Emily Farrar — Food Media Final Project Introduction Over 6 weeks of the class, I tried out 6 different recipes to compare my eating habits with traditional Spanish dishes. I currently eat a vegetarian diet while aiming to focus on local, seasonal foods from the farmer’s market or organic sources.
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Because of the nutritional value of grass-fed dairy, I aim to purchase these products as well as support healthy food systems. I chose this project as a way to try to get back to my roots, so to speak. My paternal grandmother immigrated to the US from Spain, so I am very interested in Spanish culture. She died before I was born, so even though I don’t have a direct link anymore, I would love to use food as a way to reconnect with the traditions my father grew up with. I don’t have a very strong culinary background, so I loved experimenting with different dishes and finding the similarities between my food and different foods in Spain. Traditional Spanish cuisine relies very heavily on seafood and fresh, seasonal ingredients. Many of the recipes I found online on English sites focused on recipes for good tapas. The tradition of tapas is an important part of Spanish culture — tapas are small plates meant to be enjoyed communally in between the large lunch around midday and dinner, a meal that comes much later in the night. A crude comparison would be bar food in the states; tapas are enjoyed as a group of small plates during happy hour. These tapas are usually very simple 2
and serve to highlight specific ingredients, such as jamĂłn iberico or egg. I chose to highlight one of these tapas and two dinners in the dishes I chose from traditional Spanish cuisine. The difficulty I faced while selecting meals was the heavy focus on meat or seafood. I made the choice to eat a vegetarian diet 3 years ago in efforts to reduce my environmental impact by both reducing packaging and rejecting the practice of factory farming. While I realize that eating meat is neither unhealthy nor bad for the environment, the way that the majority of meat is produced in America is both unsustainable and destructive. I aimed to find recipes that focused on vegetables or egg, but it was very uncommon to find a recipe that solely consisted of vegetables. If I ever travel to Spain, I will have to seriously consider what it means to reject a major part of the food culture. The food culture in Spain plays an important role in the overall culture. In many parts of America, urban areas especially, food takes on the role of “fuelâ€? and simply a means for survival. Not for nothing, tradition in Spain allows for a long lunch with family and a siesta after for rest. Because of the way I was raised on chicken nuggets and boiled hot dogs, I failed to develop an emotional connection to the food or practices. Cooking, when it consists of simply reheating different prepackaged ingredients, lacks the grip that connects people to the food they eat. Going back to see the different ways Spaniards prepare food was a great way to see how food can play such an important role in fostering community. Food is still a very communal experience in my life and in American culture, but I loved seeing the intensity of preparation
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and cooking practices in Spanish cuisine. Each dish I made involved skill and respect for fresh ingredients that really showed through in the final results of the food. This project has been a fantastic starting point for me to start to determine my own food culture and how it relates to the food cultures already established in the world, especially those of my heritage. With the goal to learn more about my heritage through tapping into traditional food culture, I embarked on testing out different recipes. I not only had a lot of fun learning different techniques for cooking, but got to enjoy food and learn what it meant to spend the day cooking to share food with my family and friends. Overall, I’d recommend this experience to anyone looking to learn more about their heritage and think about the way different cultures value food.
