Cordial

In Spain, the traditional Christmas food is usually based on abundant sweet dishes. Three days significantly in the Spanish Christmas Special: Christmas dinner, New Year's Eve and the Epiphany. The Christmas meal is characterized by all Christian traditions. It should be noted nougat (the most famous is the hard nougat), the shortbread, marzipan, dates, sugared almonds, alfajores or almond soup. 

Also typical dishes eat these dates, such as suckling pig, free range chicken, turkey, capon, lamb, sea bream, clam meat, cooked meat (in Catalonia), prawns and seafood. In Galicia is also often eat cod with cauliflower, on Christmas Eve.

On December 31 (New Years Eve) is tradition to eat 12 grapes at the rate of twelve strokes marked by the Puerta del Sol, once it enters the new year, you will be welcomed with a Cava toast. At dawn or morning of January 1 (New Year's Day) is usually breakfast Chocolate with churros. On January 6 (Epiphany) is usually eaten for a snack, cake of Epiphany.

The "Cordial" is a typical sweet of the Region of Murcia (Southeast Spain). They are usually served accompanied with marzipan sweets and shortbread. Is strictly required to consume within 5 days of its development, as they spoil very quickly. 

ingredients: 

- 1 kg of raw almonds. 

- 9 eggs. 

- 800 gr of sugar. 

- 1kg of candied pumpkin. 

- Scrape the skin of 1 lemon. 

- Wafers. 

Preparation: 

- Cleaned and peeled almonds (with hot water). Chop and dried. 

- Add the sugar, grated lemon rind and eggs. Mix until a homogeneous mass is made. 

- Take small amounts of almond dough, make a well in the center and fill with candied pumpkin, close giving a cone shape. 

- Place on the wafers, and bake at 180 degrees for 25 minutes.

Beef pot.

It is a typical soup northeastern Spanish (Catalonia). This is the first documented written soup in Europe, which is explained in the fourteenth century that was consumed daily by the Catalans. Is notable for use in the boil a 'ball ", which is a great meatball elongated, once cooked, cut into slices to distribute it among the guests, made ​​with ground beef mixed with bacon, egg, bread crumbs or bread crumbs, garlic, parsley and flour. Furthermore, to make the broth, vegetables used (carrot, turnip, leek, green cabbage, etc..) And other ingredients such as chickpeas, potato and chicken meat.

Consumption and habits.

This dish as old and who ate all walks of Catalonia, Valencia, Balearic Islands and Andorra is known by several different names, such as soup, stew, pot, pot mixed. Currently considered more of a winter dish, served hot for, but for a long time was consumed throughout the year, because in summer allowed to recover the nutrients lost in sweat.

Serve:

He served separately:

- The soup is the broth with a bit of pasta (noodles) and rice boiled in it.

- Cooked meat, served after the soup, in a tray that takes oval table and serving each diner with: Ball meat and vegetables used in the cooked, drained and you can dress with olive oil.

ingredients:

- 500 g of chicken.

- 500 g of pork.

- A beef rib.

- A pig bone.

- A beef bone.

- A piece of bacon or ham rind.

- 350g minced pork.

- 350 gr of minced beef.

- 4 potatoes.

- 2 leaves of cabbage.

- 2 leaves of celery.

- 1 leek.

- 2 carrots.

- 200 gr of chickpeas.

- 2 eggs.

- 2 slices of toast.

- 100 ml of milk.

- Black pepper.

- A little flour.

- A package of noodles.

Preparation:

- Put in a pot with a total of 6 liters of water.

- Put in the pot all the aliments (vegetables, potatoes, etc.) except the ground beef and let it cook.

- In a bowl put the ground beef and pork, the two beaten eggs, toasted bread slices (soaked in milk), a pinch of salt, a pinch of black pepper and mix everything.

- When everything is well mixed, make balls and sprinkle flour on top.

- Toss the meat balls in the pot and cook for 40 minutes. Chickpeas cooked we will have separated into a separate bowl.

- Put the chickpeas into the pot and cook for the last 30 minutes.

- Serve hot as discussed above.

Chestnuts with milk

The chestnut pudding is a dish of chestnuts (cagoxas) typical of the province of Lugo (Galicia, Spain). Chestnuts participate in various celebrations Galicia (an example is the magosto, a kind of Halloween party). It is usually served as a dessert or breakfast.

ingredients:

- 200 grams of dried chestnuts.
- 1 liter of milk.
- Water.

