BEIGLI WITH POPPY SEEDS

INGREDIENTS

4 cups flour
4 Tablespoon sugar
1 cup lukewarm water
2 eggs slightly beaten
2 cakes yeast reg. or dry
1/2 cup soft butter
1 teaspoon salt

Crumble yeast in bowl, add water and sugar stirring till mixture liquidifies. Blend flour and butter with wire pastry blender. Mix well, mix in eggs, salt and yeast. Mix until dough is smooth and leaves side of bowl clean.
DO NOT LET RISE.
Divide into four portions and roll each out in a rectangular shape spread with filling and roll up like Jelly Roll. Place in greased baking pans. BAKE AT ONCE in 350 oven about 30 to 45 min. or until brown.
See filling on next page.

Poppyseed Filling
1 pound of freshly ground poppy seeds (finely)
2 cups of sugar
1cup BOILED milk
1/4 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons of grated lemon zest
Mix filling in bowl using only 3/4 cup of boiled milk...It should be thick. If not spreadable use the rest of milk. divide into 4 portions, one for each dough rollup.Makes 4 cakes.

LANGOS (Potato cake)

INGREDIENTS

3 or 4 med. potatoes
1/2 envelope of dry yeast
1/2 cup of warm milk for yeast
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 cups to 1 2/3 cups of flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Lard for frying

Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water. Peel them and immediately mash them. You should have about 1 1/2 cups. Cool. Mix the warm milk with the yeast and sugar. Let the starter sit for 5 or 10 minutes. Mix mashed potatoes with flour and the salt. Start with 1 1/2 cups and add more flour to make a kneadable dough. Knead dough well. Put dough in a bowl and cover. Let dough rise in a warm place until double in bulk. About 1 hour. Roll out the dough with a floured rolling pin on a floured board to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into rectangles, squares or circles. Prick with a knife to keep big bubbles from forming. Melt Lard in a frying pan so it is at least 1/2 deep. Fry Langos over medium heat. If the lard is too hot they will burn, if the lard is to cool the Langos will absorb too much lard. You will have to watch them. Let them get a nice color. When they are done, rub each Langos with a cut clove of garlic and sprinkle with salt and Paprika. Serve warm.

GOLDEN GALUSHKA

INGREDIENTS

10 inch tube pan
1 cup of sour cream
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 cakes yeast
3 eggs
4 1/2 cups of flour

Mixture to roll dough in
1/2 cup of soft butter melted
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix sour cream, sugar, salt and yeast. Stir until yeast dissolves. Add eggs, softened butter and half the flour. Mix well and add rest of flour. Turn dough out on floured board and knead until smooth for about 10 to 15 minutes. Place in greased bowl. Cover and let rise in warm place until double in bulk for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch dough down. Turn over and let rise again for 45 minutes. After second rising, form into walnut-sized balls. Melt butter in small cup. Dip each ball in melted butter and roll in sugar and walnut and cinnamon mixture. Place in layers in 10-inch greased tube pan. Sprinkle any remaining sugar-nut mixture or melted butter over the top layer of balls. Cover pan with waxed paper and towel and let dough rise again 45 minutes. Bake 40 to 50 minutes at 375 degrees or until golden brown. Run spatula around sides of coffee cake, and invert onto plate. To serve, break coffee cake apart with two forks.

PASTA WITH COTTAGE CHEESE

INGREDIENTS

12 oz egg noodles
1/4 pound slab bacon, or breakfast bacon, cut in 1/4 in slices
1 cup sour cream
3 tbs buttermilk
8 oz small curd cottage cheese
black pepper to taste
2 tbsp fresh dill (optional)

Cook noodles per package directtions. Meanwhile fry the bacon until tender. Scrape bacon and fat into a bowl. Add the cooked noodles and mix thoroughly. Thin the sour cream with the buttermilk, and fold it into the noodles and bacon. Mix in the cheese until it breaks up. Ideally, slab bacon is better and can be purchased in a Hungarian specialty store. Sprinkle with pepper and dill and serve immediately.

