Spanish Magdalena Muffins

I had these lemon-scented muffins sometimes growing up in Spain, and as an adult, I was able to find them in Portugal for my kids. Now in Italy, I get them during "Spanish Week" at Lidl, lol. But they're not always available, so when they're not, here is a great, easy recipe for them. They do use a lot of olive oil. That's not a problem for me here; since good-quality olive oil is so inexpensive, and I always have a lot on hand. If you're in the US, a cheaper olive oil would probably work fine. 

Note: Batter must be chilled before baking. 

Spanish Magdalena Muffins

adapted from The Mediterranean 

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (210g)
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar (150g), plus extra for sprinkling
Zest from 1 lemon
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (160ml)
1/4 cup whole or 2% milk (80ml)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Beat the eggs. In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and lemon zest on medium-high speed until pale and doubled in volume, about 3 minutes.

2, Add the wet ingredients: While continuing to beat the eggs on medium-high speed, pour in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Pour in the milk and vanilla extract, and mix on low until incorporated.
Fold in the dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture and carefully fold with a rubber spatula until the mixture is combined and no dry lumps of flour remain, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.

3. Chill the batter- cover the bowl and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour. About 20 minutes before the muffin batter is done resting, preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a standard muffin pan with muffin tin liners. Scoop or pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan, dividing it evenly among the 12 wells. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a pinch of granulated sugar.

4. Bake the muffins: Set the muffin pan in the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 400°F. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

5. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. The muffins will keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Homemade Churros

These were so much fun to make!  We made them back during our "Spring Break" while we were locked down.  We ended up making three batches that first day, lol!  Then I had to make them again, since we ate them so fast that first time that I never got a pic.  We did use a churro maker for this.  Supposedly one can use a pastry bag, but I didn't want it to burst everywhere, so I got a "Star Blue" churro maker from Amazon. It works very well!  And has a lot of different tip designs for the nozzle.  If you choose to use a pastry bag, I'd view some Youtube videos first to get the gist of what to do.  

These were easier to make than I thought.  You cook together a simple dough on the stove and then pipe it out.  We didn't pipe these out right into hot oil, but rather piped them onto a sheet of parchment paper (a few pics down) so we could lift them up and into the oil when we were ready.  It worked out well; they didn't stick to the paper at all.  The hardest part of these is cleaning up any mess you might make from deep-frying.  (Not my fave thing at all, but worth it every once in a while... like once or twice a year.  Lol.)

We coated these in just sugar, like in Spain (no cinnamon there), or ate them plain; my fave way to eat them when I was a kid in Spain.  We served these with thick Italian hot chocolate; similar to the Spanish version.

Homemade Churros

adapted from Star Blue's Churro Cookbook

1 cup water

2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons canola, sunflower, or vegetable oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 quarts (more or less, depending on what pan you use) oil for frying

1/2 cup white sugar, to taste

1 teaspoon cinnamon, to taste (optional; we left it off)

1.  In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine water, 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, salt, and 2 tablespoons oil.  Bring to a boil and remove from heat.  Stir in flour until mixture forms a ball.  

2.  Heat oil for frying in deep-fryer or deep skillet or saucepan to 375 F.  (190 C).  Pipe strips of dough onto sheets of parchment paper and lift into oil when ready, OR pipe directly into hot oil using a churros maker or piping bag.  Fry until golden; drain onto paper towels.  

3.  Place sugar (and optional cinnamon) in a shallow bowl.  Roll drained churros in sugar and serve.  

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

More Spain Pics

These are mostly pics of churros and the churros stand.  Lol!!  This is the same churros stand that was there when I lived there, with the same people. I love churros, especially from them.  I'll also include some other Spain pics below all of these churros. 

Above, churros gordos frying.  Below, regular churros frying.  I prefer the regular.  

 Above and below, the bullring of El Puerto de Santa Maria.  

Above and below, Puerto Sherry.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/**

Spanish Food!!!

You can't go wrong with pretty much any food you try in Southern Spain.  I was so excited to go back and try all of my old favorites.  These phone pics, mostly taken at night-time, aren't the best, but I love them anyway.  We went to one of my old favorite restaurants 3 times for dinner.  The food was so good, and cheap, with big portions.  For our fam of 6 it was only 78 Euros one night, and we got appetizers and desserts!!  In Italy, with no appetizers/desserts it's always 130 Euros for our fam to go out to a sit-down restaurant.  Spain, I miss you!! Pictured above, grilled swordfish.  Below, fried green peppers. 

 Above, Garlic Chicken.  Below, garlic olives. 

 Above, warm bread, with butter packages underneath.  Below, calamari. 

Above, Jamon breakfast sandwich with Cola Coa.  SOOOO GOOD!!!  Below, some tapas we got, including patatas bravas and fries with a fried egg on top. 

 Above, churros gordos with chocolate in Ronda.  Below, Cola Coa for sale in Carrefour.  (The old Pryca's.)