Preparation:

- We cook the dried chestnuts in a pot with water. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Chestnuts drain them and cut into pieces.
- Handed out a liter of milk in bowl and toss them chopped chestnuts

Note: add sugar to sweeten

Hot chocolate with churros

The hot chocolate with churros is a typical dish of Spanish cuisine, released in countries like Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Uruguay and Venezuela for more than a century. It is a typical food of Spain that are usually eaten during the cold winter months.

Breakfast with churros in Spain dates back to the early nineteenth century. The churro was highly popular because of its low cost, and then was called fruit pan. Moreover, the chocolate has a longer history, the history and name us back to pre-Hispanic Mexico and its culture, and is also derived from cocoa originating from Mexico, where at the time was often used currency among the pre-Columbian peoples of Mesoamerica .

Given these two elements (Chocolate and churros) is unknown the exact time between the nineteenth and early twentieth century which invented this couple for breakfast.

It's called hot chocolate with churros, indicating that the hot chocolate served in a porcelain cup or bowl accompanied by a plate of fresh churros. This delicacy is usually a typical breakfast Christmas Day and also usually serve the Epiphany (January 6) after the Kings Cake.

Ingredients.

For the churros:

- 350 ml of milk.

- 200g of plain flour.

- 5 g of salt.

- 1 fresh egg.

- Sunflower oil.

- Sugar.

For the chocolate:

- 500 ml of milk.

- 120 grams of black chocolate.

- 15 gr cornstarch.

Preparation:

Churros:

1. Boil the milk. Sift the flour and when the milk boils pour it all into the pot of milk and reduce heat to a minimum.

2. With a kitchen spatula to mix until you go see taking consistency. Stir to prevent sticking to the walls of the pot.

3. Add the egg and mix well.

4. Cool the dough into a pastry bag with a medium size curly tip.

5. In a skillet with a finger sunflower oil, over medium heat, let shredding of churros. fry until well browned.

6. Take the churros, put them on paper towels and sprinkle with sugar.

Hot Chocolate:

1. Boil the milk (reserving a little to dissolve the cornstarch) together with chopped black chocolate.

2. Once it starts to boil add the cornstarch dissolved in cold milk we had booked previously. Stir continuously.

3. Once the chocolate covered spoon already have done.

Note: you can serve hot chocolate with a hint of vanilla or cinnamon sprinkled on top. If you find the chocolate too bitter you can add a little sugar.

Fig Bread

The fig bread is a typical product of the province of Malaga (Spain) originating in Al-Andalus. In times of famine, when there was nothing to eat, this was a substitute for food and eat alone or with black bread.

ingredients:

- 500 gr of dried figs.
- 500 gr of walnuts.
- 100 grams of almonds.
- 100 grams of flour.
- 5 tablespoons milk.
- 1 glass of anise.
- Flour and butter for pan.

Preparation:

- Chop the figs, chop the almonds and walnuts and mix with the flour in a bowl.
- Add to the above mixture milk and anise. Mix everything.
- Grease a mold and pour the dough in it. Bake at 160 ° for 30 minutes.
- Leave temper and take it out of the mold.

Spanish Curd

This is a milk-like product in nutritional content, typical dessert of Spain (especially the Kingdom of Navarra). In this place, in the month of June, we celebrate the Day of the curd.

ingredients:

- 1 liter of milk from sheep.

- A few drops of rennet.

- Sugar.

- Cinnamon.

- Honey.

- Mint leaves.

- Glasses or clay pots.

Preparation:

- Put the milk in a saucepan, add sugar and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

- When it boils remove from heat, allow to warm slightly and pour into a pitcher.

- Wait until unit reaches body temperature (37 °).

- Put 3 drops of rennet in each container, split up milk curdle and wait without moving the containers.

- Serve with a little honey over sugar and cinnamon and garnish with mint leaves.

Note: Always use chemical rennet sold in pharmacies. Do not use rennet for hygiene reasons and because they have to kill an animal to sell this product only.

Spanish Traditional Magdalenes

There are sources that trace the origin of the Magdalene pilgrimages to Santiago of Compostela. A young, called Magdalene, offered to pilgrims as a pastry shell, symbol of the pilgrimage. The Magdalena spread along the Way of Santiago, which explains its traditional presence in Spain.

ingredients:

- 2 eggs.