CHICKEN PAPRIKAS

2 onions chopped
4 Tbsp. shortening, corn oil or lard
3 Tbsp. Hungarian paprika
1/8 Tsp. black pepper or whole pepper corns
2 Tsp. salt
4 to 5 lbs. chicken disjointed, use legs, thighs, breast and back for best flavor
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 pt. sour cream

Brown onions in shortening. Add seasonings and chicken, brown 10 minutes. Add water, cover and let simmer slowly until it is tender. It will smell wonderful!Remove chicken, add sour cream to drippings in pan and mix well. To thicken gravy, mix into a paste 1 Tbl. soft butter with 1 Tbl.of flour and stir into drippings.Add dumplings and arrange chicken on top. Heat through,but do not boil, and serve.

LECSO

2 Tbs. lard or oil
2 med. onions sliced
1 lb. of yellow sweet banana peppers, seeded and sliced.
3 large, very ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 Tbs. sugar
1/2 Tbs. salt
1 Tbs. paprika

Heat lard, add sliced onion, and cook over very low heat for 5 minutes. Add green pepper slices and cook for an additional 15 min. Add tomatoes, sugar, salt and paprika. Cook for 10 to 15 min. longer. Adjust sugar and salt to taste. If you are going to put sausage into it, reduce salt. Lecso can be frozen sucessfully.

SOUR CHERRY SOUP

Ingredients

1 1/2 quarts of water
3 Tbs. flour
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. of salt
1 pound of sour cherries
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Into a soup pot containing 1 1/2 quarts of boiling water add fresh or frozen sour cherries and granulated sugar. Stir and cook. In a separate bowl mix flour, sour cream, salt and beat until smooth. Add to flour mix, 1 cup of hot cherry sugar mix. Stir vigorously. Now add the flour, sour cream and hot cherry mix into the pot of hot soup, stir well and simmer for 5 or 6 minutes until it thickens. Cover the soup and let cool. Keep cover on while it chills in refrigerator and it will not form a thick skin. Serve very cold.

POTATO SOUP

Ingredients

1 small whole stalk of celery, cut in small pieces, about 2 cups
2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 Tbls. chopped parsley leaves
3 Tbls. oil
5 medium potatos, peeled and cut in small cubes
1 mild pepperoni sausage cut into 2 inch chunks
1/4 tsp. black pepper corns
4 Bay leaves
2 quarts of water
3 Tbls. of good white vinegar
6 raw eggs
1/2 pint of sour cream
1 tsp. Salt (celery and the vinegar are naturally salty)

In soup pot, saute celery and onions in oil until limp. Add to soup pot parsley, potatos, pepperoni chunks, pepper corns, Bay leaves and 2 quarts of water. Simmer slowly for at least one hour, until potatos are soft.
Add the 3 Tbls. of vinegar. Taste and if soup does not have enought salt, add to taste. While soup is simmering, break 6 raw eggs, one egg at a time, into the pot. Space them so they will cook to a firm stage, without touching one another. Do not stir soup!
Serve soup, eggs and chunks of sausage in each soup plate. Put a heaping tablespoon of sour cream in each plate. Serve with good bread.

Liver pâté as Ági prepares it

Ingredients

100 gr liver paste (tinned)
2 hard-boiled eggs
1 teaspoonful mustard
20 – 30 gr butter
1 tablespoonful sour-cream

Smash the eggs into very small pieces then mix the ingredients and stir it until it is homogeneous. Season it with salt and ground pepper.

Layered Pancakes

Layered Pancakes (as Ági prepares it)
500 gr flour
4 eggs
500 ml milk
1/2 – 1 dl fizzy mineral water
a pinch of salt
2 tablespoonful sugar
for the filling:
500 gr cottage cheese
2 egg yolk
sultanas, grated lemon peel, sugar to taste
The eggs, the sugar, the flour and the salt is mixed and stirred until its thickness is medium. Then the dough is thinned with the mineral water in order to have a liquid consistency.
In a frying pan a tablespoonful of sunflower oil is heated then I pour a not fully filled ladle of the dough into the pan. Both sides must be fried until they are golden brown.
The cottage cheese, the yolks, the sugar and the salt is stirred thoroughly. Then I add some sultanas soaked in milk and vanilla-flavoured sugar. I butter a Pyrex bowl thickly. I fill the flavoured cottage cheese, roll the up and place them into the bowl (two lines). Every line must be sprinkled with sour cream and then I dust them with sugar. In the oven I bake it.

