Traveling in Quarantine: Spain

• Heat the 8 tablespoons olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually add the milk and the chicken broth, stirring without stopping. This can take up to 30 minutes.
• Next, add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sauce is thickened and smooth.
• Add the minced ham and continue to cook for about 2 to 3 minutes on low heat, continuing to stir. Remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
• Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes and refrigerate at least 3 hours until mixture is cold. If you are preparing a day or so ahead, you can cover the mixture tightly and keep refrigerated until you are ready to fry the croquettes.
• Pour the breadcrumbs into a small, wide bowl.
• Beat the eggs with water in a small, wide bowl.
• Cover your hands in flour, then divide the mixture into 1-inch balls and set on a plate, so that they are not touching.
• Pour enough olive oil in a medium-to-large frying pan to cover 1/2-inch deep. Heat the olive oil for frying to about 355 F.
• Dip the croquettes in the beaten egg and coat with crumbs by rolling in the bowl.
• Place the croquettes in the hot oil and fry quickly, turning several times, until golden.
• Remove the croquettes with a slotted spoon and set on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
• Serve immediately. If croquettes will not be served immediately, place in a warm oven (200 F) for up to 30 minutes

RECIPE PREPARATION

• Purée chile, parsley, and 6 Tbsp. oil in a food processor until smooth; season chile-parsley oil with salt and set aside.
• Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a 13″ paella pan or a 12″ cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Cook pancetta, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Add yellow onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 8–10 minutes. Add garlic and both paprikas and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Carefully add Sherry, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring constantly, until pan is almost dry, about 3 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is coated and starting to turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in broth, orange zest, and saffron; season with salt. Bring broth to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until rice is nearly tender, 12–15 minutes.
• Pluck out zest. Nestle clams into rice in center of pan and cook until clams begin to open, 12–15 minutes. Cover pan with foil and simmer until rice is al dente and clams open (discard any that don’t), 8–10 minutes. Remove from heat (keep covered) and let rice steam 10 minutes.
• While paella cooks, heat a grill pan over medium-high. Separately, toss spring onions and shrimp with 1 Tbsp. oil each in bowls; season with salt and pepper. Grill spring onions, turning occasionally, until greens are charred and bulbs are tender, about 5 minutes. Next, grill haricots verts, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and tender, about 2 minutes, then grill prawns until cooked through and shells are charred, about 3 minutes per side. Finally, grill lemons until charred, about 1 minute per side.
• Arrange spring onions and shrimp over paella. Drizzle dish with oil and squeeze some juice from grilled lemons over. Place remaining wedges on top of paella and serve.

• Hard boil the eggs. Allow them to cool in cold water. Peel and cut the eggs into quarters or slice into thick slices and set aside.
• Cut the lettuce head in half. Rinse the lettuce under cold water and allow to drain. While it is draining, prep the vegetables.
• Quarter the tomatoes (so you have 8 pieces). Peel and slice the cucumber. Remove the stem and seeds from the peppers and slice them into long, thin strips. Thinly slice the onion and grate the carrot.
• Open the cans of tuna, white asparagus, and artichoke hearts and drain each one well.
• Break up the lettuce into small pieces for a salad. Make a bed of lettuce on a large platter.
• On top of the bed, place the tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, peppers, and carrots.
• Spread the tuna around the bed of lettuce, breaking it up into small chunks with a fork.
• Place the reserved egg slices, asparagus, artichoke hearts, olives, and baby corn ears (if using) on top.
• Dress with oil and vinegar and sprinkle with salt to taste.
• Serve cold with crispy artisan bread if you like.

Before You Begin

• This crema Catalana recipe is a great Spanish dessert to make ahead of time, since it is very easy but does require between 2 and 3 hours of refrigeration before serving.
• You can make it the day before serving, and leave it in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat. For the caramelized sugar crust, simply heat the broiler, caramelize the sugar and serve.
• Make the Crema
• In a large saucepan, beat together the egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar until the ingredients are thoroughly blended and the mixture turns frothy.
• Add the cinnamon stick and lemon zest and stir.
• Add the milk and cornstarch and slowly heat the mixture, stirring constantly, just until it begins to thicken.
• As soon as the mixture thickens and you feel resistance while stirring, remove the pot from the heat immediately or the mixture may curdle or separate. If this happens, the texture of the finished crema Catalana will be grainy instead of smooth and creamy as it should be.
• To cool, remove the cinnamon stick and ladle the milk mixture into 4 to 6 ramekins (depending on size). Allow them to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours.
• Before serving, heat the broiler. Take the ramekins with the crema Catalana out of the refrigerator and sprinkle the rest of the sugar over each ramekin.
• When the broiler is hot, place the ramekins under the broiler on the top shelf and allow the sugar to caramelize and bubble, turning golden brown. This may take 5 to 10 minutes or so, depending on your broiler. Keep a close eye on your crema Catalana so that it does not burn. Remove and serve immediately.
• If you’d like, you can serve the crema Catalana chilled, but some think it has more flavor when served warm from the broiler.