Good info - thank you!

We have a tradition in my part of Spain of using "toasted" vermicelli. Only thing is that it's a little thicker (not much more) and much shorter than the Seviyan the recipe calls for and it isn't sold ready toasted, that's something we do ourselves.
This recipe shows an example of how it is done
http://lasrecetasdelmarquesdemuchaba...rossejats.html
(Rather than actually being roasted the vermicelli is fried in a large pan - or wok - with a few tablespoons of good olive oil).

I'd be cautious about adding standard vermicelli along with the water in your recipe. If you can't find the pre toasted kind perhaps you could fry it with the other ingredients for a few minutes before adding the water (let the colour change a bit at least). Since the pre-toasting/frying makes such a big difference to the Spanish pasta dishes, I can't help but suspect that having toasted vermicelli will make a difference over just boiling standard vermicelli in the dish you want to recreate.
Hope it works out!

Help with recipe - Vermicelli
 

Roasted or toasted vermicelli will taste nuttier and absorb less liquid than the same amount of simply dried vermicelli. It is usually short in length and made from basically pasta dough.

A good substitute would be to break up angel hair pasta into short pieces (1.5 cm) and then fry in some butter, ghee or olive oil until lightly browned, stirring constantly. This will burn easily so be careful and enjoy!

(Edited for typo)

Found the vermicelli at M&S. Will give it a go this week. Going to try to roast and see how it turns out

Be very careful, vermicelli burn very quickly. It starts browning and you turn around for a second and it burns. Keep an eye on it.

Wise continued guidance! ;)

Raw vermicelli always burns very quickly if you fry it from the pack uncooked. It has no moisture and can only burn and crisp. You are further crisping and drying out an already dried product.

When frying noodle in most other cuisines one fries cooked pasta and that gives a degree of moisture and surface caramelisation of surface sugars.

Your warnings are spot on and as with everything interweb the OP will read all guidance and do as they wish!

:D

"y los movemos continuamente para que no se nos quemen y se vayan tostando." Means: and we stir them continuously so that they don't burn and just keep toasting.

They don't burn that quickly, it's just common sense to keep stirring so that they brown evenly. Much simpler than toasting sesame seeds or cashew nuts in a pan. I'd suggest 1 tablespoon of oil for each 100g of pasta.
Also, don't worry if a few of them do burn a little. They still taste good. You'd have to be really inattentive when cooking them to burn them enough to ruin your dish.

As well as changing colour you'll see that the strands actually puff up a little.

Even though it might not be "the norm" it is pretty common to fry pasta and noodles before boiling them, the techniques vary so sometimes freshly made pasta is fried (like Cantonese Yi Fu Noodles) or dried noodles might be par-boiled and then flash fried before packing (instant ramen and other Eastern made instant noodles are a common example). I'd guess that most Spanish fideos aren't pre-toasted and they are just added to chicken stock. Dried rice is often fried before boiling also, may not be the most common way to prepare rice, but it's a worldwide practice all the same.

Help with recipe - Vermicelli
 

Okay, so I managed to roast my vermicelli without burning the house down and this dish turned out amazingly. We thought it was better than the restaurant version. Of course, maybe that's to be expected when you can season to your liking - my wife went Ratatouille on it midway through. I'm strictly a recipe guy.

Great news. Well done. :)

Again, I get rave reviews on this one:

Tex Mex Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

2 14-1/2 ounch cans reduced-sodium chicken broth (or just one of the big boxes that equals two)

1 14-1/2 ounce can beef broth (i used reduced sodium)

1 14-12 ounce can tomatoes, undrained and cut up (any will do, i get the ones w/ green chiles)

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup - or if you prefer, green onion chopped up)

1/4 cup chopped green sweet pepper (or you can use frozen green pepper which is already chopped up)

4 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound total - i go up to 1-1/4 lbs), cut into bite-size pieces

1 cup frozen loose-pack whole kernel corn

1 to 2 teaspoons chili power (i use 2 heaping teaspoons)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (again, heaping)

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper3 cups tortilla chips, coarsely crushed (i use the tortilla strips, which are in the salad dressing section of meijer)

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (4 ounces - I just get an 8oz or 16 oz package of whatever is on sale - mexican 4 cheese, monterey jack)

1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks (optional - i always use; makes a difference for toppings)

Snipped fresh cilantro (optional - again, i always use; makes a difference; i chop it up)

Sliced fresh jalapeno chile peppers (i've never bothered w/ this)

Lime wedges (optional - i've never bothered)

Directions:

In a 4-quart Dutch oven combine chicken broth, beef broth, undrained tomatoes, onion, and sweep pepper. Bring to boiling. Add chicken. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add corn, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes more.

