Bring a taste of Spain home by recreating these delicious local delicacies with Mrs Crunch’s easy recipes
Spain is the number one holiday destination for Brits, so why not impress your loved ones with these traditional dishes
THERE is nothing better than trying out local delicacies when you’re on your hols – and it’s great eating them at home, too.
Spain is the number one holiday destination for Brits and now you can buy plenty of Spanish products over here as well.
Here are three traditional recipes to impress your family and friends.
Meatballs (Albondigas) - £3.13 per serving
Serves 4.
Preparation time: 20 mins. Cooking time: 1 hour 20 mins.
A serving contains 643 calories (32% of the recommended adult daily intake); 39g fat (56%); 13g sat fat (65%); 9g sugar (10%); 3g salt (50%).
YOU NEED:
For the meatballs:
40g thinly sliced crustless white bread
3 tbsp milk
125g Morrisons Spanish Serrano ham, finely chopped
600g lamb mince
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1½ tsp cumin seeds, freshly ground
1½ tsp coriander seeds, freshly ground
¾ tsp hot paprika
2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
¾ tsp salt
¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil, for frying
MOST READ IN MONEY
For the sauce:
3 tbsp olive oil
150g shallots, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
½ tsp crushed dried chillies
800g vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped
200ml good quality fino sherry
200ml homemade chicken stock
2 bay leaves
black pepper and ½ tsp salt
METHOD: For the meatballs, soak the bread in the milk for five minutes, then squeeze out excess milk.
Place the bread, ham, lamb mince, garlic, spices, parsley and seasoning into a bowl and combine well.
Shape mixture into approximately 40 meatballs (each weighing about 20g).
Fry the meatballs in a frying pan for 4-5 minutes, or until golden-brown all over. You may need to do this in batches.
For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the shallots, garlic and chilli for 8-10 minutes, or until softened.
Add the tomatoes, sherry, stock, bay leaves, salt and pepper and simmer gently, stirring now and then, for one hour, or until reduced and thickened.
Add meatballs and simmer for five minutes or until heated through. Discard bay leaves.
Paella - £1.44 per serving
Serves: 8.
Preparation time: 15 mins; Cooking time: 40 mins.
A serving contains 500 calories (25% of the recommended adult daily intake); 4g fat (6%); 1g sat fat (5%); 4g sugar (4%); 0.25g salt (4%).
YOU NEED:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 skinless chicken breasts, cut in to chunks
8 unshelled raw king prawns
2 garlic cloves
8 ripe vine tomatoes, chopped
pinch smoked paprika
pinch sweet paprika
750g – 1kg Morrisons Paella rice
pinch saffron
1 litre hot chicken stock
100g frozen peas, defrosted
100g broad beans, outer layer removed
200g tinned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
30 mussels
20 cherry tomatoes
METHOD: Heat the olive oil in a paella pan – or a frying pan will do – and sauté the chicken until lightly golden on all sides. Add the prawns and colour lightly.
Add the garlic plus the chopped tomato and paprika and allow to sizzle in the pan for a second. Then add the rice evenly in a layer and sprinkle over the saffron.
Pour over hot stock and shake the pan to disperse (rather than stirring). Leave to simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, adding more stock if needed.
Drop in the peas, beans and mussels. Then simmer for 10 minutes, adding a little more stock as you cook if necessary.
Add the cherry tomatoes. Monitor the wetness of paella at all times, adding a little more stock or water if the mixture is becoming too dry.
Once the rice is cooked, allow to stand and set. The very outside of the paella where it comes into contact with the pan may be a darker colour than the rest – this is good.
Patatas bravas - 42p per serving
Serves four.
Preparation time: 20mins.
One serving contains 224 calories (11% of your recommended daily intake); 6g fat (9%); 1g sat fat (5%); 9g sugar (10%); trace salt (less than 1 %).
YOU NEED:
600g potatoes – either Maris Piper, Desiree or King Edwards
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 x 410g tins chopped tomatoes
3 red chillies
4 cloves garlic, crushed
chopped parsley, to serve
METHOD: Preheat the oven to 225C/450F.
Peel the potatoes and cut into 2½cm/1in cubes.
Heat the olive oil in a large roasting tin until really hot. Place the potatoes in the tin and shake them in the oil until covered.
Season well with salt and pepper. Place in the hot oven for about ten minutes until they begin to turn golden brown.
Add the tomatoes, chilli and garlic and stir well.
Cook for another 25-35 minutes until the potatoes are soft on the inside and crisp on the outside.
Add the parsley, and serve. Alternatively, refrigerate until the next day and reheat, adding more oil, then sprinkle the parsley over the potatoes before eating.