Wednesday November 4, 2009
Peras al Vino is a Spanish dessert that is simple, elegant and easy! A new crop of pears has made their appearance in produce markets, so now is a great time to try out this recipe. After peeling the pears, let them slowly simmer in a sugar and white wine mixture on the stove top for an hour. In the meantime, you can be preparing the rest of dinner.
We recommend this dessert for your the next holiday party or family get-together. Make it ahead and refrigerate until you are ready to serve!
Tip: If you have leftover wine sauce, don't let it go to waste - pour it over vanilla ice cream.
Photo © Lisa Sierra, licensed to About.com, Inc.
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Monday November 2, 2009
Our Soup of the Week is Menestra de verduras, a tasty Spanish dish, full of fresh vegetables and little bits of Serrano ham. We can't think of a better way to get the daily servings of vegetables. The great thing about menestra is that you can use whatever vegetables are in season at the time. So, you might substitute spinach, Swiss chard, asparagus, leek or faba beans.
Photo © Lisa Sierra, licensed to About.com, Inc.
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Queimada, a Spooky Spanish Ritual for Halloween!
Thursday October 29, 2009
With a cool, damp climate, forests and miles of rocky, windswept coastline, Galicia is one spooky region in Spain. Ancient Celtic customs and superstitions still survive, handed down from Celts who lived in Galicia two thousand years ago. Galicians like to prepare a "Fire Drink" called Queimada and enjoy a spooky ritual where an oddly dressed man mixes sugar and liqueur together and lights it on fire. Then, while the drinks burns, he recites a "spell" in the local language called Gallego.
Whether or not you want to entertain your guests with a spooky "spell," Queimada is a good party drink to warm you up from the inside out this Halloween weekend or any evening this winter.
Photo Courtesy of Estribiyo, Flickr.com
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Tuesday October 27, 2009
This dish is brightly colored and very attractive - Littleneck clams are surrounded by a red-orange sauce made of white wine and garlic, with small pieces of onion sprinkled about on the plate and nestled in the clam shells. The simplicity of this dish is beautiful, requiring only basic cooking tasks. To make it, you only have to know how to chop and saute an onion, rinse the clams and smash a clove of garlic. Don't forget the crusty baguette for dipping in the sauce.
To turn this tapa into a main course, prepare spaghetti, linguini or white rice and spoon clams and sauce over the top. Great for those nights when you don't have lots of time to make dinner!
Photo © Lisa Sierra, licensed to About.com, Inc.
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