Chorizo Steamed Clams – How Do You Say “Ubiquitous” in Spanish?

I have always just called these chorizo steamed clams, "Spanish Clams," since it seems like there’s some variation of this on every Spanish restaurant menu I’ve ever seen.

What better evidence for a dishes’ deliciousness than that? Not to generalize about an entire culture, but the Spanish simply don’t put non-amazing things on every menu.

Sometimes they use beer, or white wine, or sherry; and many varieties of clams can be used; but the common denominator is the spicy, Spanish-style chorizo. Using such a flavorful sausage is sort of like cheating, and one of the main reasons the ingredient list is so short.

Speaking of which, you can really adapt this kind of thing to your tastes. Cilantro instead of parsley, leeks instead of onions, and mussels instead of clams, just to name a few. Just make sure you have plenty of grilled, or toasted bread around to soak up the glorious broth. I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 appetizers, or 2 larger entrée size portions:

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup finely diced onions

3 ounces Spanish chorizo, quartered, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups white wine

3 pounds Little Neck clams

1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley

2 tablespoons butter

grilled bread to garnish

Turkey & Rice Meatballs (Albondigas) – Perfect for Spanish Thanksgiving

Making delicious meatballs with fatty, flavorful beef is no great feat, but creating something as delectable using ground turkey is another story. As the old joke goes, it may be bland, but at least it’s dry. So, you’re going to need a very specialized strategy, and by “specialized strategy,” I mean some cold, leftover rice.

As these simmer in your sauce or soup, the grains of rice absorb moisture, swell up, and create a relatively tender, moist meatball. Above and beyond that, you’ll also want to look for ground turkey thigh meat (available at most of your higher-priced grocery chains).

By the way, like all meatball/meatloaf recipes, you can test your seasoning by cooking a small piece of the mixture before rolling your ball. Even though the meat hasn’t simmered in the sauce yet, at least you can see if it needs more salt. I’ll just fry up a little patty, and adjust if need be, and suggest you do the same.

I didn’t intend this recipe to be a Thanksgiving dinner alternative, but now that I think about it, these could actually work. Maybe you have a small group, or don’t like looking at a giant carcass on the table (hey, some people are weird like that), or your in-laws are Spanish, and you want to show them you can pronounce “albondigas.”  Whatever the occasion, I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 20-24 small meatballs:

1 pound ground turkey thigh meat

1 packed cup cooked white long grain rice
3 cloves crushed garlic 
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 large egg

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the sauce (I didn’t measure these ingredients, so these are just guesses)

2 1/2 cups prepared tomato sauce

1 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed

1 teaspoon paprika

1/3 cup crème fraiche or heavy cream

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Deep-Fried Creamy Chicken Gravy – Almost Chicken Croquettes

There are two kinds of chicken croquettes. They all have a crispy, deep-fried exterior, but some are firm, meaty, and nugget-like, while others are much softer and creamier. It was that second kind I was attempting here, and I got so close.

To make a long story short, I used too much butter, and milk, and while they did stay together enough to form the signature, golden-brown crust, the inside was positively sauce-like.

I had no intention of turning this classic into some kind of gimmicky attempt at a viral video, but as I ate them, I couldn’t help but think of how much they tasted like deep-fried chicken gravy. Yes, I sometimes put a little ham in my chicken gravy.

I’ve listed exactly what I used in the ingredient list below, and also a second version, which theoretically would come out closer to actual chicken croquettes. I hope you get this, or that, a try soon. Enjoy!

The Deep-Fried Creamy Chicken Gravy Version:

Makes about 16 appetizer sized portions

2 packed cups finely chopped cooked chicken meat

1/2 cup finely chopped ham

2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 1/2 cups whole milk

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

pinch freshly ground nutmeg

pinch cayenne

1 tsp salt, plus more to taste

The More Like Chicken Croquettes Version:

Makes about 16 appetizer sized portions

2 packed cups finely chopped cooked chicken meat

1/2 cup finely chopped ham

6 tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 cups whole milk

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

pinch freshly ground nutmeg

pinch cayenne

1 tsp salt, plus more to taste

For breading:

2 beaten eggs

flour as needed

2 cups bread crumbs

Sausage & Shrimp Paella – Before You Run, You Walk, Or In This Case, Crawl

When I first do a version of a classic dish like paella, I try to use a minimum of number of ingredients and steps so we focus on the technique. So, while you experienced paella makers will probably find this quite unremarkable, it really is intended for the first-timer. 

Real paella is not baked, but cooked on top of a fire, which results in a similarly textured rice to what you see here, except a layer caramelizes onto the bottom of the pan, and those gloriously crunchy bits are considered the best part. So, basically I’m telling you we left out the best part.