Goulash Soup

Goulash soup

Goulash, that most Hungarian of dishes, is really a type of soup, in contrast to its close relative to „pörkölt” (stew) which is a thick Paprika Stew. In both cases the meat is cut into small pieces, or cubes which are fried in lard with onions and paprika. A little water, wine or stock is added and it is braised with the lid on. Now comes the difference , because while only a little liquid is needed for the gravy of the stew, most of the water in which the peeled and cubed potatoes have been cooked is added to the goulash. The „pörkölt” or Paprika Stew is served on a meat dish, while goulash is put on the table in a soup tureen, and eaten with a spoon.

When talking about goulash one usually thinks of beef goulash. In wine growing districts mutton goulash is very popular, but this is always emphasized by the name mutton goulash.

Pork or veal is often added to the beef when making goulash, but pork tends to make it too fatty and therefore rich, while the flavour of veal is often lost in the cooking process. On the other hand, several cuts of beef are necessary to make a really good goulash. First of all, there is tenderloin, popularly known as roly-poly. It is a tasty full-bodied cut, but one would be much mistaken in thinking it would be sufficient on its own. Other flavours must be added: a little offal, a few pieces of the spleen, liver and parts that provide meat jelly, such as the hock or cheek, and some sinewy pieces as well, otherwise the result will be no better than a watery swill. All these must find their way into the pot hanging over the fire (or the saucepan on the cooker).

Nothing like the amount of onion is required as is generally, and unfortunately, supposed. It is not the onion that gives the flavour or thickens the soup, but the well selected meat and the excellent aromatic paprika from Szeged or Kalocsa (Paprika-growing centres in Hungary). Onion is merely a nuance in the multitude of flavours Too much onion will make it sweet, give it an unpleasant smell, and stimulate the gastric acids.

Fry the onion to golden brown, sprinkle on the paprika and when this is bubbling add the chopped meat. Braise it slightly, adding a little flour if desired. To make it especially delicious add a glass of good white wine (usually dry) season to taste, cover and braise till tender

Meanwhile cook the peeled and quartered potatoes in salted water. When they are almost cooked, add them to the meat, and enough of the water they cooked in, to make a good, thick soup. Cook for a little longer, and when both are tender, taste to see if any more salt or paprika are nedded. It can be then served. (Naturally only the choice pieces of meat are served. Do not add caraway seeds, as they spoil the touch, though they may be all right for Viennese „Gollasch”. There is no need for tomatoes, either (that is a fashion that filtered into southern Hungarian paprika dishes from the Serbs), but green peppers can happily be added. Tiny dumplings or pasta are better not cooked in the soup, but tossed in hot fatand served on a separate dish.

From Elek Magyar’ Cookbook (He was a member of the most famous Hungarian cook dynasties.

Note: instead of salt and some of the paprika you can use the goulash cream and the „Piros Arany” paprika cream, but count with their salt content!

Egg and Soldiers

The quintessential British breakfast, and perfect for breakfast in bed - Boiled Eggs and Toast Soldiers are a British culinary institution! Soft boiled eggs are commonly served in Britain in egg cups. The top of the egg is cut off with a knife leaving a jagged shell edge around the white and oozy yellow interior. Soft-boiled eggs have been eaten, by generations of British Schoolchildren, with buttered toast cut into strips, which are then dipped into the runny yolk. In the United Kingdom, these strips of toast are known as soldiers. Why is in issue...but it may come from Humpty Dumpty...or the way they line up ready for dipping??

