SPANISH POTATO AND ONION OMELETTE No doubt about it, the Tortilla Espaola or Spanish Omelet is the most

commonly served dish in Spain. It is also called Tortilla de Patata or Potato Omelet. Bars and cafs serve it as a tapa or appetizer, but it is often served as a light dinner in Spanish homes. Because it is easy to transport, the Spanish make bocadillos or sandwiches by placing a piece between two pieces of a baguette. There are lots of variations of tortillas or omelets and a few are listed at the bottom of this recipe.

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 35 minutes Ingredients: 6-7 medium potatoes, peeled 1 whole yellow onion 5-6 large eggs 2-3 cups of olive oil for pan frying Salt to taste

Preparation: This "tortilla espanola" or "tortilla de patata" makes 8-10 servings as an appetizer. It serves 5-6 as a main course. Cut the peeled potatoes in half lengthwise. Then, with the flat side on the cutting surface, slice the potato in pieces approximately 1/8" thick. Make sure to separate the pieces that stick together. It is not necessary to slice the potatoes paper thin and it is best not to use a

food processor because most will slice the potatoes too thin. If you slice them a bit thick, dont worry it will simply take a bit longer for them to cook. Peel and chop the onion into 1/4" pieces. Put potatoes and onions into a bowl and mix them together. Salt the mixture. In a large, heavy, non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Drop a single piece of potato into the oil to ensure it is hot enough to fry. Carefully place the potato and onion mixture into the frying pan, spreading them evenly over the surface. The oil should almost cover the potatoes. You may need to turn down the heat slightly, so the potatoes do not burn. Note: If the oil is too hot, the potatoes will brown rapidly on the outside, but still be raw on the inside. Leave in pan until the potatoes are cooked. If you can poke a piece of potato with a spatula and it easily breaks in two, your potatoes are done. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon or spatula. Some cooks like to place the potato and onion mixture in a colander for a few minutes to allow more oil to drain. If you do this, place a plate underneath to catch the olive oil and you can use it again. While the mixture is draining, crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and bewhisk or fork. Pour in the potato onion mixture. Mix together with a large spoon. Pour 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil into a small, non-stick frying pan (aprox. 910) and heat on medium heat. Be careful not to get the pan too hot because the oil will burn - or the tortilla will! When hot, stir the potato onion mixture once more and pour into the pan and spread out evenly. Allow the egg to cook around the edges. Then you can carefully lift up one side of the omelet to check if the egg has slightly browned. The inside of the mixture should not be completely cooked and the egg will still be runny.

When the mixture has browned on the bottom, you are ready to turn it over to cook the other side. Carefully take the frying pan to a sink. Place a large dinner plate (12) upside down over the frying pan. With one hand on the frying pan handle and the other on top of the plate to hold it steady, quickly turn the frying pan over and the omelet will fall onto the plate. Place the frying pan back on the range and put just enough oil to cover the bottom and sides of the pan approximately 1.5 tsp. Let the pan warm for 30 seconds or so. Now slide the omelet (which is probably still a bit runny), into the frying pan, using a spatula to catch any egg mixture that runs out. Use the spatula to shape the sides of the omelet. Let the omelet cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the tortilla sit in the pan for 2 minutes. Carefully slide the omelet onto a plate! To serve as a main course, slice it into 6-8 pieces like a pie. Serve sliced French bread on the side. If you are serving as an appetizer, slice a baguette into pieces about inch think. Cut the tortilla into 1.5 squares and place a piece on top of each slice of bread.

Spanish tradicional gazpacho

Serves 4
1kg very ripe tomatoes, diced 1/2 ripe red pepper and 1/2 green pepper, deseeded and diced 1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 150ml extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp sherry vinegar Salt, pepper to taste Garnishes see below

1. Mix the diced tomatoes, peppers and cucumber with the crushed garlic and olive oil in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Squeeze out the bread, tear it roughly into chunks, and add to the mixture. 2. Blend until smooth, then add the salt and vinegar to taste and stir well. 3. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve, then cover and refrigerate until well chilled. 4. Serve with garnishes of your choice: I liked diced black olives, hard-boiled egg and small pieces of cucumber and pepper; mint or parsley also works well, and many people add spring onion, cubes of Spanish ham and so on.

