Spanish Street Food Recipes

Did you know that a quarter of people book their holiday based on the food available? I can quite believe it because I have to be honest and say I’m one of those people. One of the reasons I do love to frequent the US so often is because I love what they have available. Okay, so in the long run it may kill me faster as food Stateside is renowned for being a lot more unhealthy than what we have over but, who cares? It tastes so good! I also love visiting France for all the bakery and patisserie, and I adore the Mediterranean fare of Greece. I am a big foodie, and although I wouldn’t say I was that adventurous, I do like a lot of what I do eat.

So when I was set the challenge by Travel Supermarket to whip up two street food offerings from the country of my choice, I went safe, but I also went with a country that as of yet I’ve never visited. I have of course been to imitation restaurants in this country, but I am looking forward to the day I can go to Spain and try the authentic versions of these dishes.

Paella is actually one of my all time favourite foods. If i’m at a food festival and they have it there I’ll always buy it but this was my first time making my own. It tasted alright actually and it looked pretty authentic. I think next time though I will add some seafood as huge king prawns are really what makes it for me! This recipe was originally created by Spanish Lab, however I have added my own twist to it to make it my own (and because my daughter is a pick with vegetables!) This recipe make enough for 8, or you can just eat half and freeze the rest like I did!

What You Need
800g bomba rice
200g fresh cooking chorizo, chopped
200g deboned chicken tights, cut into pieces
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 red peppers, diced
2 tbsp tomato puree
Blend of spices (paprika, cayenne and saffron)
Olive oil
Salt
Hot chicken stockHow to Make
1. In a hot pan, place the olive oil and fry the garlic until golden brown. Then add the chicken, chorizo, peppers and tomato puree
2. Once the chicken is starting to brown add the blend of spices and leave too cook. Stir occasionally to avoid burning.
3. Pour in the chicken stock and bring the mix to a boil.
4. Add the rice to the pan and leave to boil for 5 mins and then simmer for another 10 minutes.
5. Once cooked, cover with a kitchen towel for 5 minutes to set the paella.

This is probably as close to authentic paella I can get to making at the moment with having a picky three year old, but one day I will perfect the art!

Next up, is a burger recipe! Now normally I would never associate burgers with Spain, but thanks to this fab recipe that was inspired once again by Spanish Lab, I now know different! Due to the blend of spices, chorizo and the fact the original recipe called for quail eggs (again, something I had to skip due to my picky child) this is a great example of Spanish street food. I would really love to try the real deal if mine are anything to go by!

What You Need

Mini brioche burger buns
200g fresh cooking chorizo, chopped
200g beef mince steak
Blend of spices (paprika, cayenne and saffron)
200g cheddar cheese
Mixed leaves
Mayonnaise
Olive oil
SaltHow to Make
1. To form the patties, place in a bowl both the minced beef and chorizo, season with salt and the spice blend. Mix gently getting until combined. Portion the mix in eight 50g balls. Give them a burger form with your hands. Refrigerate for at least two hours. This will stop them falling apart when you cook them.
2. When you are ready to cook, add a little oil and fry the the burgers around 50 seconds each side. Top the burger with some cheese and allow to melt.
3. To serve, toast both sides of the burger bun. Add a bit of may then the leaves and finally the cheese topped burger. Serve immediately.

This recipe once again makes 8 burgers. So of course I had some to freeze. They are small burgers so I recommend two, or one with a side of say, sweet potato fries?

Do you choose a holiday destination because of the food?I was compensated for this post with ingredients, the recipes are credited to Spanish Lab