This is a blog dedicated to my love for all things Spanish! It offers tips,and insight into the language,culture,history,cuisine, geography and art of Latin America and Spain.
Cuban Oxtail Stew recipe - Receta de Rabo Encendido Cubano
"Rabo Encendido" (literally means Lit Tail) is more of a stew than a soup, at least the Cuban version, and there are as many versions as there are Cuban Chefs. I made this the other day and it actually tastes better the next day. You can make it with or without the chocolate powder. It's delicous hearty stew to be eaten on cold days to warm you up.
Recipe:
4 pounds oxtail, cut in chunks
Flour for dredging meat
1/4 cup olive oil
Two onions, chopped
Two green peppers, chopped
4 cloves garlic, mashed with 1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon unsweetened chocolate powder (for a slight mole taste)
One can (12 ounce) tomato sauce
One cup red wine
2 1/2 cups beef broth
1 cup dice potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
Dredge the meat with flour. In a large pan or Dutch oven, brown the meat on both sides in the oil, approximately five to six minutes. Remove meat. Sauté the onions and green pepper in the same pan. When the onions start to get translucent, add the mashed garlic and cook for one additional minute.
Add the tomato sauce, wine, beef broth and all spices. Add the potatoes, carrots and celery. Bring to a boil and cover. Simmer for two hours or until meat is tender on low heat, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasonings, if necessary. Add additional beef broth if needed. Remove bay leaves, serve. This is delicious by itself or rice as an accompaniment.
Arroz con Pollo is one of the most popular Latin American dishes. It's a derivation of Paella, the traditional Spanish dish, it has a lot of the same ingredients: safron, white whine, chicken, red bell pepper and peas. Arroz con pollo recipe can require annato seeds and oil to give it that vibrant yellow color but it's entirely optional. I have cooked Arroz Con Pollo without Annato seeds and still comes out delicious. I cook the rice with a bit of beer instead of water and it gives a nice Cuban touch. This recipe serves about 4-6 people.
Recipe:
For Chicken:
1 large chicken, about 4 pounds, cut into 8 pieces.
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Sofrito and broth: 2 olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small tomato, seeded and diced
3 cups water (*)
1 cup dry white wine
1-1/2 cups beer*
1/2 tsp annatto seeds, or 1/4 tsp saffron threads
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/4 -1 cup of Raisins to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions:
-Wash the chicken and blot dry with paper towels. Mix the oregano, cumin, white pepper and vinegar in a large glass bowl. Add the chicken, turning the pieces to cover with the mixture. Let marinate at least 15 minutes to 1 hour.
Heat the oil in a large heatproof casserole. Brown the chicken pieces all over, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a platter and pour out all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.
For sofrito:
Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic to the oil in the casserole, cook over medium heat heat until soft but do not brown, about 1 or 2 minutes. Add the tomato and cook for one more minute. Return the chicken to the casserole with the sofrito and cook for about 1 or 2 more minutes.
Rice:
Add the water, wine and beer(*), saffron (if you use it instead of annatto oil), tomato paste and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, place annato seeds in small saucepan with 1/4 cup of the chicken cooking liquid. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Strain mixture back into the chicken. Thoroughly wash rice swishing with your hands, and drain off the water. Continue doing this until water runs clear.
Bring chicken mixture to a boil, stir in the washed rice, reduce heat, cover and simmer until the rice is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. If it starts to dry out and rice is still al dente, add more liquid. If it gets too soupy, uncover during the last 10 or 15 minutes of cooking. Just before it is done, stir in half of the peas (petit pois),raisins and pimientos. Garnish with Red Peppers. I usually roast mine first to give it a smoky taste.
Nota Bene: Making it with Beer is a nice Cuban Touch and gives it a nice tangy flavor. I adjust the quantity to the total needed for cooking.
This is a Classic Spanish Tapas Dish eaten everywhere in Spain, in all the Tapas Bars, plain, cold, with a bit of aioli sauce or ( garlic sauce). Some recipes call for chorizo or red peppers. I like the simple version with just eggs, potatoes and onions. It's delicious just in it's simplicity and can be eaten for breakfast or as a snack or in between two baguette slices.
Paso 1 : Lavar y cortar las patatas en laminas finas.
Paso 2 : Se baten los huevos con un poco de sal y una vez batidos se añaden las patatas, mezclándolas bien con el huevo batido. Una vez puesto el aceite a calentar se echan las patatas, añadiendo un poco de sal y se fríen. Truco: Si la tortilla gusta con las patatas más desechas puede ir desaciéndose la patata con la rasera mientras se muev Cuando se vean doradas se apartan y es importante que escurran el aceite en un colador o en un plato con papel absorbente.