Paella 4 servings Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 30 min Ingredients: 400 g raw extra-large shrimp, Coarse salt 1/2 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads** 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/3 cup finely chopped onion 1/2 red bell pepper, 1 green pepper cored, seeded and chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 large tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped 2 teaspoons Spanish paprika 1 cup uncooked Spanish bomba rice 400 g boneless Chicken cut into pieces, kg of mussels 2 cups of fish fumet 1/4 pound of calamari

Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. HINT: Have all ingredients chopped and measured before beginning the final cooking of the paella. It is a quick cooking dish that must have all ingredients ready to go. In a large pan over medium-heat heat, heat the clam juice or fish broth, wine, and saffron; reduce heat to low and keep broth hot (not boiling). In a large Paella Pan or heavy cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Add onion and red bell pepper; stir to blend and cook 3 minutes or until slightly softened.

Remove pan from heat. Stir in garlic and rice and continue stirring until garlic is fragrant and the rice is evenly coated with oil, about 1 minute. NOTE: Coating the rice with the oil before adding liquid helps keep the rice grains to stay separated. Stir in tomatoes, paprika, and salt. Stir in hot clam/saffron broth mixture. Return to heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer (stirring and rotating the pan occasionally) mixture 10 to 15 minutes or until rice is no longer soupy but sufficient liquid remains to continue cooking the rice in the oven. Stir in shrimp, artichokes hearts, and peas Transfer paella pan to the oven and cook, uncovered, about 15 to 20 minutes until the rice is almost al dente and until almost all liquid is absorbed. NOTE: Never cook paella until the rice is completely done. If you do, it will be mushy by the time it reaches the table. Remove from the oven when the rice grains are no longer hard but still have more bite than you want and a crust forms around the edge of the pan. Remove from oven, cover with aluminum foil, and let sit 5 to 10 minutes or until the rice is cooked to taste. NOTE: Paella must rest after being removed from the oven, during which time the final cooking takes place. To serve, sprinkle with chopped parsley and arrange lemon wedges around the top of the paella. Serve immediately. To eat, sprinkle lemon juice over paella. NOTE: Always bring the paella to the table in its pan for your guests to admire before serving. Traditionally, paella is eaten communally with everyone sitting around the pan and taking the rice directly from the pan with a spoon. Although you are not likely to serve it this way, do leave the paella pan at the center of the table so your family or guests can help themselves to more.

Bread and tomato Ingredients: Toasted or fresh bread with a thick crust Ripe tomatos Extra virgin olive oil Salt

Procedure: Grab the slice of bread rub it with the tomato, that has been cut in half then drizzle a little bit of olive oil and then put a pincho f salt, you also may do the same procedure first toasting the bread. Crema Catalana Crema Catalana or Catalan Cream is the Catalan name and version of the French dessert, crme brule. In fact, many regions lay claim to the origin of the dessert. Wherever it originated, enjoy and let it dissolve in your mouth! It is a great dessert for Spring, since it is also called Crema de Sant Josep, or St. Josephs cream, traditionally prepared on March 19th, St. Josephs Day, the Spanish equivalent of Fathers Day in the USA.

Prep Time: 3 hours, 10 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes Yield: 4 Servings Ingredients: 200g sugar 12 egg yolks 2 tbsp cornstarch

 1 stick cinnamon rind of 1 lemon 1 liter milk

Preparation: This is a great dessert to make ahead of time, since it is very easy and requires 2-3 hours of refrigeration before serving. Make it the day before and leave it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Then, heat the broiler, caramelize the sugar and serve! In a pot, beat together the egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar until thoroughly blended and the mixture turns frothy. Add the cinnamon stick and grated lemon rind. Pour in the milk and cornstarch. Slowly heat the mixture, stirring constantly, just until thickened. Remove pot from heat immediately. Tip: As soon as the mixture thickens and you feel resistance while stirring, remove the pot from the heat or the mixture may curdle or separate! The texture of the finished crema will be grainy instead of smooth and creamy as it should be. Remove the cinnamon stick and ladle the milk mixture into 4-6 ramekins (depending on size). Allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours. Before serving, preheat the broiler. Remove ramekins with the crema catalana from refrigerator and sprinkle the rest of the sugar over each ramekin. When broiler is hot, place the ramekins under the broiler on the top shelf and allow the sugar to caramelize, turning gold and brown. This may take 10 minutes or so, depending on your broiler. Remove and serve immediately. If you'd like, you can serve the crema catalana chilled, but we think it has more flavor when served warm from the broiler.