A taste of Spain

For the first dinner party of the year, I thought it would be a great idea to host a study abroad themed dinner party and cook Spanish food for some of my friends. I even got to try some of the local cuisines from the countries that they studied in.

Spanish Tortilla
-about 2 potatoes (I used 3 small ones)
-1/2 cup of oil
-6 eggs
-1 clove of garlic
-2 tbs of salt

1. Slice the potatoes to about 1/4 of an inch.
2. Heat the oil in a pan on a medium/high heat- it's a lot but trust me, it's what Paki always did.
3. Fry the potatoes until they are tender. This should take a good amount of time.
4. Meanwhile, scramble the eggs, salt, and add the clove of garlic (chopped).
5. Make sure when the potatoes are cooked enough to turn the heat down to a low heat. Add the eggs and mix the mixture (careful not to scramble the eggs) while breaking up the potatoes as well.
6. After the mixture has thickened a bit more, heat up some oil on about medium heat in another smaller pan and transfer the egg and potato mixture to the pan.
7. Smooth over the top of the tortilla of cook for a couple of minutes.
8. Take a plate and place it on top of the pan in preparation to flip it. Flip it and slide the tortilla into the pan again.
9. Cook for a couple more minutes and it's almost ready to serve! *Tortilla is best served chilled.

Also, I tried to explain this clearly although I understand if it's confusing so if there are any questions, ask in the comments box.

Spanish Rice Pudding
-1 cup of rice
-an orange peel cut into strips
-1/2 tsp of cinnamon
-4 cups of milk
-2/3 cup of sugar

1. Prepare rice as suggested. For this recipe I used Basmati which is not typical at all- it was just what I had on hand.
2. Heat the milk, sugar, and orange peels in a sauce pan on a medium-high heat. When the milk start to bubble, turn the stove off.

3. Take out the orange peels, add the cinnamon to the milk mixture, and poor it over the prepared rice.
4. Chill in the fridge and serve cold.


Tinto De Verano
-Sparkling lemonade
-Red wine

This one is simple. Mix equal parts lemonade and wine and serve!

                                                                   

Spinach and Almond Pesto

A small bag of pine-nuts cost $8?!?! --and that's at a cheaper grocery store too! I suppose I just didn't pay attention while my mom was doing the shopping.

^Problems of a broke college foodie. Anyways, since I couldn't afford the bag of pine-nuts, I found an alternative for the pesto I wanted to make!

Spinach & Almond Pesto
-1/4  cup of roasted almonds (not salted!!)
-1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese
-1/2 cup of packed spinach
-1 (or 2 depending on how strong you want it) cloves of garlic
-1/2 cup of olive oil

1. Add the first 4 ingredients to a blender/food processor.
2. Add about half of the oil and blend.
3. Add the rest of the oil and blend to a smooth consistency.
4. Enjoy on practically anything- salads, meats, soup, pizza...

Pesto on pizza

Pesto stuffed mushrooms

“Excuse me, this is inauthentic. Trust me, I've had pasta in Rome,”

said the pretentious study abroad student... which isn't me! But I would love to share my cultural journey through food that I experienced while studying in Spain and traveling to other countries.

Churros con chocolate

First stop- SPAIN. This was the country I spent four steady months in to study the language and culture. My home was in Granada. This was a southern city in Andalusia. Here you will find Moorish influence, a large hippy population, incredible graffiti by the famous El Nino, some of the hardest to understand Spanish accents, the mountains, the burial of Isabel y Fernando, the beach, elderly couples always holding hands, plenty of bakeries, tea restaurants with hookah, so many tapas (they're free in Granada!!!), an abundance of shawarma joints (best served after a night of discoteca-ing), oil, olives, bread, eggs, and HAM. If you ever have the chance to visit- GO. It is easily one of my favorite places EVER!

Paella

An "american" hamburger found in the
Valencia market. Once my house mom/land lady
tried to make hamburgers out of pork and I
informed her that beef was the traditional way.

SO MUCH HAM

Helado

Tostada con tomate y queso

Patatas bravas

Our Residencia dining area

Tapas!

Second stop- ROME! Pizza, pasta, and gelato for dayssssssssss.

Pizza

Pesto pasta

Third Stop- Morocco!

Sharing bread

Forth stop- Berlin! 

Turkish food at a flea market. It  is very popular in Berlin.

Incredible beer

My friend trying currywurst!

Fifth stop- Prague!

Me trying traditional goulash- sounds weird, tastes delicious!

It wouldn't be a trip to London without
Indian food!

Fish and chips!

Sixth (and final) stop- London!

Whoaaa-

 it's been a while since I've been on this thing... over a year in fact.


Unfortunately, I left you guys off when I started my sophomore year. I was unable to keep up with this blog considering I was 1. On a meal plan so I couldn't justify spending money for food and 2. only had access to one shared kitchen that wasn't the cleanest (I saw one roach and I promised myself I'd never go back in there!!!)



Well, check this out- I'm starting my junior year in an apartment! That means I'm providing food for myself and I only have to share a kitchen with my 1 roommate... I have no reason not to blog now! Let the food manifestations continue...