Paso 3: Se prepara de nuevo la sartén en el fuego con dos cucharadas pequeñas de aceite que cubran una lamina del fondo de la sartén. Se echa la mezcla del huevo y las patatas. Truco: mover agitando la sartén con habilidad para que no se pegue la tortilla.
Paso 4: Se le puede dar vueltas hasta que quede dorada por ambos lados según el gusto...
Y ya está nuestra tortilla de patatas.
Recipe Steps:
Step 1: Mince onions and cook until they are translucent. Take them out of the pan and put aside in bowl.
Step 2: Wash and cut the potatoes into thin slices. Heat the oil, add the potatoes, adding a little salt and fry. When potatoes are golden brown, take them out of the pan, and drain oil a colander, and place potatoes on a plate with paper towels.
Step 2: Beat the eggs with some salt and pepper and once beaten add the potatoes, mixing thoroughly with beaten egg.
Step 3: Put pan back on stove, covering the bottom of the pan with a sheet of oil. Put onions and the egg mixture and potatoes.
Step 4: Shake the Pan a bit as if when you are making an omelet like Julia Child.When you perceive that the egg mixture is like a curd and a bit hard, put a plate on top and turns the tables (it's easy, just have to do it safely). Cook until both sides are golden brown according to the taste, put a parsley in middle for presentation ... . And Voila there's your omelet!
This is delicious with a cup of really thick Spanish hot chocolate and it's easy to pack in your lunch box.
Nota Bene: Patatas is the Spanish ( from Spain) word for Papas or Potatoes
In Mexican ancient civilizations, before the Spanish conquistadors imported chocolate to Spain and added sugar, the ancient Mayans and Aztecs drank the bitter cacao ("Ka-Kow") mixing it with wine, and adding spices: vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, and chile. Remember when Juliet Binoche adds chiles to her chocolate in the movie Chocolat ? Well, you don't have to be a movie star or an Aztec Emperor to make your own Mayan Hot Chocolate with this ancient recipe of chile-infused milk, cinnamon, nuts and vanilla. This is an excellent drink when the weather is cold or to treat yourself after a long days work, surely, it will warm you up and soothe your soul. Ingredients 1 chile pepper, cut in half, seeds removed (with gloves) 5 cups whole or lowfat, or nonfat milk 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise 1 to 2 cinnamon sticks 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate or 3 tablets Mexican chocolate, cut into 1/4"pieces 2 tablespoons sugar or honey, or to taste l tablespoon almonds or hazelnuts, ground extra fine Whipped cream
Instructions In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat water to boiling; add chile pepper. Cook until liquid is reduced to 1 cup. Remove chile pepper; strain water and set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine cream or milk, vanilla bean and cinnamon stick until bubbles appear around the edge. Reduce heat to low; add chocolate and sugar or honey; whisk occasionally until chocolate is melted and sugar dissolves. Turn off heat; remove vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. Add chile-infused* water, a little at a time, tasting to make sure the flavor isn't too strong. If chocolate is too thick, thin with a little more milk. Serve in small cups and offer ground almonds, hazelnuts and sesame seeds and whipped cream.
Serves 4-6
*Chile can be infused in Milk instead of water
Enjoy !
To Learn More Have a Peak at this Blog on Ancient Civilizations and History of Chocolate
This article was written by Sabrina Rongstad-Bravo
In the book The True History of Chocolate, authors Sophie and Michael Coe make a case that the earliest linguistic evidence of chocolate consumption stretches back three or even four millenia.
The history of chocolate begins in Mesoamerica. Chocolate, the fermented, roasted, and ground beans of the Theobroma cacao, can be traced to the Mokaya and other pre-Olmec peoples, with evidence of cacao beverages dating back to to 1900 BC.]
Near the beginning of the 16th century, the Aztecs were believed to first make chocolate, although it goes back much farther. The Mayans wrote about cacao ( Ka-Kow) a Mayan word on their pottery as early as 500 A.D., but some believe chocolate dates back to a much older time during Olmec civilization, which preceded the Mayans. The Mesoamerican civilization's chocolate a bitter drink made from a variety of local ingredients mixed with ground cacao beans.
An officer serving with Cortez observed Motecuhzoma, who was the ruler of the Aztecs. They found that Motecuhzoma was drinking 50 flagons of chocolate every day. This beverage, which was sometimes made with wine or water, could be seasoned with chili pepper, vanilla, and pimiento. It was known to cure diarrhea and dysentery. It also was believed to be an aphrodisiac. Cortez is known to have tried the beverage, but he found it too bitter. However he did write to King Carlos the first of Spain, calling "xocoatl" a "beverage that builds up resistance and fights fatigue." Etymologists trace the origin of the word "chocolate" to the Aztec word "xocoatl," which referred to a bitter drink brewed from cacao beans. The Latin name for the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao, means "food of the gods."
