3 o 4 al dia

Gazpacho is one of the great classics of Spanish summer cooking: a cold, smooth tomato soup with cucumber, pepper, garlic, olive oil and a touch of vinegar. This time I wanted to serve it in a slightly more unusual way, topped with homemade popcorn — the one in the photo. Serves: 4 · Prep time: 5 min · Cook time: 5 min · Difficulty: Easy It may sound strange, but it makes a lot of sense. In Spain, gazpacho is often served with small toppings: croutons, diced cucumber, pepper or onion. Popcorn plays the same role as the croutons, adding crunch and a salty note, but it is lighter and much more surprising. The contrast between the cold, silky soup and the warm, crunchy popcorn is what makes this dish fun. It is a great way to surprise your guests. I'm not going to give you the gazpacho recipe here, as every family has its own. If you're looking for ideas for cold soups, on the blog you'll find Mum's Salmorejo , the thicker Cordoban cousin of gazpacho, and Mazamo...

I saw this recipe on El Comidista. I'm copying it here to have it at hand, which is the founding idea of our blog: having recipes at hand. I made ajoblanco this summer after a long time without making it. It's a great dish, so I'll make this 'version', Mazamorra. The photo with this post is of an ajoblanco I made at least 15 years ago; I understand mazamorra should be much thicker. To understand the dish, you could say that Mazamorra is to Ajoblanco what Salmorejo is to Gazpacho. Serves: 4  ·  Prep time: 20 min  ·  Chilling: at least 2 h (ideally overnight)  ·  Difficulty: Easy Ingredients (serves 4) 100 g raw almonds 75 g toasted almonds (or raw almonds toasted in a pan until golden) 75 g fried almonds (or raw almonds fried in a pan with oil) 150 g bread crumb (the soft inside of a 'telera'-type loaf) 90 g Picual extra virgin olive oil 400 ml water 10 g garlic (a small piece) 10 g salt 30 g aged (reserva) vinegar 60 g peeled Granny Smith apple Method C...

I took this recipe from the book 'La cuina dels llegums' (Cooking with Pulses) by Fundació Alícia. Serves: 4 (as a snack)  ·  Prep time: 15 min (+30 min chilling)  ·  Cook time: 12 min  ·  Difficulty: Easy Ingredients 250 g chickpea flour 80 ml hot water 60 ml olive oil 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 tablespoon of spices Salt Method In a bowl, put the flour, baking powder, oil, salt and pepper and mix well until you get a smooth dough; you can use your hands (clean ones, of course). Then add the hot water and work the dough until it forms a compact but flexible paste. Place the dough between two sheets of baking paper and roll it out very thinly with a rolling pin. Let it chill in the fridge so it firms up nicely, for no less than 30 minutes. Remove the top sheet of baking paper and sprinkle with the spices and salt. You can press the dough lightly with your hands or the rolling pin so the spices stick well. Cut the dough into triangles (like nachos) with a...

You can call it Baba Ganoush, Mutabal, aubergine cream or even aubergine hummus; the point is that it's very easy to make and delicious. Serves: 4  ·  Prep time: 20 min  ·  Cook time: 40 min  ·  Difficulty: Easy Ingredients for about 4 people 4 black aubergines (eggplants) 1 lemon 80 g tahini 1 spring onion 2 salad tomatoes Parsley Different kinds of bread, to taste. Vegetable sticks (crudités) Method Cut the aubergines in half lengthwise and score them diagonally so they cook better and faster. Place the aubergines on a tray and bake for 40 minutes in an oven preheated to about 200ºC. Once cooked, let them cool a little and scoop out the flesh without breaking the skin; a spoon works well for this. Set the flesh aside in a sieve so it releases some of its juices (they can be slightly bitter). Finely chop the tomatoes; peeled is better, but not necessary. Do the same with a spring onion. Chop parsley with a knife, to taste (the original recipes use quit...

