ZUCCHINI MINI BOATS WITH IBERICO HAM

This is a wonderful recipe to prepare zucchini, very easy recipe that only needs few ingredients.
Zucchini is a versatil vegetable with which you can prepare a soup, or make them in the oven like today's recipe or simply coat them with eggs and bread crumbs to enjoy a delicious crispy zucchini's bites.

For this recipe we will need:

INGREDIENTS

Serves 2

• 2 zucchini
• 3 oz. iberico ham diced
• 1 shallot
• parmesan cheese
• bread crumbs
• 1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
• salt to taste
• black ground pepper 

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Wash  the zucchini and  split each in half lengthwise.
2. Scoop out the seeds and pulp, and set aside in a bowl.
3. Steam the zucchini halves until almost tender,  for about 10 minutes.
4. While the zucchini is steaming, heat olive oil in a saucepan and add the chopped shallot and saute until soft.
5. Add zucchini pulp and diced iberico ham and saute for some minutes.
6. Add Worcestershire sauce, stir the mixture and saute for about 10 minutes in a low-medium heat.
7. Taste and add salt and black pepper if it needed.
8. Pile the stuffing in the shells.
9. Mix the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese and sprinkle over the zucchini.
10. Place the zucchini mini boats in a greased baking tray and bake at 350F for about 25 minutes.
11. Enjoy!!!

SALMOREJO

Salmorejo is a delicious creamy soup, that is served cold and made only by a few ingredients: tomatoes, bread, garlic, olive oil,  and salt.

Salmorejo is similar to gazpacho but thicker and creamier in texture because of the bread.

It is served as a starter or first meal and accompanied with chunks of iberico ham and crumbled hard boiled eggs on top.

This recipe  is full of vitamins(vitamin C), antioxidants(selenium) and minerals because of the nutrient dense of tomatoes.

You can enjoy also salmorejo as a sauce preparing a toast with iberico ham on top, love it!!!

For this easy recipe we will need:

INGREDIENTS

Serves 6

• 2 pounds(1 kg) ripe tomatoes
• 7 oz (200g) stale bread
• 9 oz (150ml) spanish olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• salt to taste
• 2 boiled eggs
• sliced iberico ham

PREPARATION

1. Wash tomatoes and blend them using a food processor or a blender.
2. Use a colander to remove some peel from tomatoes and seeds.
3. In a bowl put the "guts" of the bread and cover with the tomatoes puree for at least 10 or 15 minutes.
4. Add the clove of the garlic and blend all the ingredients(tomatoes, bread and garlic).
5. Add olive oil, little by little, and emulsify using the blender.
6. Add salt and taste it.
7. The result needs to be creamy and thick, with a beautiful orange color(taste the final result and add more olive oil or salt if it needs it).
8. Serve cold and garnish with diced boiled eggs and iberico ham on top.
9. Enjoy!!!.

MUSHROOMS STUFFED WITH IBERICO HAM

I'm a huge fan of mushrooms, because of the taste and their health benefits. They are a good source of protein as well as antioxidants such as selenium, and vitamins as vitamin B12.

They are also cholesterol free and very low in fat, so it's a good point in you are on a diet or worried about your weight.

If you choose  white mushrooms for your recipe,  they are also a good source of  vitamin D.

It's very important that you cook mushrooms throroughly, in order to breakdown small amounts of natural toxins that they can have and their taste is better after cooking.

You can enjoy this recipe as an appetizer or as a side for a main dish, it's very easy to prepare and also you don't need too much ingredients to make it.

