FISHERMAN STEW

Hi again, today I want to present one of my man's dishes, he is a very good cook, he likes to be in the kitchen, and best of all, he cleans up while he is cooking. And he makes really tasty dishes, he is a fish lover, and has a big repertoare, here comes the first recipe-

This silverspoon from 1910, belonged to my grandmother Inga, who gave it to my daughter Berit when she was born.

The history of this recipe comes from the middle size fisherboats, the fishing is one of Spain's  most important industry,  864 000 tons are fished every year, from about 11 000 boats, employs more than 60 000 fishermen and 160 000 people involved with the fishing industry. Every spanyard  consume 42 kg of fish products per year.( in the EU 25,7 kilos per person/year).
They may go out for several days and the crew must have their food every day, so this is one of the typical fisher mens recipe, men working hard for lots of hours need food to keep them strong.
In the winter the sea is cold, so they also need calories and carbohydrates apart from the protein the fish can contribute. I think this dish has got it all.
Ahhh, and they rest on sundays, so if you want to buy fresh fish in Spain, never do it on a Monday, and this is why the fish stalls on the marketplaces are closed too.



Shopping list ( for 4 pers.)
4 calamares medianos.                 ( medium size squids)
4 patatas grande.                          ( big potatoes)
3 tomates maduros.                      ( ripe tomatoes)
1 cebolla.                                     ( onion)
2 dientes de ajo.                           ( garlic cloves)
100 gr. de almendras sin piel.      ( skinless almonds)
1 pizca de azafran en hebra.        ( saffron)
AOVE.                                         ( Extra Vigen olive oil)
750 ml. Caldo de pescado.           ( fish broth)
250 ml.. Vino blanco.                   ( white vine)




The best is to have your squids cleaned at the fish stand, but if it's not possible, clean them and cut into rings of one cm. If you don't dare you can always buy the squid rings clean and ready cut.
Start  boiling some water, an put the tomatoes in for 1 min., then they are easier to peel, when peeled you can cut in small cubes or grate them.
Then peel and chop the onion and the garlic cloves, in a skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of extra virgen olive oil, then add the onion and garlic. Chop the almonds a little, and add to the skillet, fry for 3-4 min. An then add the tomatoes, let all fry for 10 min, if you don't like the acid of the tomatoes add a teaspoon of sugar.  Now you peel the potatoes and part them into large pieces.
Add the squid and continue cooking for 3-4 min. , then add the wine , the saffron and the fish broth.
When it start to boil, add the potatoes, and try for salt,
Put the heat to low speed and let simmer for 20 min. until  the potatoes are done.
The result should be a thick soup, if needed add a little more fish stock.

Serve with white bread accompanied with a little ali oli.

                                 We do this as a main dish, and serve a green salad as a side dish.

This recipe has the benefit that any firm fish, for example cod, can replace the squids if  you can`t find or don`t like them.

A comforting dish on cold days.

I will post a recipe for Valentine`s Day tomorrow on my Spanish blog, you are welcome to have a look.

www.rcetasdehilde.blogspot.com

Love

Hilde

HOW DO YOU FEEL ?

X-mas and New Year is a very happy time for all of us, we went to Norway on the 22nd of December and stayed for one week with the family, first time we "left" our daughters in Spain, and it was a strange feeling, with the promise to celebrate new years eve together.

My man because of his work in Sierra Nevada never went to Norway in the winter, now he retired,and we hoped for a white x-mas, but no, it was cloudy and raining all the time, the temperature was even higher than in Granada, it's a strange world.

But we had a joyful time lots of nice moments with the family, lots and lots and lots of food, and that's why I ask you how you feel, myself I feel that there's no more room for food now, and we have to go back to our habits of esting less and more healthy.
I prepared this fruit salad, in Spanish calle Macedonia for tonight.

