Gazpacho

I may have developed a slight addition to gazpacho this summer. It is, without a doubt, my favorite summer dish. It's so light and refreshing. Not only is it delicious, it is probably the easiest and quickest thing to make. 

4 fresh tomatoes

1 green capsicum (bell pepper)

1/4 of a large cucumber

1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar

A small handful of fresh baguette

1-2 small cloves of garlic

A small white onion

Salt and pepper to taste

a hand mixer or food processor 

How to make your gazpacho

1. Wash your veggies
2. Seed your capsicum 
3. Peel the cucumber (seed if you prefer, I'm lazy so I tend not to)
4. Add all your ingredients together in a food processor (or you can use a hand mixer) until your ingredients are as fine as possible
5. Be sure to taste as you go, I tend to not measure anything
6. OPTIONAL - if you want to make a very traditional gazpacho, pour your blended ingredients through an extremely fine sieve  to make it even smoother and leave over night in the fridge. I, however, tend to prefer a bit more texture to mine and don't add this step. But be sure to serve your gazpacho cold.
7. Garnish with garlic croutons and finely diced onions and green capsicum

Seafood or Vegetarian Paella

If you are a fan of seafood, don't let this pass you by. I was always under the impression paella was difficult to make, and yeah... there are a lot of steps involved. However, it is more than worth it. 

One crucial aspect of any good paella is sofrito sauce.

I found an amazing recipe for it on FinestChef:

Sofrito Sauce: 
2 cups diced tomatoes,
1 cup of my basic tomato sauce
1 cup chopped onion,
2 Tbsp. olive oil,
3 Tbsp. paprika,
3 oz. saffron extract,
50 ml. dry white wine.




You will need:

• Ideally, a Valencian dish or skillet
• 2 cups of Calasparra rice
• 2 vegetable (or chicken) stock cubes in a cup of hot water
• 1 1/4 cups of sofrito sauce
• A splash of olive oil 
• 2 and and a half cups of steamed vegetables - I used peas, baby carrots and capsicum (bell peppers) but any other vegetables you would like to add, go ahead.
• 1/3 of a cup of white wine (Albarino or Verdejo)
• 1 finely diced onion
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• lemon for garnish
• 1/4 of a teaspoon of saffron threads

For Seafood Paella:

• Add any seafood you like: gambas, lobster, crab, shrimp, crayfish, mussels, etc

1. Steam your vegetables
2. Deshell the gambas
3. Wash all of your seafood well
4. Toast the saffron in a saucepan for 30 seconds and crush the threads
5. Make a seafood broth by placing the shelled shrimp in 2 & 1/2 cups of boiling water. After 10 minutes, remove the shells and stir in the saffron and salt, add your chicken or vegetable stock blocks
6. Pour olive oil in your Valencian dish or large skillet and let your onions and garlic simmer
7.  Cover the dish with rice
8. Add the seafood broth and mix
9. Let simmer with a cover for 10 minutes
10. Add the sofrito sauce and place your vegetables and seafood on the pan. Do not stir from here. 
11. Let simmer until your seafood and rice are fully cooked
12. Serve with lemon

For Vegetarian Paella

1. Steam the vegetables and set aside
2. Toast the saffron in a saucepan for 30 seconds and crush the threads
3. Mix the saffron with your vegetable stock cubes
4. Pour olive oil in your Valencian dish or large skillet and let your onions and garlic simmer
5. Cover the dish with rice
6. Pour over the saffron and stock water and let the rice cook for about 10 minutes
7. Add the sofrito sauce and add your vegetables
8. Let the rice cook 
9. Serve with lemon

White Sangria

During my trip to Ibiza this summer, I discovered some wonderful Spanish recipes. Sangria has proven to be one of the most refreshing and easy drinks to make. 

• You will need:
• 1/4 of a cup of sugar
• 1 bottle of white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc)
• 1/3 of a cup of cognac
• 1/2 a cup of sparkling water
• oranges, sliced (and any additional fruit you want to add)

• Steps:

1. Slice your fruit and mix them with the wine, cognac, and sugar
2. Stir well
3. Leave your jug overnight
4. Before serving add ice cubes and sparkling water

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Make sure you enjoy a sunset here and there :)

But the sangria wouldn't be complete without some classic Ibiza chillout.

Red Sangria

I would be a huge liar if I even tried to call this traditional sangria because neither am I Spanish, nor is there any "traditional" way to make sangria. Everyone has their own method. Let's hope you like mine!

Depending on what fruit is in season, fresh or available, you can put anything in your sangria from cherries to kiwi, banana, apples, strawberries, oranges... etc. It really just depends on your preference. 

You will need:

• A bottle of red wine (I used a Spanish desert wine, if you don't use a sweet wine, you may want to add in some sugar)
• 1/3 of a cup of brandy (depending on your alcoholic palate) 
• 1 cup of orange juice (freshly squeezed is ideal)
• 1 cup of soda water
• Freshly sliced lemons and oranges along with any other fruit you decide to add

Steps:

1. Slice your fruit and combine your slices in a jug with everything but the soda water
2. Leave in the fridge overnight
3. Before serving, add soda water, ice, stir well and serve!

And thisssss is a pretty awesome my friend Chase just passed on, give it a listen ;)

Pimientos de Piquillo (Garlicy Sweet Red Peppers)

This is a common tapas dish in Spain and is extremely easy to make. It can be served warm or cold and is amazing with fresh bread or even just on its own as a side dish.

You will need:

5 red bell peppers (go for organic if you can)
2-3 cloves of garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
A pinch of sugar
A drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Sea salt
A brown paper bag

Roast Your Peppers in the Oven:

Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius
Wash your peppers
With a pastry brush, evenly coat the peppers in a light layer of olive oil
Lay them on a baking tray and place them in the oven.
They will take around 20 minutes to cook, but watch them closely. You want the skin to be slightly blackened and charred
Take your peppers out and put them in your brown paper bag so the steam helps to make the skin easier to peel off.
Once the peppers aren't too hot to work with, take them out and peel off the skin
Remove the tops, seed them and cut them in fours

Adding your garlic and oil:

Mince your garlic and add it to a bowl with the olive oil, sugar, salt and balsamic. Mix together
If you are serving your peppers cold, simply drizzle the mixture over your peppers and serve.
If you'd prefer it hot, in a small baking pan, place your peppers with the oil and garlic mixture and let it simmer until hot.