Paella Mista for six hungry people!

Ingredients

Meats

6 drumsticks (cleave the bottom portion of the drumstick off)
6 large shrimps
1/2 pound of calamari rings
1/2 pound of bacon in cubes
1/2 pound of pork in cubes (pork chop meat)
1 pound of mussels
6 sea scallops

Vegetables

1/2 chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced or garlic pressed
1 small tomato, cubed in 1cm peices
1 cup of cooked fava beans
The juice of one lemon

Herbs/Spices

1 gram of saffron (3grams if it's powder)
3 bay leaves
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tea spoon of smoked paprika

Other

Short grain rice (bomba is the best!)
3-5 liters Fish or vegetable stock (amount depending on the heat and other factors)
2 cups of white wine
Salt and Pepper

Making the Paella

At a low heat, heat the olive oil until is hot, but not smoking.  Add the chicken first, then the pork, then the bacon, then the onion and finally the garlic.  The pan will begin to turn brown on the bottom, add the tomatoes to 'clean' and prepare the pan for the next ingredient.  After the paella pan is 'clean' again, add the calamari and fava beans.  When the calamari are white, add the stock until it covers the rivets.  After the liquid evaporates, you will see the rivets again.  When you can see the rivets, add the rice (see picture).  With the spoon, lightly move the rice, without stirring too much.  Add all the herbs and spices. Add the wine, stirring a little bit in a crossing gesture with the spoon.  When the rice is almost cooked, add the shrimps, sea scallops and the mussels.  Turn the heat off!  Immediately cover the pan with tin foil (the vapor will cook the seafood).  The big secret for a perfect paella is allow the bottom of the pan to get brown, being very careful not to burn too much!
After the paella is ready, allow the dish to rest for 5-10 minutes before eating.  Remove foil, squeeze a lemon on top and it's ready!!!

Spanish Puchero

1 / 2 kgr chickpeas
1 / 2 kgr (pieces of: panceta, pig trotter, pig cheek)

1 / 4 kgr Beef shank
2 old chicken drumstick
4 Spanish Sausage "chorizo"
2 Potatoes
2 Carrots
Handful of green beans
1 Onion

4 cloves of garlic1 Piece of celery

1/2 cup of black olives

1 cup of tomatoes crunched

1 tbsp of Spicy Paprika

1 tsp pf turmeric

Fresh herbs of your choice (Basil, thyme, marjoram, oregano)Salt & Pepper
Water

Soak the chickpeas overnight in water with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda. Bicarbonate of soda will help when cooking the beans and will ensure that they are softened.

The best way to cook Puchero is to use a pressure cooker, it will only take 1 hour, but if you cook it with a normal pot it will take about 4 hours for the chickpeas to cook and soften. Before you put the chickpeas into the pot be sure you have rinsed them thouroughly. 

So, put everything in the pot: chickpeas, meat and vegetables. Cover all the ingredients with water and add salt. Seal the pressure cooker and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes. At this point, open the pot and taste for seasoning. If needed add salt and then let  boil for several minutes

White bean and chicken stew

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 pound chicken sausage, sliced
Juice of one lime
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon paprika, or to taste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
5 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
1 1/2 cups cooked white beans (you can use canned)
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup parsley

• 
  1. In a large bowl, toss the chicken and sausage with the lime juice and season with salt and pepper.
• 2. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a dutch oven, over medium high heat, and brown the chicken and sausage, about 2 minutes per side. Depending on the size of your pot, you will have to work in 3-4 batches, adding more oil when necessary. Remove the chicken/sausage to a plate.
• 3. Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining oil and sauté the onions and garlic until softened, about 3 minutes. Then, add the paprika and the tomato paste and stir to combine.
• 4. Pour the chicken broth and add the bay leaves and thyme. Once the liquid starts boiling, reduce the heat to low and let the stew simmer for 30 to 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and almost falling apart.
• 5. With a ladle, remove a bit of the broth into a cup and stir in the flour to. Return to the pot and add the beans. Cook for 10 more minutes until the sauce has thickened.
• 6. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and/or pepper, if necessary. Remove the bay leaves and sprinkle the parsley.

Brazilian

Coconut kisses

Brigadeiro (Chocolate fudge dessert)

Brazilian coconut kisses (Beijinho)

Beans Brazilian style

Beef with onions, and garlic

Black Beans

Cajuzinho (Peanut fudge balls)

Galinhada

Carrot cake with chocolate

Chicken pie

Cilantro pesto

Coconut and Cashwew lime soup

Coconut cake

Coconut shrimp

Corn and cheese cake

Pumpkin shrimp

Corn creamy cake

Corn chowder

Crazy Black lady cake

Dulce de leche creme brulee

Escondidinho (Brazilian simple chicken and yuca pie)

Empanadas (Pastéis) de carne (Meat Brazilian Empanadas)

Meat and farofa

Galinhada

Ham and cheese rolls

Rice

Pão de queijo

Picadinho

Poor Bitch rice (Arroz de Puta Pobre)

Pumpkin Shrimp

Sagu (Red wine Tapioca pearls)

