• The burning wood’s smoke going through the village house’s chimmeneys.
• The scent of the pine trees while wandering through the Christmas street markets.
• The wonderful and comforting aroma of a winter boiling stock as you enter the kitchen in a cold cold day.

What would be Winter without a warm and tasteful Soup?

If you agree with me and want to share your delicious home made soups, please join and participate in this BLOG YOUR SOUP Event!!! Grab your deepest pot and put your apron on.

As I did some time ago with BLOG YOUR OMELETE, this time I would like to get as many soup recipes from you all as possible! Come join the Soup’s Club and get a giveaway :D.

Ok, this is how it works:

1.- Post a new soup recipe in your blog. It can be any kind of soup. If you live in the Southern hemisphere and want to share a cold one, no problem :D.

2.- Mention the BLOG YOUR SOUP event and link to this post in your blog. Use the logo if you like.

3.- Send me an email to nuriafarregut@gmail.com with the Subject: Blog your soup with a link to your soup’s post and the photo you want me to publish in the round up. Please make the photo at 72 ppp and 700 pixels wide.

4.- Please leave a comment in this post and spread the word through any of the social networks you wish with a link to BLOG YOUR SOUP (this post’s URL).

Please send your Soups before January 10th 24:00 hours. I will publish the round up January 13th and will let you know who the winner is. Will send the giveaway to the lucky one the same day.

Thank you all so much for participating and sharing your Soups :D. If you want you can tell the story of that soup, who told you about it, how your grandmom taught you to cook it, where did you had that special soup for the first time…. any story you think is suitable here

So, this is my Soup for you all! Simple, easy and delicious. It’s a basic stock. It will warm your body and heart :D. If you have the time, it’s so recommendable you prepare your own stock, don’t get packaged and prepared ones if you have some free time. Enjoy the aroma that will make unique your house and kitchen!

You can find the pretty cup at Inhala… a beautiful shop run by beautiful people!!! Thanks so much for being so generous :D. Let’s get into the Christmas spirit!!!

La entrada Blog your Soup aparece primero en Spanish Recipes by Núria.

And so I did! But as most times happens I didn’t have enough almonds… would that stop me? Nope! I just changed into hazelnuts. Would that make a big difference? Maybe almonds combine better with anise and fennel, but the experiment with hazelnuts went more than fine ;D. These happen to be delicious!

Our home Breakfast has always been a large coffee with some milk and 2 or 3 cookies (standard ones. The ones you get at the supermarket). But, since I started baking… they don’t seem to be enough for my family! They actually get a bit funny if I tell them to eat the supermarket ones… they ask for home made!!! Am I spoiling them? YES! Do I love it? YES! Are these better than the supermarket ones? YES!

BAKE YOUR OWN COOKIES! Bake this Anise and Fennel Cookies. This way you will make sure you know where all ingredients come from and they can be seasonal, natural, organic, eco, Km 0…

La entrada Anise and Fennel Cookies aparece primero en Spanish Recipes by Núria.

Also, if you have an iron deficiency and you combine spirulina algae with Vitamin C you will enhance the power of the spirulina’s iron. And therefore fight the Anemia sooner and better.

According to Medline:

Research shows that, for most people, vitamin C supplements or foods rich in this vitamin do not reduce the risk of catching the common cold.
However, people who take vitamin C supplements regularly might have slightly shorter colds or somewhat milder symptoms.
Taking a vitamin C supplement after a cold start does not seem to serve.

However, Vitamin C will still help us in:

Forming an important protein used to make skin, tendons, ligaments and blood vessels.
Healing wounds and form scar tissue.
Repairing and maintaining cartilage, bones and teeth.

So, do not give up with the Orange juice, or the Kiwis, or the Broccoli, or the Spinach, or Red/Green Peppers! Be healthy! Stay healthy :D. Take good care of your body!

La entrada Vitamin C aparece primero en Spanish Recipes by Núria.

It is also one of the easiest recipes ever, so what are you still doing here? Check out your pantry for walnuts, cinnamon and sugar; add some milk and there you are: simple and so flavorful.

Do you have any kids at home preparing their school exams? Is your husband crazy about practicing sports? Are you stressed with job’s and home’s daily activity?  If the answer to these questions is yes… you have the perfect solution in this Intxaursalsa because it will help you in many different ways:

1. walnuts help regulate body temperature, they will protect vital organs like the heart and kidneys, and they ease the transport of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) thus facilitating absorption.
   
2. they provide energy to combat possible diseases or problems that may present the body.
3. Being a food with an important contribution of vitamin B6, walnuts promote the formation of red blood cells, blood cells and hormones involved in the synthesis of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, and assists in the maintenance of the nervous and immune perfect condition, participating indirectly in the production of antibodies.
4. The antioxidant properties of vitamin E protect not only the immune system, nervous system, with the maintenance of neuronal mebrana and cardiovascular system while avoiding the destruction of red blood cells and clot formation.
5. The presence of phosphorus (in the form of phospholipids) in cell membranes of the brain is critical, facilitating the communication between the cells, thereby improving mental performance and memory.
6. Walnuts are very beneficial to the body in cases of iron deficiency, whether as a result of poor dietary habits during menstruation or pregnancy, or after accidents or health care operations where blood has been lost.
7. and more and more…

This recipe has more than 150 years and it was really popular at the Basque Farm houses (caseríos) during the Christmas holidays. It nearly dissapeared from the restaurants but back in the Eighties, the Basque Chefs brought it back to the front again and here it is… delicious and nutritive for you all!

