Authentic Spanish Recipes - Side Dishes

Below you will find some authentic Spanish recipes to try. The Spanish culture is rich with tradition in regards to food. Spaniards typically eat their largest meal of the day at mid-day and then enjoy a siesta. Doesn’t that sound wonderful as a culture?

Thistles with Ham

1 large thistle

¼ pound salted, cooked ham

Olive oil

1 cup of milk

¼ teaspoon of lemon juice.

Flour

2 cups hot stock

To prepare the thistle, wear some gloves and remove the leaves and hard fibers from the stem. Cut the thistle into small pieces.

In a saucepan, add the cut up thistles and 2 cups of hot stock. Mix 1 tablespoon of flour with a little cold water, then add to the saucepan. Make sure liquid is covering the thistles, if not, add a bit more stock. Add the lemon juice and cook, stirring frequently so the thistles do not stick to the bottom of the pan.

In a separate frying cut, cut up the ham and lightly fry it in a small amount of olive oil. Then add 1 tablespoon of flour, and 1 cup of boiling milk, stirring well.

When the thistles are tender, drain and add to the ham, cook a few more minutes.

Serve this with pimentos of top.

3 ½ ounces of almonds

2 eggs

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup flour

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla or cinnamon (optional)

Peel and mash the almonds with a food processor.

In a saucepan on low heat melt the butter, add sugar and the eggs and stir well until sugar is fully dissolved. Add the mashed almonds and milk. Remove from heat and add the flour and vanilla. Mix everything well, you also may need to knead this mixture on a floured board.

This may be used for fillings for cakes or pastries or any other recipe calling for almond paste.

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Ingredients

1 cinnamon stick

1 small strip of lemon rind

4 cups milk

6 medium egg yolks

1 1/2 cups sugar

Optional - fresh sprigs of fresh mint to garnish

Instructions

Over low heat, take a saucepan, add 2 cups milk and cinnamon stick, and lemon rind. Simmer gently, then remove from heat.

In another bowl, beat the egg yolks well. Add the other 2 cups of milk and sugar, stirring until well mixed.

Gently blend egg mixture to the saucepan with the milk, cinnamon stick, and lemon rind mixture. Heat again and allow to simmer, stirring continuously. Do not allow it to boil!

Remove from heat, strain and discard the lemon rind and cinnamon stick. Cool, and either freeze until it is a creamy texture, or process in an ice cream maker.

Garnish with fresh mint if desired.

A White Gazpacho Soup

1 cup blanched almonds

3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

5 T. olive oil

2 1/2 cups cold water

2 T. sherry vinegar

Salt to taste

1/2 cup seedless green grapes

4 slices white bread (crust cut off), soaked in cold water for 5 minutes

To garnish

Toasted slivered almonds

Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions

Mix almonds, soaked bread, and garlic in a food processor or Vitamix process until smooth. Keep the machine going and pour a slow trickle of the olive oil into the mixture until a smooth paste is formed.

Next, put in the cold water and sherry vinegar. Continue to process until it's thin and smooth. Season with salt to taste.

Pour the gazpacho into a large serving bowl. Float the grapes on the top, for a decorative and pretty touch. Cover chill in the refrigerator a minimum of an hour.

Before serving, garnish individual serving bowls with toasted almond slivers and chopped parsley.