Following on from my recipe for the Mojo Verde which I used on the char-grilled pork loin from the other week..... that the finished dish up there, looks yummy eh? The sweet potato puree is really delicious. Honestly! That balance between the savouriness of the spices and the sweetness of the potato brings a lip-smacking umami taste and takes what can sometimes be a bit bland to another level... You will need a Spanish pincho spice mix or ras-al-hanout - a Morrocan spice mix - will do just as well, and should be available in the big supermarkets. For 4 2 large orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, cut into 2" thick slices a tablespoon of spice mix olive oil salt and pepper Put the oven on hot 220 degrees. In a bowl mix the spices with enough oil to make a loose paste, add a couple of good pinches of cracked black pepper and a level teaspoon of salt. Use all of it to coat the potato slices on their cut sides and place in a roasting tray or similar with sides, preferably so they don't touch. I don't mind smearing the paste on the potatoes with my hands but can do it with a spoon! The key here is the cooking of the sweet potatoes - they need to be browned/caramelised nicely but the spices must not be burned. If you are cooking in a metal tray you need to keep an eye on them every 10 mins or so, less important if you are using a ceramic dish, but still. The slices will need turning at least once. They are going to take as long as they take really, no less than 20mins though. When they are caramelised and the centres are cooked through (test with a knife if they are soft) remove and leave to cool. When cool enough to handle, cut or snip the skins open with scissors and scrape the flesh only into a processor. Blend until smooth and then dribble in some oil to make it lovely and silky and to a consistency you like. Check for seasoning and adjust. You make this in advance and reheat in the microwave stirring well to ensure it is all heated through, or in a pan on a low heat, being careful not to let it catch. You can add a little water if it starts to get a bit dry. You can cook the peppers for the recipe at the same time you have you oven on for the potatoes! Escabeche is basically preserving meat, fish or vegetables in a vinegar base. It's very well known and widely used in Spain, but not something you see a lot of in restaurants there. If you do, it would most likely be fish, and even then it would probably be out of a tin. Not that there is anything wrong with tinned Spanish produce - especially fish - it is some of the finest in the world! This pepper recipe will keep for several days in the fridge, but is more about making a dish to eat straight away. They went really well with the pork and balanced the sweetness of the potatoes out. But they can accompany cold meats, chicken, strong cheeses like manchego or used as part of a tapas line up. They are incredibly easy and quick to make too! You need 3 peppers olive oil from brushing and for the dressing sherry vinegar - if you can get get an aged one, even better as this gives even more depth of flavour salt and pepper optional mixed herbs - I used a freeze dried herb mix here Brush your peppers - I used a mixed bag as you can see - all over with olive oil and roast in a hot oven until lightly charred and cooked though. Allow to cool and open them, discarding the seeds. Sliced the flesh into thick strips, keeping the skin on as much as possible. While they are cooking make the dressing. In a small bowl, mix three tablespoons of a good olive oil with two good pinches of salt and then whisk in a little sherry vinegar at a time so that you can taste it but it doesn't catch your throat. As I said a good aged sherry vinegar is worthwhile getting, it gives a subtle nutty flavour. Some good grinds of pepper to finish and the herbs if you are using. You can put fresh herbs like parsley or chives in it, but they won't look too nice if you want to keep the peppers, as the vinegar will discolour them. Fine though if you want to eat the peppers right away! Just mix the pepper with the dressing carefully. Serve at room temperature for the full flavours to come out! Buen provecho!
