Danny's Pinchitos

We had our fill of Pinchito's while in Spain. Oh so good! We would always order them when we went "tapa hopping" - what 8 year old do you know who tapa hopped? They would be served with a slice of  bread. Like a french bread slice, or bolillo bread. (there was nothing like the fresh bolillo breads in Spain with fresh unsalted real butter - individual "pats" in the shape of pasta shells , the pasta you would use to make stuffed shells! can you visualize it, or did i do a poor job of describing it?) Traditionally made with pork or beef, I usually use chicken as I did here. Plan ahead - needs to marinate overnight..

• 1 lb cubed pork, or beef, or chicken

Marinade

• 1 cup white vinegar
• 2 Tbl lemon juice
• 4 Tbl olive oil
• 1/3 box  pinchito spice  ( or make your own below
  (You can also add sliced onions)
  
  
  
  Add marinade to cubed meat In a large ziplock bag.  Marinate overnight In the refrigerator. Grill on kabob skewers until desired doneness. about 3-4 minutes on each side

Spice mix:-

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp sweet smoked paprika

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp garlic granules

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground fenugreek

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp dried yellow mustard

pinch of ground spanish saffron

Spice recipe found from Spain Buddy

Content duplicated from http:/www.spainbuddy.com/pinchitos-morunos-de-pollo-spiced-chicken-k

Grilled Lemon Garlic Chicken (Greek Chicken)

I found the recipe for the chicken marinade in an Instyle magazine eons ago. They were doing an article on John Stamos...yes from Full House sitcom fame...he gave his dad's recipe for Greek Chicken...delish! ..Plan ahead - the chicken needs to marinate overnight. He also uses this marinade for Grilled Shrimp, and Sea Scallops.

1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of white wine (plus a nip for the cook!)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tsp salt

freshly cracked pepper and fresh flat leaf parsley isn't in the original recipe, but I added it. 

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. **** I ditched the bowl, and just put the marinade ingredients straight into the zip lock bag, zipped it, and then shook it to combine. 

Marinate chicken overnight in the refrigerator - turning occasionally. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade; season with salt and pepper. Cook over high heat on charcoal or gas grill (turning once) about 10 minutes. ( I used my cast iron grill pan on the stove)  Let sit 5 minutes before slicing. Serves 8 if using 3 pds of chicken.

OR....for marinated grilled seafood:

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/4 pound sea scallops
wooden skewers

In a ziplock bag marinate seafood in refrigerator for 2 hours, turning occasionally. Soak skewers in water for 30 minutes. Remove seafood from marinade; discard marinade. Place on skewers; season with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat on charcoal or gas grill, 6-8 minutes, or until opaque. Serves 8.

Beef, Potato and Quinoa Soup

Quinoa is a complete protein. It is a good source of fiber, phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron - good right?! I adapted this recipe out of two others I found on the internet - Laylita's recipes and also one at Skinny Taste. This is a keeper. 


2 tsp olive oil
6-7 scallions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tomato, diced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 lb beef, cubed into bite sized pieces
4 cups beef broth
1 cup water
1 tsp beef bouillon, or better than bouillon paste
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup cooked quinoa
6 Tbl fresh chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Sauté scallions, garlic and tomato in a large pot in the olive oil for about 3 minutes. Add the cumin, paprika, cubed beef, and 1/4 cup of the cilantro. Stir to mix. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add beef broth, water and bouillon, carrot, red bell pepper a little salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low heat about 1 and a 1/2 hours, or until meat is tender. Add the potatoes and cooked quinoa. Cook an additional 25 minutes with the lid off, or until the potatoes are tender. Add remaining chopped cilantro. Top with avocado if you have it.

Grilled Vegetable Quinoa Salad

I found this recipe on the Cooking Quinoa.net website - its a keeper!

 6 servings

4 cups cooked quinoa
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 red onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise into thin slices

3 Tbl red wine vinegar
2 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup thin sliced fresh basil
1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
(sprinkle with goat cheese OR feta - optional - but why wouldn't ya!)

Heat an indoor grill pan over medium high heat. Brush both sides of the vegetables with olive oil ( I just put them in a big bowl and tossed them with a little olive oil - I'm lazy) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill vegetables until tender, flipping once. Remove from heat and when cool enough to handle cut the vegetables into 1/2 inch pieces. Stir in quiona. Meanwhile make dressing by combining vinegar, olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and sea salt. Toss vegetables/quinoa mixture and dressing. Stir in cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle with basil and chives and serve. Sprinkle with goat cheese, or feta if using.

Spinach Salad w/ Dates & Almonds

Tracy from Shutterbean does it again. She adapted this recipe from the Jerusalem Cookbook.
The crispy buttery pita pieces, crispness of the red onion, smokey crunch of the roasted almonds, sweet creaminess from the Medjool dates, the tang from the sumac and lemon juice, and lastly a hint of heat if your tongue finds one of the chili flakes. Perfection. Have I sold you on this salad yet?!..I had some feta cheese and added a bit and it was a yummy addition. 

Serves 4, or 2 big salads

1 Tbl. white wine vinegar
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
4-5 Medjool dates, quartered lengthwise ( seed removed)
2 Tbl. unsalted butter
2 Tbl. olive oil
2 small pita, roughly torn into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup whole raw/ unsalted almonds
2 tsp sumac
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
6 oz baby spinach leaves
2 Tbl. freshly squeezed lemon

Put the vinegar, onion and dates in a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt and mix well. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the butter and half the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the pita and almonds and cook for 4-6 minutes, stirring all the time, until pita is crunchy and golden brown. Remove from the heat and mix in the sumac, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside to cool.

When ready to serve, toss spinach leaves with the pita mixture in a large mixing bowl. Add the dates and red onion mixture, the remaining olive oil, the lemon juice and another pinch of salt. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.

Corn Salad

If it's late spring or summer you probably already have everything on hand to make this refreshing corn salad.  It's also good scooped on top of tortilla chips, or pita chips like a salsa. You can make this salad a day ahead, so it's great for pot lucks. Great as a side dish if you are making enchilada's, or burgers. Also good inside burritos.

fresh OR frozen sweet corn to equal 4 cups ( usually about 8 ears if using fresh ears of corn)
1/2 large red pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 of a red onion, peeled and chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half, (or grape tomatoes left whole)
1/2 of a bunch of cilantro, chopped (or more if you love cilantro like me!) ..or use fresh basil
1/3 cup lime juice
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Place frozen OR fresh corn in a pot with a 1/4 cup water to steam 3-5 minutes only (you do not want to overcook the corn) Drain the corn and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process; drain well.

Place steamed corn in a serving bowl and toss with remaining ingredients. Place in the refrigerator to chill at least 2 hours. This can be made a few hours, or one day ahead of serving. Enjoy! Best served at room temperature.

*Makes about 6 cups