Talking about food...

Hola chic@s,

My name is Noelia and I am one of the spanish e-tutors. I am from Spain and I have been teaching the language in US for 5 years. I am very excited to talk to you about the spanish language and culture.

Do you know that there are more than 500 millions of people talking Spanish as a native language? After Mandarin Chinese, Spanish is the second language more spoken in the world. That means you can travel all over the world practicing the language and learning about hispanic cultures and peoples.

One of the most exciting things of a language learning process is to share time with a native speaker and learn about his/her culture. When I came to US for the first time I wanted to know everything about food so today I decided to share with you an easy recipe of a great spanish drink for the summer: SANGRÍA. (Belive me, this is not an italian drink : ) It is called sangria because it has the color of "sangre" which means blood.

Now it is time to practice your Spanish...

RECETA SANGRÍA (para dos personas)

1 litro de vino tinto

3 vasos de Sprite

1/3 vaso de zumo de naranja

1 manzana amarilla cortada en trocitos

1/4 cucharilla de canela (opcional)

You will not need to add sugar because Sprite made in US has a lot of sweetener. Put all ingredients together in a pitcher, give it a stir and let it stan for a while in the fridge. Right before you start drinking your sangria, add a lot of ice to the pitcher. The secret of a great sangría is to serve it very cold.

Que aproveche!!!!

Here is Massimiliano, the Italian tutor. I am writing here because we are possibly in front of a massive Clash of Civilizations. I quote from your post "SANGRÍA. (Belive me, this is not an italian drink : ) " what do you mean by that? Are you subltly suggesting that Italians do not have strong drinks or famous cocktails??? This is a a cultural clash that must be crushed right now and no prisoners taken. So, what about Bellini? (Invented by mitycal Cipriani's Harry's Bar in Venice where Hemingway used to spend most of his drunk time) or Negoni? a cocktail that possibly is the strongest ever invented? In comparison to Negroni, Sangria is like a light soda for kids. I will post the Bellini and Negroni recipes in "my" kingdom, the Italian thread...watch out!!! :)

Hola a todos y bienvenidos al Spanish Community Forum!
Me llamo Anna, y al igual que Noelia y Enrique soy eTutor de español.
Soy de Barcelona (España) pero vivo y trabajo en New York como profesora de español.

Hello everyone and welcome to the Spanish Community Forum!
My name is Anna and, like Noelia and Enrique, I am one of the Spanish eTutors.
I am from Barcelona (Spain) but I live and work in New York as a Spanish teacher.

To start learning spanish feeling totally energized and refreshed I wanted
to share with you one of the most healthy, refreshing and tasty Spanish
recipes to keep yourself cool in the summertime: GAZPACHO SOUP

Follow the directions of Spanish Chef Omar Allibhoy:
http://vimeo.com/24520773

As you can see there is no cooking involved. It is all about blending fresh ingredients, keeping it refrigerated and enjoying it!

¿Qué ingredientes necesitamos? / What ingredients do we need?

- Tomates / Tomatoes
- Pepino / Cucumber
- Cebolla / Onion
- Pimiento Rojo / Red pepper
- Ajo / Garlic
- Vinagre / Vinegar
- Aceite de oliva / Olive oil
- Pan / Bread
- Sal y Pimineta / Salt and Pepper
- Agua / Water
- Comino / Cumin

And remember the chef's tip: Gazpacho always tastes better the day after.

¡Buen provecho!

Well, staying on the subject of foods and drinks. Let's move the conversation closer to us, to the Americas.

One of the most popular "new" drinks is mojito. It is a drink that has gained a lot of popularity in the United States over the last few years. But mojito has been around for a long, long time. It is originally from Cuba, my parents' birthplace. The jury is still out as to the origin of the word. Some people say it comes from mojo, a Cuban lime-based seasoning used for marinating meats and other dishes. Others say that the name simply comes from the diminutive of the word mojado: mojadito, the Spanish word for wet.

Regardless of its origin, nothing is more refreshing on a warm summer night with friends than a well-made "mojito".

Here's the recipe. Don't forget to drink it chilled, slowly and with very good company. ¡Que lo disfruten! (Enjoy!)

CLASSIC MOJITO

INGREDIENTS

2-3 ounces of rum

lime juice (one lime per serving)

2 tbsp of sugar

mint (3-4 sprigs)

soda water

PREPARATION

Gently mash the mint, sugar and half of the lime juice until the sugar dissolves.

Add the rum and the rest of the lime juice.

Serve in a tall glass. Top up the rest with soda water.

You guys are making me hungry. And thirsty. Tengo hambre y sed... Is that right?

Ciao Massi,

Do not get me wrong chico!!!. What I meant is that as you know today in US many italian restaurants offer sangria as an italian drink (check Olive Garden for example)... even paella COME ON!!!!! Here in US sometimes people think all mediterranean dishes are italian and it is good to clarify. After I said that, I truly belive you guys have a great food tradition. I am a heavy consumer of italian food and I love pasta!!!

I will check out those italian drinks recipes at your kingdom!!!!!

Suzanne that is right! A mi también me está entrando hambre, pero sobretodo sed.

That mojito recipe sounds great and pretty easy to make. I have a question though:

¿Qué tipo de azúcar? ¿Azúcar blanco o azúcar moreno?
¿What kind of sugar? ¿White sugar or brown sugar?