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First in what will be a series of recipes where I hope to inspire you and also - frankly - keep you coming back for more! Sometimes the simplest things are the best and what could be simpler than Mojo Verde? It literally translates as 'green sauce' which is nothing if not descriptive! Mojo's are common all over the Spanish speaking world and Mojo Verde and Rojo (red) are both thought to have originated from the Canary Islands. My take on it is a mash up - or perhaps more literally a whizz up - of single herb versions from the canaries. It shares basic elements of a lot of similar sauces - pesto and it French equivalent pistou - garlic, olive oil and herbs. After that they go their own ways really. Mojo that I make in Spain uses a long sweet green pepper - now if you can get hold of one then also chuck that in the mix. Here in France I rarely see them so just omit pepper altogether. Don't be tempted to use an ordinary green bell pepper - they are horribly sour and bitter and will completely spoil your sauce! Take it from me.... What I like best about the simplicity of Mojo is that it makes it really versatile. When I make a batch, it gets used as a marinade, accompanying sauce to white fish, chicken or pork, salad dressing and more. It keeps well in the fridge and is just waiting there to jazz up all sorts of things, with it's fresh zesty taste. Mashed potatoes with olive oil and mojo verde - yes please! All you need is a bunch of basil, one of flat leaf parsley, one of coriander (omit and double up on the others if you don't like it), couple of fat peeled garlic cloves, lemon juice and olive oil (and deseeded and chopped sweet pepper, if you are using). Don't use tougher herbs like rosemary or thyme - they won't blend and are too strong in any case. You can add in chives or chervil - leafy herbs are OK - but the base I find is best with basil and flat parsley. So chuck everything but the oil & lemon juice into a processor. You can put all but the toughest herb stalks in too - it's all flavour. Whizz until everything is chopped finely (finer than in the foto!) scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple of times. Add in the juice of half a lemon, then whizz and dribble in the olive oil until you get a consistency thinner than pesto. I prefer to use mainly a light tasting olive pomace oil and a bit of extra virgin Arbequino to finish it off. Using all extra virgin will likely overpower everything else and give a bitter aftertaste. It make look quite oily or wet but that's fine.. Season with salt and pepper, I prefer to over-salt a little. So this is the finished product! I am using it here to marinade a pork loin, which has been trimmed and is ready to go. As the mojo has salt in it you won't want to marinade the pork for longer than a coupe of hours. This is because the salt will draw out the moisture and in a super-lean cut like this, you need to keep that moisture in. So I smooshed a good blob of the mojo over the loin, making sure it was all covered, then cling filmed it and popped into the fridge until I was ready to cook. Here it is looking splendid! I served the pork with two side dishes that I will be giving you the recipes for over the next week. One is a new invention using a very old spice mix and the other is a traditional method for preserving. So stay tuned for how to make Moorish spiced sweet potato mash and peppers escabeche. Ideally you would want to barbecue the pork or cook it over a wood fire. I sealed it on a char grill pan on all sides and finished cooking it in a medium hot oven. This piece fed two big lads and I guess was about 400grams maybe a big bigger. That took 12 mins in the oven but you need to adjust as it entirely depends on the thickness and size of the loin. If I was doing this with Iberico pork I would cook it pink but otherwise you need to roast it until it is just done, you don't want it to go dry. Also it will continue to cook as it rests. When the meat hits the hot the pan, such a wonderful aroma comes up from the herbs and garlic - yum! Rest for 10mins out of the pan but under foil to keep it hot. I sliced across the grain into 6 nice little steaks, and served with the peppers, sweet potato puree and extra mojo verde. Also popped a bit of the delicious marinading juice from the peppers on there too - why not! Here is the final result and I have to say it really was delicious. The pork juicy, tender and flavoursome with that slightly charred mojo on the outside. The sweet potato was literally Moorish and moreish, and the pepper brought a slight vinegar bite to take down their sweetness. Buen provecho. I hope you have a try of at least the mojo and don't forget the other side dish recipes coming soon.....
If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter please could you retweet or share and help spread the word about Spain On A Plate? Thank you! You can comment below about this recipe, or ask me anything or even request a recipe. Alex Another wine tasting though this time not a wine from Granada.