Ingredients

4 eggs4 slices of breadButter

Making and Cooking It

So, for boiled eggs and soldiers the first thing you need is some eggs!1. Half fill a saucepan with cold water and place it on the hob on quite a high heatso the water boils quickly.Don't forget to make sure the handles of the saucepan are facing inwards so youdon't knock it over!2. Pop the eggs in the water, using a big wooden spoon so you don't burnyourself, and turn the heat down a bit so it's simmering rather than boiling.3. For soft yolks you need to boil the eggs for about 5 minutes. If you prefer hardyolks, leave them for about 7 minutes.4. While they're cooking, put some bread in the toaster and butter it when it'sready, then the toast into strips to make soldiers.5. When the eggs are cooked, lift them out of the saucepan.6. Pop the eggs into an egg cup and take the top off the top of the egg with aspoon.Now you are all for dipping your soldiers into your eggs.

Yorkshire Pudding

Yorkshire Pudding is a traditional and popular British dish, originating from

the North-east of England.

A Little History

Yorkshire Pudding was originally used as a first course filler for poor people who could not afford much meat. Years ago, when the meat was cooked on a spit or trivitt, the batter was put underneath and the fat and meat juice dripped onto the batter. If there wasn't enough meat to go around the children would get Yorkshire pudding and gravy as their main meal. Now the dish is almost always served with a roast beef main course to form part of a 'traditional English dinner'. In its home county, it is often served on its own filled with onion gravy so that it acts as a form of edible soup bowl. This practice probably originated with people who could not afford crockery either.

It has become very popular with tourists in search of traditional English fare and ranks along with fish and chips as an internationally known item of English cuisine. In fact many foreigners believe the English national dish is 'Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding' but as we all know it is really Curry.

How to Make It

Yorkshire pudding can be cooked in a large flat tray, and cut into slices, which is called a bed of Yorkshire pudding, otherwise they can be served as small individual bun-sized puddings. Either way, the perfect pudding has a big dip in the middle, where the gravy is poured in, and the edges rise up around the edge of the dish into a crisp crust.

Yorkshire Pudding Recipe

100g/4oz plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
A pinch of white pepper
1 tablespoon of suet (optional - but adds texture to the bed variant)
2 eggs
200 ml of milk - topped up to 250ml with water (1/2 pint liquid)

· Put flour, salt and eggs in a bowl and beat with a fork or handmixer, gradually add the liquid until the batter is smooth and creamy. Leave the batter to stand for ten minutes, it improves the pudding.

· Put some beef fat into either one large metal roasting tray, or 12 individual metal small patty tins. Preferably the fat will be taken from the pan in which the beef or meat is roasting.

· Put the tray or tin in the oven at a temperature of 225°C. Leave them there for five to ten minutes until the fat is smoking hot.

· Pour in the batter. Put the pudding in the oven.

· A bed of Yorkshire pudding in one large roasting tray will take 30 minutes to cook. Individual puddings in patty tins will take 10 to 15 minutes.

· The puddings are ready when they are well risen around the edges and golden brown.

Other Points

· A Yorkshire pudding bed cooked with whole sausages thrown into the batter is called toad-in-the-hole.
Leftover Yorkshire Pudding can be eaten as a dessert with jam and cream

PEYNIRLI KUNEFE (Sweet Shredded Pastry With Cheese)

Ingredients (12 servings)
Sugar 2 1/4 cups 450 g
Water 1 1/2 cups 350 g
Lemon 2 teaspoons 10 g
Kadayif (shredded pastry) 500 g
Butter or margarine 1 cup 200 g
White cheese (un-salted) 1 2/3 cups 375 g

Directions
Combine sugar and water in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved.

Boil gently for 5 minutes. Add lemon juice; stir. Boil for 1 minute. Set aside. Combine kadaylf shreds and melted butter in a pan.

Break kadaylf shreds in butter blending well with tips of fingers. Divide into half.

Spread one half in a slightly greased baking pan 25x25 cm (9x9 inch). Press with fingers slightly.

Spread cheese over kadaylf shreds. Repeat the same with the remaining half, pressing firmly this time.

Bake in a moderate oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven. Let stand for 2 minutes.

Pour warm syrup over. Cover and let stand until syrup is absorbed.

