Recipe made with tradition, Sephardi rice.

Sephardi rice is a recipe created by my brother, based on an ancient Sephardi recipe. It is a carrot stew served with rice and very spicy savor; well, as my brother comments, if you catch a cold, you eliminate all the viruses and become new.                        

I was surprised by the idea, so I adapted his recipe to my taste, with less spicy. As I use whole grain rice, it is the first thing I prepare, so while the rice is on the boil, I prepare the stew.                                       

In a saucepan sauté finely chopped onion in extra virgin olive oil over a low heat; when the onion is softened, add a few finely chopped cloves garlic, stir and sauté for a few minutes; add a wooden spoon of Provence herbs (the measure to aromatize is always to taste), sauté for a few minutes and add some tomatoes, peeled and diced; stir and cover the saucepan to make the sauce.      

When the sauce is ready, add the diced carrots, stir and add a dried chili pepper (or to taste), a pinch of sea salt to taste and cover with water to cook, cover and simmer. My brother also adds a splash of white wine, but it is optional.

And for the rice, I use a blend of wholegrain, basmati and wild black rice. When I serve the dish, pour a few drops of lemon directly over the rice, it gives a really special touch.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

 


800 g  carrots , 3 medium  tomatoes , 1 large onion,4 cloves garlic,  Provence herbs , 1 dried chili  pepper (or more, if desired), 1  lemon ,   extra virgin olive oi l , 1 teacup  whole grain rice , sea salt (to taste).

>> see more rice recipes

                   

Family recipe, el potaje (Spanish chickpea stew)

When the first cold days of autumn arrive, I always feel like the Spanish chickpea stew. I prepare it as I have seen it make to my mother, who in her turn learned it from her mother. They are recipes that go from one generation to another and no one writes because they are easy to remember.

“Potaje” is a stew with vegetables and legumes, to which add, once made, a stir-fry with garlic and (sweet or spicy) paprika.  I remember my father really liked spicy food; for this reason, he put some drops of Tabasco sauce on his plate (well spicy) because my mother prepared the garlic stir-fry with sweet paprika; since, as a rule, little children do not like spicy very much.

Today, all of us prepare the stew with a spicy touch, adding some dried chili pepper during the cooking or using spicy paprika. But my mother and my brother, besides, add Tabasco sauce on their plates.                  

The stew we prepare in my family is as follows:

• Leave the small white beans and chickpeas to soak overnight.  The next day, place the legumes in a stew pot and fill with cold water.  
• When legumes are half cooked, add diced potatoes, sliced carrots and a pinch of sea salt (to taste),  cover and let it simmer.  
• When the legumes start to be tender with the help of a skimmer and a fork, mash some of them and some of the potatoes to give the stew a thicker texture, stir and leave it to simmer. 
• When all the ingredients are cooked, add the spinach, previously washed and cut. 
• Meanwhile, in a skillet heat extra virgin olive oil, add sliced cloves garlic and when golden brown, remove the skillet from heat and let cool the oil down. Add a large spoon of paprika (sweet or spicy, as desired), stir and pour it over the stew in the stew pot. Stir and ready. 

◼ My mother adds, at the start of the cooking, a coffee cup of whole grain rice, so the stew has a high nutritional value. Instead, I like accompanying the stew by a large slice of (kamut or whole wheat spelt or rye) bread. 

◼ In ancient times, what to have been known was that the food prepared in a traditional way and with fresh seasonal ingredients, was healthy and that the combinations among foods, many of them come from the old farmers, were right to keep good health. 

◼ Today, with the advances of science, we are told that if we combine legumes with cereals, we get a high quality protein. 

◼ The stew the same as vegetable stocks are dishes that the day after they have been prepared they are still tastier because the savors have been concentrated. They are very simple dishes, with few ingredients, easy to prepare and very nutritious.

Ingredients:

100 g white beans 

100 g Pedrosillano chickpeas (or another variety) 

4 large potatoes 

2 large carrots 

4 cloves garlic 

170 g  spinach  (previously picked over and washed)

 paprika  (sweet or spicy)

 extra virgin olive oil 

sea salt (to taste)

1/2  coffee cup whole grain rice (if desired)

>> see more stew recipes

                   

Mediterranean Savor: Paella with vegetables.

An idea to prepare vegetable paella with whole grain rice:              

• In a saucepan put one teacup of round whole grain rice, add 4 measures of water, stir and heat. When it starts to boil, add a dash of sea salt (to taste); leave the rice to simmer.         

• While the rice is cooking, prepare the vegetables (wash and cut).

• Then, in a large skillet (or paella pan) put a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to sauté the chopped onion; when the onion is softened, add the sliced parsnip and carrot, stir and leave to cook a few minutes.

• Meanwhile, the rice has been cooking for half an hour; then, pour into the large skillet and mix with the vegetables moving the large skillet by the handle. Continue cooking on a low heat.  

• In a small amount of hot water dissolve 2 sachets of saffron and pour over the rice, move the large skillet (paella pan), using the handle, to distribute it well. Little by little, the rice is getting a nice golden color and a delicious aroma.

A few minutes before the rice is ready, sauté the diced zucchini in a skillet with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and pour over the paella pan to complete the garnish just before serving.         

Ingredients:

• round whole grain rice, onion,  carrot,  parsnip ,  zucchin i, extra virgin olive oil ,  saffron  sachets, sea salt.

Time: 1 hour.