You can have it warm or cold; with some grated cheese on top or white chocolate… choose your favorite ingredient and combine ;D. I chose white chocolate this time.

La entrada Intxaursalsa aparece primero en Spanish Recipes by Núria.

But, guess what, this years’ fourth of October… In the north of Spain, a Giant Squid has been found!!!!

“A giant squid, whose oversized eyes and gargantuan blob of a body make it look more mythical than real beast, washed ashore Tuesday at La Arena beach in the Spanish community of Cantabria. The beast measures some 30 feet (9 meters) in length and weighs a whopping 400 pounds (180 kilograms); and according to news reports, it is a specimen of Architeuthis dux, the largest invertebrate (animals without backbones) on Earth.” According to NBC News (follow the link to keep on reading)

What can possibly be healthier? Eat! Don’t be eaten! Lol. On top of that, this is a great dish according to the Mediterranean diet: it has seafood (which is highly recommended and it contains, among other things: phosphorous), it has onions and garlic (a basic for most of the dishes here) and it also has nuts (I used almonds this time. They also contain phosphorous). See how the phosphorous can help us:

• It stimulates muscle contraction, including the heart muscle.
• Helps relieve pain caused by arthritis.
• It’s needed for the proper functioning of the kidneys.
• Its presence it’s esential for the absorption of vitamins B2 and B3.
• Calcium Phosphorus helps in the formation of bones and teeth.
• The squid also contains 63% of selenium. And selenium reduces inflammation. Studies have shown that individuals with rheumatoid arthritis have low levels of selenium in their blood. Furthermore, selenium is an antioxidant that can help alleviate the symptoms of arthritis by controlling free radicals.

See what a perfect combination do we have here? And I haven’t told you about the onion and garlic’s properties!!!! Enjoy your food and take care of your health at the same time :D… My advise, prepare yourself a Squid with Onions and Nuts sauce or ask for it at a good beach restaurant, and if you go for a swim… make sure you don’t get to far from the shore!

La entrada Squid with Onions and nuts sauce aparece primero en Spanish Recipes by Núria.

If you are visiting Barcelona for some days, you might want to get away from the city and drive for only 1 1/2 hours to meet the wilderness and nature in its perfect state. Driving your own car is the most confortable choice, but you can also take the train from Barcelona Sants to Puigcerdà (average 3 hours ride) and then a taxi to the Hotel. Puigcerdà is a rich Catalan Pyrenees city, perfect for ski lovers; it’s surrounded by Ski stations such as the ones you will find here at the region’s website: La Cerdanya. If you are looking for a Gastronomical Escapada, then the Pyrenees might be one of your best choices… the charcuterie is so rich and flavourful, the soups are so hearty and the meat is deliciously tender!

We didn’t know that just this weekend took place the Hispanic Breton Horse Fair… what a coincidence! All the villages in the area were full of people asking for restaurant reservations and hotels. We wandered through the fields and enjoyed the view of one of my favorites animals.

The hotel room was a dream! We had the best views of the garden, the fields and the mountains at the front. The service was great and we felt really comfortable there. The food… Oh, the food was heaven on earth! No wonder they are recommended by Relais Chateau website. We had a typical soup from the region… so delicate; a Pickled Partridge… so flavorful;  and a Strawberries Vacherin… the best dessert ever!!!! I look through internet to get the recipe, but all I saw was so different from the one we had. I discovered it’s a French dessert made out of strawberries and cream… no words to describe how good it was!

The only thing I felt it could be improved a bit it was the room wall’s and floor deco, that got a little bit old like we did ;D

If you ever get the chance… go for it! Have a marvellous weekend at the Catalan Pyrenees. Torre del Remei Puigcerdà :D

Just in case you wonder, all pictures have gone through the HDR filter at Snapseed. I love to play around with it! It’s my new toy :D.

La entrada Torre del Remei Puigcerdà aparece primero en Spanish Recipes by Núria.

So, we have the Iberian Pork Ribs… What else could we add to the Paella to get a perfect symphony of flavours? This fall is being so generous with wild mushrooms that we have to take profit of it before they are all gone, so the next ingredient is one of my favorite mushrooms: Boletus Edulis, this is a thick and round fall mushroom which I like to use either dehidrated or fresh. The green ingredient will the artichoke… I know it’s a bit too early for them, but I couldn’t resist myself since they combine so well and I adore their taste here. And also we will prepare a ham stock to enhance the pork flavour here.

The final touch will be some foie shavings on top. Can you say no to this paella?

No excuses! You can find all kind of Paella pans here.