Hola Anna.

Para el mojito tienes que usar azúcar blanco.

Disfruta tu mojito.

Hola chicos!

Last weekend I cooked Cuban Picadillo for the first time and everyone loved it.

See the picture i took with my phone: http://i51.tinypic.com/30b1wf7.jpg

Here are the ingredients and directions to follow. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTES para 4 personas

- 1 Lb de Ternera Picada (ground lean beef)
- 1 Cebolla mediana, picada (medium onion, chopped)
- 3 Dientes de Ajo, picados (3 garlic cloves, chopped)
- 1/2 Taza de Aceitunas Verdes picadas (1/2 Cup of Green Olives, chopped)
- 1/2 Taza de Alcaparras (Capers)
- Pasas (Raisins)
- Comino (Cumin)
- Orégano (Oregano)
- Hojas de Laurel (Bay leaves)
- 2 Tomates Maduros, rallados (2 Ripe Tomatoes, grinded)
- Sal y Pimienta (Salt and Pepper)
- 1/2 cup of white wine (1/2 taza de vino blanco)
- Olive Oil (Aceite de oliva)

DIRECTIONS

1) Mix well the ground beef, onion, garlic, olives, capers and raisins in a bowl.

2) Add Cumin, Bay Leaves, Oregano, Salt and Pepper to the mix.

3) In a large skillet, add a little bit of olive oil and brown the mix until the onion turns brownish.

4) Turn heat down to medium low. Add the grinded tomatoes and the wine and let it simmer.

5) Adjust the seasonings to taste. (I like to use a lot of cumin and oregano).

5) Serve with a side of white rice, black beans and/or fried plantains.

Rápido, fácil y delicioso!

¿Tenéis hambre? / ¿Are you Hungry? (plural)

¡Me encanta el picadillo!

Yo personalmente lo prefiero sin (without) pasas pero de todas formas es uno de mis platos favoritos.

¡Gracias por compartir la receta!

Thanks for sharing the recipe!

I forever will stick to Tinto de Verano over Sangria:

This is my simple recipe:

Cheapest red wine available (in a bottle!);

Effervescent lemon water;

Ice;

Fin.

*I would use soda, such as ginger ale or fanta, but sodas generally come with high fructose corn syrup instead of sugar in the USA.

Hmmm... Tinto de Verano sounds nice. And Labor Day is right around the corner. Thanks for the tip!

Here is a new Spanish recipe, its probably the most common dish throughout Spain, TORTILLA DE PATATA also known as TORTILLA ESPAÑOLA. Basically a thick omelett with potatoes and onions. There are many other ways to cook tortilla de patata, some variations can be, adding other ingredients as zuccini, cut the potatoes in cubes or in slices, frying the potatoes instead of steaming them. I encourage you to try this recipe and make your own variation.
Enjoy!

TORTILLA DE PATATA

Ingredientes:

2 cebollas medianas / 2 medium-sized onions
5-6 patatas medianas / 5-6 medium-sized potatoes
4 huevos / 4 eggs
1/2 l. de aceite de oliva / 1/2 l. Olive oil
Sal / Salt

DIRECTIONS:

- Take 3 medium onions and caramelize them by slowly cooking them in a little olive oil until they are richly browned.

- Take 4 or 5 medium-sized potatoes and peel, cut and fry them on low heat with a generous amount of olive oil. Remove from heat when are cooked (20-30 minutes)

- Break four eggs into a large bowl. Add salt, depending on your preference. Whisk it all together.

- Pour the onions and cooked potatoes into the bowl with the eggs. Stir to mix and let sit.

- Put a little oil on the bottom of a pan and get it over medium heat. When it’s warmed up a bit, dump the raw tortilla into the pan.

- Cook on the first side for 5 minutes until you can see that the eggs on the bottom have cooked and you can slide the tortilla around in the bottom of the pan (the top half will still be raw).

- Use a plate the same size as the pan and rest the plate on the raw top of the tortilla, put a potholder over the plate and flip the pan over the plate in a swif.

- Put the pan back on the burner, add a little oil if necessary, and then again, in a swift motion, slide the tortilla (raw side down) back into it. There’ll be a little goo left on the plate, but there shouldn’t be lots of chunks.

- Cook another 5 minutes. You can stick a knife in the middle to check how cooked it is. When it slides freely around the pan when shaken, is done. Flip it onto the plate and let sit a few minutes before serving.

It should look something like that: TORTILLA DE PATATA IMAGES

Also here i have attached a link to a video recipe http://vimeo.com/5112695

¡Una imagen vale más que mil palabras!

I've been spending a lot of weekends in the country, and Spanish tortillas seem to have become a staple breakfast on Sundays. (Although you have to get the "flip" just right!) Thanks for the recipe, Anna!

I burned my hand while I was flipping the tortilla de patata. There was too much oil remaining inside the pan.

Me quemé la mano mientras estaba girando la tortilla de patata. Había demasiado aceite en la sartén.

See how bad it looks: tortilla de patata accident

BE CAREFULL WHEN FLIPPING THE TORTILLA!
¡TENED CUIDADO AL GIRAR LA TORTILLA!

The best Chocolate con Churros in Spain:

http://livinglanguage.com/blog/2012/05/29/the-best-chocolate-con-churros-in-spain/

Howdy, Stranger!

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