Merciful God, You are great in compassion and Your tenderness for us is without measure. We ask You to give us today our daily bread, and also provide for the needs of all of Your hungry children around the world. Through Christ Your Son and Our Lord. Amen.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Spanish Pan Roast

.





This dish was a delightful meal we enjoyed Sunday evening and I can't wait for the next Spanish feast day when I can enjoy it again (not that we have to wait for a feast day). I saw this recipe at Barb's place and when I saw it I realized immediately it would be a dish I would love. It's just the kind of thing I would order at a restaurant, and it was a good as any professional chef could create, if I do say so myself (of course, I only followed directions, so my part was easy). The original recipe came from Cooking Light and I modified it just a bit.

First, I could not find Spanish paprika any where. Our small town is such a culinary dead end, sometimes it drives me nuts. But as it turned out, the dish was plenty smoky from the chorizo, and plenty spicy as well. I substituted a half teaspoon of regular paprika and a pinch of cayenne for the Spanish paprika called for.

And then there was the chorizo -- I could not find smoked chorizo, but I did find fresh and it was delicious. I added the fresh chorizo to the pan at the beginning of the cook time with the potatoes so it would have plenty of time to get done. And as I stretched out some of the other cooking times, it was perfect in the end -- and I really liked the softer texture of the fresh chorizo as opposed to the denser smoked chorizo, so I would seek out the fresh again.

Now, lets talk beers. This recipe calls for a pilsner, which I believe is a bottom-fermented beer first brewed in the Bohemian city of Pilsen. If you know a good Pilsner, go ahead and use it. I had to take a shot in the dark and chose Beck's which is fairly available and a very tasty German beer (somebody has to finish off the bottle you know). I think St. Pauli Girl Lager can be classified as a pilsner and is actually brewed in the same brewery as Beck's, but I think St. Pauli Girl is a lesser quality beer (meaning: I think I recall that fact; not: I have that opinion), so if you can get Beck's, or something else you like, get it.Unless you really hate beer or can not drink it, I would not omit it -- it really lends itself not only to the flavor but to the texture of the veggies -- it's a wet roast instead of dry. If you really can't have beer, go ahead and cook the dish without. It will be a different dish, but I think it would still be excellent.

The recipe below is with all my changes -- you can find the original recipe here for comparison.


Spanish Pan Roast
serves 6

printer version

1 pound red potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 pound large peeled and cleaned shrimp
5 links fresh Spanish chorizo
1 pound green beans, trimmed
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup pilsner beer
1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika (see note above for substitution)
2 red bell peppers, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine potatoes, oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and sausage links (do not cut them if they are fresh) in a large roasting pan, tossing well to coat potatoes with oil. Arrange
in a single layer in pan. Bake at 400° for 15 - 20 minutes or until potatoes are lightly browned.

Stir green beans, garlic, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper into pan. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Add beer, paprika, and bell pepper, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook for 10 minutes. Nestle shrimp into vegetable mixture. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until potatoes and green beans are tender and shrimp are done.


Slice sausages into serving-size pieces. Sprinkle with fresh parsley. Taste and adjust salt and pepper seasoning if necessary, and serve.

Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed and serve.
Source: modified from Cooking Light via Mom's Fridge

4 comments:

Barb Szyszkiewicz said...

I can't get Spanish paprika either, but Szeged is very good. Let me know if you can't find that; I'll send you some :) It comes in the cutest metal can!

Barbara said...

Barb,
I have never heard of Szeged. What is it?

Barb Szyszkiewicz said...

It's a Hungarian brand of Paprika. I'll get you a box. Wait till you see how cute this tin is!

Barbara said...

You are so very kind! Thanks. :-)