Here they are!
All recipes are for about 4 people and I've attempted to give rough quantities as a guideline (probably leaving enough leftovers for dogs).
Starters Main courses; Desserts
Meat
Fish
Vegetarian
more soon....
Lentils with chorizo
(Lentejas)
(the most asked-for, just leave out the meat to make it veggie but add a teasp. of pimentón, Spanish smoked paprika either picante or dulce, when you fry the leeks.)
350g brown or Puy lentils,
2 chorizos
(fairly fresh rather than very cured, spicy or not -if you can get them),
250g whole piece of smoked bacon (gammon?),
2 leeks,
2 large carrots,
olive oil,
bay leaf.
Cover the lentils with about 3 times their amount of cold water in a large pan and bring to the boil. Skim off any scum. While they're coming to the boil, thoroughly wash and then finely chop the leeks, green and white parts. Gently soften in about 4 tbsp's of olive oil. Once the lentils have boiled, throw in the leeks and their oil, diced carrot, whole chorizos and bacon, and a bay leaf. Season with salt (not too much because of the bacon) and gently simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally and adding more water if necessary. Take out meats, chop and return to pan before serving. That's it!
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Ensalada mixta Casa Gustavo
This can vary but usually starting with a base of lettuce we then build up with sliced red or spring onions, tinned tuna, cooked asparagus (fresh if in season), halved hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, anchovy fillets and olives.
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Cheese-stuffed peppers
4 long, thin, green peppers
(pimientos de freir- look like overgrown chillies but aren't hot),
300g soft cheese (begins with "ph"),
small tin/jar of anchovies in oil
Bake peppers whole just as they are for about 20 min's in a fairly hot oven. With a blender, mix cheese, drained anchovies and black pepper. When peppers are cool, slit open, remove any seeds (worry about GM products when there aren't any) and stuff with cheese mixture. Drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil to serve.
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Green beans and artichokes with ham
(Judias y alcachofas con jamón)
This is adapted from an old favourite, peas and ham (guisantes con jamón) and could also be just beans or just artichokes.
1kg Spanish or French flat green beans
12 small globe artichokes
100g jamón serrano
2 decent-sized cloves garlic
olive oil
butter
Cut off the stems and first couple of leaves from the artichokes. Bring to the boil and simmer in plenty of salted water for about 30 min's (longer if bigger). Trim, chop and cook beans. Gently fry chopped garlic in olive oil and a little butter then add the chopped jamón. Pull off leaves from the drained artichokes (the water makes a nice stock for soup) 'til you're left with no tough bits - the leaves could be kept and eaten with a dip. Trim any tough tips, halve the hearts and add to the garlic and jamón with the drained beans. Season with a little salt and simmer gently, stirring every now and then for about 10 min's to let the flavours mingle.
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Courgette-stuffed chicken
4 chicken breasts
1 decent size (or 2 smaller) courgette
1 onion
300g soft fresh cheese (possibly Mascarpone if none locally-produced)
1 egg
olive oil
Chop onion and fry in oil 'til soft and opaque. Add grated courgette, cover and cook gently for about 10 min's. Allow to cool a little and mix in cheese and beaten egg, s &p. Make deep slits in fattest parts of chicken breasts and stuff with cheese and courgette mixture. Drizzle over a little olive oil and bake in a fairly hot oven for about 30 min's if the breasts are large, less if smaller.
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Paella
1 onion
1 red pepper
2 cloves garlic
200g flat green beans and/or 100g frozen peas
4 handfuls of paella or long-grain rice
pinch of saffron strands soaked in a little hot water
750ml fish stock
1 large fillet of white fish, chopped into chunks
500g mussels, scrubbed and any that don't close when tapped discarded
250g raw squid rings
4 large prawns (langostinos)
good splash of olive oil
Gently fry chopped onion, garlic and red pepper in olive oil in a paella pan or a deep frying pan. Stir in rice to coat and add saffron and it's water. Pour in double the amount of stock and some salt and stir. Let it bubble and simmer, stirring occasionally to help the rice absorb the liquid, 'til the rice is almost cooked when you can then throw in the mussels, adding more stock at any time if necessary. Next tip in the squid and fish, stir and put the prawns on the top to steam/cook through until all the liquid has been absorbed. You should now have a paella ready to serve with quartered lemons.
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Tortilla de patata (potato omelette)
3 jacket-sized potatoes
1 onion
3 large eggs
olive oil
9 -10 in. non-stick, heavy-based, deepish frying pan
Peel, thinly and finely chop/dice potatoes. You have free rein here, they can be sliced or diced or a mixture of the two. Finely chop the onion. (Tip from Nati, "cuanto más cebolla echas, más jugosa sale.") Gently heat the olive oil in the pan and add the potato and onion - they should be completely immersed. Cook gently so the potato softens without browning, about 20 min's. Drain the mixture from the oil into a colander over a bowl to catch the drips and maybe wipe the pan with some kitchen roll. In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs with some salt and add the potato and onion. Heat a little of the oil back in the pan and tip in the mixture. Cook over a low heat without browning too much on the bottom until it's half-set. Invert a plate just bigger than the frying-pan over it and deftly (!) turn the tortllla. Add a touch more oil to the pan and slide the tortilla back in to cook the other side. Poke down all around with a saucer to achieve that Spanish tapas bar look. Cook gently more for a couple of minutes if you like your tortilla still runny in the middle (me) or more if not (children).
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Flan (creme caramel)
3 large eggs
500ml milk
2 tbsp's sugar
a few drops of vanilla essence
liquid caramel or more sugar to make your own if you're brave
4 individual moulds (dariole?)
Beat eggs with the sugar and add the vanilla essence and milk. Pour enough caramel into the moulds to cover the bases and top up with the egg and milk mix. Bake in a moderate oven in a bain marie for about 40 min's. Turn out onto small plates when cool to serve.
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Casa Gustavo - Aliezo 39584 - Cillorigo de Liebana - Cantabria - Spain
Tel. 00(34)942732010