Emilio Moro is a bogeda with a fine reputation in Ribero del Duero and it’s eponymous is one of their most affordable wines. 2017’s season was a difficult one with an unusual Spring frost, but they still produced a very good wine at the price point. It’s 100% Tinto Fino variety and although not marked as one it is a Crianza, having 12 months ageing in the barrel. This wine was bottled in 2019 and has a good 14.5% alcohol content. Vibrant dark red in the glass, the fresh nose jumps out immediately. Most reminiscent to me of raspberry vinegar there’s an acetone whiff coming through too. Giving a few more swirls brings out an interesting saffron note as well, which is unusual. It is really well-balanced out of the glass, those tannins light but still present and doing a great job. Well bodied with juicy fruit and a hint of bitter cocoa rather than chocolate. Extremely drinkable in fact with our without food. I found that the light oak and woodiness come out more when you have downed it, rather than in the mouth. But that could just be me. I has a fairly dry finish but that was pleasing rather than unpleasant! We drank it with a 'burger' of pressed confit duck and morcilla black pudding, a puree of Moorish spiced aubergine along with patatas a lo pobre. It turned out to be a great pairing, complimenting the sweet meat and warm spices really well. I would recommend any wine from the bodega, it’s a top-quality young wine at a great price from a fantastic winery. I look forward to tasting their other wines and especially El Zarzal, their new white wine aged on the lees. It is 100% Godello variety which is more commonly grown around Galicia and has fresh and mineral characteristics. 'This is a deliciously fresh Thai inspired salad. Perfect for summer, crispy and crunchy. It;s really adaptable too, you miss out things you don't like and add in things you do. Everything tastes great with the dressing on it. There are actually three variations here. You can use Chinese leaf, rice or noodles to vary the texture and heaviness of the dish. Using rice or noodles will obviously fill you up more. You can use sweet mango, or a green under ripe one. If you can find them! Using the latter will give you more of a Thai taste experience. The same applies to papaya. Do take time cutting the veg up nicely it will make it much more appetising! Serves 4 INGREDIENTS FOR THE BASIC SALAD I large mango or 2 small ones thinly sliced 1 small papaya thinly sliced 1 small Chinese leaf, thinly sliced 1 red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced Small bag of fresh beansprouts 2 spring onions, thinly sliced 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped Some chopped fresh coriander Some chopped fresh mint Some chopped fresh Thai basil In total you need around 60g of fresh herbs. Add more if you want a punchier salad Grated zest of 1 lemon and the juice, or a lime 1 tbsp Mirin (If you don’t have it, let a tbsp liquid honey down in a little water) 60g roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped 50g flaked coconut (desiccated is too fine) 2 tbsp crispy onions or shallots METHOD Put all the fruit, vegetables and herbs in a large bowl and mix gently. Grate the zest of the lemon over the salad and squeeze over the juice. Drizzle over the Mirin, or diluted honey and mix everything again. Toast the flaked coconut in a dry pan until lightly browned. Scatter over the salad with the chopped peanuts. Serve and enjoy! If anybody has an allergy to peanuts, serve them on the side in a small bowl, or ramekin. You could do the same with the crispy onions or shallots. They contain gluten as they’re dredge with flour before frying. The 60g figure is just a guide. You can put out more if you want. We also serve peeled hard boiled eggs on the side to add a protein element to the meal. VARIATIONS Soak 250g of rice noodles in cold water until soft. Or follow the directions to soften them. Make sure they’re cold, then drain very well and add to the salad before mixing. Omit the Chinese leaf. RICE SALAD Put 100g of basmati, or jasmine rice in a pan with 1 tsp butter or oil and a couple of stems of Thai basil. Put 150g Camargue red rice in another pan and cook separately. If you cook both rice together, you won’t get separate coloured grains. You could use a wild rice mix, which already has various grains incorporated ready to cook together. Spread the rice on a tray to cool. Mix everything together once the rice has cooled. Omit the Chinese leaf. Paraje de Mincal – Bodegas Vilaplana 2013