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Paella My family and I chose to make paella for a Sunday dinner, as we needed to find a compromise for the meat-eaters and the vegetarian (me). I made my own separate paella while my family made a meaty, chorizo filled paella. The process was long, but we had a lot of fun experimenting with different recipes. Both paellas used chickpeas, which is pretty different from the typical seafood ingredients of traditional paella. Our local Farmer’s market was closed the day we chose to have the meal, so all of the ingredients are sourced from Kings Market. Most are Organic, none are local. I really enjoyed my paella — although it varies pretty significantly from typical paellas, I found it to be a really solid meal. Cooking and sharing this meal with my family was a full day extravaganza. Between collecting the ingredients, preparing the paella, and finally sitting down to eat, we spent the day together talking about food and different family memories. My one wish is that we were able to make it to the farmers market to take advantage of the seasonal fare — while I may not have found all the ingredients as per instruction of the recipe, the beauty of paella is that it is a very flexible stew. Based on the nature of paella, I’m sure that it is easily adaptable to substitutions and additions. We incorporated our own tradition into the meal by serving it with a side salad and
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a (hearty) glass of wine. I am very fortunate that I had the time and resources to undertake this experiment, and happy that it resulted in a ton of leftovers to freeze and enjoy going forward :) Recipe Origin: The Kitchn (http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-vegetable-paella-recipes-fromthe-kitchn-216585) 1 cup short-grain brown rice
1 red bell pepper, sliced
Hefty pinch saffron (about 8 strands)
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
6 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon hot paprika
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 cup green beans, trimmed and halved
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3/4 cup crushed tomatoes, fresh or canned
3 artichoke hearts, sliced (fresh, frozen, or canned) 1 cup cooked chickpeas 1/4 cup peas, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup chopped parsley, for garnish
Salt and pepper Bring 3 cups of water and a hefty pinch of salt to a boil, add the rice, and cook for about about 20 minutes, or until the rice begins to soften. Drain and set aside. (Par-boiling the brown rice speeds up the overall cooking time.) Combine saffron threads and 3 tablespoons of warm water in a small bowl and set aside. Bring the broth to a simmer, then reduce the heat and keep at a low simmer until needed. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet, and sautĂŠ
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the onions until soft and fragrant. Add the garlic slices and peppers. Cook until soft, about 7 minutes. Mix in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, hot paprika, saffron threads (along with the water), and season generously with salt and freshly cracked pepper. Let it cook for a few minutes. Make sure to have your vegetable broth simmering nearby. Fold in the green beans, artichoke slices, and chickpeas. Then stir in the parboiled, drained rice. Ladle the simmering broth over the rice. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid has evaporated. A few minutes before the rice is fully cooked, scatter the peas over top. Sprinkle with parsley just before serving.
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Root Veggie + Brown Rice This is a very standard meal for me, and it strikes me as slightly similar to paella in that it combines rice and vegetables for a hearty meal. I’m not going to pretend like my simple meal comes close to the complexity of flavor of different paellas — my main flavors come from strength of the olive oil and the freshness of the vegetables. But, this is a very easy meal that I have developed throughout my college career. Depending on what grain or vegetables I have available to me, I usually sautÊ them all together and sprinkle seasoning and olive oil on the top. Although it highlights seasonal ingredients like paella, it lacks tradition or real culinary ingenuity. However, it is something that I eat regularly and enjoy experimenting with as I begin to explore different vegetables. This combination worked out particularly well, but most of that is because beets are one of the best vegetables :) Recipe Origin: Homemade 1 cup brown rice 3 large beets + greens 1 clove Garlic 1 ear Corn 1 can Chickpeas 2 large Carrots Olive Oil to taste
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Pisto This has, by far, been my favorite recipe of the bunch. It was so easy to prepare and so fresh and delicious. Staying true to form, I gathered my ingredients from the farmer’s market, so that meant two green peppers instead of red. But, it was incredible. I decided to add an egg to get some protein in the dish, and the combination of the runny yolk along with the stunning, fresh tomatoes was an incredible experience. I, unfortunately, made this dish alone, but I plan on making it a regular breakfast dish. It serves 4, but I ate it in 2 meals. Finding this dish made me so happy in that it was seemed simple, but it was so bright and fresh that it stood out against the well seasoned dishes I’d made before. I will definitely incorporate this into my daily summer diet — it’s a really light, but filling way to start the day. Recipe Origin: (http:// recetasdecocina.elmundo.es/2015/08/pistomanchego-receta-facil-casera.html) 3 tomates maduros 3 ripe tomatoes 200 ml de salsa de tomate casera 1 calabacín 1 pimiento verde 1 pimiento rojo 1 cebolla Salt
3/4 cup tomato sauce 1 zucchini 1 green bell pepper 1 red bell pepper 1 onion Salt
1- Comenzamos pochando un ajo en aceite de oliva. No escatiméis en el aceite porque yo luego lo quito. Me gusta dejarlo muy suave.
