easy Spanish inspired recipes

[amidaiwish]

We are going to Spain later this week for 2 weeks, self catering. I get stuck into a rut on holiday of eating the same old things - crusty bread, cheese, ham, salad, pizza etc for lunch and then bbq meat (varied) with potatoes, salad/veg etc for dinner. The odd pasta dish, the odd jacket potato, that's about as exciting as it gets. It's fine for the first week as we mix it up with some restaurants, but after a week we are all bored of eating the same things.

This year i want to be more adventurous!!! Can anyone inspire me?

thanks!

paella

chorizo stew

any seafood a la plancha

tostadas, that is brushetta style bread with olive oil and various toppings (grilled peppers/jamon iberico/pickled anchovies etc.......)

thanks slim22
do you have an easy recipe for paella / chorizo stew?

Hi
I would o something like this but add some cooked, chopped up, new potatoes and a spoonful of paprika when you add the beans etc. You could also change the kidney beans for cannellini.

thanks stirlingmum

bump for the evening!

stirlingmum's recipe is exactly what i had in mind

For paella, here's my simple recipe (you need to make this in a proper large pan or works well in a wok.

Brown 4 pieces chicken and small sliced chorizo untill chicken brown (no or little oil as will cook in juices from chorizo).
Remove from pan.

In same pan, add a little olive oil and fry 1 finely chopped onion and 4 cloves garlic untill tender, not brown, Add 1 sliced red bell pepper and stir fry another 3 mn.

Then add 2 tsp paprika (you will find smoked paprika in spain - makes a tremendous difference-), 1 large pinch saffron strands, a more olive oil and 3 cups rice. Stir until rice transparent then add 6 cups fish stock ( made from cubes) in which you will have diluted 1 good tbsp tomato paste.
Throw in a handful frozen peas, put back meat, reduce heat, cover with foil and simmer gently 15 mn,
Add stock and reduce heat if necessary.
You want the rice to cook by absorption method and to remain slightly firm, not mushy.

Add seafood on top and cover again to steam for 5 or 10 mn.

If there is still a bit of water in the pan, remove foil, turn up heat a little. It makes the bottom of the pan a bit sticky and crunchy and that's the best bit about paella.

just found this:

squid and chickpeas

stir fry squid a la plancha - that is lashings of olive oil, garlic and chopped parsley.
Add a can of drained chickpeas, squeeze one lemon juice.

can be eaten as a stew in which case you add white wine to finish the sauce.
Or as a cold salad.

I make roasted potatoes with spicy tomato sauce and I also make a chorizo with red wine.

We also have cubes of manchego cheese, olives, bread and a dish of oil and sherry vinegar to dip it in.

Tapas night is quite an event in our house.

tortilla espagnol

It is ideal for holidays because it the left overs are good eaten cold the following day.

thanks everyone

We have potatoes par boiled and then cripsed up in the oven with rosemary, olive oil and salt and then throw in some cooked chorizo and yellow and red peppers and top off with a poached egg - not very spanish but bloody lovely especially with the oh so spanish brown sauce!

I've got a few ideas.

Any fish a la plancha or on the bbq. loads of garlic.

Mussels just steamed open.

Red peppers, cut in half lengthways, with half a tomato placed inside, topped with an anchovy fillet and some garlic. Doused generously with olive oil and roasted in the oven.

Just go to the market and try something new! Extra points if you haven't got a clue what it is and you have to use sign language to work out where it comes from!

really looking forward to it!