A small family run bodega North East of Granada city. Their vines are situated at 1000 meters above sea level in the Sierra de Baza natural park. As with most Granadian wines this altitude allows a slower maturation of the grapes due to the bigger differences between day and night time temperatures. This should lead to a more complex taste profile than the same grape grown in more balanced temperatures. As a 100% Tempranillo, I was expecting much and I am afraid to say I was disappointed. I think this 2013 has gone over - certainly my bottle had - but of course I would willingly try another. The omens were good – clear, leggy and a deep garnet colour in the glass. Little given away on the nose even after being aired for some considerable time. Several deep breaths just about pulled out hints of leather and a sweetness reminiscent of raspberry sherbet. It goes downhill from there unfortunately. Although you expect tannin in a full tempranillo, an immediate astringency fills the mouth, drying it and coating the teeth. It didn’t make for a pleasant drinker. There was no roundness or mouthfeel of note. This was surely not intended, but I have to give a truthful account. We did manage to drink the bottle between us - it was certainly not off in the usual sense or corked. If I were really ignoring the mouthfeel and getting some air into it, I could make out the base flavours of liquorice, with some tobacco and a nice minerality. I got a tiny bit of chocolate in the finish. These, I am sure, are the tastes that would be prominent in later red vintages. I look forward to trying them – along with the bodegas whites and rose - and having a much more pleasant drinking experience! Vilaplana is a bodega I intend to visit when I get back to Spain and there is nothing I would like more than to give a proper account of their wines. I am pretty sure that I fell in love with Spain properly about seven years ago - looking out over the spectacular landscape from the room balcony of a small rural hotel near Ronda. After a dinner in the restaurant, drinking a local tinto and watching the sun disappear.
Mind you, it could have been during an evening stroll along the cobbled streets of Seville, the heat of the day still rising from them. Between tapas of pig's cheeks, slowly cooked in sherry and super crispy, deep-fried baby squids - our palates cleansed by huge goblets of sub-zero gin tonics. It also could have been when we were dining in an over-priced and under-delivering tourist restaurant in the Albaicin of Granada. That disappointment being completely salved by the tableau of the Alhambra in front of me, something that could never fail to transfix any viewer. In reality, it must have been all of these experiences and more. I guess most people reading this will have similar personal memories and emotions of Spain, or perhaps want to have. It seduces you with its open heart, vibrant spirit, generous plates and even more generous measures. I am very excited to have been asked to occasionally share my foodie thoughts, recipes and inspirations with you on Spain In English. I am Alex and I think I have always had food in my veins. My French father came to the UK to further his career as a chef in 1969 and met my mother who was working on reception in the same hotel. Growing up I was fascinated by the noise and heat of the kitchen and - despite warnings about hours and pay – left school to work in a well-regarded local restaurant. Just to keep things in the family, my sister’s partner is also a chef! I worked in and around Manchester and Cheshire until my long-time partner Adrian and I decided to make a move to France 15 years ago. We moved to open our Yoga Holiday retreat centre called ‘Les Passeroses’, which we run during the summer months. We look after the guests and cook all the vegetarian & vegan food, which is perfect for a week of yoga. It is incredibly important to bring everyone together around the dinner to be nourished - not only by the food, but by the social interaction around it. We finally brought out a long-called for cookery ebook this year, featuring some of the most popular recipes which are take inspiration from all over the world, including - of course - Spain. Over the years, several visits to Madrid and Barcelona to stay with friends opened my eyes and belly to how Spain lives through its food and drink culture. Madrid at New Year was the probably coldest I have ever been, but the churros con chocolate was worth braving the icy rain for. The early – OK mid - afternoon recovery from a night’s clubbing in Chueca was helped immeasurably by Huevos Rotos. Chunks of potato baked in olive oil in a deep enamel pan are topped with eggs cracked messily over, liberally strewn with slices of jamón and finished with a bit more olive oil. Crispy, soft, eggy, stodgy, salty and full of Vitamin D - it’s a contender for the world’s most satisfying hangover cure. A rare chance for a holiday in early Summer seven years ago allowed us to discover Andalucia and authentic Spain for the first time. Seville