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

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.

Marinated Sirloin Steak

This is a wonderful marinade it can make a holiday special main dish, or since the meat has to marinate overnight it makes a great take along for camping. Just grill it up after you get your camp set up.

Marinated Sirloin Steak

2 to 2 1/2 pds sirloin steak (about 1 inch thick)
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbl white wine vinegar
2 tbl lemon juice
2 tbl dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp pepper

Place steak in a shallow dish, or large heavy duty resealable plastic bag. Combine remaining ingredients; pour over meat. Cover or seal, and refrigerate overnight. Remove meat; discard marinade. Let sit about 20 minutes before grilling. Grill uncovered, over medium coals/heat until meat is cooked as desired about 6-7 minutes per side for rare, 8-10 minutes per side for medium, or 11-13 minutes for well done. 6 servings.

Prime Rib

• 1 ( 3 rib) standing rib roast ( 7 - 8 pounds)
• 1 tbl kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper

Two hours before roasting, remove the meat from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 500. (make sure oven is clean so you don't have to smell the char of burning spilled food) . Place the oven rack on the second lowest position. Place the roast in a pan large enough to hold the roast comfortably, bone-side down, and spread the top thickly with the salt and pepper. Roast the meat for 45 minutes. Without removing the meat from the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 325, and roast for another 30 minutes. Finally increase the temperature of the oven to 450 degrees and roast for another 15 -20 minutes, until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 125 degrees. (watch the thermometer that you stuck in the meat carefully at this time the roast can go up several degrees really fast and go from melt in your mouth tender, to over cooked and tough - make sure the thermometer is exactly in the center of the roast. The total cooking time should be between 1 1/2 and 1 3/4 hours. Remove the roast from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Cover it tightly with aluminum foil and allow the meat to rest for 20 minutes to redistribute the juices (otherwise if you cut now all the juices will escape when you cut). Carve and serve with horseradish.

Hamburger Barley Soup

I also make this with stew meat and like it better than with ground chuck

• 2 pds ground chuck, or stew meat cut in bite size pieces
• 16 oz. can tomatoes
• 6 oz can tomato juice, I use V8
• 7 cups water
• 1/2 cup string beans
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1/2 cup celery tops
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp paprika & thyme
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbl soy sauce
• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• 1 cup carrots, sliced
• 1 potato diced

Brown meat; drain. Add everything up to barley. Bring to a boil and simmer 45 minutes. Add carrots cook 10 minutes. Add potatoes cook 20 more minutes.

French Dip - Crockpot

• 1 beef chuck roast - 3 pounds, fat trimmed
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 tsp EACH dried rosemary, thyme and garlic powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-4 whole peppercorns
• 8 french rolls, split

Place roast in a slow cooker. Add water, soy sauce and seasonings. Cover and cook on high 5-6 hours, or until beef is tender. Remove meat from broth; shred with forks and keep warm. Strain broth; skimming off fat. (I use a turkey baster and pull the broth from the bottom of the crockpot leaving the top fat layer.)Pour broth into small cups for dipping. Serve beef with rolls. 8 servings