On the Menu petering out

I know this post is a day late. We had so many leftovers last night that I scrapped the idea of cooking a Greek dinner and we all had a smorgasbord. That's pick what ever you want to eat that's in the fridge for those of you who've never heard the term before. Fancy for Mom is fed up and tired and doesn't want to cook tonight.
I did make dinner Wednesday night, and the theme was Spanish. Here's those recipe, and some really bad pictures. I was running out the door and asked hubby to take some.

Wednesday Night: Spanish

Chicken and Sweet Pepper Paella
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1 lb Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
1 Yellow sweet bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 Red sweet bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 large yellow onion, dices
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon fish sauce
2 cups brown rice
4 cups chicken broth, or water
sea salt 
fresh ground black pepper

In a large pan saute onion and garlic in olive oil, on medium high heat, until transparent. Add chicken  and brown on both sides. Add both peppers, rice and water and cover and cook on medium low heat for about 40 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.


Spanish Gazpacho
1/4 large onion diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs tomatoes, skins removed and diced
*1 cup homemade tomato paste 
1 sweet red bell pepper, diced
1 sweet yellow pepper, diced
2 Cucumbers
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
2 cups chilled water 
sea salt to taste


Place onion, garlic, tomato paste , 1 chopped cucumber, and olive oil into blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a pot and add peppers, and second cucumber with water. Add sea salt to taste.
This soup is meant to be served chilled and actually gets better the longer you let it chill. traditionally it is served with bread or croutons. I served mine with a cheese focaccia. 


* To make home made tomato sauce, cook down 4 cups of chopped tomatoes, uncovered, on low heat for about 3 hours. A crust will develop on the side of the pot. When most of the liquid has cooked off, cover and turn off heat. Let the crust soften up, and mix into the tomatoes. It will give them a richer flavor.  I keep this on hand in the fridge to use in recipes through out the week.


This is the first time I've ever tasted this soup. When I heard of a chilled soup, I thought, "how strange!" But, I really loved it! It was almost like a liquid salad. And was very refreshing! It was even better on the second day.