For several centuries in pre-modern Latin America, cacao beans were considered valuable enough to use as currency. One bean could be traded for a tamale, while 100 beans could purchase a good turkey hen, according to a 16th-century Aztec document.
Both the Mayans and Aztecs believed the cacao bean had magical, or even divine, properties, suitable for use in the most sacred rituals of birth, marriage and death. According to Chloe Doutre-Roussel's book The Chocolate Connoisseur, Aztec sacrifice victims who felt too melancholy to join in ritual dancing before their death were often given a gourd of chocolate (tinged with the blood of previous victims) to cheer them up.
Sweetened chocolate didn't appear until Europeans discovered the Americas and sampled the native cuisine. Legend has it that the Aztec king Montezuma welcomed the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortes with a banquet that included drinking chocolate, having tragically mistaken him for a reincarnated deity instead of a conquering invader. Chocolate didn't suit the foreigners' tastebuds at first –one described it in his writings as "a bitter drink for pigs" – but once mixed with honey or cane sugar, it quickly became popular throughout Spain.
Both the Mayans and Aztecs believed the cacao bean had magical, or even divine, properties, suitable for use in the most sacred rituals of birth, marriage and death. According to Chloe Doutre-Roussel's book The Chocolate Connoisseur, Aztec sacrifice victims who felt too melancholy to join in ritual dancing before their death were often given a gourd of chocolate (tinged with the blood of previous victims) to cheer them up.
Sweetened chocolate didn't appear until Europeans discovered the Americas and sampled the native cuisine. Legend has it that the Aztec king Montezuma welcomed the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortes with a banquet that included drinking chocolate, having tragically mistaken him for a reincarnated deity instead of a conquering invader. Chocolate didn't suit the foreigners' tastebuds at first –one described it in his writings as "a bitter drink for pigs" – but once mixed with honey or cane sugar, it quickly became popular throughout Spain.
By the 17th century, chocolate was a fashionable drink throughout Europe, believed to have nutritious, medicinal and even aphrodisiac properties (it's rumored that Casanova was especially fond of the stuff). But it remained largely a privilege of the rich until the invention of the steam engine made mass production possible in the late 1700s.
Bibliography:
"The True History of Chocolate", authors Sophie and Michael Coe
"The Chocolate Connoisseur" Chloe Doutre- Roussel.
"Traités nouveaux & curieux du café du thé et du chocolate", by Philippe Sylvestre Dufour, 1685.
More about the History of Chocolate and Chocolate Recipes in Mexican Cuisine in next installment of Learning Spanish is Fun
What are Tapas Tapas are to Spain what Dim Sum is to China, Hors d'oerves to France, Meze to the Middle East., Chaat to Pakistan and India, Antojitos and Bar Food to the Americas, Izakaya to Japan. The word "tapas" is derived from the Spanish verb tapar, "to cover". In Spain, the main meals of the day is a late lunch around 2 pm and then a late dinner around 10pm, supplemented by smaller meals. In Spain, people go to bars afterwork to have a copa and typically small finger foods or " tapas" to tie them over until their late dinner.
History of Tapas According to legend, the tapas tradition began when King Alfonso of Castile recovered from an illness by drinking wine with small dishes between meals. After regaining his health, the king ordered that taverns would not be allowed to serve wine to customers unless it was accompanied by a small snack or "tapa." He issued a royal decree that insisted that everyone should take food with their drinks. A slight variation of this one is that the benevolent king simply insisted that food should be taken with any drink out of concerns for the health issues associated with drinking on an empty stomach
Tapas, like Flamenco dance has evolved through Spanish history by incorporating traditions influences from many different cultures and countries. The Iberian Penisula was invaded by the Romanswho introduced the of the irrigation methods. The invasion of the North African Moors in the 8th century brought almonds, citrus fruits and fragrant spices.The influence of their 700-year presence remains today, especially Andalusia.The discovery of the New World brought the introduction of tomatoes, maize(corn),Chili Peppers, beans,and potatoes. These were readily accepted and easily grown in Spain's varying climates.
Classic Spanish-Style Tapas As Spain is located on the Iberian peninsula and therefore very nearly surrounded by water, seafood and shellfish naturally play a huge part in Spanish gastronomy. A few delicacies of the sea to try are calamares frito(fried squid), cod fritters, Gambas al Ajillio (prawns in hot, garlic oil), and boquerones (anchovies). Moving away from seafood, other typical tapas include chorizo (sausage), Patatas Brava (" Brave" Potatoes), a variety of casserole stews, callos (tripe with chickpeas), jamón serrano (cured ham), albondigas (meatballs) and Tortilla Espanola (Spanish potato omelette).