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/**

Spanish Marcona Almond Cake (with Olive Oil)

 

I spotted this recipe on La Tienda a while ago and really wanted to make it.  La Tienda  is a company that ships food from Spain to the US and other places.  I've ordered some stuff from them before.  They also feature Spanish recipes.  For this cake, though, I ordered Marcona almonds from Nuts.com - I love that company.  (You can probably make this recipe with any blanched almonds; Marconas are supposed to be superior though.)

I lightly toasted the almonds in a dry skillet on the stove and then ground them coarsely in my food processor.  I actually messed up on this recipe- dumping all the ingredients in together instead of doing the wet first and then adding the dry. I was afraid I'd messed it up, but it turned out very well despite that.  I loved the orange and lemon flavors- make sure you use fresh zest.

Spanish Marcona Almond Cake (with Olive Oil)
adapted from La Tienda

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp orange zest
2 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup Marcona almonds, toasted and finely chopped
Powdered sugar, for sifting

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil 9-inch diameter cake pan. I cut out a circle of parchment paper and placed it in the bottom for easier release.

2.  Whisk flour, baking powder & salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar, eggs & zests in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in milk, then gradually beat in oil. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended, then stir in almonds. Transfer batter to pan and place on baking sheet to collect any spills.

3.  Bake until a tester inserted into center of cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 30-35 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool for 15 minutes. Remove cake and place on serving platter, top side up. Sift powdered sugar over the cake.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

A Taste of Spain!

I'm lucky enough to have a Spanish friend here who goes home to Spain every so often and brings me back little food gifts!  She knows I used to live there and that I miss certain things.  One of my favorite things she brought back was the Cola Cao, pictured above.  I can actually buy Cola Cao here in the Portuguese markets, but not the "Original" kind, which is the kind I grew up with, so she brought this back for me.  I loved seeing and remembering the old container, just like the ones I used to know.  :)  My kids LOVE Cola Cao- it's chocolaty and you mix it with either hot or cold milk.  I think it's so much better than any American hot cocoa mix.  I love hot chocolate- but either make my own from scratch, from a homemade mix, or this. There are no weird ingredients.  One of my sons has been having a mug of warm Cola Cao every morning lately, as it is pretty cold here right now.  I'm lucky that I can buy it here, like I said- they sell the "Energy" kind here, and some other ones.  The newer ones dissolve more easily that "Original".  Want to buy some Original Cola Cao?  Check out La Tienda- it's even on sale! :)

One Spanish treat that I can get here easily is Magdalena muffins- small, sweet and lemony muffins that are common to have for breakfast.  In fact, two of my kids are loving to have a Magdalena and some hot Cola Cao for breakfast lately.  So Spanish!  I just found a recipe for homemade Magdalenas, which I am anxious to try.  

Another treat I loved from Spain but haven't had since I lived there is polvorónes.  They are little melt-in-your mouth cookies, so soft and buttery because the amount of fat (usually pork lard!) that they contain.  I grew up taking an individually-packaged cookie and squishing it in my hand.  Then you open the package and eat the cookie.  It is soooo good- crumbly, but with a melt-in-your mouth texture.  They are traditionally eaten at Christmas time.  Some of them are also called "mantecados".  Well, this year, my friend was nice enough to bring me back a bag of these.  I was SO EXCITED!!!!  I ate them pretty quickly, lol, leaving me to search the internet for recipes I can make at home. 

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com**

Andalucian Pinchitos- Spanish Saffron Skewers

I've been wanting to make more Spanish food, and came across a recipe for these a while ago.  They were popular in the region of Spain I used to live in.  My mom remembers eating them at restaurants.  They are also popular Feria (fair) food.  The reipe can be made with pork or lamb, or chicken, which is what I chose to use.  We had this with saffron rice and some kind of veggie- can't remember now!  :)  I think I will make these for our next Tapas night.  

Andalucian Pinchitos- Spanish Saffron Skewers

adapted from Food

Meat Skewers:
500 g boneless skinless chicken breasts or 500 g lean lamb fillets or 500 g lean pork fillets
8 pre-soaked wooden skewers, about 15cm long, OR
5-10 metal skewers, about 25cm long

Marinade:
1/2 teaspoon coriander seed, roughly ground
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed, roughly ground
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, roughly ground
2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed with
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 pinch saffron, infused with
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf, crumbled
2 teaspoons sherry wine vinegar or 2 teaspoons wine vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil

Garnish:
chopped flat leaf parsley or chopped coriander (Cilantro)

1.  Cut the chicken breasts,lamb or pork into cubes about 1" in size. Flatten them slightly with the palm of your hand.  Place the meat in a large bowl and add the dried spices, garlic & salt, saffron infused water, oregano, bay leaf and vinegar - mix thouroughly.

2.  Add the olive oil - mix again thoroughly, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for between 2 & 12 hours, so the flavours mingle and marinade into the meat.

3.  Light the barbecue about half an hour before cooking and allow the charcoal or wood to flare and then glow.  Or, pre-heat your gas grill.  (If cooking inside, turn the grill up to high, or use a smoking hot griddle or griddle pan.)

