Spanish Recipe Book

Two Old fools - Ole.  

The much awaited second book by acclaimed author Victoria Twead is now available. The book is all about Victoria and Joe's life and adventures living in a small village in the back of beyond in rural southern Spain and the sequel to her first book, 'Chickens Mules and Two Old fools'   Full of amazing and sometimes hardly believable incidents which can happen here daily, Victoria has written a masterpiece which will have you laughing out loud and wanting more.  Victoria has a fantastic comedy writing style which is down to earth, refreshing and makes us all want to read on and on.... As with her first book, we at Orce Serrano Hams have been honored to be asked to contribute our Spanish recipes to the  first book and the sequel which we did with pleasure.  In the picture exert you can see Victoria's acknowledgment by dedicating a whole page to us - how exciting!

What is even more exciting though is that we have been working closely with Victoria and Joe over the past three months to produce a unique, rustic and completely new book of Spanish recipes.  The book, 'Mouthwatering Spanish Recipes' which will be available to download via Amazon kindle, Sony, iPad, Kobo, Diesel and more...,  very soon, incorporates some of our best and most popular recipes featured in both of Victoria's books - Plus some brand new local Spanish recipes, never published before courtesy of our local village bars and thanks to the local chefs here in our village of Orce.  We have chosen the best from tapas dishes and salads to main meals, vegetable dishes, drinks and desserts, plus the most amazing Paella Recipe you will ever try - direct from our local village chef, this recipe will never disappoint and upon reading it, we guarantee you will want to try it!

The book  'Mouthwatering Spanish Recipes' will be available to download soon so look out for it on Amazon, WHSmith, Diesel, Sony etc - it will also be available on our own websites orce serrano hams  and Victoria Twead

Happy Cooking!

Churros

This recipe for Spanish churros is exactly the same as the recipe used here in Spain. Simply add sugar to your churros or some thick Spanish drinking chocolate (chocolate a la taza) for a fabulous Spanish breakfast!

Ingredients: (Makes one large plate full)

Olive Oil for frying
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
pinch of salt
1 cup plain flour
3 eggs

How to prepare:

1.   Place water, butter and salt into a large saucepan and heat until it just begins to bubble.

2.   Reduce the heat and add the flour stirring continuously until you get a smooth mixture.

3.   Add the eggs (already beaten) to the pan and continue to stir until the mixture resembles a smooth, thick batter.

4.   Heat the olive oil in a large deep frying pan and when it is hot, just before smoking, you are ready to cook the churros.

5.   Spoon the mixture into your churro maker and squeeze about 3 strips at a time into the hot oil.  Cook for 2 minutes on each side until golden brown drain on kitchen paper and repeat for the next batch.

Traditional Churros

Churros can be purchased all over Spain and are traditionally made outside of Spanish coffee bars and in catering vans usually pitched at local markets. The “churrera” is the piece of equipment used to hold the freshly mixed batter, the mixture is poured into the churrera and then forced out via a nozzle using a large wooden plunger directly into the hot oil.

The process is carried out using a large degree of skill and is very quick! Large swirls of batter are poured into the fryer, removed a few moments later then chopped up using scissors into six inch lengths before the churros are served in paper.

Most Spanish coffee bars will have churros being made, usually all morning directly outside the front doors. These bars are where you can order “Chocolate a la taza” the thick Spanish drinking chocolate which can be served hot or cold. It is said that if your churros stand up in the chocolate without falling to the side of the cup then the mixture is perfect!

Sugar or chocolate – the choice is yours.

Spanish Christmas Drinks

 

Honey Lemonade Recipe (Limonada de Miel)

This is an absolutely delicious drink, so simple and great served chilled in the summer or hot in the colder months.  Often used as a night-time soother with a tot of brandy if you have a cold.  We make it a lot, it is so fresh and natural and almost worth having a cold for!

We would like to wish our customers a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous 2012. From all of us at Orce Serrano Hams, FELIZ NAVIDAD!

Ingredients:

Juice of 2 lemons 

3 Tablespoons of clear runny honey 

600ml boiling water

Method:

1.     In a large jug, mix the lemon juice with the honey and dissolve in a little of the boiling water. 
2.     Top up with the remaining boiling water. 
3.     Serve hot or chill for 2 hours and serve with ice in the summer.

Spanish Ham for Christmas

If you have ever thought about trying out a Spanish ham for Christmas then why not take the plunge this year with a perfectly cured Serrano ham 'Curado' from the Andalucian town of Maria?

Nestled in the foothills of the Sierra de Maria mountain range this curing house produces some of the finest cured Serrano hams in southern Spain and has an enviable reputation.

A Spanish ham makes an impressive Christmas gift and will sit center stage of any table and will also last well into 2012 (depending how big your New Years Eve festivities are!). All hams from Maria come with comprehensive storage and carving instructions as well as a full list of tapas serving suggestions making sure you get the very best from your Spanish ham.

As a limited time offer all serrano hams qualify for a 10% DISCOUNT using this code XMAS10 at the checkout.

Find out more...

Why not take advantage now and discover the flavours of a ham that comes not only direct from Spain but which is also tested for maturity and picked by hand especially for you the same day prior to dispatch. Each ham also comes presented in black netted muslin making the ideal gift this festive season!

Boxing Day Tapas - Serrano Ham and Turkey Stuffed Endives

Spanish recipe for leftover Christmas turkey using Serrano ham, ever wondered what to do with those turkey leftovers? Tapas! Cold turkey goes very well with a slightly salty cured Serrano ham so using the two together we have created some very simple tapas served in endive leaves with allioli garlic mayonnaise.

Ingredients:

200g Leftover turkey
100g Serrano ham, sliced or diced
Allioli
Ground black pepper
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil

Method

• Slice the bottom inch away from the endive, remove the 6 largest leaves and arrange on a plate.

• Spread 1 teaspoon of allioli along the bottom of each leaf.

• Tear up the turkey (leg, breast or both) and arrange in the bottom of each leaf, season turkey with salt and pepper.

• Top with Serrano ham.

• Drizzle with good olive oil and serve with vine tomatoes and fresh bread.

Makes 6 tapas