Macedonia ( fruit salad)

Shopping list;

2 manzanas Ambrosia.               Apples ( Ambrosia kind)

2 peras Conferencia.                   Pears ( conferencia kind)

1 ,mango                                    Mango

4 mandarinas.                             Mandarins

2 kiwis.                                       Kiwis

Frambuesas.                               Raspberries

For the juice;

1 limon.                                          Lemon

6 mandarinas.                                 Mandarins

2 cucharadas de azucar morena.     Brown sugar

Start making the juice, mix with the sugar and save in a bowl, peel and cut all the fruits in very tiny bits, putting them into the juice as soon as they are cut, so they don't turn brown, mix all, put the raspberries on top,. I use the frozen raspberries from Lidl, quite frequently, and they turn out nice.

This will help a lot to get rid of some x-mas calories, and for our family it's a nice way to have the fruit served, for the children you can add some whipped cream and they will love it.

And for lunch these fantastic calamari.

Shopping list;

2 calamares medianos por persona.            Medium size calamari per person

2 dientes de ajo.                                           Garlic cloves

Perejil                                                            Parsley

AOVE.                                                           Extra virgen olive oil

Sal rosa del Himalaya.                                   Pink himalaya salt

Ali Oli 

When you buy the calamari, the best the fresh ones, ask them to clean it for you, in the fish stands on th local markets they will do. If not, you must take off the skin on the outside, and turn it outside in to clean all inside, the legs has a "mouth" in the middle, cut that away, turn the body again, and dry all with a kitchen paper.

Chop the garlic cloves and the parsley finly, mix and save.

In a frying pan, add a little AOVE, and heat to medium/strong, add in the calamari and roast 3 min on each side. 

Tranfer to a hot plate, toss some drops of AOVE, some salt,and the garlic/parsley mix.

This time the Ali Oli was bought in the supermarket.

And enjoy .

Ready for tonight:

THE MOST DELICIOUS MANGO

Hi , we are in Almuñecar this week, have my sister and her man here for 1 week, and we are so lucky , wether is super, beach is not crowded, water still fine for swmming, who can ask for more. 

This morning we had churro breakfast, went for a walk up to the San Miguel castle, they are preparing thei "fiesta" for this week end so it was buisy up there. And then the daily  visit to the market. 

If you want short travelled fruit, the grape season is on the best, Moscatel are my favorits, you have granadas, very nice to toss in your salads, and the most interesting , the abortions, the local people in Almuñecar call the mangos that fall off the trees.  They are only aboat 5 cm  size, but so sweet, piny taste, I love them. Watch out if you can find them on your local vegetable shop or marked.They are only available for a week or two.

In the Majulo Park , these boys where playing their guitars in the morning sun, nice to listen.

Then vi had "some beers " at Los Pajaritos, one of the best tapas  places in Almuñecar, only fish and seafood of the day.

We have started a very nice week, hope yours will be nice too,

PATATAS A LA IMPORTANCIA, MUSSLES AND POTATO STEW

Dearest reader, back to normal life again, washing-machine. iron, dishes, etc. awaiting, and to bring me back to the earth again. This week has been wonderful, but home is home, and first thing in the morning yesterday, I went to the market and bought some new onions, new potatoes and italian mussles, really longed for some home-made foodie, and what we in Spain call Spoon Foodie, ( Food you eat with a spoon, normally comforting automn or winter food).

It was only my man and I at home so I made it for 2, so just add potatoes for 4, there where so much mussles for the two of us.

Patatas a la Importancia.

Important Potatoes (might be the translation )

2 pers.

Shopping list

1/4 kg Almejas Italianas              (clams)

6 pequeñas patatas nuevas          (small new potatoes)

1 cebolleta                                  ( scallions 2 if small)

4 dl vino blanco                           ( white wine)

2 dl. nata                                     (cream)

3 cucharadas de AOVE              (spoons virgen extra olive oil)

Sal y piemienta                            (salt and pepper)

Cebollin fresco                            (fresh chives)

First of all, put the clams in a bowl with fresh water, they can contain some sand, and this way, the sand will be in the bowl, not in your stew.