- 125 ml of milk.

- 125 ml of olive oil.

- 125 grams of sugar.

- 150 gr of flour.

- Grated peel of one lemon.

- 1 packet of baking powder

- 1 heaping teaspoon of baking soda.

- Moulds Cupcakes.

Preparation:

- We separate the whites from the yolks. We set up 2 whites to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt and set aside.

- In a bowl mix all remaining ingredients until dough is smooth and without lumps.

- Incorporating the 2 whites and mix with stirring motion, being careful not to hit the bowl.

- Fill 3/4 parts of the molds and sprinkle with a little sugar on top.

- Preheat oven to 200 degrees and bake the Magdalenes for 10 minutes at 180 º.

Pinch Bread

ingredients:

- 6 eggs.
- 125 gr of icing sugar.
- 125 gr of flour.
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder.

Preparation:

- Separate the whites from the egg yolks (reserve whites in a cup).

- Put the egg yolks in a bowl with the sugar and beat until the mixture takes a consistency like butter and seems to have doubled in volume.

- Add the flour and baking powder in a sieve and mix until it forms a thick dough.

- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and add to the mixture, mixing gently with a spatula to cook without banging the bowl (because the shock can make the dough does not grow).

- Greased a mold and baked at 170 for 17 minutes.

- Serve cold.

Paella

The origin of paella goes back to the method of preparation of its main ingredient: rice. This came into Europe from Asia in 330 BC Since then there was a long journey to settle the crop in Europe and specifically in the eastern Spanish coast.

ingredients:

- 600 g of rice.

- 1/2 chicken pieces.

- 2 artichokes.

- 2 medium red peppers.

- 2 ripe tomatoes.

- Ground pepper.

- 1 clove of garlic.

- Parsley.

- 1 strand of saffron or coloring.

- 1/2 lemon.

- Rosemary and thyme sprigs.

- 1 pinch of salt.

Preparation:

- Fry the chicken with olive oil. Once fried boil with 8 glasses of water

.

- Lightly fry the artichokes and pepper and spread apart. Moreover fry the tomatoes and garlic.

- In the saucepan, with tomato and garlic and stir-fry, add the rice and stir.

- 30 minutes before you finish sautéing rice boiled chicken and add the remaining ingredients .

- Put the pan over high heat, halfway through the cooking heat to medium low heat and let do for 20 minutes.

- After 20 minutes, serve hot.

Panellets

Panellets are a dessert of the eighteenth century, when they were used as food blessed to share after religious celebrations. It is believed to have originated in northern Europe where, as a result of the intense cold, it required a high-calorie food to better withstand the long night of the dead, but surely comes from the Arabic pastries, given its composition based on almonds and influence of Arab culture.

Being a high energy food, were very helpful to eat the feast of All Saints and All Souls Day, which was played to death in the church bells all night, so much of the population was awake.

ingredients:

- 500 gr of ground almonds.

- 500 grams of sugar.

- 250 gr of cooked potato.

- Grated rind of a lemon.

- 2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk.

- 150 gr of pine nuts.

- 150 gr of chopped almonds.

- 125 gr grated coconut.

Preparation:

- Cook the potato with the skin, peel once cooked and let cool.

- Mash the potatoes with a fork, mix in the sugar, add the ground almonds, lemon zest and knead well.

- Separate 2 eggs yolks from the whites, they reserve the yolks and pour in the mixture. Knead with fingers to blend the ingredients well.

- Separate 2 eggs yolks from the whites, they reserve the yolks and pour in the mixture. Knead with fingers to blend the ingredients well.

- Put dishes separately, pine nuts, chopped almonds and coconut.

- Start making balls and reserve a third of the dough to mix with the remaining coconut. Other, soaked first passing them through the egg white and then by a pinion and the other by the almonds. Go panellets depositing on a baking tray covered with parchment paper or aluminum and a little flour.

- Turn the oven with the grill at 170 ° C for warms. It continues with the preparation of panellets, form small balls soaked with coconut and grated coconut dish, also Toss them in the tray.

- Finally, the surface swabbed panellets pine nuts and almonds with egg yolk and are ready to bake for 10-12 minutes, see controlling it to remove them when they are golden.