Cut into 5-6 cm (2-2 1/2 inch) pieces.

Arrange on a serving plate. Serve warm.

Tips: This form of kadayif is usually served warm following a full meal. Cottage, Ricotta or cream cheese can be substituted for cheese.

KAPAMA (Lamb with onions and cos lettuce)

Ingredients
1000 gr. fatty lamb meat
15 fresh onion petioles
1 onion
2 bunches dill
1 glass water
2 heads cos lettuce

Directions
Cut the meat into 8 pieces.
Peel, wash and cut onion petioles into 1 inch slices.
Wash the lettuce and cut into 2.5 inch pieces.
Peel and slice the onion into rigns.
Chop the dill.
Wash the meat and put into a saucepan.
Add the lettuce, fresh onion petioles, onion, dill, some salt and water.
Cover and cook for 90 minutes.
Place in a serving bowl when cooking time is over.
Put the cubed lamb meat in big casserola, top with 1/3 of the tomatoes, green besns, carrots, eggplants, gibson onions, half of the tomatoes, green peppers, potatoes, garlic, okra and the rest of the tomatoes.
Add 1/2 tablespoon salt, the granulated sugar, the margarine, and the water.
Cover and place in moderately hot oven. Allow to cook for almost 1.5 hours until the meat and beans are tender.
Remove from oven, place on a plate and serve hot.

DUGUN CORBASI (Wedding Soup)

Ingredients
6 Tablespoons butter
1/2 Tablespoon paprika
1 lb. lamb or beef, diced fine or ground
cayenne pepper
1 carrot, chopped fine
Garnish: dusting of cinnamon.
1 onion, chopped fine
5 cups beef stock
2 egg yolks
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 Tablespoon butter

Directions
Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add meat, carrots, and onions and saute over low heat for 10 minutes.

Stir in flour and cook until blended.

Gradually stir in stock, scraping up any bits stuck on the bottom of the pan.

Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for an hour.

When ready to serve, remove soup from heat.

Beat the egg yolks, then beat the lemon juice into them--and slowly stir into the soup.

Ladle into bowls--then quickly saute the paprika and cayenne in the tablespoon of butter and swirl equally into the individual soup servings.

Lightly dust the top of each bowl with cinnamon.

PIZZA ROLLS (Pizzabrötchen)

Ingredients
50 g ham
100 g Salami
150 g cheese (any cheese that melts like Edam cheese)
100 g mushrooms
½ pepper (green or red)
1 teaspoon pizza seasoning
100 g sour cream
4 rolls

Steps

1. Dice ham, salami and cheese, slice mushrooms, dice pepper and put everything into a bowl;
2. Add pizza seasoning and sour cream and stir
3.Cut rolls in halves and spread mixture on;
4.Put the eight halves on baking tray and leave in oven for about 15 minutes at 200°

Tips:
Vegetarians can replace ham and salami by putting vegetables in the mixture

Ingredientes:
50 g. de jamón.
100 g. de Salami.
150 g. de queso (cualquier queso que se derrita como el queso Edam).
100 g. de setas.
1/2 de pimiento (verde o rojo).
Una cucharilla de condimento de pizza.
100 g. de crema agria.
4 rollos.

Pasos:
1. Cortamos en cuadraditos el jamón, el salami y el queso, rebanamos las setas, cortamos, de nuevo, en cuadrados el pimiento y ponemos todas lo demás en un cuenco.
2. Añadimos el condimento de pizza y la crema agria y lo revolvemos.
3. Cortamos los rollos en mitades y extendemos la mezcla.
4. Ponemos las ocho mitades en la bandeja del horno y las dejamos durante unos 15 minutos a 200º.

Consejos: Los vegetarianos pueden reemplazar el jamón y el salami y poner vegetales en la mezcla.