was our starting point and a room in the stunning Hospes Las Casas del Rey de Baeza, a traditional 18th century Sevillian building certainly set the tone. It’s cool cobbled internal patio surrounded by wooden walkways unsurprisingly reminiscent of Moroccan riads. Ronda wowed us with the touristic hordes, dramatic setting and a couple of superb restaurants. The family owned and run ‘Casa Maria’ looks nothing special from the outside, but we have found that often the best things in Spain are the most unassuming or well-hidden. The produce on offer is the very best quality and cooked mainly on the plancha. Ask for ‘un poco de todo’ and just eat what comes. That reminds me - I must write a review. That first holiday finished in Old Town Malaga which was buzzy but the food was way too tourist-oriented for us, with the notable exception of an Argentinian small plates place. I came to realise two things during this trip – I wanted more of this region and Tempranillo is definitely ‘my’ grape! Unable to stay away, we returned in a matter of months, taking in Archidona, Granada and – unsurprisingly - the Alhambra before heading to the seaside towns of the Costa Tropical. Fortune led us to a lesser-known costal town called La Herradura, so named because of its horseshoe shaped bay. Staying at the top of town up a VERY steep slope we had a wonderful view of the town and surrounds. We both agreed something felt ‘right’. It’s a very Spanish town that remains busy throughout the winter, especially with Granadian families, who make the drive down on Sunday afternoons to share paella or wood-cooked fish at the chiringuitos. It’s a long and extremely convoluted story as to how we finally got to own a small house in the lower part of the old town after three years of renting it. Let’s just say deeds and family disputes all played a part, but we got there in the end. Being ensconced for the last three winters has given us a taste of Spanish life that we have become determined to full advantage of by relocating. I spend my time finding new places to visit for their amazing produce, be it the best jamón serrano in the South or a bodega producing starting new wines using old fashioned methods. We love cooking for and sharing with our new friends and neighbours, as well as looking for the best restaurants in the area. We are now married after 28 years together and sitting on the roof terrace, looking at the sea and mountains we feel so lucky to have found Spain and La Herradura. ‘La H’ is where I am already putting down roots, allowing the sun to infuse my body, thoughts and food. When normality returns this will become our home and the starting point of a new journey, travelling deeper into all that Spain can bring to a plate (and to a glass). THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN FOR AND FIRST PUBLISHED ON SPAIN IN ENGLISH https://www.spainenglish.com/2020/06/23/spain-food-love-affair/ I was already a fan of big, bold red wines - you know, those ones with cojones - but really knew very little about Spanish wine outside of Rioja and Ribera del Duero. That changed when I started looking into the wines of the Granada region. For reasons known only unto myself I presumed that wine production was more limited to the more northerly regions, but I am glad to have proven myself very wrong about that! I will wax lyrical about the Vinos De La Tierra De Granada in further posts. So here is my first foray into wine tasting notes, hoping that I don't sound too up myself! As always, I manage to bring food into it so you get some idea of how well the wines paired. This post and the one following - about another two reds - don't describe a wine selected for the meal or the other way around. These are purely happy coincidences! Senorio de Nevada DOP – Plata 2014 One of the larger and more well-known producers in the region, they bottle just three wines, Bronze, Plata and Oro – bronze, silver and gold. This bodega also has a small hotel and restaurant outside of the city of Granada. Hoping to get there and review it soon! The Plata is a mix of Syrah, Cabernet and Merlot and is aged 10 months in French and American oak. Perhaps surprisingly I found no discernible evidence of woodyness in either nose or mouth. The high alcohol content of 15.5% makes itself known in a very pleasant way. In the glass it’s like Prince - deep purple but thin of leg! It needs plenty of airing and a decent temperature to get anything off the nose, but there is black cherry jam, with note of super-sweetness like candyfloss or a whiff of icing sugar. Fortunately, it is fuller of body in the mouth, where you get smacked with bilberries and blackcurrant, though nothing much more complex than that until you've swallowed. Hints - and I do mean hints - of chocolate just hold