SPANISH TORTILLA WITH IBERICO CHORIZO

Is there anything better than enjoying a spanish tortilla just cooked  with a piece of bread???
Today I want to share with you one of the most popular recipes in Spain, but with the tasty touch that iberico chorizo brings to this delicious recipe.
The secret to cook the perfect Spanish tortilla is to have the highest quality ingredients,  good potatoes, farm fresh eggs, unique iberico chorizo and a good olive oil.


INGREDIENTS

• 5 Potatoes
• 1 onion
• 6 eggs
• iberico chorizo diced
• 2 tomatoes peeled and grated
• olive oil
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• salt to taste

PREPARATION

1. Peel the potatoes and cut in irregular chunks. 
2. Chop the onion very thin.
3. Heat plenty olive oil in a large frying pan, add the potatoes and reduce heat to medium heat( never fry potatoes a high temperature)
4. Add 1/2 onion and cook with the potatoes  for about 15 minutes adding some salt.
5. Stir occasionally until the potatoes are softened. Strain the potatoes and onions through a colander into a large bowl.
6. In a small saucepan add the rest of the onion and sauté for some minutes, add iberico chorizo and cook for some minutes at medium heat.
7. Put smoke paprika and stir quickly to avoid burning the paprika,  and add immediately the grated tomatoes and let everything reduce together. Season and set aside.
8.  Beat the eggs with a fork in a large mixing bowl, season well with salt and add the cooked potatoes and stir together.
9. Finally add the chorizo-tomato mixture and mix lightly with the potatoes and the eggs.
10. In a non stick saucepan heat a little of the strained oil, tip everything into the pan and cook on a moderate heat, using a spatula to shape the tortilla.
11. When almost set, invert on a plate and slide back into the pan and cook a few more minutes.
12. Slide on to a plate and cool for 10 minutes before serving.
13. Enjoy this delicious "spanish tapa".

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH CRUNCHY IBERICO HAM

We are almost in Halloween, and although the weather is still warm it's time to start preparing some comfort soups recipes.
Today I tried a new recipe, and I really enjoyed with my family and this is mainly the reason that I want to share with you.
Butternut squash is one of the most common varieties of winter squash, with a hard exterior and firm flesh is chock full of vitamin A, potassium and fiber.
According to some nutritional studies, one cup of cooked butternut squash contains 82 calories, 0 grams fat, 22 grams of carbohydrate(6.6 g. fiber) and .8 g of protein.
Butternut squash is an excellent source of potassium, more than a banana(582milligrams/cup).
The ingredients that you will need for this recipe are:

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4

• 4 oz butternut squash peeled, seeded and cubed
• 1 leek chopped
• 2 medium potatoes cubed
• 500 ml water or vegetable stock
•  3 oz cheddar cheese cubed
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 slices iberico ham
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

PREPARATION

1. Sautee leek with olive oil for some minutes.
2. Add butternut squash and cook until lightly browned.
3. Add potatoes and pour the water or the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to low, cover pot and simmer for about 30 minutes.
5. Add cheddar cheese in cubes.
6. Transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth.
7. Return to pot and season with salt and black pepper.
8. Heat a saucepan and cook iberico slices for some minutes until crunchy.
9. Serve the soup in small bowls and garnish with iberico ham on top.
10. Enjoy  

SPANISH GAZPACHO

Gazpacho is a soup made of raw vegetables and serve cold,  is eaten particularly during the hot summers. Most gazpacho recipes include stale bread, tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, water and salt.

Gazpacho may be served with garnishes, served separately, such as boiled eggs, iberico ham, onion...

Gazpacho is rich in vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin E, minerals, fiber and antioxidants like lycopene, with only 46 calories in a cup of gazpacho is a perfect soup as a first course for any meal.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds ripe tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 onion
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 green pepper
• 1/4 cucumber
• 3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup spanish olive oil
• 4 slices iberico ham
• 2 eggs

PREPARATION

1. Rinse tomatoes and pepper, and take off the stems and cut them in pieces.
2. Peel the garlic cloves and onion and chop in pieces.
3. Peel the cucumber and chop it well.
4. In a food processor put the tomatoes, garlic, onion, pepper, cucumber, vinegar and salt.
5. Crush all up at the highest speed, until no piece can be noticed.
6. Add the water and blend for 3 minutes at high speed.
7. Add the olive oil and blend with the rest of ingredients at very low speed.
8. Pour it in a jar and let it chill in the fridge.
9. Garnishes may be made with hard boiled eggs or iberico ham previously dehydrate in the microwave or oven to get some crunchy iberico ham slices.