Having lived in Italy for almost 3 years in the mid-90s, I really like pizza, but I like the cocas made in Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands even more, because they carry an ingredient that for me is key in cooking: memory, recollections. That's why smells and flavours transport you (and us) through time in a magical way. This coca is a version of the typical Majorcan Coca de Trampó, but it also recalls the 'Coc de tomata' made in southern Catalonia and northern Castelló. Serves: 6 (one baking-tray coca)  ·  Prep time: 30 min (+30 min resting)  ·  Cook time: 25–30 min  ·  Difficulty: Easy Ingredients 60 ml olive oil 70 ml mild beer 200 g flour (roughly; as much as the dough takes) 1 courgette (zucchini) 1 green pepper 1 large onion 1 ripe tomato Salt and pepper Obviously, choose the vegetables you like; what is very important is to cut them small so they cook well. These quantities make one large coca the size of a baking tray; from there, it...

My mother often made these tomatoes Provençal as a side dish. They're a classic of my family's cooking, of Provençal cooking and, I'd say, of cooking all over the world. She cooks very little these days, so I'm putting them here as a reminder to make them myself. Serves: 4 (as a side)  ·  Prep time: 10 min  ·  Cook time: 20 min  ·  Difficulty: Easy They are very easy to make. Take some good ripe tomatoes (if they're green you'll end up making fried green tomatoes, like the film of the same name by Jon Avnet, starring Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy; how useful Google is for those of us with no memory). Cut the tomatoes in half and top them with finely chopped garlic and parsley, a little salt, a drizzle of olive oil and, over everything, plenty of breadcrumbs. Put them in the oven under the grill for about 20 minutes at 180 °C (350 °F), and they're ready. They're ideal as a side for a grilled chicken breast, a plain piece of fish when you're watchi...

I wanted to make a different kind of semi-guacamole, and I thought of blending it so it could be eaten as a cream. It certainly doesn't improve on the original, but it's a different way to enjoy it: as a starter with a little toasted bread or the classic tortilla chips. The proportions were one large salad tomato (they're starting to be really good and well priced), a perfectly ripe avocado, a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil and a little lemon zest, to freshen it up and add aroma. I put everything in the Thermomix and blitzed it at full speed, to aerate the cream well and make it as fluffy as possible. Since it was still very thick, I added a little water until I got the consistency I was after, which was none other than that of a vegetable cream soup. As I said: good, but as almost always happens, a long way from the original. 🌐 Llegeix aquesta recepta en català

I've been hooked on hummus for a long time; luckily it's a healthy and inexpensive addiction. Serves: 4 servings  ·  Prep time: 5 min  ·  Cook time: 5 min (Thermomix)  ·  Difficulty: Easy With the Thermomix I make it in 5 minutes, and my kids like it (well, one more than the other, but they both eat it quite happily). Now in summer, served chilled, it's a healthy starter and, above all, an easy one to make. The recipe I make is a mix of several recipes I've found on different websites. Above all I've changed the proportions, adjusting them until I found the one I like. Here it is: Ingredients 400 g cooked chickpeas 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon tahini (sesame paste) 1 medium lemon 60 ml olive oil A pinch of salt (not much) Method (easy, easy) Squeeze the lemon and grate a little of the zest with a Microplane to garnish and add aroma. If you don't cook the chickpeas yourselves, try to make sure they're good quality: the better the chickpeas, the...

On my last visit to an Asian supermarket (there are already several in Barcelona), I couldn't resist picking up some rice wafers, or rice paper: thin, almost transparent sheets. Serves: 4 servings (8 rolls)  ·  Prep time: 20 min  ·  Cook time: 10 min  ·  Difficulty: Medium Working with them isn't easy, because as soon as you dip them in hot water they become very sticky and soft, which makes them hard to handle. It seems it's better if the water isn't so hot, and then to finish cooking the wrappers in the steamer, once the little parcels or rolls are made. The aim was to make something with these wafers, so I made a stir-fry of some prawns I had in the freezer with coconut milk and a little of the Nomu Asian spice blend, and that's what I used as the filling. They were tasty, but since I had trouble folding them properly, they didn't turn out very pretty. I need more practice; I'll keep you posted (I still have loads of wafers left). Tips and frequently...

