Magdalenas - Breakfast Muffin

These little cuties are EASY and very authentic - nothing nutritional, really, but very tasty - I ate these almost everyday for breakfast when I lived in Spain!

Ingredients:

6 eggs

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 1/2 cups flour

7 oz. canola oil

1 TB. baking powder

The rind from 1 lemon

Method:

Mix all of the ingredients together. Let it rest for 1-2 hours in the fridge (covered). When it is time to bake, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Fill the muffin cups (use liners - these will stick) about 2/3 full. I like to sprinkle the tops with a little bit of sugar, this is how they are in Spain. Bake for 12-15 minutes - they will have risen and turned a very LIGHT golden color. Do not overbake because they will dry out! Keep leftovers in an airtight container.

These are best dipped in hot chocolate!!! :)

Pan con Tomate (Bread with tomato)

I love this easy little appetizer - it is so basic and so tasty. There are several variations that I have seen on American cooking shows, but I really have to stick with the basic form I learned in Spain. And I should clarify - Northern Spain - Catalonia - other places in Spain don't really do this. Boy, are they missing out.



Ingredients:

A baguette
Several Roma Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Salt

Method:


You start with a sliced baguette - the better the bread, the better this will be. A little on the crusty side is my preference.

You take a Roma tomato, cut it in half lengthwise and the spread the tomato inner parts (juice, seeds, whatever) over the surface of the bread. Really, just squish it in.

Then get some great, fruity olive oil and drizzle a little on top of one, grab another and rub the two tomato drenched faces together. When all the pieces of bread have the olive oil, then just a bit of salt and you are set. This is really the best way to eat bread I have ever come across. It is so good with any classic spanish dish - it's not too heavy and a healthy alternative to garlic bread.



Other form I have seen toast the bread first. And then they add little things like a great European cheese or some olive paste and even rub fresh garlic on the slice (which is great, too). They really are all good, but the plain old original is divine!

Spanish Almond Cookies

These were always one of my favorite things to pick up in the bakeries in Spain. They have a light lemon and anise zip to them - very fresh cookie - definitely NOT a favorite among children. This cookie tends to be a little more crisp and on the dry side. This is what they are and I love them. Just don't bake them expecting a super moist, soft cookie. And what's more ... these actually improve with time, so make a batch and enjoy them for the next few days - they will get better and better!

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt (optional)
3 eggs, divide one of them
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup canola oil
Zest from one lemon
1 tsp. anise flavoring
Whole almonds
Raw sugar

Method:

Sift together the dry ingredients, flour, baking soda and cinnamon. In a different bowl, combine 2 of the eggs and the egg white from the third egg that was divided with the granulated sugar. Beat in the two oils and add lemon zest and anise flavoring.

Stir in the dry ingredients until mixed together. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the remaining egg yolk with 1/2 tsp. water and set aside.



When the dough is chilled, roll into small balls - maybe one inch in diameter.
Set the dough on the baking sheet and flatten slightly with the bottom of a small jar, this helps it achieve a more uniform shape, and I love the little ridges on the bottom of the jar, they add a nice touch.



Push an almond into the center of each cookie then brush each with the egg yolk.



Sprinkle some raw sugar on each and then bake for 15 minutes, when they are lightly golden. Let them set a minute or two, use your spatula to remove them from the cookie sheet (they will want to stick due to the egg wash).

Makes about 30-40 depending on the size, I prefer the smaller cookie.

Gazpacho!!!

Aren't these vegetables gorgeous? With all the focus put on getting your vegetables in each day - it looks like the spaniards were on to this wisdom long ago. This cold soup (vegetable puree) is one of the best things to eat on a hot summer evening. Please excuse the lack of specifics - each vegetable is unique in flavor and size, so you really have to taste this one along the way in order to make it the way you like.

Ingredients:
5-8 Roma Tomatoes
1 Regular cucumber
1 Bell Pepper -red, green, yellow - whatever you prefer
3-6 cloves of garlic - again, according to taste
bread crumbs
water
olive oil (extra virgin please)
vinegar (I use rice - you can use anything you like)
salt
Optional: I threw in some cilantro that was leftover in my fridge - not bad!