1- Begin by putting minced garlic in olive oil. I like for it to get very soft.
2- Continuamos agregando la cebolla y los pimientos. A mi me gusta pelarlos con un pelador muy suave porque a veces la piel del pimiento es muy dura y molesta.
2- Continue by adding the onion and peppers. I like to peel them, because it gives them a soft texture and sometimes the skin of the pepper is hard and annoying.
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3- Seguimos con el calabacĂn en lĂĄminas. Como veis voy por partes, ya que no todas las verduras son de la misma dureza y me gusta hacerlas por partes.
3- Follow with the zucchini. As you can see, I add in parts because they are rough cut and I like to cook them in parts.
4- Pelamos y despepitamos el tomate y lo agregamos. Muchas personas agregan bien de tomate que luego se convierte en un salsita pero a mi me gusta agregarle poco y luego ponerle un poco de salsa de tomate que suelo hacer en verano, siempre casera.
4-Peal and crush the tomato and mix well. Many people mix to the consistency of sauce, but I like to leave the sauce chunky
5- Pasados 15 minutos escurrimos de aceite el pisto. Os recomiendo hacerlo ya que verĂŠis que bien queda.
5-Let cook for about 15 minutes to let the flavors simmer. I recommend that you use your judgement to know when it is done.
6- Terminamos con la salsa de tomate, mezclamos y cocinamos 5 minutos y listo para comer.
6- Finish with the tomato sauce, mix, and let cook for 5 more minutes.
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Tomato + Cheese Sandwiches This is a lunch I made with my boyfriend and his family while on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. We went to the farmers market early in the morning and a local bakery, so we decided to take advantage of the fresh tomatoes. In Spain, they eat a dish called “pan con tomate�; this dish is simply toasted bread with tomato rubbed on with a drizzle of olive oil. In a very similar way, we sliced the tomato and drizzled balsamic vinegar on top. The only difference between this meal and pan con tomate is the preparation of the tomato and the addition of cheese. I typically add cheese for protein and dark greens to my lunches to make sure that I get good protein and nutrients. When researching typical Spanish dishes, it was cool to see that they have a traditional dish that is very similar to a dish that I eat often. It is a good reflection of a delicious way to take full advantage of fresh tomatoes! Recipe Origin: Homemade Tomato Grass-fed cheddar cheese Baguette Arugula Balsamic Vinegar
Slice Tomato, cheese, baguette and combine Sprinkle with Arugula and Balsamic Vinegar
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Empanadas I chose to make this dish when I found a recipe for beet and goat cheese empanadas on a site that I regularly use to find vegetarian recipes. Empanadas are a traditional Spanish dish that have gained popularity throughout Latin America over the years. I opted to look for a more traditional empanada recipe, using google.es to search for recipes. The major difficulty I found with this recipe is the different measurements; I don’t use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients, so I had to really estimate to ensure I was getting the correct ratio. Also, if you look at the cooking instructions, the site assumes that readers know how to cook empanadas. This recipe works way better as just a good filling recipe — the author doesn’t give any direct instructions on how to properly bake and fry the empanadas. I’ve translated the recipe to English below — when making the recipe, I missed the extra “fry at the end” step, so I ate them right after they baked. I would say that the extra step is very necessary. The empanada filling was delicious, but the dough left a lot to be desired. My roommate agreed, but she suggested to add a little spice to the dough to give it a little more flavor. She also insisted that I couldn’t call these empanadas with good conscience :) Maybe they are more “egg/cheese/green pockets”, since the shape failed pretty spectacularly. Overall, I would definitely make these again. I believe that these would be eaten as snacks or a side to a meal, but grabbing a couple really made for a easy breakfast in the morning. Recipe Origin: Cookpad (https://cookpad.com/es/recetas/121770-empanadas-de-acelga-yqueso) --------------- Para la masa
---------For the dough
500 g harina de trigo común
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cda colmada de manteca o grasa de cerdo
1 tbsp grass-fed butter
1 cdts sal
1 tsp salt
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Agua caliente, cantidad necesaria para formar la masa
Warm water, as much as needed to form dough
--------------- Para el relleno
----------For the filling
500 g acelga hervida y escurrida
2 cups beet greens (sub for chard)
1 cebolla grande
1 large onion
1 pimiento morrón rojo
1 green bell pepper (sub for red)
250 g queso (cáscara colorada, mozzarella, emmental)
28 oz mozzarella cheese
3 huevos
3 eggs
1 cdts pimienta negra molida
1 tsp black pepper
½ cdts nuez moscada
½ tsp nutmeg
a gusto Sal
Salt to taste
1 chorrito aceite de girasol
1 splash sunflower seed oil
Colocar la harina en un bol a manera de corona y verter
Collect the flour in a bowl
en el centro la sal y la manteca o grasa derretida.