I've told you about foie gras bonbons several times before. Today I'm sharing a photo of a new presentation, served on apple, that I made recently for a dinner with friends. The recipe (if you can even call it that, given how easy they are to make) can be found here on "this blog of ours". Go on, I'll leave it here for you: https://3o4aldia.blogspot.com/2009/04/bombons-de-foie.html 🌐 Llegeix aquesta recepta en català

Today I've decided to tell you about some of the things I've been cooking lately. Serves: 10 large muffins  ·  Prep time: 15 min  ·  Cook time: 20–25 min  ·  Difficulty: Easy I should say that, although the economic crisis is hitting hard, over the last few weeks I've enjoyed some memorable dinners for various reasons. One stands out: El Celler de Can Roca, to celebrate 15 years of marriage to my wife. As my father would say with a smile, "congratulate her, she's the lucky one." I'm convinced that some day not too far off Can Roca will be the best restaurant in the world; the people who vote in the San Pellegrino World's 50 Best just need to realise that the Noma in Copenhagen thing is a passing fad. I promise to tell you about my experience at Can Roca soon. I'll say in advance that I think it's a "must", and that the experience is such that the bill never feels expensive. So, on to the pesto muffins. If we want to play at being ...

Caprese salad is a classic in Italian restaurants and, because it's so easy, in many homes too.  Besides being easy, almost everyone likes it; as always, the key is good ingredients. Make it with a good tomato, buffalo mozzarella and a good olive oil and you'll enjoy a simple dish; perfume it with a basil leaf as well and you'll be in heaven. This time I used Kumato tomatoes, those small dark tomatoes we've been finding in the markets for a while now; they were especially sweet and tasty. I used the mozzarella I had at home at the time, a regular one from Lidl, which isn't buffalo but I quite like it, and it's very cheap. The only change is in the classic way of assembling the salad, to make it a bit more appealing to the eye. I'm sure you've seen it somewhere before — this way of plating has even become a classic for Caprese in Spain. 🌐 Llegeix aquesta recepta en català

A while ago I made this shot of cream of pea soup with crispy ham. Cream of pea is, I think, one of the best vegetable creams there is. I remember watching a video in which Ferran Adrià recommended frozen peas for this kind of preparation. It really turns out great, with a very interesting touch of sweetness. With the Thermomix you can get a cream with no trace of the pea skins, without losing their fibre. To make the cream, just boil a little potato with the frozen peas, then blend well with a little of the cooking water and a little oil. That's all there is to it. For the crispy ham I used a technique I'll explain in another post: put the ham between two sheets of kitchen paper and microwave it for 4 minutes at 600 W. 🌐 Llegeix aquesta recepta en català

Today, a salad of Persimon kaki (persimmon) with very thinly sliced ham — something like an updated melon and ham, using this variety of persimmon. I've told you about this type of persimmon before; it's very common in the Ribera Alta area of Valencia, in towns such as l'Alcúdia. Serves: 1 serving  ·  Prep time: 5 min  ·  Cook time: 0 min  ·  Difficulty: Easy Well, today at dinner time I was on my own and not very hungry, so I made myself a persimmon with finely sliced ham. It was an easy decision to make this dish — or rather, to put it together, because there wasn't much actual cooking. Peel and slice the persimmon, add the ham and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. I recommend you try it: easy, pretty and original. In the end it's just melon and ham reinterpreted. Tips and frequently asked questions Which persimmon should I use? The firm "Persimon" variety from the Ribera Alta in Valencia, which you can slice like an apple. Soft, very rip...

