellent aroma to this one pot meal. Since i dont want to go with the traditional paella, i googled to have look for a different paella that too without rice. I got hooked to this Chickpeas Couscous Paella which pulled me to give a try to this vegetarian version of Paella.

Tortilla Española & Sofrito - Spanish Potato Tortilla & Spanish Tomato Sauce

After a complete weekend Pakistani breakfast, today am taking you all to Spain. This country is very close to my heart coz of my best friend. She is my next door neighbour and friend who never fail to surprise me with many gifts from Spain. Actually she was one who introduced me to this Potato Tortilla. This potato tortilla have their important place in Spanish tapas. Not to forget that this Spanish tortilla makes an excellent breakfast, dinner,lunch or snack. There is a difference between a Spanish tortilla and a Mexican tortilla. The Spanish version is made by frying thinly sliced potatoes in olive oil, then layering those slices in a pan preferably a cast iron frying pan, covering with beaten eggs, and cooking until set. It’s perfect for a weekend meal, this tortilla needs  few ingredients which you likely have in your pantry. It tastes too good warm or either in room temperature, or also you can have it cold.

Coca de Venduras/Coca Vegetable/Vegan Catalan Style Vegetable Pizza

Pizza, this word itself makes my kids happy, they just love to have pizzas everyday,but since i dont like to feed often my kids with these cheesy super rich Italian dish, i'll try myself to make them at home with healthy stuffs in it. Sometimes i'll make wheat based pizza crust or else i'll go for mixed millets pizza crust as well. Also i'll try to add grated veggies in my homemade pizza based crust.However i'll find all the way to add healthy stuffs in my homemade pizzas. Pizzas makes an excellent meal if they are prepared in a healthy way. If you have an opportunity to make a pizza without cheese, how can i miss it. When googling, the name coca pulled me to go through the recipe and got to know more about this Spanish aka Catalan style of tart aka pizza which goes for a yeasted thin crust topped with sauteed vegetables without cheese.

Watermelon Gazpacho/Vegan Spanish Watermelon Soup ~~ Spanish Cuisine

Spanish cuisine, this cuisine is vast as much as like few European cuisine. I learned many Spanish special dishes only after coming here. Our most favourite is always their Seafood Paella and Gazpacho.Its not easy to explain Spanish cuisine in few words, but however writing an intro about this cuisine is much needed to kick start this post. If you are my follower, you would have noticed that am running a month of blogging marathon since almost three weeks with Around the World in 30days as theme in alphabetical order. After the Rwandan cuisine, today am taking you all to Spanish cuisine as i need to post a dish from the country name starts with 'S'. The basis of the history of Spanish food of course has to do with its geographical situation. First of all, the country is located on the Iberian peninsula and is therefore almost entirely surrounded by the waters. Naturally, due to this fortunate location, seafood forms one of the pillars of Spain's gastronomy and categorizes the country as having a Mediterranean diet. The rest of Spain is a diverse terrain made up of mountain ranges, lush pastures, fertile farmgrounds, extensive coastlines and more, which together provide quite the variety of fresh products. For example, Spain's famous hams are cured high in the mountains, vineyards and olive groves sprawl across expanses of land, and fresh fruits and vegetables hail from throughout the country.

Endless cultures, as they passed through or settled in Spain, have influenced the history of Spanish food. The Phoenicians left their sauces, the Greeks introduced Spain to the wonders of olive oil, and Romans, Carthaginians, and Jews integrated elements of their own cooking into that of Spain. However it was the Moors who, during their centuries of reign, most impacted Spanish gastronomy. They introduced fruits and light seasonings into the Iberian diet, as well as combinations of fruits and nuts with meats and fish. Rice, a staple of Spanish gastronomy and therefore Spain's vast array of rice dishes, come straight from the Moors, as does the use of saffron, cinnamon, and nutmeg. As you eat gazpacho on a hot summer day, thank this clearly gastronomically talented Moorish culture, as it too comes straight from them.