Modern Spain-Tapas Hopping Don't be shy about asking what order as most bars will suggest that you try their specialties, which usually happen to be the region's specialties as well. Tapas menus undeniably vary as you move through Spain; the best tapas in central Madrid, for example, are sure to be different from the choice tapas along the northern Galician shores. However, regardless of whether you're relaxing along the Mediterranean or channelling your inner Don Quixote de La Mancha , you are sure to find some common tapas "classics." Unfortunately the days of free tapas are over in much of Spain. Read more about where you can still get free tapas in Spain. If the tapas is given to you without you having asked for it, it will be free.
In conclusion, eating tapas is a sumptuous gastronomical experience that will be different from region to region in Spain. Tapas can be simple finger foods like olives or almonds, canapés or Spanish omelets, cut into squares and served on toothpicks, or deep-fried croquettes. They can also be more elaborate hot, saucy foods served in small earthenware casseroles. Whip up a pitcher of sangria and try a few of these tapas recipes at your next party.
Origins of Flamenco Flamenco is part of the culture of Spain, but it's origins is only select to one region, Andalusia. The cities in Andalucia are Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba,Jerez, and Malaga,and reflect the great Moorish influence,since historically Moors ruled from the 7th to 11th century. What makes flamenco interesting is the influence of other dance forms that have helped to create it. The earliest settlers in Andalusia came not only from the Middle East,North Africa and Persia,but from the Punjab region of India,Rajasthan. We call them the gypsies. Flamenco is an amalgamation of all cultures. It has drawn its inspiration from Greek, Roman, Indian, Moorish and Jewish cultures.
Flamenco was born from the frustration and heart aches of the oppressed peple in Spain: the Jews, gypsies,and Moors. Since the time of the Spanish Iniquisition, the Jews, Moors and Gypsies were treated as outsiders, often persecuted disdained and hated by the Spanish people. Flamenco was born from this, as a spirtual outlet very much like gospel was born from the opression of the American slaves.Often whole families would gather impromptu in their neighborhoods to sing,dance and entertain for their community.It was not until later that flamenco became an accepted artform. It took a long time for flamenco to become accepted as an artform in Spain. It was not until non-gyspies performed it in cafes and theaters that it became popular. It has been since,commercialized and now has many schools that train to dancers to be full fledged flamenco dancers, combining thier training with ballet.
Flamenco and Gypsies
Until the late eighteenth and nineteenth century, Flamenco dance, music and song was widely considered to belong to the Gypsies, whose customs, beliefs and way of life were disdained and even hated by Spanish society. During and for centuries after the famous expulsion of the Moors and Jews in 1492, the Gypsies were tortured, persecuted and even killed if they would not conform to the accepted standard of Spanish society. Nomadic by nature, many of the Gypsies never settled in one town for very long; they would stay in one location only as long as they were able to make money doing odd jobs, selling their wares, and many of them performing Flamenco for the curious Spaniards.
Expulsion of the Gypsies in Spain
Famenco, a tri-art:
The traditional view is that flamenco was originally unaccompanied singing (cante). Later, the songs were accompanied by flamenco guitar (toque), rhythmic hand clapping (palmas), rhythmic feet stomping (zapateado) and dance (baile). Other scholars maintain that while some cante forms are unaccompanied (a palo seco), it is likely other forms were accompanied if and when instruments were available. 19th century writer Estébanez Calderón described a flamenco fiesta in which the singing was accompanied not only by guitars, but also bandurria and tambourine.
Flamenco Dance Categories
Flamenco dance has many as 50 different dimensions, each projecting the different moods of a person. The mood reflects the nature of the dance and sets the melodic parameters and the cultural backdrop for it. The three main categories of Flamenco music and dance are: Jondo or the grande, which depicts the lament and the grief of the people. It centers on themes of death, anguish, despair or religious sentiment. Intermedio (intermediate), which is of a lesser intensity, but is reflective in nature. It is often accompanied with an oriental cast to the music. Chico (small or light), which depict the feelings of love, ribald humor and happiness.
Flamenco Today
Today flamenco is being performed by gypsies as well as non-gypsies, far away from its birthplace, and achieved acclaims globally. There is a man that has a flamenco dance troup.In modern Spain, flamenco is fully a part of Spanish culture and echoes of Spanish flamenco have colored main stream pop. Many Spanish pop singers have that ache and heartbreak in their voice reminiscent of Spanish Flamenco singers. It is evident in the singing style of many pop singers, like Estopa, Rosario, Azucar Moreno, and Chambao to name a few.Flamenco is quiet evident and weddings and parties and social events. An American man forms a Flamenco dance troupe.
Spanish poet Fredererico Garcia Lorca said of Flamenco.
"Flamenco is deeper than all the wells and all the seas that surround the world, deeper than the hearts that create it, or the voices that sing it, almost infinite. It crosses the graveyard of time and the fronds of parched winds. It comes from the first sob and the first kiss."
A trip to Spain, would not be complete without going to a restaurant or café and experiencing the drama and passion of an authentic Flamenco performance.