Peel and cut the scallion into halfs, and then in two again before you slice it, have 2 spoons of AOVE in a skillet heat at medium temperature and add the scallion, let cook until transparent and a little brownish.

Peel and slice the potatoes finely, add to the fried onion, and let it fry together mixing all the time for 2-3 min.

Then take apart and put a new skillet with the white wine and the clams, let boil until the clams are open, but not more, strain, if there is any sand left your stainer will keep it, the liquid into the potato and onions, heat until boiling . Boil for 25 min , depends on the quality of the potatoes, use a knife to see if they are cooked properly, but don't leave to long, then you will have a puree.(If more liquid is needes, add a cup of water)

When the potatoes are tender, add the cream and the cooked clams, and taste for salt and pepper, just let it boil, and serve on hot plates, decorate with the chopped chives, this dish is somthing between a soup and a stew, we like it more stewish, but you can also let it be more liquid and soupish.

It is allowed to eat the clams with your fingers, the rest  with a spoon.

The welcome home dish I made for self and man.
When we make a long travel like this, my husband loves to drive, and he's a magnificant driver, in 8 days we did more than 3800 km. He never gets tired, I might take a nap or two, but he has his radio, Onda 0, and could continue to the end of the world. But when we arrive home, we are always happy to go back to "normal life ".
We stayed in Peñiscola the last night, also a good experience, I'll tell you  tomorrow.
Think it's bedtime now, night, night..............................................

MEJILLONES A LA MARINERA

This recipe is quite commun in Spain, you can buy mejillones, mussles, , all the year, they have a modest price, and cooked this way, well, just try.................

Most of the mussles comes from Ria de Aroza the largest of the five Rias Baixas in Galicia, nort-vest of Spain, where the fish farms are placed in the " rias", a saline estuary. Every year Galicia produce 240 000 tons, it means over the half of the word-wide production.

Contain almost no grease, between 0,5 and 2 % (depending on the way you cook it, it can be a lot more) , aport protein, contains group B vitamins,and iodin,iron, calsium,sodium , phosphor and magnesium.

Tinned mejillones are avalable in any supermarket, the quality can be very different, but have a look at ;
www.luisescuris.com
www.conservasdecambados.com
www.portomuinos.com. Mixed with algae,
where you can buy the best, manufactured by hand, on- line.

My husband loves all the sea can give of food, and he's the best cooking it too, today he made my favorite mejillones dish, so juuuuuummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!, and we enjoyed them by the pool with a glass of Ice cold Lambrusco Rossato.

Shopping-list;

1 kg mejillones.             ( mussles)
1 cebolla grande.           (big onion)
3 dientes de ajo.            (garlic cloves)
AOVE.                         ( extra virgen olive oil)
Tomate frito.                  (Tomato sauce)
Oregano.                       (oregano)
Sal y pimienta.               ( salt and pepper)
Guindilla                        ( chilli, optional)

Clean the mussles well, and save, slice the onion finely, peel and chop the garlics, have a little olive oil in a skillet, a couple of spoons is enough, and let fry on medium fire, until transparent.
Then add the Tomate Frito, see BASIC, RECIPES, the oregano, the pepper, careful with the salt, and if you like the chilli, mix and let cook for 5 min.
You can buy the Tomate Frito ready in tin or brick at the super, but then add a little sugar, or sweetner.

This can be done in advance, and just add the mussles some min. before you are going to serve,
cover and let cook until the mussles are open, but not more, then they will shrink and be dryer, here is where Armando my husband is the master, they are perfect.

We use the shells to scoop the onion and the sauce, and it's permitted to dip bread also.

Lots of restaurants has this on the menu, if you don't want to cook it yourself, but don't miss it.

The best mussels recipe.

By the pool.

Not a single mussle left.