Make a Smilebox slideshow

Many people have asked me about my country (Spain) and it's food... For some reason, when people think of Spain, they think of burritos, chili, quesadillas, frijoles, salsa and very hot food. Please do not misinterpret me... I love all those things. But there is a misunderstanding about "La Cocina Espanola". It may be because of the proximity to the USA of other Spanish speaking countries. OK !?

I'll try to solve this mystery! let me share with you........Spanish cuisine is typically Mediterranean, which means we use a lot of olive oil, tomatoes, vegetables, sea food, chicken, bread, cheese, pork, etc... Our tortilla is called "Tortilla de patatas" and is nothing more than potatoes, olive oil, salt and eggs. It looks like a cake, just like the one you see on the picture.


The most famous plate and usually well known, is "La Paella". It consists of rice and lots of seafood. The only thing hot in this plate is the black pepper. Here's the recipe:

Paella

1 tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
2 cups uncooked short grain white rice
2 cups clam juice
2 cups dry white wine
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. saffron or 4 envelopes puro ground saffron
1/4 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups peeled, diced plum tomatoes
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1 jar(8 oz) roasted red peppers drained, thinly sliced, divided
1 lb Bay Scallops
10 clams, rinsed
10 mussels, scrubbed
20 large shrimp (1 1/2lbs) shelled and cleaned

Heat oil in large paella pan over medium-low heat until hot. Add garlic and cook just until garlic sizzles. Add onions and rice, cook and stir 10 minutes or until onions are soft. Stir in clam juice, wine, lemon juice, and paprika; mix well. Combine saffron and boiling water in small bowl; stir until saffron is dissolved. Stir into onion mixture. Stir in tomatoes, parsley, and half the red pepper. Bring to a boil Turn down to low heat . Stir in scallops and peas, clams and mussels, shrimp. Cook until rice is al dente. Serve Makes 10 servings.

I Hope you enjoy it!!! And hopefully, I answered some questions too about food from Spain.