Spanish cuisine is just as diverse as the different cultural
groups that reside in Spain. Test your cooking ability with several
family recipes passed down through generations
By Christine Cuthbert , Staff Writer
Throughout time, the different regions of Spain have been transformed and influenced by the ethnic groups that reside there. With strong Celtic influences in the northwest, Jewish and Moorish influences in the south, and Basque influences in the north, Spain has a diverse population. Along with the outside cultures comes a variety of different dishes and delicacies.
Spain is the second-largest fish-consuming country – the first is Japan – and the country’s most familiar dishes, such as paella and tapas, are characterized by different types of prawns, mussels and other creatures of the sea.
Unlike the popularity of Japanese, Chinese, Italian and Mexican restaurants in the United States, authentic Spanish restaurants are hard to come by. One of the best places to find the tastes and smells of Madrid, Barcelona and Malaga are in the cocinas – or kitchens – of true Spaniards who pass down recipes from generation to generation.
“My family is from Madrid, and so while I was growing up my mom always made Spanish cuisine,” said Maria Wetzel, principal at Luigi Aprea Elementary School in Gilroy. “I think the tastes are exquisite. The combination of textures are marvelous, and when you grow up with the food it feels like home. It’s comforting.”
Many Spanish dishes are a hodgepodge of different ingredients mixed together to create a single unique flavor. Paella, for example, combines seafood and chicken. Tortilla española, much like a potato omelet, is a mix of eggs, potatoes, onions, salt and sugar.
A favorite drink among Spaniards is sangria. Traditionally made from cheap red wine, bubbly water, sugar and citrus fruit, sangria is common at Spanish family celebrations.
“My uncle lives in Madrid, and every year for his birthday he makes sangria in barrels,” Wetzel said.
If you want to explore the tastes and flavors of Spanish culture, here are a few recipes to get you started.
Tortilla Espanola
from Estephania Blasquez Hernandez, a first-generation American
4 to 5 potatoes, cubed
1 to 2 onions, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
olive oil
5 eggs
1/2 to 1 tsp. salt
Step 1: Combine the ingredients in olive oil in this order: garlic, potatoes, pepper and onions. Cook until soft.
Step 2: In a bowl, beat the eggs and the salt.
Step 3: Drain the oil from the potato mixture, and add the mixture to the eggs.
Step 4: Stir well, and pour into a small skillet. Cook on one side. When it is cooked halfway, slide it onto a plate. Then flip the plate over onto the pan to cook the other side. Serve hot or room temperature.
A Variation on Sangria
from Judy Salinero, a second-generation American
red wine to fill 1/5 of the pitcher
1/2 jigger cointreau
1 jigger gin
1 jigger cognac
3 Tbs. sugar
1 1/4 oranges, cut into thin slices or spirals
1/2 lemon, prepared the same way as the oranges
In a one-quart pitcher, mix the ingredients and add ice cubes.
Everyday Paella
Al Perez, a first-generation American
Paella just might have as many varieties as it has cooks to make it. It uses regional items, and if the cook is near the ocean, it may contain crab, clams, mussels, lobsters, eels, octopi and several kinds of fish. The following is a chicken paella made from foods more readily found in the average cook’s cupboards.
3 1/2 pounds of chicken, cut up
1/2 cup olive oil
2 large onions
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
1 pound can tomatoes
2 cloves garlic minced
4 cups of chicken broth
1 package frozen artichoke hearts
1 4-ounce can pimientos, chopped
1 small can green chile salsa
1/2 tsp. saffron
salt and pepper for flavor
1 pound cooked prawns (optional)
1/2 cup white wine
Step 1: Heat oil in a large skillet which may be tightly covered.
Step 2: Brown chicken pieces well on both sides; add onions and garlic and season with salt and pepper until onions are soft.
Step 3: Add tomatoes and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking.
Step 4: Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add salsa and bell pepper.
Step 5: Slowly add rice and a sprinkle of saffron. Cover and cook very slowly for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 6: Drain pimientos. Cook artichoke hearts according to package directions. Add both to chicken-rice mixture with cut up prawns and wine. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes.
Sopa de Ajo (Garlic Soup)
from Mary Martin, a first-generation American
In Spain, this soup is served with fried bread. Minced parsley decorates the bowl.
2 Tbs. olive oil
6 cloves garlic peeled
8 slices of day-old, French-style bread, sliced 1/8-inch thick
8 cups strong chicken stock
3 Tbs. dry sherry
3 eggs at room temperature
2 Tbs. heavy cream
minced parsley, for garnish
Step 1: In a skillet, heat oil. Saute garlic cloves slowly until they are golden on all sides. Reserve.
Step 2: Saute bread slices in remaining oil until they are golden and very crusty. Keep them warm.
Step 3: Add reserved garlic to chicken stock (it should be warm), crushing lightly with a fork.
Step 4: Stir in sherry and let stock sit about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Strain chicken stock, pressing garlic pieces through a strainer with a wooden spoon so that most of the pieces pass through.
Step 5: Right before serving, heat broth to the boiling point. In a large bowl, beat eggs with an electric beater or wire whisk until they are light and foamy. Stir in cream. Gradually beat in hot broth. Serves 8.