BAKED CHEESY MANCHEGO ZUCCHINI BITES

I love zucchini and usually I put them in everything, salads, soup, burritos, sandwich. It's clearly quite a versatile ingredient and also is a healthy one to have always in your fridge.
Most of the times I look for organic ones and before cooking I wash very well the peel of the zucchini and leave the peel for adding more fiber and vitamins to my food.
These cheesy zucchini bites are  healthier than zucchini fritter without sacrificing any flavor.
***It's very important to  squeeze out the excess water of the zucchini to get a very crispy zucchini bites.


INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup zucchini shredded
• 1egg beaten
• 1/2 cup manchego cheese and parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon basil
• salt to taste
• black ground pepper

PREPARATION

1.  Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray.
2. Sprinkle the shredded zucchini with a pinch of salt, and place in a paper towel to wring out all the excess of water. 
3. Place in a large bowl the zucchini and add the egg, manchego and parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.
4. Mix until well combined.
5. Drop the mixture by tablespoofuls on the baking sheet.
6. Sprinkle some parmesan and manchego cheese on top of each one.
7. Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes until golden.
8. Enjoy hot or cold, both are delicious.

TOMATO AND IBERICO HAM TARTAR

Tartare is the name of a dish of ground raw beef or also raw tuna or salmon, but today we will reinvent the dish with iberico ham and also it will be a delightfully recipe to serve as a main dish or an appetizer over some bread toast.
Tomatoes are present in Spanish gastronomy in several dishes, we drink them as salmorejo or spread in a toast with garlic and iberico ham or simply we make a wonderful salad to enjoy them in the summer when tomatoes are in season.
Avoid to put the tomatoes in the fridge, the cold temperature will affect the flavor and the ripening of them.


INGREDIENTS

Serves 2

• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 tablespoon Vidalia onion finely chopped
• some slices iberico ham

For the dressing

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• juice of 1/2 lemon

PREPARATION

1. Carefully peel the skin off the tomatoes, then remove the seeds by cutting tomatoes in half.
2. Thoroughly drain the tomatoes in a strainer for at least 15 minutes and them dice them in small cubes.
3. Dice the avocado in small cubes and the onion finely chopped. Put all the ingredients in a bowl. 
4. Prepare the dressing mixing the mustard, soy sauce and the Worcestershire sauce.
5. Drizzle the olive oil slowly whisking continuously to emulsify the sauce.
6. Combine the dressing with the tomatoes and avocado cubes and keep in the fridge until serve.
7. Put some slices of iberico ham  in the center of one plate and the tomato tartar on top using a mold.
8. Remove carefully the mold
9. Decorate with some chives if desires and serve.
10. Enjoy!!!  

SPINACH, STRAWBERRY AND IBERICO HAM SALAD

This is a great easy summer salad that is a perfect addition to any summer celebration, and its looks pretty fancy and absolutely delicious.

Vitamin C and other organic acids in fruits like strawberries boost the absorption rate of iron contained in spinach, so this is a perfect pairing for a healthy and nutritional salad.

Iron is an important mineral that is required for healthy blood, oxygen distribution throughout the body, and energy production.

We complete our summer salad with feta cheese with a strong flavor and iberico ham with extraordinary nutritional qualities.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 2

For the salad:

• 8 oz fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup strawberries, thinly sliced
• 2 oz feta cheese or goat cheese, crumbled
• some slices iberico ham

For the dressing:

• 4 oz. balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt to taste
• Black ground pepper to taste

PREPARATION

1. First we will start preparing the dressing, heat the balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and bring to a boil, until is reduced in half of its volume for about 3 minutes. Reserve.
2. Combine the spinach, strawberries and feta cheese in a large bowl.
3. Stir the balsamic vinegar  and honey and slowly stream the olive oil into the mixture while whisking continuously.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Top with some slices iberico ham.
6. Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving.
7. Enjoy!!!

CHILLED CANTALOUPE SOUP WITH IBERICO HAM

This cantaloupe soup is a very versatile recipe that is great for the summer, quick and easy to prepare,  and also very refreshing for the hot sunny days.
It's very important to serve the dish very cold, so when you finish preparing it, keep the soup in the fridge until the moment you serve it.
Cantaloupes are also commonly known as muskmelon, mush melons or Persian melons. Their high water  content helps ward off dehydration and the sweet and juicy flavor makes it perfect for the summer and it's a great snack to have during this hot season.
Cantaloupes are rich in antioxidants(zeaxanthin), beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium and fiber, that contributes to benefit your overall health.


For this recipe we will need:

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 16 oz cantaloupe cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• pinch salt
• dash of ground black pepper
•  2 slices iberico ham

PREPARATION

1. Add cantaloupe to blender or food processor and blend it well.
2. Add greek yogurt, salt , brown sugar and dash of black pepper and blend again until well combined.
3. Refrigerate until well chilled.
4. Garnish with iberico ham on top before you serve it.
5. Enjoy very cold!!!