TRANSLATED BY: Eduardo Relaño Algaba. 2º ESO C

MIXED PASTA PAN (Bunte Nudelpfanne)

Ingredients ( serves 4)
250 g pasta
1 onion
100 g ham
100 g mushrooms
1 pepper
3 tablespoons oil
100 g green peas ( frozen)
1 double cream
Pinches of salt, pepper, macis
1 teaspoon of vegetable boullion (or crushed cube)

Steps

1. Cook pasta according to package, drain
2. Dice onion and ham, wash and slice mushrooms, remove seeds from pepper and then dice it
3. Heat oil in pan, fry onion, add ham, after a while add mushrooms and pepper, stir;
4. Add peas and fry for 3 minutes;
5. Then season with salt, pepper, macis and vegetable boullion
6. Stir again, add drained pasta, stir and season again if necessary and serve in china bowl.

Tips Vegetarians can replace ham by vegetables

Cazuela de Pasta
Ingredientes (para 4 personas)

250g pasta
1 cebolla
100g jamón
100g setas
1 pimiento
3 cucharadas de aceite
100g guisantes verdes (congelados)
Pellizquitos de sal, pimienta, nuez moscada (macis)

Pasos

1. Cocinar pasta según el paquete.
2. cortar en dados la cebolla y el jamón, lavar y cortar en rebanadas las setas, quitar las semillas del pimiento y después cortarlo en dados.
3. Calentar el aceite en la cazuela, freír las cebollas, añadir el jamón, después de un rato añadir las setas y el pimiento, removerlo todo;
4. Añadir los guisantes y freírlos durante 3 minutos
5. Luego condimentar con sal, pimienta, nuez moscada (macis) y verduras cocidas
6. Remover todo otra vez, añadir la pasta escurrida, remover y condimentar otra vez lo necesario y servir en un bol chino.

Consejos: Los que sean vegetarianos pueden reemplazar jamón por verdura.

TRADUCIDO POR MARTA CAPARRÓS GONZÁLEZ 2º ESO C

HUNTER'S TOAST (Jägertoast )

Ingredients
4 slices of toasted and buttered bread
4 slices of ham
4 slices of cheese
1 onion, chopped
1 tin/glass of (drained) mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons of oil
Salt, pepper, sour cream (200 g)

Steps

1. Heat oil in pan, fry chopped onion, add mushrooms, stir and season with salt and pepper;
2. Mix with sour cream ;
3. Spread on toasted and buttered slices of bread after putting a slice of ham on each
4. Cover each toast with a slice of cheese; put in oven for about 15 minutes at 200°

Vegetarian tip: Replace ham by any kinds of vegetables (pees, corn..)

Ingredientes

4 rebanadas de pan tostado y con mantequilla

4 lonchas de jamón

4 lonchas de queso

1cebolla picada

1 lata/ tarro de (escurridos) setas, troceados

3 cucharadas

Sal, pimienta, nata agria(200 g)

Pasos:

1 Pon aceite caliente en la cazuela,frie la cebolla cortada, añade setas,añade la sal y la pimienta.
2 Mezclal con nata ácida.
3 Extendela sobre las rebanadas de las tostadas y untalas en el pan coloca una rebanada de jamón sobre cada uno.
4 Coloca una rebanada de queso en cada tostada ; ponlo en el horno durante aproximadamente 15 minutos en 200

Consejo vegetariano: sustituir el jamón por cualquier tipo de verdura (guisantes, maiz...)

TRADUCIDO POR JUAN JOSÉ PALAO ORTEGA 2º ESO C

NATILLAS

Natillas is a traditional Spanish dessert and is similar to cold custard, but creamier and with a hint of cinammon. Most Spanish restaurants offer natillas in their list of home-made dessert . This is an easy recipe for Spanish natillas which just takes about 30 minutes to do.

Basic ingredients
8 egg yolks
1 litre milk
200 gr. sugar
1 dessert spoon cornflour
1 stick of cinammon
Powdered cinammon

Steps:
1. Put the milk in a saucepan with the cinammon stick and heat. Save a small glass of cold milk.
2. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar. Dissolve the cornflour in the cold milk, stir well and then add to the eggs and sugar.
3. When the milk is starting to boil, remove the cinammon stick and add the mixture of flour, milk, eggs and sugar. Stir well over the heat until the custard thickens. Don't boil.
4. Put the natillas into individual bowls or dessert glasses. Sprinkle with a little cinammon powder.