Serves 4

• 8 white mushrooms(brushed and clean)
• 2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 2 garlic clove finely chopped
• 3 iberico ham slices finely chopped
• 4 tablespoon olive oil
• 50 ml tablespoon white wine
• salt to taste 
• black ground pepper

ELABORATION

1. Remove stems from mushrooms, and dice the stems. Set mushrooms caps aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over low heat and add garlic and parsley and saute for 1 minute.
3. Add iberico ham and mushrooms steam, saute for some minutes and add white wine.
4. Add salt and black pepper and cook until there is no more liquid.
5. Set aside and reserve.
6. Heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and cook mushrooms cups for both sides.
7. Add salt and  ground black pepper to taste.
8. Stuff  mushrooms caps with the iberico garlic ham mixture.
9. Serve hot.
10. Enjoy!!!

GREEN PEAS WITH IBERICO HAM AND POACHED EGG

Peas can be cooked in a variety of methods, making a delicious and versatile vegetable for your table.There are generally three types of peas that are commonly eaten: green peas, snow peas, and snap peas.
Only about 5% of the peas grown are sold fresh(spring season), the rest are sold frozen or canned.
Frozen peas are able to retain color,  texture and  flavor better than the canned peas, so frozen is a better option.
Green peas have a sweet taste and provide us with nutrients, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits, and also are a reliable source of omega-3 fat.
There are several ways to cook green peas, but my favorite one is saute, because provides the greatest flavor and because of of the low heat allows to concentrate the nutrients.
This recipe could be served as a main dish or as a side in smaller portion, anyway is a good choice for our week menu plan.

For this recipe we will need:

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 leek finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
• iberico ham diced
• fresh or frozen green peas
• 4 eggs
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

ELABORATION

1. Chop the leek roughly and finely slice the garlic.
2. If you choose frozen peas, add water to a pot , set the pot on high, and let it boil.When it comes to boil, quickly add the peas and turn the heat down to medium high. Cook for about 3 minutes(be careful not to overcooked the peas because will lose their green color and flavor).
3. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the leek and saute for 1 or 2 minutes and then add the garlic and cook in a medium-low heat for a few minutes to soften.
4. Add the iberico ham and cook for 2 or 3 minutes.
5. Add the peas and cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly in a a low heat. Set aside
6. Heat  2 cups of water in a pot, add a pinch of salt and 2 teaspoons vinegar and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
7. Create a gentle whirlpool in the water to help the egg white wrap around the yolk.
8. Meanwhile, crack one egg into a small bowl and drop slowly the egg into the water and cook for three minutes.
9. Remove the egg with a slotted spoon, and drain into a kitchen paper.
10. Serve the peas with the poached egg on top
11. Enjoy!!!

ROASTED TOMATOES AND IBERICO HAM GARLIC TOAST

This recipe is so simple but full of flavor and I love how my kitchen smells so good  when I am cooking tomatoes and garlic in the oven.
When tomatoes are cooked in a healthy fat like olive oil, it increases the absorption of the lycopene.
The tomato is the primary food source of lycopene, a naturally red pigment linked to prevent numerous diseases.
Tomatoes also contain significant amounts of vitamin E, fiber, potassium and folate.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as the perfect appetizer in a family or friend gathering.

For this recipe we will need:

INGREDIENTS

4 toast:

• 4 tomatoes
• 4 head garlic
• 8 iberico ham slices
• olive oil
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• thyme
• oregano
•  pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar

PREPARATION

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.Meanwhile, hull the steams from your tomatoes and slice a shallow "X" in the bottom.
2. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water and watch for their skins to start to wrinkle and split, for about 1 minute, and scoop them out with a spoon and transfer them to a bowl with cold water.
3. Once cooled, transfer the tomatoes to a cutting board, and use your fingers or a knife to peel back the tomato skins.
4. Slice the tomatoes in half, remove the seeds and cut them in small pieces
5. Preheat the oven at 300F and put the diced tomatoes, the garlic heads(no peeled), olive oil, vinegar, salt, sugar, thyme and oregano in a baking bowl.
6. Roast for about 1 hour.
7. Toast the bread in a toaster or in the grill.
8. Spread the garlic over the toast(the garlic is soft after roasting).
9. Spread the tomato jam.
10. Top with some slices of iberico ham.
11. Enjoy your delicious toast!!!