Green Gazpacho/Gazpacho Verde

Gazpacho is a Spanish soup made with raw vegetables and served cold, usually prepared with tomato,this soup belongs to the Spanish region of Andalusia. Gazpacho verde is prepared simply with green apples, green capsicum,cucumber, mint, avocado and sometimes with spinach. My version went to green apples, cucumber, mint which makes a prefect marriage together. This green gazpacho can be enjoyed thoroughly while the weather is too hot, a prefect to enjoy during summer. Actually this raw vegetable soup goes under Low carb/No carb recipes. Whoever want to take low carb diets, can enjoy thoroughly this Spanish soup.Usually bread slices are used for making this soup, which helps to thicken the soup, but my today's green gazpacho goes green apple, low fat milk,green capsicum, cucumber, mint, obviously a low carb dish.

Watermelon Salsa

For the letter 'W' under International cuisine theme, we have numerous choices eventhough my first choice i planned to cook up for today's post for my long marathon was wonton soup, then i dropped it coz the day i cooked it was not a prefect day to click as it was raining like anything.  Then one fine day, i decided to make gaspacho with watermelon and none wanted to have it so i dropped it again, actually the recipe choice of W took me enough time to decide and finally i went for making this watermelon salsa for a birthday party we organised at home for my son during summer. This salsa was a big hit among the adults, its such a light,refreshing and quick salsa,just tastes fabulous with tortilla chips.

A prefect party starter and definitely a crowd pleaser.Salsa is a sauce which goes usually for tomato based sauces, salsa is a Spanish word for sauce. There are many types of salsa usually vary throughout Latin America. Actually salsa are traditionally prepared using mortar and pestle eventhough blenders are used commonly now. The most popular and easy salsa is pico de gallo which is prepared quickly with raw tomatoes,lime juice,chilli peppers,onions, coriander leaves. This watermelon salsa is in my to do list since a long and finally i could make some during summer.This refreshing salsa takes hardly 10minutes to get ready if you have all the ingredients with you.Makes this salsa when you get watemelon abundantly and enjoy them.

Magdalenas - A Spanish Cupcake

Magdalenas are cupcakes like mini cakes served traditionallyduring breakfast with cup of coffee at most of the Spanish houses.Magdalenas are small sponge cakes made with eggs, flour and olive oil but some many modern versions use butter instead of olive oil. Although these small cakes have been made for special holidays since the Middle Ages, they are now so popular that they are an everyday pleasure. Magdalenas have a super moist texture and shiny, a beautiful golden brown tops. They come in three basic shapes, they can be a classic, high domed round, a flat topped round and an oblong shape.

Am running my third week of blogging marathon with Kid's delight-Finger foods for kid's party, these magdalenas aka Spanish cupcakes are definitely a crowd pleaser,very prefect finger foods for a kid's party.Kids will be definitely pleased by this super spongy cupcakes with a sugar crust, do bake some am sure this cupcakes will definitely suits prefectly for a kid's party.Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this 29th edition.Sending to Flavours of Spain guest hosted by me, an event by Nayna.

3nos Eggs
1cup Sugar
1+1/4cup All purpose flour
1tbsp Baking powder
Zest from a Lemon
1tbsp Milk
1cup Melted butter

Preheat the oven to 375F,keep aside quarter cup of sugar .

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs,3/4th of sugar, beat the mixture until they turns light.

Now add the melted butter (slightly cooled) to the egg-sugar mixture, add the lemon zest,milk and mix well.

Sieve together the flour and baking powder, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well, the batter will be very thick.

Place the paper liners into the cupcake pan, spoon the batter into the pan, just fill the pan half full.

Batter will double in size when baked.

Now with a teaspon,sprinkle the sugar (we kept aside) on the top of the each magdalna/

Bake for 18-20minutes until the top turn golden brown.

Remove from the oven and all it to cool.

Arroz Con Leche/Spanish Rice Pudding

Arroz con leche aka Spanish rice pudding is a traditional and very popular dessert quite often served in most of the Spanish's houses. This pudding sounds bit similar like Indian rice kheer eventhough the cooking process doesnt go as rice kheer. Arroz con leche is quite a rict desserr with a mild lemon and cinnamon flavour. This pudding can be served both warm or cold and obviously this pudding goes for an easy cooking method, you cant stop yourself with a single serving of this pudding,yep this rice pudding is quite addictive.