Tips and ideas:
· Many Spanish cooks add a biscuit to the natillas mixture when they are pouring it into the individual bowls. The biscuit sometimes rises and as the natillas cool, becomes soft. If you want to do this, choose a plain biscuit (the Spanish "Maria" biscuits are what Spanish people use).

Easy quick recipe for Spanish omelette

A delicious potato omelette which can be served as a tapas, warm, cold , with salad....

Ingredients (for 3 people)
4 eggs
1/2 kilo potatoes
Olive oil (one glass, or 1/4 litre)
Salt

Steps:
1: Wash and cut the potatoes into thin slices. Heat the oil in the pan, and add the potatoes and salt. Fry, stirring occasionally. Tip: If you prefer the potatoes to be soft, use a spatula to mash them as they are frying. As soon as they are a golden colour, remove from the pan and put the potato mixture either in a sieve or on kitchen paper, so that as much oil as possible drains away or is absorbed.
2: Beat the eggs well with a pinch of salt, and add to the potatoes. Mix well.
3: Put two small spoonfuls of olive oil in the frying pan, so that the bottom of the pan is covered with a thin layer of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the potato and egg mixture. Tip: shake the pan gently as you move the mixture, so that none sticks to the bottom. Once the omelette seems to be cooked, use the lid of the frying pan (or a large plate) to tip the omelette out of the pan, add a little more oil and slide the omelette in again, this time putting the less cooked side first into the pan. If you need to repeat this step, so that the omelette is perfectly cooked and golden on both sides, you may do so.

Other versions:
Spanish omelette with onion and potato: the process is the same. All you have to do is cut two onions into thin slices, and add them to the oil just after adding the potatoes.
· Spanish omelette with almost anything: other ingredients Spaniards sometimes use in their omlette recipies include ham, cheese, mushrooms, artichokes, spinach, chorizo...

Recipe for Spanish Paella

Traditional and easy Paella recipe. There are many Spanish rice dishes.

This is the most famous of them.

Ingredients (for 4 people):
600 grams rice (short grain)
Half a chicken in pieces
2 artichokes
2 medium-sized red peppers
2 mature tomatoes
Black pepper
Garlic
Parsley
A strand of saffron
Olive oil (one glass, about 1/4 litre)
1/2 lemon
A sprig of rosemary and thyme
Salt

Steps:

1. Fry the chicken in some olive oil. Put the browned chicken pieces into a pan with 8 glasses of water, and bring to the boil. Leave simmering for half an hour.
2. Cut the artichokes and red pepper and fry them.
3: Fry the tomato and garlic in olive oil in the large paellera (special paella pan), then add the rice, stir for a minute and then add the chicken, chicken stock (there should be 6 glasses), artichokes, red peppers, the juice of half a lemon, black pepper, parsley, thyme, rosemary, the saffrón strands (grind them first. If you haven't got a grinder, use Colorante which you'll find in the spice and herbs racks in supermarkets) and salt.
4: Once all the ingredients are in the paella pan, turn the heat up to maximum and boil for about 10 minutes. Then lower the heat and leave to simmer for another 10 minutes. After 20 minutes, the liquid should have evaporated. Turn off the heat, and leave to stand for five minutes. If possible cover while it is standing (many Spaniards use paper to cover the pan).

RECIPE FOR PISTO (Tomato and vegetable mix)

Pisto manchego is similar to ratatouille. It can be served warm to accompany a main dish or cold as a starter or to accompany a salad. Pisto can be used as a filling for sandwiches, savoury crepes, empanadillas or little puffed pastry pies or even as a pasta sauce. Pisto manchego freezes well, so you can make a big batch and use as required. This is an easy recipe for a traditional Spanish dish which originally came from Castilla la Mancha (hence it's name, Pisto Manchego) but is nowadays a favourite simple dish cooked and served all over Spain.