The trade-off is that this method eliminates most of the finesse and monitoring required by the traditional method. Consider this a gateway paella, and the first step to a serious, lifelong addiction. Besides the method, ideally you’ll use a wider variety of ingredients; things like clams, mussels, squid, chicken are all very commonly used, and will make your rice that much more interesting.

No matter how you cook you paella, one thing you must try to include is the saffron. Besides the short-grain rice, this is probably the most key addition. Unfortunately, the flavor and aroma are almost impossible to describe, so you really need to experience it yourself to fully understand. I’ve heard it described using things like “earthy metallic honey,” and “rusty champagne,” but these really don’t do it justice.

Anyway, if you’ve never tried to make paella before, I really hope this inspires you to give it a go. The Arborio we use here is easy to find in the big grocery stores, and as long as you stick to the liquid/rice ratio, there’s not a lot that can go wrong. And like I said in the video, stay tuned for my future attempt at a more classic version. In the meantime, I hope you give this quick and easy paella a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 large portions:

(best to use a 12 or 13 inch wide skillet)

For the saffron broth:

2 tsp olive oil

reserved shrimp shells from 1 pound of jumbo shrimp

1/2 to 1 tsp saffron threads, depending on how strong you want the flavor

2 1/4 cups chicken broth

*Simmer for 20 minutes, strain and reserve. Be sure to season generously with salt, or your rice will be bland.

For the paella:

1 tbsp olive oil

8 oz sliced chorizo sausage, or any smoky, spicy sausage

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/3 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup green peas

1 tsp regular or smoked paprika, optional depending on how much was in the sausage

2 cups (exactly) hot saffron broth, or just plain hot chicken broth

1 pound peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp

1 sweet red pepper, cut into thin strips

salt and cayenne to taste

garnish top with a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and freshly chopped Italian parsley

lemon wedges, optional (some love lemon, I prefer without, but give it a try and see)

*Bake at 425 degrees F. for 20 minutes, then finish over med-high flame until rice is just tender. It will be firm and slightly sticky. Don’t burn it, but you can leave it on the flame a little longer to try and get the rice to caramelize and crust onto the bottom of the pan, like the classic version. Be careful.

Celebrating National Garlic Day with Sopa de Ajo - Spanish Bread and Garlic Soup

As a very, very small percentage of you may know, tomorrow is National Garlic Day, and what better way to celebrate than with a big bowl of Spanish garlic soup? Sopa de Ajo is a wonderfully rustic bread soup, spiked with sliced garlic, paprika, and ham.

If that wasn’t enough to get your attention, it’s also topped with eggs poached in the fragrant, brick red broth. It’s like a steaming bowl of breakfast-for-dinner. 

Like I say in the clip, there are as many ways to make this as families in Spain, but I really think toasting the bread is key. You’re basically replacing the flavorless water in the bread with olive oil and awesome soup.

Plus, having the olive oil baked into the cubes makes for a better texture in my opinion. Whether you make this tomorrow to celebrate a totally made-up holiday, or wait until you have some stale bread sitting around, I really hope you try this incredibly comforting Spanish soup. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

About 6 cups of cubed French or Italian bread

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to drizzle on bread cubes

6-10 thinly sliced garlic cloves

2 oz ham diced

1-2 tsp paprika or to taste

6 cups chicken broth

4 large eggs

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

salt, pepper, cayenne to taste

Potato & Chorizo Mini Quiches – One Last Super Bite for Your Super Bowl

To all of you that have been requesting mini-cupcake videos: this mini quiche recipe may be as close as I get. I’m sorry, but it’s hard for me to get excited about buttercream when I have chorizo, potato and manchego in the house. Okay, one’s a sweet treat and other is a savory snack, so it’s not a fair comparison, but on the bright side, this intro paragraph is done.

This little baked bite is very loosely based on the Spanish Tortilla, and not only is it dead simple to make, but the versatility of the technique allows this to be adapted to any occasion. From ruckus Super Bowl celebration to black tie Oscar party, these mini quiches will always be a crowd-pleaser.

I’d almost be insulted if you didn’t make changes to the ingredients to tailor this to your tastes, but I do recommend that little dab of aioli on the top. I spiked a classic, garlicky aioli with some smoked paprika and chive, and it really made these treats even more special.  I hope you give them a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 24 Mini Quiche:

4 oz Spanish chorizo sausage, small dice

2 tsp olive oil

1 russet potato, small dice

salt and pepper to taste

vegetable spray, as needed

8 large eggs, beaten with pinch of cayenne and 1/2 tsp salt

(Note: there are 10 eggs shown in the video, but it made too much, so I cut down to 8)

about 2/3 cup grated manchego or cheddar cheese

garlic aioli and chive to garnish

View the complete recipe