salt and butter. Mix and add, little
Mezclar and create a hole in the center for the
by little, the warm water. Combine
e ir añadiendo, poco a poco, el agua caliente.
the ingredients until they form a
Unir los ingredientes hasta formar una masa suave que
malleable shape. Wrap in a tea towel
se debe trabajar un buen rato. Dejarla reposar en la
and let it sit in the fridge.
nevera envuelta en un trapo.
Sofreir en una sartén con un poco de aceite la cebolla
Fry the onion and green
y el pimiento picados finamente. Añadir la acelga
onion (finely cut) in the oil in
picada y condimentar con pimienta, nuez moscada y
a sauté pan. Add the greens,
sal a gusto. Mezclar la preparación y dejarla un par
black pepper, nutmeg, and salt
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de minutos a fuego bajo para que los sabores se integren.
salt. Mix together and let cook on
Retirar del fuego la preparaciรณn e incorporar los huevos
low heat until the flavors come
batidos y los daditos de queso. Mezclar bien y dejar
together. Turn up the heat ** and mix
enfriar.
in beaten eggs and cheese. Mix well.
Mientras tanto estirar la masa finamente y con un
Roll out the dough and cut discs for
cortapasta adecuado cortar los discos para las empanadas. the empanadas. Fill each with a Rellenar cada uno con una cucharada de relleno y cerrar
tablespoon of the filling and close,
haciendo un repulgue o presionando suavemente los
pressing on the end with a fork to
bordes con un tenedor.
seal it.
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Colocar las empanadas en una asadera forrada con
Place the empanadas on a baking
papel manteca y hornearlas a fuego moderado.
sheet and bake at moderate heat.
Cuando esten doradas retirar y esperar que se enfrĂen
When they are done, wait to fry until
un poco antes de servir.
you are ready to serve.
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Summer Veggie Tacos My sister and I chose to make summer veggie tacos for a pre-race dinner, sourcing mainly from the farmer’s market. All the ingredients, except for the Brussel Sprouts and avocado, came from the Union Square Farmer’s Market or the local section of Whole Foods. We have never made these tacos before, but the squash looked too good to resist. This is a good adaptation of a very typical childhood dinner for us; we usually ate ground turkey and cheese tacos as kids, but it was a fun experiment to grab ingredients that looked good and cook based on what we found. We typically like very spicy food, so we added dashes of hot sauce that I purchased from Mamoun’s Falafel, a local falafel joint by NYU.
Recipe Origin: Homemade 1 Summer Squash 1 Zucchini 1 Avocado 1 Red Bell Pepper Grass-fed cheddar cheese 1 ear Corn 1 Peach Brussel Sprouts
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Splash of olive oil Corn Tortillas Hot Sauce, to taste
Half the Brussel Sprouts and add to skillet with olive oil. Sprinkle in half of the corn and all of the peach after the sprouts have softened. Take off heat.
Heat olive oil and toss in thinly sliced squash and zucchini and let them soften. Add bell pepper and corn when the squash is translucent.
Heat corn tortillas and add filling, along with grated cheese and sliced avocado. Serve alongside Brussel Sprouts.
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