Here are the final two dishes from our Spanish NYE menu. Both recipes are incredibly easy and full of flavor. The mussels recipe comes from Martha Stewart. Fresh mussels pair perfectly with chorizo, the smoky, spicy Portugese sausage. Sop up the white wine and tomato broth with crusty bread, and wash it all down with a crisp glass of Cava. Spinach sauteed with plump golden raisins and toasted pine nuts is a distinctly Catalonian dish. Spinach Catalan would be a vibrant side dish for any meal.
Mussels with Chorizo
serves 2
Ingredients
2 tblsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups crushed tomatos with juice
2 oz dried, hot chorizo, cut on the diagonal in 1/4 inch slices
1/2 tsp coarse salt
fresh pepper
1 lb mussels, scrubbed and debearded
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or a large, heavy stockpot over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and continue to cook, 3 minutes. Add white wine and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes and chorizo. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Add mussels. Cover and continue to cook, shaking the pot occasionally, 4 – 6 minutes. Discard any mussels that don’t open.
Spinach Catalan
Ingredients
2 tblsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 bag baby spinach
dash of sherry vinegar
1. Cover the raisins with warm water and let plump for 10 minutes. Drain them.
2. Heat olive oil in a large, wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add raisins and pine nuts. Add spinach, season with salt and pepper, and use tongs to fold the spinach in the oil. Continue until spinach is just wilted. Finish with a dash of sherry vinegar.
