The CookingBites recipe challenge: saffron

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So since my plans for today were scuppered by the malfunctioning Volkswagen, I did what any normal person on this site would do.
I got stuck into the kitchen.
Here's another entry, and I'm (a) amazed that I'd never heard of this before (b) amazed how simple it is to make.
Shrimp Mozambique (Camarão à Moçambique)
This recipe is Portuguese, and I'm delighted because my DIL is Portuguese - so I can actually make her something from her own country.
I'm also delighted because it contains three things that I love: shrimp, beer,and spices. If you haven't got any beer, then use white wine.
The popular recipe uses shrimp with tail on, so if you buy whole shrimp, just pull the head and legs off and leave the tail, because the dish is usually served as a "tapa"( tampa) to be eaten with some crusty bread and a glass of wine. You grab a shrimp by the tail, dip it in the juice and eat it.
I didn't have any tail-on shrimp, so I decided to serve it with peeled, deveined shrimp and white rice.
Shrimp Mozambique 3.jpg
 
So here's another entry: Spanish Almond Soup with Spinach "meatballs" (Sopa de almendras con Albóndigas de Espinacas)
I borrowed this recipe from Chef Rodrigo Alarcón, who is the head of a Culinary Centre in Granada, Spain. Sopa de Almendras is typically a sweet dish in Northern Spain, served at Xmas time, but in the South, there are many savoury versions.
Almonds originally came from Western Asia, but spread across Europe during Roman times. The Spanish use almonds for all sorts of things, not least the turrón - a sweet nougat preparation very popular at Xmas.
I modified this recipe by using black pepper instead of white (because I didn't have any white), but the flavour profile would definitely be better with white. I used chicken stock, but would recommend using a light vegetable stock; simply because the chicken stock was a bit too imposing (Knorr cubes!). I also cut back on the lemon zest; the original called for 100 gms, which I felt might be excessive.
Anyway - it was delicious. The saffron came through, the lemon zest counteracted the richness of the soup and I'd definitely make it again.
The word "albóndigas"in Spanish means meatballs, but they also use it for any other "balls". the translation synonyms only gave me fritters (which I always assume to be flat) and croquettes (which I always assume to be cylindrical), so I stuck with "meatballs".

sopa de almendras 2.jpg
 
Timenspace said:
Amaretto is alcohol containing?
Horchata was non alcoholic..
Click to expand...
Yes. Amaretto is an Italian liqueur made with almonds. Other notables would be Sambuca and Galliano, which taste of aniseed.
Horchata is made from blanched almonds/almond milk.Popular not only in Spain, but in Mexico and Latin America as well.
 
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