Method:
All of the vegetables basically need to be chopped into large chunks. These chunks are thrown into a food processor or blender with a little water and turned into a puree. You want it as smooth as you can get possibly get it to be. Once you have the vegetables blended together (remember, do it according to taste) you will add the breadcrumbs. I usually use about 1/2 cup - some people don't like to have them at all, I personally like the taste and texture when you add the breadcrumbs. Now I add the olive oil and vinegar and a bit of salt, to get the taste and texture just right. I am guessing around 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 Tb. vinegar. Maybe just 1/4 tsp. of salt - again, taste it before you add too much of anything.


Once it is all pureed you will have a thick soup, depending on how much water you add. Some people like it runny, some people don't. The batches above are different, the one on the left has the cilantro, so it's color is not as orange as the traditional version. And just so you know, it is common to throw an ice cube or two into your bowl - just to make it extra cold. And garnishing it with some chopped cucumber and tomoto makes it pretty and adds some variation to the texture. If you haven't ever tried a gazpacho, you really should - you can get a whole day's worth of vegetables in one sitting - it's a wonderful soup.

Tortilla Espanola (Spanish Tortilla)

This is one of the most popular foods eaten in Spain, it was the first thing I was served by a Spaniard when I lived there. Most of the tortillas I had were made with the standard egg and potato indredients, but sometimes they were made with mushrooms, eggplant and even spinach. So, keep those variations in mind. The great thing about this dish is that it is CHEAP and uses items many of us always have on hand, eggs, potatoes, onion, garlic and olive oil. This dish takes about 45 minutes total to prepare, some of that is cooking time for the potatoes, which is when I prepare the rest of the meal. This goes very well with a marinated tomato and cucumber salad and a fresh baguette. Fresh fruit makes a great dessert, especially for a summer meal. And this is exactly how the spaniards do it.

Ingredients:
4-5 medium potatoes
6 eggs
Salt
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
Olive Oil

Method:
Start by peeling and dicing the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. I like to boil the potatoes to cook them, until they are just tender, you don't want them mushy or waterlogged. Just for the record, this is a deviation, most Spaniards fry the potatoes with the onion and garlic in a frying pan first, I just prefer the boiling method. While the potatoes are cooking, do two different things. First, crack the eggs open into a large bowl and use a fork or whisk to get them light and frothy, adding about 1/4 tsp. of salt. Now this is another trick that some spaniards do, they add a tablespoon of Baking Powder into the eggs, to make them fluffier. Second, slice the onion into thin slivers and mince the garlic. Heat a few teaspoons of olive oil in a frying pan, add the onion and cook until lightly caramelized. Add the garlic and cook just a bit longer, until garlic appears golden.

Add the onions and garlic into the eggs and mix lightly.
When the potatoes are done cooking, drain them well and add them to the egg mixture. Stir just a few times then put everything into the frying pan used for the onions and cook over medium heat while stirring for a few minutes until the egg starts to set.

Then you want to let the tortilla cook undisturbed for a few minutes. Make sure the bottom isn't burning. After a few minutes it is time to turn the tortilla - it should stick together now. I like to get a plate and place it on top of the frying pan, then turn the frying pan upside down so that the tortilla lands on the plate.

The tortilla should now be able to slide off the plate and back into the frying pan, uncooked side down, to finish cooking.

Cook for a few more minutes, keep checking to make sure that it isn't burning on the bottom. You might need to flip this one or two more times until it looks done (should have a golden brown color to it). And you want to make sure the center is cooked through. If you do flip the tortilla a few more times, use a clean plate so that you don't get raw egg on the cooked part of the tortilla - just to be on the cautious side.

I like to serve this in wedges with mayonaisse, yes, that is how the spaniards eat it. If any of you prefer to use ketchup, please don't tell me :) It can be served hot or cold, and can be the main dish or just part of an appetizer bar (have you heard of tapas?). This dish will serve a family of 5 easily.