I tasted this arroz con leche few years back in a spanish friend's place, immediately i asked her to share the recipe, without any fail she gave me her mom's traditional arroz con leche recipe. Whenever we make Spanish foods at home, this arroz con leche will be served definitely for dessert and its one of our most favourite pudding.This is my third post for this week's blogging marathon as am cooking under the theme 'cooking with colours'.Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this 29th edition.Sending to Flavours of Spain guest hosted by me, an event by Nayna.

2cups Milk
1cup Rice (long grain or basmati)
1/2cup Sugar
2tbsp Butter
1no Lemon peel
1no Cinnamon stick
1tsp Cinnamon powder

Bring boil 3cups of water in a large vessel, add the rice and put the flame in simmer and cook for 10minutes.

Now put off the stove and allow the rice to sit,dont drain the water.

Meanwhile take the milk and sugar in an another vessel, heat in medium flame.

Stir until the sugar gets dissolved.

Now drain the water from the rice.

Once the milk starts boiling, add the drained rice,butter,cinnamon stick,lemon peel,bring boil everything,cook in simmer for 15-20minutes.

Remove the cinnamon stick and lemon peel.

Transfer the rice pudding warm topped with cinnamon powder.

Allow to cool completely and serve warm or cold.

Ensaïmada - A pastry from Majorca

Last month for some reason i couldnt able to participate Defi Boulange, a fabulous bread baking event by Nadia and Manue. But this month i dont want to miss their incredible challenge, our this month's challenge is this ensaïmadas from Majorca. Quite a new pastry for me and when i saw the announcement of this ensaïmadas i know i'll be making these beauties without any fail.Its seems this pastry is quite common in Majorca,Spain and Peru.Its a typical pastry product and they are quite often made during festivals and celebrations in Majorca and Spain.

These ensaïmada is prepared with strong flour,water,sugar and eggs with a reduced pork lard named saîm, fortunately both Nadia and Manue suggested us to use butter in case if we dont find this saïm, thank god that i could make this pastry with butter. Usually this pastry is prepared simply with this famous saïm but nowadays we can find many stuffed ensaïmadas, obviously i baked mine with chocolate chunks.You can also prepared ur ensaïmadas with any filling of your choice, my next trial is with nutella or else with pastry cream. This ensaïmadas tastes fabulous with a cup of coffee and an excellent pastry to start a day. Thanks again to defi boulange for pulling me to make this wonderful pastry from Majorca.

1+1/2cups Flour
1/4cup+2tbsp Luke warm water
12g Fresh yeast
60grms Sugar
1no Egg
1/2tsp Salt
1tbsp Olive oil
100grms Melted butter
Chocolate chips or chunks (as per need)
Confectioner's sugar for topping

In a large bowl, take the flour,sugar,olive oil,salt and add the crumbled fresh yeast, add the luke warm water and beaten egg.

Knead everything for 10minutes until the dough turns soft and elastic.

Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and cover it, leave it aside for 2hours until they double their volume.

Take the doubled dough,punch down the dough and divide the dough as 4equal balls.

Grease the kitchen counter and roll the dough ball as a large oval circle.

Brush the circle generously with the melted butter and try to roll the circle as thinner as possible.

 Now sprinkle the chocolate chips as per need, roll an edge of the circle and form a long log.

Now roll again the log as spiral form or snail like form without rolling them tightly.

Transfer this unbaked ensaïmadas to a baking sheet lined over a baking tray and let them sit in a warm place for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Bake this ensaîmadas for 15-20minutes in middle rack until the crust turns golden brown.

Let the ensaïmadas gets cool slightly, dust them generously with the confectioner's sugar.

Arrange them in an air tightened box.

These ensaïmadas are quite addictive and beware of them.

Pan Con Tomate-Spanish Tomato Bread

Pan con tomate is one among the tapas served in a party menu or either as appetiziers everywhere in Spain, this bread sounds similar as the garlic bread, which goes for garlic cloves, ripen tomatoes prepared with salt and some olive oil.. Easy breezy tapas to enjoy anytime also very much flavourful bread i have ever enjoyed..This pan con tomate is one of the simplest, most widely eaten and most famous dishes from Cataluna, a region in Spain..Coming to the tomato bread , its simply prepared with toasted bread or toasted french baguettes and it can be eaten by itself or else served along with cheese, ham or sausage, but we enjoyed having simply without any cheese or meats...

