It was estimated by the Asociación de Empresarios de Pastelería Artesana de Madrid (AEPA) that bakeries in Madrid would sell 3.6 million torrijas (or 450,000 kilograms) this Easter season. Easter may be over, but this typical Spanish Easter treat can be enjoyed all year long. They are easy to make and require very simple ingredients.

To some they are known as the Spanish version of French toast. They date back to the 15^th century, when nuns created them as a way to not waste leftover or stale bread.

Some of us may associate this treat with breakfast, because of the similarity to French toast, but everyone has their own opinion on when—and with what—you should eat torrijas. Some say it should be eaten as a breakfast food, others say dinner, others think its just fine at any time of day. Recipes vary, but the basic ingredients are very simple; it’s a nice twist on the standard French toast.

Ingredients:

• Stale bread (a day or two old). The traditional torrijas are made with French or Italian baguette bread but you can use any type of bread. You don’t want rock hard bread, but you don’t want fresh bread either. If you have fresh bread and can’t wait a couple of days, you can lightly toast the bread
• 4 cups of milk
• Pinch of salt
• ½ cup of sugar (this amount can be altered depending how sweet you want your torrijas)
• 3-4 eggs
• Oil (Spaniards typically use olive oil but vegetable oil will do just fine as well)
• Cinnamon sugar mix (optional)
• Note: These measurements will make about six torrijas.

Other alternatives:

Some people prefer to use a sweet wine instead of milk for soaking the bread. Also it’s possible to add lemon and orange zest to the milk mixture to give it a citrus flavor. Get creative, and design your own torrijas recipe!

The article Torrijas: A Traditional Easter Recipe From Spain appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The following is being released by Green America, Washington, D.C.:

The “Raise the Bar, Hershey!” Coalition which has called on The Hershey Company to remove forced child labor from its products has an additional target this Easter: Cadbury/Kraft.

While Cadbury has demonstrated its commitment to ending forced child labor in the West African cocoa industry by selling Fair Trade certified chocolates in the UK, Canada, Ireland, Japan, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand—the same cannot be said of Cadbury products sold in the United States.

Why?

In 1988, Hershey purchased Cadbury’s U.S. chocolate business, including the exclusive rights to make and sell well-known brands like Cadbury Creme Eggs, and Cadbury Solid Milk Chocolate Bunnies.

The petition, launched last week, has already generated more than 5,000 signatures to the CEO’s of Hershey and Kraft/Cadbury.

Steven Waters, a supporter of the campaign in North Carolina, stated: ”I was shocked to learn that Cadbury’s products in the U.S. are made by Hershey. Learning that forced child labor was an ingredient in their seemingly innocent Easter chocolates made it easy to persuade my girlfriend’s family to discontinue their large quantity purchases of Chocolate Creme Eggs this year.”

“Unfortunately, Hershey refuses to meet the standard set by Cadbury overseas of offering at least one major fair trade product, despite almost two years of mounting consumer pressure,” said Green America Fair Trade Campaigns Director Elizabeth O’Connell. ”With Easter around the corner, the third most popular chocolate-consuming holiday in the U.S., consumers want to be able to buy Easter treats for their families that align with their values.”

The petition is coordinated by Raise the Bar, Hershey!, a coalition of organizations fighting ongoing labor abuses such as child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking in the West African cocoa industry.

Image Courtesy of    http://www.flickr.com/photos/owlpacino/

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