4.  Thread the meat on to the skewers.  Grill for about 5 minutes on each side, or until the outside is charred and the inside is still juicy but cooked. (NOT pink for pork and chicken - but pink for lamb).  Season well with salt (if needed) and pepper and sprinkle with chopped flat leaf parsley or fresh coriander (Cilantro), serve with a selection of salads, flat breads, pickles and Sherry vinegar dressing, optional.  (We served with Saffron rice and a veggie.)

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Marinated Manchego Cheese (Spanish Tapas)

We had this marinated cheese along with some other dishes for our tapas night last week.  This dish was very easy to make and we loved it.  My white wine vinegar was growing a mother and it really grossed me out, although the vinegar is supposedly fine.  So, instead, I used a honey wine vinegar my sister send me last year.  The slight sweetness really complemented the cheese in this dish. 

My kids all love Manchego but I knew some of them wouldn't be excited about the marinated version, so I left some plain for them.  My daughter really, really loved this though, and hogged the last of it.  :)

Marinated Manchego Cheese
from Spanish by Pepita Aris

5oz Manchego or other firm cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar (or honey wine vinegar)
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 garlic clove, sliced
fresh thyme or tarragon sprigs
fresh flat leaf parsley or tarragon sprigs, to garnish (optional)

1.  Cut the cheese into bite-sized pieces, removing any hard rind.  Place in a small bowl.  Combine the oil, vinegar, peppercorns, garlic, thyme or tarragon and pour over the cheese.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for up to 3 days.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Spanish Tapas- Marinated Olives

These olives were delicious and sooooo flavorful.  Last week we had yet another Spanish Tapas night, with Pimientos de Padron, Spanish Tortilla, Spanish bread, Marinated Manchego cheese (recipe coming later), and fresh fruit.  Tapas nights are always popular with my family.  (Although some of the kids opted for plain olives rather than these deliciously garlicky ones.) 

Marinated Olives
adapted from Spanish by Pepita Aris

1/2 tsp/2.5 ml coriander seeds
1/2 tsp/2.5 ml fennel seeds
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp/5 ml chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp/10 ml chopped fresh parsley
1 TBSP/ 15 ml Spanish sherry vinegar (can sub. balsamic)
2 TBSP/30 ml olive oil
2/3 cup/4 oz/115g black olives*, drained & rinsed
2/3 cup/4 oz/115g green olives*, drained & rinsed

1.  Crush the coriander and fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle.  Work in the garlic, then add the rosemary, parsley, vinegar, and olive oil.  Put the olives in a small bowl and pour the marinade over them.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for up to 1 week. 
*Whole olives (not pitted ones) usually have a better flavor.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Purple Potato Spanish Tortilla

I was so excited a little while ago when I discovered two little packages of purple potatoes at my grocery store!  I love purple potatoes, but have not seen them for years, and I've never seen them here before!  I brought them home and tried them right away in a roasted potato dish.... but they were mealy, mushy, and tasted kinda gross.  I couldn't even eat them. 

Sadly, I kinda forgot about the rest of them until I wanted to clean up the area of the kitchen they were occupying.  While searching for purple potato recipes before, I remembered seeing a few recipes for Purple Spanish Tortilla, so that is what I did a few days ago.  I wondered if maybe these little guys just weren't meant to be roasted, or maybe I had overcooked them the first time.  (Quite possible). 

When making a Spanish tortilla, one cooks the potatoes first on the stove-top, in olive oil, before adding the eggs.  I figured I could cook them up and taste them, and if they were mealy or mushy or gross at all, I'd just toss them and cut my losses.  So I started on the tortilla and pan-fried the taters in some olive oil, and they tasted good!  Not mushy or gross!  I was so excited.  I decided to make a half-size tortilla in the small non-stick skillet I used to cook eggs.  It was perfect, and so easy to flip because it wasn't a big huge skillet.  But, my husband and I enjoyed this little tortilla so much that I had to go make another one after it was gone.  :) 

Note:  It's hard to tell you how many potatoes to use, since mine were tiny, and this is a half-recipe.  You can use more or less than what I indicate, especially since potatoes come in many different sizes.  I peel my potatoes for regular Spanish tortilla, but left the peels on these purple ones. 

Purple Potato Spanish Tortilla
adapted from my Mom's recipe, here

3-6 small purple potatoes, sliced (scrub skins well)

1 small onion, thinly sliced
Olive oil
3 eggs
Salt and pepper

1. In a small, non-stick skillet, cook potatoes and onion in olive oil (1-2 Tablespoons) until soft but not mushy.

2. Beat 3 eggs in a separate bowl. Add salt and pepper.  Add cooked potato mixture to eggs.

3. Add olive oil to non- stick skillet -just enough to cover the bottom. Swirl hot oil to cover sides of pan as well. Heat until oil is very hot. Add potato mixture, cover, turn down heat and cook for 2-3 minutes. Check to see if half cooked. Turn by placing a large dinner plate over top and turning (do this over sink since some hot grease will drip out).

4. Slide tortilla back into pan, cooked-side up. Cook until set. Serve hot or cold or room temperature.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **