Spaghetti 'a la Espanola'

Participating in Blazing Hot Wok's Regional Recipes - Spain has got me thinking about the flavours of Spain - sweet bellpeppers, juicy tomatoes, tangy olives. And so, with that in mind, I threw a couple of ingredients together and came up with this pasta dish, which has, what I'd like to think of as a bit of a Spanish flavour.



I might be completely off the beaten track here, but let's indulge me okay? And besides, I can't think of a better name for this one. So Spaghetti 'a la Espanola' it is!

Spaghetti 'a la Espanola'

Serves 4 - 5

1 medium aubergine, chopped into small cubes

1 small greenpepper, chopped into small cubes

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 tbsp olive oil

a dash of salt and a grinding of black pepper

1/2 cup red split lentils

3/4 cup water

1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes, Spanish style*

1 tsp olive oil

250g extra-lean bacon, finely diced

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp paprika

1/4 tsp chilli powder

65g pitted green olives, halved

300g spaghetti

*if you don't have this where you live, just use a regular tin of tomatoes and up the other spices

1. Arrange eggplant, greenpepper and onion on a baking tray. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper and massage through to combine. Place in oven at 180C and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, put the lentils into a microwaveable container. Add the tomatoes and a cup of water, mix to combine everything and microwave on high for 20 minutes.

3. Place spaghetti in a pot of boiling salted water and cook for 10 minutes.

4. In a seperate frying pan, heat 1 tsp of oil. Add bacon and fry for about 5 - 6 minutes until browned and crispy. Add garlic, fry for another minute, then add eggplant mixture as well as the lentil mixture. Add enough water to loosen the sauce (1/2 - 1 cup). Add paprika and chilli, as well as the green olives. Cook for about 2 minutes to combine flavours and heat through. Serve, spooned onto the spaghetti.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 429.1, Total fat 9.3 g, Saturated fat 1.4 g, Polyunsaturated fat 1.4 g, Monounsaturated fat 3.9 g, Cholesterol 41.6 mg, Sodium 708.6 mg, Potassium 544.8 mg, Total carbohydrates 63.2 g, Dietary fiber 8.1 g, Sugars 1.2 g, Protein 24.2 g, GI 37 (low)

Good source of: Vitamin C 27.3 %, Selenium 19.2 %, Folate 12.9 %, Manganese 12. 6 %

Flamenco Eggs

I told you there were more Spanish recipes up my sleeve! Hopefully Darlene from Blazing Hot Wok won't think I'm spamming her when I send another one in for the Regional Recipe Roundup - Spain.




I had a craving for eggs yesterday (I seem to have this often recently - and no, it's not what you think!), so when I flipped through my cookbooks this recipe naturally caught my eye. And what's not to love? Chorizo? Mmmm. Red and greenpeppers? Oh yes. Eggs? Well, the craving has spoken darling. And crunchy garlicy migas to top it all off? Bring it on!

Flamenco Eggs

Adapted from The Complete Spanish Cookbook 

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil

2 chorizos (about 230g or 8 oz), cubed
1 large onion, diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 medium red pepper, diced
1 medium green pepper, diced
3 large tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp sweet white wine or sherry
8 large eggs
3 tbsp chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

For the migas:

1 tbsp olive oil
3 slices of bread (I used a seeded bread, but you can use anything really)
1 tsp minced garlic
salt to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Fry chorizo's over high heat until browned and crispy.
2. Add onions and garlic and saute over medium heat until soft.
3. Add red and greenpeppers, tomatoes, wine and spices to the mix and cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat or until tomatoes starts to break down and sauce thickens.
4. Transfer to a square casserole dish (or use individual smaller dishes if you still happen to have a complete set...). Break eggs on top of the sausage mixture, piercing each yolk with a knife to break the film. Season again with salt and pepper and sprinkle parsley on top.
5. Bake at 180C for 8 - 10 minutes or until eggs are just set.
6. Meanwhile, make the migas: heat oil in a frying pan, add breadcrumbs and garlic and fry over high heat for a few minutes until golden brown. Season to taste. Sprinkle over the flamenco eggs as soon as you remove them from the oven and serve immediately.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 686.7, Total Fat 44.1 g, Saturated Fat 13.6 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 5.6 g, Monounsaturated Fat 20.9 g, Cholesterol 603.1 mg, Sodium 2,163.5 mg, Potassium 904.0 mg, Total Carbohydrate 36.9 g, Dietary Fiber 6.6 g, Sugars 0.1 g, Protein 35.3 g

Good source of: Vitamin C 589.7 %, Vitamin A 229.4 %, Selenium 95.3 %,Riboflavin 57.2 %, Vitamin B6 54.0 %, Manganese 51.1 %, Thiamin 44.7 %, Phosphorus 43.5 %, Vitamin B12 40.8 %, Folate 33.0 %, Zinc 28.5 %, Iron 28.0 %, Niacin 26.6 %, Pantothenic Acid 26.0 %, Vitamin E 20.8 %

Pimentos Relleños (Stuffed Peppers)

When I saw that Blazing Hot Wok's Regional Recipes Roundup for September was Spain, I knew I had to participate this time. I'd discovered her site a few weeks ago, but wasn't going to be able to make it for the last round-up (China), due to some time and budget constraints. You know the drill. 


BUT: I love all things Meditarranean (food-wise at least) and when these Pimentos Relleños caught my eye... Well you try looking at them and not being tempted to gobble... er make them.

The crunchy almonds are perfectly offset by the sweet raisins and herbs. All wrapped up in rice and stuffed into a greenpepper. Look out for some more Spanish cuisine in the following weeks - I've got a couple more up my sleeve...

Pimentos Relleños (Stuffed Peppers)

Adapted from The Complete Spanish Cookbook

Serves 4

1/2 cup brown rice

2 tablespoons raisins

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 onion, chopped

100g (2/3 cup) almonds, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 tsp dried mint (or 2 tbsp fresh)

2 tsp dried oregano (or 2 tbsp fresh)

salt and pepper, to taste

2 large greenpeppers, halved and deseeded

1 1/2 tablespoon breadcrumbs

1. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Put rice in a bowl, together with raisins, add a cup of water and cook until the water is absorbed, the rice is fluffy and the raisins are plump. (This takes about 18 minutes on high in my microwave.)

3. Meanwhile, heat 1/2 tbsp of the oil over medium heat, add garlic and onion and saute for a few minutes, until translucent.

4. Add the nuts, tomato, mint and origanum and fry another minute. Remove from heat and add to the cooked rice. Season to taste and add a little bit of water if the mixture looks too dry. 

5. Arrange greenpepper halves on a baking tray and fill with the rice mixture.

6. Spoon breadcrumbs over the top and drizzle with remaining olive oil.

7. Bake for 30 minutes, until peppers are soft but still holds their shape.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 286.6, Total Fat 18.6 g, Saturated Fat 1.8 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 3.8g, Monounsaturated Fat 11.9 g, Cholesterol 0.0 mg, Sodium 15.6 mg, Potassium 562.5 mg, Total Carbohydrate 26.6 g, Dietary Fiber 6.4 g, Sugars 1.2 g, Protein 7.9 g

Good source of: Vitamin C 298.3 %, Manganese 57.1 %, Vitamin E 37.2 %, Magnesium 25.5 %, Copper 23.8 %, Phosphorus 19.0 %