Basic ingredients
4 ripe tomatos
2 medium sizes onions
2 green peppers
1 red pepper
2 courgettes
3 cloves of garlic
olive oil
sugar
salt and pepper

Steps:
1. Dip the tomatoes in boiling water to loosen the skin, then peel them and cut them in to small pieces
2. Peel and slice the onions and garlic
3. Clean and slice the peppers and courgettes
4. Put the olive oil into a frying pan, and gently fry the garlic and onions for a couple of minutes. Add the peppers and turn up the heat a little. Cook for five minutes, stirring all the time.
5. Add the courgette, stir and cook for five more minutes and then add the tomatoes. Cover the pan, and leave to simmer for about 15 minutes.
6. Add a teaspoon of sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Turn up the heat and stir well. If the pisto has too much liquid, let it boil away but keep stirring so that none of the ingredients stick to the bottom.

Tips and ideas:
· If you can get hold of plum tomatoes, use these. If you can only get hold of nice uniform-looking but sadly tasteless tomatoes then add a little tomato puree before covering the pan and leave it to simmer.
· If you want a herby flavour to your pisto, use fresh basil or oregano.
· For a delicious sandwich, slice a chapata or baguette loaf and put in a slice of
Spanish omelette and a generous spoonful of pisto manchego. Delicious cold or warm.

MARMITAKO (BASQUE TUNA AND POTATO CASSEROLE)

Many of Spain's best chefs come from the Basque region. Marmitako is a traditional Basque dish which is as delicious as it is easy to make.

Ingredients
1kg fresh tuna or bonito
5 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
4 cloves of garlic
2 green peppers
2 large tomatoes
1tsp paprika
1 chilli or pinch of cayenne
salt and pepper
1kg potatoes
water

Steps:
Cut the fish into large, chunky pieces (about 3cms x 3cms).
2. Heat the olive oil in a large earthenware casserole dish.
3. Chop the onion, garlic, peppers and tomatoes and fry in the oil over a low heat.
4. Add the paprika, cayenne and salt and pepper and cook for another 5 mins before adding the potatoes (peeled and sliced).
5. Add the water and cook until the potatoes are nearly done (the water should be covering the potatoes and vegetables).
6. Finally add the fish and some white wine (optional) and cook for a further 15 mins

Tips and ideas:
· It is important to use a really strong casserole dish - the Spanish terracotta ones are the best for this recipe
· Make sure the tuna is very fresh and has a healthy glow to it when it is cut. You can ask the fishmonger to cut it into chunks for you when you buy it

Traditional Gazpacho Andaluz (SPAIN)

Spanish cold tomato soup which is the perfect starter to a Summer meal. Gazpacho is easy to make and although ingredients may vary according to region, this is the basic Andalusian Gazpacho recipe. A delicious potato omelette which can be served as a tapas, warm, cold with salad....

Ingredients (for 4 people):
1 Kilo tomatoes
1/2 small onion (60 grams)
1 small green pepper
1 small cucumber (the small chubby Spanish type)
1 small cup of olive oil
2 desert spoons of vinager
200 grams of bread from the day before, soaked in water
Small portions of diced tomatoes, red and green peppers, cucumber, onion and bread or croutons to sprinkle on top.

Steps:
1: Put the tomatoes, onion, pepper, cucumber, vinager, oil and bread into a liquidizer. If you want to dilute it, add a glass of water. Tip: if you want to go for a tangy garlic taste, add a small amount of fresh garlic to the mixture before liquidizing.
2: Put the mixture into a bowl, add salt and pepper and leave the gazpacho to chill for at least an hour. If you want to eat it straight away, you can put some ice cubes in to cool it down. Gazpacho is a Summer dish which is meant to hydrate and cool down your body. So the colder the better!!
3: Serve the gazpacho in soup bowls, with the portions of diced tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion, croutons etc on the table, so that everyone can add them to their bowl as they prefer.



Tips: you can also sprinkle diced serrano ham or hard boiled egg.


Secrets: Make sure you have enough time to put it in the fridge so that you can serve your gazpacho really chilled. Use quality produce. Vary the ingredients according to your personal taste. Gazpacho makes a delicious starter to a meal.