Everyone who has ever been to IKEA — that is, all of you — surely knows the salmon and lettuce rolls they sell both in the bar-restaurant and in the shops placed strategically right after the checkouts.  Serves: 4 servings (as a starter)  ·  Prep time: 15 min  ·  Cook time: 0 min  ·  Difficulty: Easy Maybe some of you have only noticed the hot dogs, at a truly unbeatable price and probably enough to give you the strength to get home and start assembling furniture, but if you look closely they also have these fantastic salmon bites. What a genius, Mr Ikea! Well, you can eat these famous rolls there, or you can buy all the ingredients in the Swedish shop, strategically placed…, to make them at home. I took advantage of a friend passing by IKEA before coming over for lunch. When he insisted on bringing something for the meal, I asked him to bring some salmon and the special bread for the rolls. Preparation is very easy: finely shred plenty of lettuce,...

“Many Russians in Russia, very good the Russian salad.” Serves: 4 servings  ·  Prep time: 20 min  ·  Cook time: 25 min  ·  Difficulty: Easy The hero of that old Spanish joke didn't know much about Russia, but he told two great truths — especially the one about the salad. My wife isn't very fond of it, so we almost never have it at home, and I end up ordering it as a tapa when I trust the bar. I think it's a brilliant combination, above all because of how simple the ingredients are. Whenever my mother makes it, to the usual boiled vegetables, mayonnaise and tuna she adds fresh tomato and green olives, all diced like the vegetables. I love the touch of freshness it gives, especially the tomato. Not much more to say: if you haven't made it for a while, it's easy and, if you don't overdo the mayonnaise, I understand it's very healthy. With the tuna and hard-boiled egg you add protein and turn it into a one-dish meal. This Saturday I was home alone and made ...

I've done a 3-day course — two Wednesdays and a Monday — with my two sisters-in-law. Let me start by saying it has been one of my best food experiences.  Japanese cooking, and Japanese culture as a whole, deserve attention; they're truly special. They have great respect for detail: they don't just combine flavours well, but colours too — in a salad, for example. They look after, I'd even say pamper, their ingredients like no one else; they look for pure flavours and combine them to reach glory. Every ingredient has its role, and they seek clean flavours. They work a lot with light foods, little fat, little sugar and quick cooking, to keep the “life” in the vegetables. Watching them cook is wonderful: the way they move the utensils and their hands is like a dance; they seek concentration and perfection in every task. The course worked like this: we arrived at the home of Toshiko, our Teacher (with a capital T), at 20:00, cooked 3 or 4 dishes until around 22:00, and then ...

Another of the dishes I tasted during my Easter holidays in the Ebro Delta was sea nettles (ortigues de mar), also known in the rest of Spain as “ortiguillas”. Sea nettles, if Wikipedia is right, are sea anemones from the cnidarian (coelenterate) group. They're served fried in a kind of tempura; they're delicious and have a deep taste of the sea. When raw they have stinging cells, which is where the name sea nettle comes from, but they lose this “property” when cooked. 🌐 Llegeix aquesta recepta en català

To make mini sandwiches — or rather micro sandwiches — a good option is Quely crackers from Mallorca: small rolls of hard bread that split into two halves (with some difficulty) and are very versatile for serving little bites of anything. I recently used them to make a mini snack for my kids. It was already late and I didn't want them to eat too much, to make sure they'd eat a proper dinner afterwards. I made them some micro sandwiches with a square of chocolate and a few drops of olive oil inside; you can also add a few flakes of salt to bring out the flavour of the chocolate. I don't need to tell you how many starters and snacks you can make with these. Anything goes. 🌐 Llegeix aquesta recepta en català

This Easter we've been in the Ebro Delta. It's a very special place where, besides enjoying wonderful landscapes and going for walks or bike rides, you eat wonderfully. One of the typical dishes of the area is frogs' legs. I don't know whether you're all used to eating an animal like the frog, but in this area it's very typical and a truly delicious dish. Only the hind legs are eaten, which is where the meat is — hence frogs' legs, not just frogs. They're usually eaten battered, and they come out crisp and tasty. The meat is reminiscent of chicken, and if you were told they were quail legs or those of some other small bird that could pass for a frog in size, you'd believe it completely. I recommend going to the Delta and trying the frogs' legs. We had them at the Casanovas restaurant near La Cava, in the municipality of Deltebre, but I've tried them in several places in the area and have always found them exquisite. Those of you who aren...