Queijadinha (Coconut and cheese muffin)

White bean and chicken stew

Pasta and Fagioli

 

3 15 oz cans pinto or cannellini beans
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
5 oz pancetta or approx 5 slices bacon, diced
2 tbsp minced FRESH rosemary, thyme, basil or parsley
6 cups beef broth
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 ¾ cups small pasta shells, uncooked
Salt and pepper to taste
crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Parmigiano cheese

• In a large soup pot, heat olive oil. Add onion and pancetta and saute until onions are golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and herbs and saute about 4 additional minutes. Then combine the beans, the broth and cook for five minutes.
• Transfer the pot ingredients to a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender and that will be easier.
• Add the pureed mixture back into the pot.  Add salt, and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil.
• Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
• Once the pasta is cooked, remove from heat.
• Taste, and add more salt if necessary.
• Serve, topped with red pepper flakes and cheese, if you like.

La cucina Vicentina

Even in the realm of food and wine, the art of good cooking in Vicenza has a well-earned reputation, thanks to the traditional high quality of its products. Here is what Guido Piovene has to say about Vicenza's most famous recipe, "poenta e bacalà":
"To those who accuse Italian cuisine of being elementary compared to the French variety I must say that "baccalà alla vicentina", of top quality, beaten for a long time with a wooden hammer, soaked for thirty-six hours, cut into pieces, scattered with cheese and browned with butter, oil, anchovies and onions, cooked over a slow flame, seasoned again with parsley, pepper and milk, is a true dish in the French style. A whole refined civilization is simmering in the pot."
So, for curious tourists who are lovers of good fare, here is a whole series of typical dishes connected with the land and particular periods of the year. In January try baccalà (dried cod) "alla vicentina", cooked in milk according to a recipe jealously handed down over the ages, accompanied by generous glasses of Durello wine from the Val del Chiampo; in February, Arzignano capons "alla canevera"; in March, kid; in April, the white asparagus of Bassano, diuretic, cleansing and rich in vitamins; in May, mutton and "risi e bisi", risotto with tasty Lumignano peas; in June, sopressa sausage from Valli del Pasubio and Recoaro, accompanied by a hot slice of polenta toasted on the grill; in July, "marsoni" from Valdastico; in August, "toresani di Breganze" with "greased" polenta, pigeons whose flesh released unforgettable flavours when it comes into contact with the embers; in September, the never-failing "polenta e osei" with spit-roasted birds; in October, "bigoli con l'arna" from Thiene washed down with red Tocai wine; in November, turkey with "malgaragno" from Montebello while December favours "bovoni" with mushrooms from Asiago and the Plateau of the Seven Communes.
The Vicenza countryside also offers a variety of products which, suitably blended in the kitchen, make an excellent contribution to tasty and appetizing hors d'oeuvres, entrées and main courses, vegetable dishes, sweets and desserts: from truffles to the oil products of the Berici and Pove Hills, from beans to potatoes grown at a high altitude, from honey to the "mostarda" (a spicy compote of fruit with mustard) from Montecchio Maggiore, the old fortress where bloomed the love of Romeo and Juliet, from the Christmas sweet "mandorlato" to the famous fleshy cherries of the foothills of Chiampo and Castegnero, from the trout of the pre-Alpine valleys to the white celery of Rubbio, the "corgnoi" of Crespadoro and the chestnuts of Durio, from the most renowned liqueurs to fruit yoghurts, from pastries to ice-cream, from mushrooms to ship's biscuit, from springtime herbs to woodland shoots and the mineral waters of the many springs in the province.

Click here to know more about the Cheeses from Vicenza!

Vaca Frita

Traditional Cuban dish made with simmered meat that is then fried until crispy and golden.

Ingredients

• 2 lb beef flank (or veal flank)
• 1¼ cup beef broth
• 3 onions , julienned
• 2 small green bell peppers , julienned
• 1 lime , juiced
• 6 cloves garlic , crushed
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon parsley , finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt
• Black pepper , freshly ground
• 1 lime , quartered

Instructions

• Place the meat in a large saucepan over medium to high heat, and cover with the broth.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat.
• Add the oregano, cumin, bay leaf, a pinch of salt and a pressed garlic clove, and cook for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• When the meat is cooked, turn off the heat, remove it from the saucepan, drain it and let it cool to room temperature.
• Once it has cooled a little, with a fork or by hand, shred the meat, getting rid of any skin and / or ligaments.
• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the remaining garlic, peppers and onions. Sauté for 2 minutes and add all the meat.
• Sauté everything until the meat becomes golden and crisp, then add the lime juice and pepper.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt if necessary. Mix and cook for a minute.
• Finally add the parsley.
• Remove from the heat and serve hot, preferably with white rice, black beans, ripe fried plantain and lime.

Soups

 

Lentils and chestnuts soup

Avgolemono (Greek lemon and chicken soup)

Carrot and Ginger soup

Pasta e Fagioli

Harira (Moroccan Soup)

White beans, chicken and sausages soup

Thai soup

French Onion Soup

Coconut, cashew and lime soup

Tunisian fish soup