Few bread slices or baguette slices

2nos Large ripen tomatoes 

3nos Garlic cloves

Olive oil

Salt

If u r using baguette, slice the pieces horizontally as few inches long...Toast the bread in a bread toaster, once u take them out, rub the slices with garlic cloves, slice the tomatoes in the middle as half pieces and rub these tomato pieces over the garlic rubbed side of the bread...drizzle few olive oil over the slice and springle salt to taste..U can serve along with cheese, chorizo sausage or with Serrano ham..

Serve immediately..

Churros - Spanish Fritters

Spain won their first world cup and am very happy for them eventhough am not a great fan of Spain...Yesterday while everyone gets ready to watch out the final match, i prepared this Spanish fritters to munch while watching the match..Churros, sometimes referred as a Spanish doughnut or else fried dough pastry based snack..These churros originated in Spain and they are also popular in Latin America, France, Portugal, Morocco, the United States, Australia, and Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands. There are two types of churros in Spain. One is thin and usually knotted while the other one especially popular in Madrid, is long and thick. They both are normally eaten for breakfast dipped in hot chocolate or for snacks springled with sugar.Churros are typically fried until they become crunchy, and then are sprinkled with sugar. The surface of a churro is ridged due to having been piped from a churrera, a syringe with a star-shaped nozzle. Churros are generally shaped as straight, curled or spirally twisted.

Like pretzels, churros are often sold by street vendors, who often will fry them freshly on the street stand and sell them hot. In Spain, Mexico, and Argentina, they are available in cafes for breakfast, although they may be eaten throughout the day. Oten eaten while warm and sprinkled with sugar or drizzled with honey,they are quick and easy to make.For making my churros, i used the pastry bag with star nozzle and i piped directly these churros directly in hot oil, we enjoyed having this incredible fried doughnuts simply sprinkled with sugar, next time am gonna prepare a chocolate sauce to enjoy along with...



1cup All purpose flour
1/4tsp Baking powder
1cup Water
1tbsp Oil
Salt
Oil of deep frying
Sugar to sprinkle

Mix the flour and baking powder, keep aside..Heat the water with oil and salt, bring them boil..immediately add the flour mixture and stir until its turns as a dough, take care that the dough shouldnt be watery..take enough dough in a pastry bag with star nozzle..Meanwhile heat the oil for deep frying, once the oil is hot squeeze out the dough in the hot oil either as long strips or curled strips..Fry until they turns golden brown..

Roll the fried churros in sugar or springle enough sugar over the fried churros..Enjoy warm..

Gazpacho-Andalusian Cold Tomato Soup

Gazpacho is a cold Spanish tomato-based raw vegetable soup, originating in the southern region of Andalusia. Gazpacho is widely consumed throughout Spain, neighboring Portugal where it is known as gaspacho and parts of Latin America. Gazpacho is mostly consumed during the summer months, due to its refreshing qualities.Gazpacho can be eaten from a soup bowl, or can be drunk from a glass.Its a tasty, satisfying and very healthy soup, since its made from nothing but fresh vegetables and a bit of oil and vinegar.As its quite hot here, i wanted to make this beautiful as well as refreshing soup for our dinner,also this soup goes for tomatoes, cucumber, bellpeppers, onions,bread slices and garlic spiced with cumin seeds, pepper powder and salt along with olive oil and vinegar...Quite an easy breezy soup get ready within few minutes and usually served chilled...We enjoyed having this cold soup for our dinner along with some toasted bread slices..



4nos Tomatoes (ripen & chopped)
2nos Cucumber (chopped))
1no Small onion (chopped)
2nos Bread slices
3nos Garlic cloves
1no Green bell pepper (chopped)
1no Red bellpepper (chopped)
3tbsp Olive oil
2tbsp Vinegar
Salt
Pepper powder & cumin powder as per need

Soak the bread in water, squeeze out the excess of the water from the bread..Take the chopped tomatoes, bread, chopped cucumber, chopped onions, garlic cloves, chopped bellpeppers with pepper powder, cumin powder, salt and blend everything as smooth paste, finally add the olive oil, mix well and refrigerate for atleast 2-3hours...garnish with cucumber chunks or croutons..

Enjoy the chilled gazpacho!