To serve, divide crushed tortilla chips among six soup bowls. Ladle soup over tortilla chips. Sprinkle with cheese. If desired, top with avocado, cilantro and sliced jalapeno peppers, and serve with lime wedges.

Sharon's note: I just put the toppings in various bowls & let my guests add whichever toppings they prefer.

Rob's AwesomeSauce Chicken Buffalo Dip

1 - 16 oz Can of Chicken
1 - Small package of crumbled Feta cheese
1 - Bottle of Buffalo Sauce
1 - Bottle of Ranch Salad Dressing
1 - Bottle of Bleu Cheese Salad Dressing
1 - Package of Cream Cheese
1 - 16 oz of Mozzarella Cheese (shredded, pick how fancy you want it)
1 - Package of bacon bits

Heat oven to 425º F or so. Combine the dressings, all of cream cheese, and half of the mozzarella, half of the bacon bits, and as much of the buffalo sauce as you'd like. The consistency should be a bit thicker than condensed cream of mushroom soup. Fold in the chicken. Pour into a casserole dish, and top with the rest of the mozzarella cheese, and bacon bits. Cook until cheese is browned on top. Serve with crackers, chips, things and stuff you like to dip.

Rob's Roasted Brussel Sprouts Dujour
(These are good, just trust me.)

Brussels Sprouts
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Optional Seasonings - Curry, Cayenne Pepper, or anything else you like. I've been using Old Bay recently

Heat oven to 400º F, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil (or don't, I couldn't care less, you're the one who is going to have to wash the dishes.) At some point before putting into the oven, you'll need to cut the bottom of the sprouts off, and peel the nasty leaves off. Cut each sprout in half, put into a bowl, coat gently with olive oil (they're cold now, but won't be in a few minutes), put onto the cookie sheet, add the salt and pepper, and other spices. Cook for about 10 minutes or so, remove from oven and move them about a bit, and cook for another 10 minutes or so. Until they're mostly golden brown, and the outer leaves are a bit crusty.

By definition, there is no such thing as fresh pancetta. ;) But I know what you mean.

I get inspired by recipes and then riff off of them. A few of the perennial favorites:

Mark Bittman's spaghetti with fried egg is one of my favorite quick meals, but I kick it up a notch by rendering pancetta or bacon and then cook the garlic in the fat, then crumble the pancetta/bacon over the top.

On a somewhat similar theme, I love Serious Eat's brussels sprouts, kale and potato hash, but also use rendered bacon/pancetta fat instead of the oil and then toss the bacon/pancetta in at the end.

Rick Bayless's chicken salad tacos are fantastic, though I recommend pureeing the dressing (first sentence in step 1) to ensure the chipotle peppers are fully incorporated.

Because you won't use the entire can of chipotle peppers in adobo, you should serve the tacos with Bayless's mushroom studded tortilla soup.

I usually freeze leftover chipotle peppers from the can. I just dump them in a zip lock freezer bag and then just break off a bit whenever I need some. I have even grated the frozen adobo sauce into dishes...makes it real easy because you are right---that's a lot of hot in that can! It lasts a while in my house.

My recipe for a Long Island Ice Tea

1/2 ounce Bombay Saphire Gin
1/2 ounce Ketel One Vodka
1/2 ounce 1800 Tequila
1/2 ounce Cruzan white rum
1/2 ounce Grand Marnier

Top with sweet & sour mix and Coke made with real sugar. Everyone loves my long island ice teas and I think the real sugar Coke makes a difference.