Chocolate Cherry Sorbet with Cherry Compote

Andalusian Paella

9/20/2015

My friend Diane shared her paella recipe with me. It is delicious and a lot of fun to make.
Unfortunately I didn't have any good photos of the finished paella.

My Andalusian Paella Recipe
by Diane Marvin Koenig

My paella recipe comes from my love affair with flamenco, the music and dance of Andalusia, southern Spain. Paella originally comes from the region of Valencia, Spain but every good flamenco party centers around the making of a paella, then of course the music and dancing follows until morning hours. Cooking outside with an open fire and making the dish in front of your guests is fun and brings people together for a wonderful evening of sitting by the fire and sharing a meal from the same pot.

Paella is about the rice and the saffron that flavors it. I like to use ‘Matiz’ a rice grown in the Albufera National Park in Valencia, Spain. It can be found in specialty shops and our nearby ‘Shopper’s Corner’ carries it. Paella rice is a short grained, absorbant rice that along with saffron is the basis of a good paella. I have used basmati as a substitute and it comes out well. You will also need a good paella pan. Mine is about 14” in diameter, has a lid and is not an authentic paella pan but is low with slanted sides and will feed 10-12 people.

The fire! You will need a good fire maker to tend the fire and make sure it is not too hot or too cool. I have cooked paella indoors in a pinch on a gas flame but the fire gives the paella it’s flavor and it’s good to enlist some help.

Diane and George have a beautiful oasis on top of the Santa Cruz Mountains between Aptos and Watsonville . Driving up to Diane and George's place is an adventure in itself. It is a mile long narrow road to the top of the mountain. Once you are there it is a green redwood oasis with a scenic view of the Monterey Bay. This place has hosted many weddings , parties , and celebrations. The property has a vegetable garden and some fruit trees

The bounty of the mountain garden

The chef

Diane's mom is helping with the peas

Ingredients for a paella can be varied. It is basically a fisherman’s stew with rice. Throw in a few peas or beans and you have a meal. You first make the ‘sofrito’ with the onions, garlic, peppers, then add the rice and broth and lastly the fish.

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Here is what I like to use:
Ingredients:
serves 8-12

The Sofrito

½ cup olive oil
1-2 medium onions, sliced
2-3 red peppers, sliced thinly
6 cloves diced garlic, chopped
1 can of diced tomatoes or 2 cups or more of fresh diced tomatoes

The Paella

8 cups of chicken stock or I use water with 2 vegetable bullion cubes
1 tsp saffron
1 16 oz. jar of artichoke hearts
4 cups paella rice or basmati rice

6-8 chicken thighs (boneless, skin removed))
1 lb. large shrimp
1 lb. mussels or clams or both
1lb. white fish (I use red snapper)
¼ lb peas or green beans or both

parsley and lemon wedges for garnish

Preparation:

When the olive oil sizzles in the pan add:
Sliced onions and saute for 5 minutes.
Add the red peppers and saute until soft then add the garlic.
Add the tomatoes and then the chicken thighs. Cook and turn. Then add the artichoke hearts.

Have your broth ready on the stove heated with the saffron added

Add the rice to the sofrito mixture in the form of a cross. This is the way it’s done. Then slowly spread the rice out in the pan. This is the last time you will move the rice. Add the heated broth slowly then put the lid on for 10 minutes and let the rice cook.

Gather your seafood ingredients for the last step (or have a drink of a nice rosé wine)
After 10 minutes add the fish, shellfish, peas and beans.
Let cook for another 10 minutes (finish your wine) and then take a peak at the paella.

The fish should be cooked, clams and mussels open (discard any that are closed) and the rice will have absorbed the broth and is little crunchy on the bottom of the pan.

Remove from heat and cover with a dishtowel for 10 minutes to let rest. Place in the center of your table, garnish with lemon and parsley and enjoy.

Buen provecho!
recipe by©Diane Marvin- Koenig

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German Strawberry Rhubarb Meringue Cake

9/6/2015

2 Comments

A German cake that will please your palate

Capitola is about three miles down the road from where I live. It is a cute little seaside village that attracts many visitors from near and far. Each Labor Day there is a Begonia Festival. Local businesses, friends and families decorate floats with begonias and parade them down Soquel Creek under a bridge into a lagoon near the beach. It is a lot of fun and a wonderful Labor Day tradition. The floats are all uniquely beautiful—how can they not be with all those beautiful flowers? This festival has been going on since 1951. Major growers of these tuberous begonias are located in the Santa Cruz area and in late summer they are in spectacular bloom.

Originally, I had planned to post an Italian giant cookie cake. I will do that next. Last Sunday, Ronald, my strawberry farmer, had some beautiful ones and sold me a whole flat: 12 pint baskets of strawberries just picked that morning, sweet and juicy. I had already made strawberry jam from an entire flat the previous week, so I used half of the strawberries to make more jam. We ate quite a few fresh ones and sliced some for my husband’s morning cereal. I had two baskets left. I also had some green rhubarb in my dried out tiny garden. After a quick search on the internet, I found a German recipe I like and this cake was born. It was easy to make and I couldn't stop eating it after it came out of the oven. My husband said it was not his favorite, but he still managed to eat quite a bit. I hope you enjoy this cake as much as I did.

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Ingredients

10 TBS (150 g) softened butter
1¼ cup (150g) all purpose flour
1½ TBS baking powder
½ heaping cup (80g) cornstarch
1 cup (150g) brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 egg yolk

½ cup sliced almonds
1 TBS sugar

14 ounces (400g) rhubarb
14 ounces (400g) strawberries

4 egg whites
a pinch of salt
1/3 cup (60g) sugar
½ cup + 2 TBS (80g) powdered sugar
2 TBS lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit (200º Celsius).
Grease a 9½-inch round cake pan with a removable bottom.
Clean and peel the rhubarb and cut it into ½-inch pieces.
Wash and slice large strawberries into halves, leaving the small ones whole.
Beat soft butter and brown sugar in an electric mixer for 5-8 minutes, until the dough doubles. Add the two eggs and the egg yolk, one at a time. Mix the flour with the cornstarch and baking powder and add to the dough in 2 or 3 portions. Put the dough into the greased cake pan and flatten it with a spatula. Mix the almonds with the tablespoon of sugar and sprinkle it over the dough. Put the rhubarb on top of the almonds.

Bake the cake for 30-40 minutes. I used the convection bake function on my oven and I baked my cake on the lower rack. If you don’t have that function, you will have to bake it longer. Make sure you don't burn the cake, as I almost did. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for little while.

Beat the 4 egg whites with the pinch of salt until very stiff, add the 1/3 cup of sugar, the powdered sugar, the lemon juice and continue to beat for a couple of minutes.
Add the strawberries to the cake and then the meringue. Bake at 375º for 15 minutes until the meringue is lightly colored. Test the cake to see if it is baked in the middle by inserting a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.

Let the cake cool a bit and remove the sides of the pan. I used a knife to cut around the inside of the cake form before releasing the cake pan.

Guten Appetit
Recipe translated from chefkoch.de
adapted by © sunnycovechef.com

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Andalusian Paella

German Strawberry Rhubarb Meringue Cake

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Andalusian Paella

German Strawberry Rhubarb Meringue Cake

WELCOME TO SUNNY COVE CHEF

​STAY UPDATED!

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STAY UPDATED!