Notice that even though this dish might look similar to the last one I did with rice and mushrooms, the techniques and steps to cook one and the other are so different. In this one (Paella) you make sure the grains get all the flavor of the different components and putting a fork full of rice in your mouth will be a wonderful experience :D.

La entrada Paella with Iberian Pork Ribs aparece primero en Spanish Recipes by Núria.

I’ve been searching for a good Chocolate Cookies recipe for a while now, a simple one, one of those that stays with you forever more, one of those that you can perform by heart because your family asks for it week after week ;D. The picture of a nest with 3 huge birdies with their mouths wide open just came to my mind… that’s how it is at home, lol!

And as Michael Jackson would say… This is It! I found it… the simplest Chocolate Cookie recipe ever! My foodie friend Miriam from El Invitado de Invierno just posted an awesome, easy recipe which I’m showing you hereunder with only one addendum: a Pecan on top of it. Only because I felt so guilty with the chocolate and the butter, I wanted to compensate and placed a pecan on top to remind me that we should take care of our health. Be the Pecan that reminder and let it be the one that unblocks my arteries from the butter grease ;D.

Lately, my interest for food photography is growing and I want to share with you my kitchen’s backstage; my photography set… see how easy it is to have a photography studio without special lamp lights, just some cardboards and some food style objects. I didn’t use a trypod for these ones :D. I encourage you to try with natural light; it’s your best choice! However, this might be a problem when the weather is cloudy or stormy… After you take the pictures, post edition is important: a little bit more exposure, or some more sharpening and saturation may improve the photos’ final result. Try it with Picasa or IPhoto, of course Photoshop and Lightroom are wonderful programs too!

Most of the times, I choose my post recipe thinking about the picture first… Am I too weird? See? with this one I wasn’t sure about the cookies presentation and I thought that the 3 in a row game would be nice to photograph, but after I tried, I didn’t like the result; so I chose the green recipient to get a fresh contrast with the browns and beiges.

La entrada Chocolate Cookies aparece primero en Spanish Recipes by Núria.

It’s been years since I don’t practice, but today you can find the best mushrooms at the city/village Markets. I just felt in the mood… so I got some fresh ones… from the nearby mountains… gorgeous places where smurfs would love to live ;D. Being a kid, the whole family would get up at 4 or 5 in the morning! A Sunday!!!! And would live the whole adventure: dessert roads, grand mom snoring inside the tinny vehicle, my brother and I singing kids songs to make the journey shorter, wonderful forest humid early morning fragances, Ahahhhhahah… What a great childhood I had!

This is a Quick Rice with Mushrooms and Pumpkin, really easy to cook with fresh, delicious mushrooms, some bacon strips and pumpkin dices. You can easily find the ingredients now in the Markets and the result is really good :D. The advantages to cook with seasonal ingredients and Slow Food mentality are enormous: great for you because it’s cheaper and the products’ quality is higher; and great for farmers and for the land because they keep it productive and working.

La entrada Quick Rice with Mushrooms and Pumpkin aparece primero en Spanish Recipes by Núria.

The Cookware we choose, directly affects the produce we cook, and therefore our health. Let’s see the pros and cons about Clay Cookware!

Pros of cooking with Clay Cookware: The most important reason is that Clay is one of the best natural materials that we can use in our daily cooking, if we add the fact that we choose organic clay, then we are making it even better. When cooking with clay, the heat should be medium or low because an abrupt change of temperature might  crack the pot or the casserole. Another good reason is that the recipient keeps warm for a long time… so we can save some money from our kitchen gas monthly bill.

Cons of cooking with Clay Cookware: First problem with clay is that it can break easily and without knowing we can swallow small pieces. Also, if we accidentally drop it from our hands (after a major Halloween scare ;D) it will break apart and we’ll have to buy another one. But, the worst problem is that it might contain lead oxide…This was used some time ago to paint the recipients so that they would look shinny and beautiful. Nowadays it’s no longer used, but you better ask when you buy it because it’s really bad for the human body.

What can I cook with a Clay casserole? You can prepare your home made Beans, you can also prepare a goulash soup, or some crema Catalana, some delicious cannelloni, or some lentils… any dish that requires slow simmer and low heat is perfect for this material. I also love preparing a meat stew in these casseroles.

But, what I would love the most (are you hearing, Santa?) is this awesome VitaClay Smart Programmable Multi-Cooker!!! The things I would do with it! Superhealthy food with its organic clay pot, delicious rice recipes, soups, yogurts, stews… It’s in my wishing list for this Christmas :D. Click here to get it.

These are some of its wonderful characteristics:

• Unglazed clay pot intensifies flavors.
• No aluminum, lead and non-stick chemical coating contacting your food.
• Up to 4 times faster than conventional slow cooker.
• Makes probiotic Rich Greek yogurt or yogurt cheese.
• Preserves important nutrients, enzymes and vitamins!!!

Next post on Which Cookware material is best? I will talk about Stainless Steel.

La entrada Clay Cookware. Which Cookware material is best? aparece primero en Spanish Recipes by Núria.