In tonight’s dish, adapted from Fresh Spanish, chicken sausage is cooked with garlic, onions, and tomatoes, and mixed with a short pasta for a hearty main course. Use fideo if you can find it, but if not, vermicelli or thin spaghetti broken into short lengths will work.

Chris says:

Well I’m going to complain about this one, but I know how I’d change it.

Lisa says:

What are you complaining about? I really like the taste.

Chris says:

Oh I really like the taste, too. I just think the pasta is way overcooked, so it’s a little mushy.

Lisa says:

Hmmmm, well, I still like it. So why do you think it came out this way?

Chris says:

Two reasons: we didn’t have vermicelli, so I used cappellini, which is even thinner, and there was a bit too much liquid. Also, I’ve seen in other recipes that the pasta is often toasted/sauteed before adding the broth.

Lisa says:

So you’re saying we’ll have this again, but better?

Chris says:

Indeed! And I’m listing the recipe with the changes I’d make. The Change We Need.

Lisa says:

Wait — what does Obama have to do with this recipe?

Chris says:

Not a damn thing. But HOLY CRAP, we just witnessed history.

Lisa says:

Wahoo!

Fideos a la Catalana
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 lb large fresh chicken sausages
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1 tsp mild paprika
8 oz vermicelli, cut into short lengths
3-4 cups chicken broth
salt and freshly ground pepper
chopped parsley, to garnish

Heat half the oil in a 12-inch shallow casserole or skillet with a lid. Add the sausages and cook over a medium-high heat, turning frequently, for 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Heat the remaining oil in the pan, add the onion and garlic and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until soft. Add the pasta and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat until very lightly toasted. Add the tomatoes and paprika, stirring, for 3-4 minutes further. Return the sausages to the pan, add 3 cups of the chicken broth. Season to taste, stir to mix, and bring to a boil. Continue to cook until the pasta is cooked and the water absorbed, adding broth if necessary. Stir and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

4 Servings

Here’s another really easy weeknight dish; we based the recipe on one found in Fresh Spanish. Traditionally, this stew is made with tuna, but any firm-fleshed fish will work. We used mahi-mahi and were very pleased with the results.

Lisa says:

Yay soup! 

Chris says:

This cold weather certainly gets me in the mood for it… 

Lisa says:

What fish is this? 

Chris says:

Mahi-mahi, but the original recipe used tuna… 

Lisa says:

Mmmm, it’s good. 

Chris says:

Capers rule. They’re like little bursts of salt. 

Lisa says:

So’s the salt. 

Chris says:

Okay, tonight you earn the sigh…

Fish and Potato Stew
12 oz mahi-mahi (or any firm-fleshed fish), cut into large bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
red onion, halved and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 small roma tomatoes, skinned, seeded, and chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1/2 tbsp mild paprika
3/4 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into large bite-sized pieces
salt and fresh ground black pepper
parsley, chopped
capers

Arrange the fish in a shallow bowl and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside.
Heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan, add the onion and garlic, and cook over medium heat until softened. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, bell pepper, paprika, and potatoes, and stir to mix well. Add just enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Add in the fish, return to a boil, and cook for an additional 4 minutes. Serve ladled into bowls and garnish with parsley and capers.

2 Servings

A couple days ago, a recipe for Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho ended up in my email, and that same afternoon I came home to discover that our local supermarket had sent out a coupon for a free pound of heirloom tomatoes!  Synchronicity!  We hadn’t made gazpacho since last summer, and we’ve been meaning to try out a blended version to see how it compares to the chunky-style we’ve made in the past.  The recipe here is adapted from Latin Evolution, set to release in a few weeks.

Lisa says:

Are you making snacks and trying to pass them off as dinner again?

Chris says:

Hey, what’s wrong with wanting to eat light?

Lisa says:

Nothing, but come on… I literally ran out of the house to get food to go with this soup.

Chris says:

Okay, okay… but the question is, how do you like it?

Lisa says:

I like it … it might be just a touch too vinegary, though.

Chris says:

I agree — I updated the recipe note that you should taste it as you go before adding it all in.

Lisa says:

Good idea. So, this is really smooth…

Chris says:

…like yacht-rock!

Lisa says:

…sure… I think I like the chunky version a little better though.

Chris says:

I’m undecided. I think with a little tweaking this one could be the winner for me — I actually prefer the pureed consistency. The chunkier version was almost like just eating a bowl of salsa.

Lisa says:

What’s wrong with that?

Chris says:

Nothing, if I just wanted a snack…

Lisa says:

Why does that sound so familiar?

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho
4 large red heirloom tomatoes
2/3 English cucumber, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic
1/4-1/3 cup sherry vinegar
3 tbsp diced day-old baguette, crust removed
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/3 English cucumber, seeded and diced
yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
red onion, diced

Core and peel the tomatoes, then cut into chunks. In a blender, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, most of the vinegar, and bread. Taste, and if needed, add the rest of the vinegar. Puree until smooth. While pureeing, slowly add olive oil until emulsified. Season with sugar, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate until cold. Serve in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and garnish with cilantro, accompanied by the diced cucumber, bell pepper, and red onion.

Makes 4-6 cups, depending on the size of the tomatoes

Hmm, a tapas-style treat of quickly pan-fried peppers, with the odds that 1 in 10 will be incredibly spicy? Sounds like a slam-dunk to me! I saw these guys on YumBlog a few months ago, and thanks to a tip on ChowHound discovered that the Spanish Table sometimes carries Pimientos de Padrón in the summer. A quick walk down there this week confirmed their availability, so I picked some up for a quick Friday-afternoon snack.

Lisa says:

Are these spicy?

Chris says:

According to the write-up/legend/whatever, I’ve read that anywhere from 1 in 10 to 1 in 30 is hot.

Lisa says:

With my luck, I’ll get the hot ones.

Chris says:

With my luck, I won’t!

Lisa says:

Oooh, these are good!

Chris says:

I knew you’d like them… simplicity itself! Peppers, olive oil, salt!

Lisa says:

I heart sal… whoa! Can I get some water?

Chris says:

Did you get a hot one?? Lucky!!

Lisa says:

Actually it was really hot to start, but now it’s not that bad.

Chris says:

Well, hopefully that wasn’t the only one in th… Yikes! I just got one too — that IS hot! I really want more of these. I hear that they actually grow pretty well here; I sense some seeds in our future…

Pimientos de Padrón
Pimientos de Padrón
olive oil
coarse sea salt

Take a pan and pour just enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat up to high. When the olive oil starts to sizzle toss the peppers in whole. Lower the heat to medium-high, and shake the pan occasionally so the peppers cook evenly. When the peppers start blistering and browning, they are ready. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up some of the extra oil, then transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Eat ‘em whole and wait for a spicy one!