Are you planning to celebrate a romantic evening with your loved one? Spanish cuisine can be your best option especially when it’s something special like an anniversary or a proposal. However, if you don’t want to go to Spanish restaurants, you can still prepare it on your own.
If you’ve already visited Spain, or even if you just dined at Spanish restaurants, then you know what the dishes taste like.
It’s a good thing that Spanish cuisine has evolved through time because even though there are still ingredients that are only available in their country, you can still find the basic things you’ll need wherever you are.
So if you want to prepare a complete meal for your special someone, then check the list below!
1. Tapas
Hors d’oeuvre or tapas in Spain is a light snack that is usually paired with sangria or wine. It can be as simple as some cheeseburger and slice of meatballs updated to something that can be cooked for a longer time.
For your dinner date, you can prepare the Marinated Olives with Orange. It’s simple, yet a good choice to start your meal.
If you would like to try this, you’ll just need 15 minutes to complete it. The main ingredients are mixed olives, orange juice, and extra-virgin olive oil. Meanwhile, the rest are just for seasoning so they might be already present in your pantry.
2. Soup
Did you know that soup is packed with many different nutrients? In addition, it’s also easy to prepare just like the tapas. As tapas consist of a wide range of definitions, soups also serve as tapas sometimes.
You can try the most famous soup in Spain for your dinner date, gazpacho. It’s a tomato-based soup served cold. It’s popular during the Summer season but can also be consumed anytime.
The main ingredients of gazpacho are tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, garlic, and a side of bread. Furthermore, this dish is as popular as paella since lots of countries that have Spanish restaurants serve the dish.
3. Appetiser
When it comes to the appetiser, the gambas al ajillo is recommended. It’s made of shrimp sautéed with olive oil, garlic, paprika, and lemon juice. Moreover, it’s also served as tapas sometimes, so you can do it, too.
It’s good to serve a seafood dish in your dinner since it’s all about Spanish cuisine, and Spain is abundant in seafood. Moreover, aside from the origin of the dishes, it’s also a good thing to have a variety of dishes to achieve a balanced meal.
4. Salad
Care for some greens? Ensalada Verde, which is a direct translation of green salad, is one of the easiest yet most popular salads in Spain. Aside from that, you can prepare it in under 15 minutes. If you think you won’t have enough time before dinner, then you also make it in advance and put it in the fridge.
The main ingredients of this dish are lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. For the dressing, you’ll need salt, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. As for the garnish or toppings, you can add some pecorino or parmesan cheeseburger, and some croutons.
5. Main course
Want to guess the recommended main dish for your special evening Of course, it’s paella! Whether it’s chicken, seafood, or rabbit, your dinner will surely be flavourful. If you’ve visited Spanish restaurants before, you may already have a clue what authentic paella tastes like.
Moreover, you have even more clues on how to do it if you’ve visited Spain. but don’t worry if you haven’t because there are a lot of recipes available online that you can follow. Just make sure to try the ones made from Spain.
6. Dessert
Doesn’t your area have specialty pastry shops where you can get traditional Spanish desserts? No need to worry because you can make one! The easy-to-make Leche frita will save the last course of your dinner.
Ever hear of fried milk? Leche frita is known for having a crunchy coating dessert that has a sweet and velvety filling. It’s made with egg yolks, milk, and flour. You’ll just need to make a pudding first using milk and yolks, then refrigerate it for at least three hours, and finally coat with flour then fry.
If you think it’s a little complicated, it’s not. You don’t need baking experiences or special tools to make it.
Now that you have a complete meal course for the special dinner you’re planning, it’s time to have the list of things you’re going to buy. Don’t forget to share with us your favourite Spanish meal by leaving a comment below!