COCIDO MADRILEÑO

Cocido Madrileño is probably one of the most representative dish of Madrid cuisine. Cocido is a substantial dish prepared with meat, vegetables and chickpeas.
You can enjoy cocido during the winter  but is served all the year round in some typical restaurants in Madrid.
If you are planning to visit Spain, don't forget to visit a typical madrileño restaurant to enjoy this heartwarming dish, but be sure that you are really hungry!!!
Cocido usually is  served in 2 or 3 stages, the first course  is the stock  or caldo, and the second one are the vegetables with the meat  and the chickpeas or the veggies first and then the meat and the chickpeas.
The main ingredient in cocido are the chickpeas, a high protein legume, rich in fiber content and also rich in vitamins and minerals like calcium, magnesium and zinc.
On the other hand, we have the carbohydrates coming from the vegetables to complete this nutrient dense recipe.
Today we will learn how to prepare this wonderful jewel of the Spanish cuisine.

INGREDIENTS
                                                           

Serves 6

• 14 oz.chickpeas
• 4 carrots
• 1 onion
• 2 leek
• celery
• turnip
• 1/2 cabbage
• 4 potatoes
• ham bone
• beef bone
• 1/2 pound organic beef stew meat
• 1/2 organic chicken
• iberico ham tip
• bay leaves
• olive oil
• salt

PREPARATION

1. Soak the chickpeas in warm water the night before(at least 8 hours) with some salt.
2. In a large stockpot put the meat, the bones,  and iberico ham tip, cover with 2 liters of water and bring to a boil.
3. Discard any scum that rises to the top of the water.
4. Add the chicken, chickpeas, carrots, turnip, onion, leek and cabbage and salt.
5. Simmer for about 2 hours on the lowest heat.
6. Peel and wash the potatoes, cut in half and add to the pot after two hours aprox.
7. Check pot often and add water if you need it.
8. After  aprox 3 hours the boiling time is completed. 
9. Remove the meats from the pot and slice them.
10. Prepare a warm soup with the stock or caldo.
11. In a bowl  serve the meat with the chickpeas and in another bowl the vegetables and potatoes.
12. Drizzle the vegetables with vinegar and olive oil and the meats with olive oil
13. Enjoy!!!

HOMEMADE IBERICO HAM AND MANCHEGO CHEESE BURGER

Is there anybody who doesn't like hamburgers? So, if you are a fan of them, you probably begin salivating at the mention of iberico ham and Manchego cheese in a tasty homemade burger

This is a simple hamburger, elevated into something that goes beyond "gourmet", and is the result of high quality ingredients  arrange in a way that brings pleasure to whoever taste it.
I have created  a burger featuring two of my absolute favorite tapas staples, Iberico ham and Manchego cheese ... Wow factor!

Serves 4 burgers

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 pound organic ground pork
• 1/2 pound organic ground beef
• 1 egg beaten
• 4 Manchego cheese slices
• 4 Iberico ham slices
• 4 burger buns
• 2 cups fresh arugula
• garlic salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• unsalted butter
• homemade mayonnaise

PREPARATION

1. In a bowl, marinate  ground pork and ground beef  adding one beaten egg, garlic salt and fresh ground black pepper, knead the meat with your hands for a few minutes, cover and reserve in the fridge at least 30 minutes.
2. Shape the meat into 4 equal-size patties and brush them with olive oil.
3. In a medium cast-iron skillet, cook the patties for 3 minutes on one side and flip to the other side and place the  Manchego cheese slice on the top of the already cooked side.
4. Meanwhile, in another skillet brush the buns with butter and place them, cut side down, over medium-high heat until nicely toasted, for about 2 or 3 minutes.
5. In the same skillet place the iberico ham slices to warm them.
6. Spread homemade mayonnaise onto the bottom half of each butter bun.
7. Place fresh arugula,  cheese melted burger patties and iberico ham on the top.
8. Serve hot and enjoy.