Torrevieja Information

Traditional Spanish food is influenced by the Greek, Roman, Phoenician and Moorish settlements, and typical Spanish food is not only about tortillas and paella, the immense variety of Spanish food recipes is enough to satisfy anyone. Allow us to introduce you to some of Spain's gastronomic delights and acquaint you with some of the traditional Spanish food menus.

Traditional Spanish Food
Garlic, olives, plus sweet and hot peppers are important ingredients in most Spanish recipes. Meat, poultry, game and fish also feature prominently in traditional Spanish food recipes. Savory pies and rice dishes are meals in themselves. The Basque country features fish dishes principally, such as fish soup, garlicky baby eels, squid, and a variety of dried cod dishes. The seafood from the Galicia region is famous as are the casseroles from Cataluna. Cataluna is a premier Spanish region that boasts of gastronomical delicacies - which includes seafood zarzuela, fine sausages and regional sauces. The rice dishes are a specialty of Valencia and surrounding regions of Spain. While Andalucia is known for its fried fish and gazpacho, central Spain is renowned for its succulent roast recipes.

Paella
Another good favourite food of Spain, is the paella, there's a few combinations of this national dish of Spain, but there's quite a good recipe for paella below, so if you've ever wondered how do you cook paella, then just look below for how to cook paella.

Spanish breakfasts are generally light. Most Spanish breakfasts consists of coffee and a croissant or roll. Tortillas or omelettes are also eaten for breakfast. The lunch (la comida) and the dinner (la cena) menus are fairly elaborate. The Spanish Tapas or snacks are popular. A Tasca or Tapas bar is a place where most Spaniards relax at the end of the day. The traditions of Tapas or snacks that accompany a wine or alcoholic drink dates back to a Spanish king. Spanish Tapas menus can encompass simple dishes made of cheese and eggs or more elaborate canapé, dips and savory pastries.

Spanish Menus
An important specialty Spanish food is jamon Serrano which is a special ham that is salt-cured. This type of Spanish ham is not smoked. Sausages are also very popular in the Spanish diet. Chorizo and Salchichon are examples of hard sausages while sobrasada is a soft and spreadable sausage. A Spanish menu is accompanied by a Spanish red wine. The Rioja and Montilla are famous, though there are many varieties of tintos, blancos and rosadas. Salads and fried potatoes come as entrees in a typical Spanish food menu. Desserts are made of eggs, ground almonds, flour and milk.


List of Spanish Tapas
Albondigas - Meatballs
Alitas de pollo - Chicken wings
Almejas - Clams
Berenjenas horneadas - Roasted aubergines
Butifarra - Sausage from Catalunya
Calamares - Battered squid
Callos - Tripe
Caracoles - Snails
Chistorra - Spicy sausage
Chopitos -  Small cuttlefish fried in batter
Chorizo al vino - Spicy sausage pan-fried in red wine
Cogollos fritos - Lettuce fried in garlic and oil
Criadillas - Bull's testicles
Costillas - Ribs
Croquetas - Croquettes, normally with ham, chicken or cod
Diablitos picantes - Mini hamburgers
Escombros - Fry up of bits of small squid.
Figatell - Speciality of Valencia meatballs of pork and liver
similar to faggots
Gambas pil pil - Sizzling Prawns in Olive Oil and Garlic
Gambas rebozadas - Battered prawns
Huevos de codorniz - Quail's eggs
Jamon serrano - Spanish ham
Judias blancas - Butterbeans and whole cloves of garlic in a
white wine vinegar
Longaniza blanca - Normal sausage colour but not as spicy as longaniza roja
Longaniza roja - A speciality of Aragon, red spicy pork  sausage
Magro - Pork in a paprika/tomato style sauce
Manitas de cerdo - Pig's trotters
Mejillones - Mussels
Merluza a la Romana - Hake with a very thin batter
Morcilla - Black pudding
Muslitos de mar - A croquette of crab-like meat skewered on a crab claw
Orejas de Cerdo - Pig's ear
Patatas a lo pobre - Potatoes with onions and peppers
Patatas alioli - Potatoes in a garlic mayonnaise
Patatas bravas - Potatoes in a spicy sauce
Pinchito - Kebab
Pollo al ajillo - Chicken in garlic
Queso Manchego - Manchego cheese in varying degrees of maturity
Rabo de Toro - Bull's tail or oxtail
Sepia - Cuttlefish
Sesos - Brains, usually lamb or calf
Tortilla Espanyola - Spanish potato omelette but can also have peas, ham etc

Spanish recipes:

The Spanish recipes below kindly submitted by visitors to TorreviejaInformation.com :

Paella
Kindly submitted by Jane, (from Middleton, Leeds, England), one of our regular website visitors.
Paella Valenciana (Paella is a traditional rice dish of Spain - made with seafood, chicken, rabbit or vegetables. The rice you use in your paella depends on your preference - whole grain rice or wild rice or the short grained Spanish rice which is used for traditional Spanish rice dishes.)
4 cups of rice
8 cups of stock
8 - 10 each of prawns and mussels
200 gm of shrimps
2 tomatoes chopped
3 -4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Few strands of saffron
Olive oil
Sauté garlic in a pan with little olive oil. Add tomatoes, shrimps and saffron, then cook till soft. Add rice and stock and salt and cook for about 20 minutes. Add prawns and mussels and cook for a few minutes more with a lid.


