Gambas Al Ajillo

This garlic shrimp tapas has to be of the easiest way to quickly prepare. Just simply saute with garlic, butter and oil. The garlic butter oil sauce it goes well with crusty bread.
 Ingredients:
500g raw prawns (shrimps)
½ cup olive oil
3 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp finely crush garlic
1 tbsp capers
5 dried chili
1 tbsp dried or fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper
crusty bread
Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. And Place the cazuelas or ramekins into the oven. Peel the prawns, leaving the tail behind. You devein the shrimps if desire. Just pull out from the back and cut a slit at back of shrimps and remove the vein.

2. Combine the butter and olive into pan and heat gas at medium temperature. Add the garlic and chilis, cook until translucent and bubbling.

3. Add 1 tsp of salt and pepper, give a stir for a second. Then add the shrimps into the pan.

4. Saute carefully and cooked for 5- minutes or until they just turn pink. 

5. Add the capers, parsley and shake or stir the pan for a seconds.

6. Turn off the gas, take the cazuelas out into the oven. Divide the garlic into ramekins and serves along with crusty bread or it goes well to in cooked pasta.

Paella De Pollo Con Romero

Ultimate delicious and easy Spanish chicken paella dish (Chicken paella with rosemary) Serve 4 as a main course.
Ingredients:
4-5 boneless chicken thigh, cut into halves
350g De Cecco riso arborio (rice) wash and drain
1.2 litre boiling chicken stock
3 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
1 medium size red Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
1 medium  size pimiento or red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
320g or 3 medium size tomatoes, coarsely chooped
2 laurel or dry bay leaves
1 tsp azafrán de la mancha (saffron)
1 tbsp hot paprika, I prefer (Ambroisa)
½ tsp Ambroisa paella mix, added some colour and flavor (if available and preferable)
1 tbsp olive oil
2-3 fresh spring rosemary
2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
freshly ground black pepper
salt
Preparation:

1. Marinate the chicken with chopped parsley, salt and ground pepper, leave at least 30 minutes, preferably longer on the fridge. 

2. Heat the paella copper pan or any heavy gauge paella pan over medium heat. Add only 1 tbsp olive oil, fry the chicken and skin side down its juices became the oily pool and cooked in its own fat.

3. Fry the chicken thighs 8 minutes per side or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and crisp. Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a large plate with wire rack or paper towels and drain the excess oil. Set aside.

4. On the same pan sauté garlic until fragrant, add onion and stir until the onion is translucent. Stir with pimientos and sauté for a 1 minute, then add the tomatoes and bay leaves. 

5. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly until tomatoes are softened and caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld.

6. Add the rice into the pan.

7. Stir well to coat the rice.

8. Add 6 ladle spoon of boiling chicken stock.

9. And stir for a few seconds.

10. Add the paprika, saffron, paella mix, pinch of ground black pepper and season with salt. Taste and adjust seasoning (you might have to add more salt.

11. Add fresh rosemary and more chicken stock.

12. Stir well again until totally mix all the ingredients blended with the rice, you almost can smell it the aromatic flavor of rosemary and spice. Cover with lid and bring to a boil for 10-15 minutes. Stirring occasionally so that it does not burn on bottom of pan.

13. After 10-15 minutes when the rice evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add the remaining stock and stir.

14. Place the chicken thighs on top of the paella rice mixture.

15. Reduce the heat to low, cover again and cook for a further 10 minutes until rice is tender but al dente and all the stock is absorbed.

16.  When the paella is cooked, turn off the heat and rest for a few minutes.

17. Place paella at the table.

18. And serve with lemon wedges if desired.

Calamares Ala Plancha

Ingredients:

2 calamari tubes

Seasoning:

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

1 pinch dry chili flakes

1/4 lemon, juiced,

1 pinch white pepper

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 tsp paprika

Methods:

1.) In a small mixing bowl mix all the ingredients except the calamari; Wash the calamari tubes, check them thoroughly for any remaining pieces of the spine bone inside of them, sliced in the middle.

2.) Mix the calamari tubes with the prepared seasoning ( marinade) and let it sit for 5 minutes. In the meantime, heat a 10-inch cast iron pan to high temperature, grease it with oil and place the calamari neatly in it.

3.) Cook each side for only about 25-30 seconds, until the calamari  are golden brown, and then turn the calamari on the other side. Serve the calamari  with a wedge of lemon any garnishing you may like.