Paella and Sangria

[malinki]

Hi, parents are coming to stay this weekend and I am sick of doing full roasts etc, wanted to do something a little different and with a spanish theme, anyone got a great Paella recipe and Sangria.....

hi malinki
you'll need
large frying pan
4 chicken thights or breasts
green and red pepper
peas
french beans
2 cloves of garlic
olive oil
saffron threads and powder
prawns,any white fish and mussles(optional)
paella or risotto rice
fish or chicken stock
fry the garlic,peppers,french beans and chicken
add the rice cover with water,put 2 stocks and the saffron, turn the heat down,once the rice is almost cooked add the fish,mussles,prawns and peas.
there was a thread for sangria and gazpacho too

We drink Sangria di Cava on nice sunny days.

Buy a bottle of brut (or Secco) Cava (on offer in Sainsbugs ATM), and make sure it's well chilled.

Cut up an apple, Orange, lemon (all with peel on) some strawberries, any other fruit you fancy, in Barcelona we had it with peeled Kiwi fruit in it too. Put them in a large jug, with lots of ice. 3 or 4 dessert spoons of sugar (or more to taste, its supposed to be quite sweet). add a good glug of spanish brandy, at least half a wineglass (we use more, depending on responsibilities), then pour over the Cava and give it a good stir.

Unlike Pimms, you're supposed to pour it without the fruit, which we normally eat later. DS loves the fruit out of it, and he sleeps really well after a few pieces

WM, could I use Saffron rice, Sainsburys sell it in large bags, just thought it might be easier on the amount of gear I have to buy to make it.

i've never tried it but you could give it a go,the saffron strands make a big difference to the taste of paella but i'm sure it will still be nice

easy your sangria sounds yummy,i've never made it with cava

WM, it's very "drinkable" in hot weather. Watch it tho' the bubbles in it help you to absorb the alcohol from the Brandy very quickly, so you can get very tiddley on a couple of glasses !!

even better

i've got some spanish friends coming over next week while the children are away with the in-laws,i will try it then

Can I come too Malinki?

I have a very large paella dish that we sneaked back into the uk, from Moiraira, near Calpe, it weighs a ton and am hoping that I can feed everyone, what else can we eat with Paella, I thought maybe some bread, olive oil, salad,

salad is what everyone usually eats with paella,also if you grate some tomatoes and garlic,add salt and olive oil and spread it on hot slices of french bread with serrano ham on top you'll have a delicious starter

ooh that sounds like a delish variation on bruschetta - but how on earth does one grate a tomato?

one grabs a whole tomato and grates it
skin and all

i'll have to have a go at that, it sounds GORGEOUS

so is that the bruschetta type thing they eat for breakfast in barcelona? can't remember what it's called

yes,the tomato on the bread is called "pan a la catalana" yum!

ooh ooh i can't wait to try it when we go to barca in september!

are ya?

YEAAAS! never been before - can't wait

we're going for the Merce - it's gonna be wiiild!

you will have a great time,i'll have to wait till october to go and i can't wait,i was trying to go just before the school starts but the in-laws are coming for a weeknever mind time flies!!

Malinki, I really love my sangria recipe. We've been drinking it over and over this summer.

1 bottle cheapo red wine (Spanish, preferably)
1 cup soda water
1/2 cup each: fresh orange juice, lemon juice, cranberry juice
1/3 cup grand marnier
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 cup caster sugar
slice some apple, orange, lemon, and/or other fruits & throw it all in with plenty of ice. (I prefer to put ice in each person's glass, so as not to dilute the sangria too much). It's delicious!

Whymummy: meant to say, LOVED yr gaspacho recipe. Have been drinking gaspacho all summer long, but never ever get tired of it!

On second thought I think it's 1/4 cup caster sugar: not 1/2 cup. You can always taste it and add more if it needs it.

glad you did expatkatwe've had lots this summer too
another way of doing it(my mum's way)is chopping all the ingredients into tiny bits,add salt,vinegar,oregano and olive oil,mix it well and add really cold water,it's soooo refreshing!!