TYPICAL FOODs

PAELLA Paella is an internationally famous dish of white rice, meat, seafood, beans and vegetables (depending on the recipe) originating in the Spanish region of Valencia. Spaniards view it as one of the main national dishes.

This dish has gained considerable popularity throughout most of the Spanish-speaking world, including the Hispanic regions of the United States. It also enjoys moderate popularity throughout Western Europe.

COMPETITIONS AND RECORDS It has become a custom at mass gatherings in the Valencian region (festivals, political campaigns, protests, etc.) to prepare enormous paellas, sometimes to win mention in the Guinness Book of World Records. Chefs use gargantuan paelleras for these events.

INGREDIENTS - Olive oil. - Ripe grated tomatoes. - Rice. - Cauliflower. - Green beans. - An aubergine. - A zucchini. - A bunch of tender cloves of garlic. - Half an onion. - Two artichokes. - Tender green beans. - A spoonful of sweet paprika. - Salt. - Vegetable broth or water. - Yellow food colouring or saffron.

TORTILLA This potatoes omelette is a very typical Spanish dish, that’s why it is called SPANISH OMELETTE.

INGREDIENTS - 1 or 2 potatoes. - 1 glass or 1/4 l. of olive oil. - 4 eggs - 1 or 2 potatoes. - 1 glass or 1/4 l. of olive oil. - A pinch of salt.

PREPARATION

Suggestion This dish is usually accompanied by Spanish cured ham (jamón serrano, Pata Negra is better) and cheese from (La Mancha (queso manchego), or salad.

GAZPACHO It is said to have Roman or Arabic origins, being these peoples the first to prepare a mixture with the basic products of the gazpacho. Of uncertain origin, its name might come from the Roman caspa, which means chunk or fragment, meaning that it was made with chunks of bread; the suffix -acho seems to be Mozarabic. The first gazpachos ever heard of had only bread, vinegar, oil and often garlic and sometimes nuts, like almonds (ajoblanco), one of the most ancient gazpachos that are known.

INGREDIENTS - 6 large tomatoes, ripe and fleshy. - 2 green peppers. - 1 red pepper. - The heart of a large onion, - 1 clove of garlic (optional). - 2 slices of bread (at least one day old) without the crust. - salt. - extra virgin olive oil - vinegar. - Preparation 20 minutes.

PREPARATION Soak the slices of bread into water. Place them in a bowl and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt and oil. Reserve. Peel and cut the tomatoes, the peppers, the cucumber, the onion and the garlic into pieces. Remove seeds from peppers. Mix all the ingredients. Place the ingredients in the electrical mixer. Add a bit of water and crush until you get a creamy mixture. Add the bread with the water, the vinegar and mix again until everything is well crushed and emulsified. Add cold water and mix well. Rectify the amount of salt and vinegar. Put it through a vegetable mill or a mixer to eliminate the skin of the peppers. Add more water if necessary. The final texture must be creamlike. Put it in the fridge until it acquires the required coolness and when serving sprinkle a trickle of extra virgin olive oil and mix it with a wooden spoon. Serve garnished with diced raw cucumber, bread (normal or brown), green pepper and onion. Every ingredient in a different plate so that every guest can help himself.

MAZAPÁN (MARZIPAN) Ingredients: - 250 gr of sugar - the white of 1 egg - 250 gr of peeled almond - 250 gr of sugar - the white of 1 egg - the peeling of 1 lemon * * * * * ► For a nice finishing: - 100 gr of peeled nuts - 100 gr of dates without the stone - A few glacé cherries

Curios ►There are some crafstmen who make works of art like these. They are pieces of marzipan which look like babies.

TURRóN Turrón (Spanish), torró (Catalan), or torrone (Italian) is a nougat confection, typically made of honey, sugar, and egg white, with toasted almonds or other nuts, and usually shaped into either a rectangular tablet or a round cake. Nowadays it is mostly consumed as a traditional dessert for Christmas in Spain although you can also find it in Italy.

TYPES Turrón may be roughly classified as: ► Hard (the Alicante variety): A compact block of whole almonds in a brittle mass of eggs, honey and sugar. ► Soft (the Jijona variety): Similar but the almonds are reduced to a paste. The addition of oil makes the matrix more chewy.

Roscón DE REYES (king’s roscon) Ingredients: · 400 g of flour · 100 g of butter · 100 g of sugar · 1 spoonful of yeast · 1/4 L of milk · 3 eggs · 1 spoonful of orange blossom water · a grated lemon · Candied fruit (gourd, cherries, orange, lemon) · salt · 1 hard dry bean · small toys/figures for a surprise · A King's crown made of paper or cardboard

The surprises of King’s Roscón: the haba and the figure · At least it is necessary to put inside the Roscón two surprises wrapped in plastic or foil paper. The tradition commands that one should be a "hard dry bean" and the other a “small figure”. The first one is a symbol of bad luck and the second the opposite. This is how it is summed up: "If it is the bean that you find in the Roscón you will pay; but if it is the figure, you will become a king and your head will be crowned" · The one that divides the Roscón out must do it "without getting up to mischief". Thus goes the saying too: "There are in the Roscón, quite well hidden, a bean and a figure: If you are going to cut, it must be done it without getting to mischief. Whoever finds in his mouth a hard thing, in the worst case he might come upon the bean, or in the best the figure" · Mothers and grandmothers usually put several good luck figures, mostly if there are quite a lot of children in the house. Happy Epiphany!!!

More King’s Roscons

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