Tortilla
Kindly submitted by Kath, (from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England), one of our regular website visitors.
If you like the taste of french fries, you'll love the Spanish tortilla. When made correctly, the Spanish tortilla is a delicious half-inch thick "cake" of fried potatoes mixed with fried eggs and onions. After cooking, the tortilla can be cut into pizza-like triangles to serve 4-6 people, or cut into squares to give a whole group a bite-sized toothpick sample.

1 cup olive oil
four large potatoes (peel and cut into small pieces about 2mm thick)
salt to taste
one large onion, thinly sliced
four large eggs.

Some people add thin slices of red pepper together with the onion.

Heat the olive oil in a 9-inch skillet, add potato pieces, one slice at a time so that they don't stick. Alternate layers of potato and onion. Cook slowly, medium flame. Do not fry!! Turn occasionally until potatoes are tender, but not brown. They must be loose, not "in a cake".

Beat the eggs in a large bowl with a fork. Salt to taste. Drain potatoes. Add potatoes to beaten eggs, pressing them so that the eggs cover them completely. Leave for 15 minutes, then heat 2 tbsps of the olive oil in a large skillet. Add potato-egg mixture, spreading quickly. Lower the heat to medium-high. Shake pan to prevent sticking (very important!!) When potatoes start to brown, put a plate on top skillet and flip to cook other side, adding another tbsp of oil. Brown on the other side. Can flip three or four times for better cooking.


Battered Aubergines in Tomate Triturado
Kindly submitted by Colin, (from Ilkeston, Derbyshire, England), one of our regular website visitors.
Contents:-
Aubergines
Ham
Onions
Mushrooms
Red peppers (small quantity)
Grated cheese
Herbs to taste

No precise quantities are required but the volume of the fried aubergines should be at least twice that of the ham, onions, and mushrooms.

Deep fry the thinly sliced battered aubergines. The batter should be on the thin side as well.
Cut the ham into small narrow strips and add to fried aubergines.
Cook a thinly sliced large onion and some sliced mushrooms (approx 75 grms.) in a little water and add to the aubergines.
Chop the red peppers finely and add them to the mixture.
Add herbs (sage, oregano, parsley etc.) to taste.
Mix all the contents together thoroughly and empty a tin of 'tomate triturado over the top. Sprinkle a grated cheese (parmesan is a good one) on the top. Put in the oven or micro and cook until the 'tomate' begins to cook and the cheese has melted.
Bon appétit!


Mediterranean Salad
Kindly submitted by Sue Jones, from Amble, Northumberland, (England), one of our regular website visitors.
This dish is also delicious served cold. It can be prepared in advance for a picnic, stored in the refrigerator, and served with plain yogurt or a refreshing tsatziki.

Serves 6

1 onion, sliced
2 leeks, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red pepper, seeded and sliced
1 green pepper, seeded and sliced
1 yellow pepper, seeded and sliced
350g / 12 oz courgettes, sliced
225g / 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
400g / 14oz can chopped tomatoes
30ml / 2 tbsp ruby port
30ml / 2 tbsp tomato puree
15ml / 1tbsp tomato ketchup
400g / 1oz can chick peas
115g/ 4 oz / 1 cup pitted black olives
45 ml / 3 tbsp chopped fresh mixed herbs
salt and freshly ground pepper
chopped fresh mixed herbs, to garnish

Put the onion, leeks, garlic, peppers, courgettes and mushrooms into a large saucepan.

Add the tomatoes, port, tomato puree and tomato ketchup and mix well.

Rinse and drain the chickpeas and add to the pan.

Cover, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are cooked and tender but not overcooked.

Remove the lid and increase the heat slightly for the last 10 minutes of the cooking time, to thicken the sauce, if preferred.

Stir in the olives and herbs and season with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately, garnished with a scattering of chopped mixed herbs.


Tapas Bean Salad
Kindly submitted by Dave Timson, one of our regular website visitors.
Servings - 4-6 people
Preparation time - 15 minutes + overnight soaking + 1 hour marinating
Cooking Time - 55 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup dried lima beans 2 eggs 1/2 cup stuffed green olives, sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1/4 teaspoon paprika

1. Soak the beans in plenty of water overnight. Drain. Add the beans to a saucepan of boiling water, return to the boil and cook, partially covered, over medium heat for 35 to 45 minutes, or until tender but not mushy (some beans may take longer). Drain.
2. Place the eggs in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, then drain and cool for 5 minutes in cold water. Peel and chop.
3. Combine the beans, eggs, olives, garlic and parsley in a bowl. Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, paprika and some salt and freshly ground black pepper until well blended. Pour over the bean mixture and mix well to coat with the dressing.
4. Cover the salad and let stand for at least 1 hour at room temperature to marinate before serving. The salad can also be refrigerated overnight; the longer it is left, the stronger the garlic flavor will be.

If you come across any other typical Spanish food not mentioned above, or any other Spanish recipes, just email details to Spanish-Food@TorreviejaInformation.com

If you experience any problems with emailing to TorreviejaInformation.com, just use the simple form, by clicking here.

Tell others about this page     Add to favorites