their own against a slightly sour liquorice, which is nice on the way down. Tanins are well balanced with no particular dryness in the mouth or finish, which is where you get a cheeky pepper surprise which lingers. We drank it with duck breast and a morel sauce. It was a fine accompaniment to the meal, as you would expect with that dark fruit in the foreground cutting through the richness of the meat. OVERALL - Consistently good, this is a wine - and a bodega - that should be sought out if you visit the region. Wines like this deserve to be at the forefront of a broader recognition and appreciation for Granadian wine. Bodegas Fontadei – Prado Negro VDT de Granada Another of the bigger wineries of the region, Fontadei got my attention initially because of the label – can't lie! Anything that has a lion from the Alhambra or geometrics on it turns me into a magpie - look at it. This Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot mix is aged 11 months in French oak and has 13.5%. Their vineyards sit 1200 meters above sea level, which allows a slower maturation of the grape due to the big change between day and night time temperatures than at lower altitudes. This results in a more complex higher quality wine. The oak drifts up well from the glass with a side order of fresh leather – overall kind of woody. There is a sweet/sour note that reminds me of raspberry vinegar. It’s well bodied and powerful to start. The structure is balance is great, tanins are there but they don’t stick your lips to your teeth! The acidity is fruity, which is just a well, as there is a good whack of (bear with me here) Dandelion and Burdock! Yes, that aniseed/liquorice flavour is robust here but not at all in a sweet way. An aftertaste of warm spices was perfect given that we supped it with lamb leg steaks marinaded in ras-al-hanout & orange zest. Accompanied by cous-cous style veg with chick peas & preserved lemon. It was a match made in heaven – couldn’t have planned it better. Sweetness of the lamb and the spices were complimented but the fattiness cut through by the fruity acidity. Robust enough to cope with that super sharp preserved lemon too. OVERALL - Again another bodega to watch out for. I could easily have polished off another bottle of the Prado Negro As I mentioned in my Bodegas Bentomiz post from April we found ourselves in Spain for Christmas for the first time in 2019. We like to push the boat out at Christmas as everyone does and have cooked many multi-course lunches for family and friends, at our place in France. One Christmas lunch – our first Spanish themed one – was 9 courses for 14 people. We are lucky enough not to be working in the winter, so have – and needed! - plenty of time, space and plates to cater for that. Our little Spanish house has *ahem* more limited equipment and space, in fact we didn’t even have enough wine glasses for six people. Our little fridge has a tiny freezer compartment which is normally home to massive Spanish ice cubes and little else. I dismissed these issues and ploughed on regardless, planning a seven-course lunch for ourselves and four closest friends in Spain. I wanted to as usual highlight Spanish produce and local specialities as much as possible and try some new techniques. Fast forward to the day itself. Sunny enough to have canapes of smoked salmon with goat’s curd and herbs with couple of bottles of Juve Camps Cava on the terrace. In fact, it was a bit too hot, but I was up and down to the kitchen in any case, so saved getting sunburned. Our lovely Norwegian neighbours had no idea what Christmas crackers were all about, but were happy to sport the obligatory paper crown and cringe at the terrible puns. I think they ‘won’ a compass keyring and a tiny tape measure as their prizes – lucky them! To start - A warm soup always seems a bit incongruous in Spain, but a squash and pecan soup seemed like a nod to wintery Christmases past. In any case, a soup is always a good start and Adrian’s was a smooth, velvety delight. Not too sweet either, accompanied as it was by more of that crisp, dry cava. The fish course - I had heard of Mojama and seen it in the shops but we had never bought any, not really having had an idea what to do with it. Also, I am a bit fussy with salty fish so probably pulled a face to be honest! But you have to try new things so I had determined to get it on the menu some way. Mojama - cured and air-dried tuna - is a speciality that has been around for hundreds of years. Originating from along the East coast of Spain near the border with Portugal the tuna is caught by funnelling them into nets, in a way that has changed little since it began. Researching recipes suggested using very thin shavings was the way to incorporate mojama into dishes, that it is very strong with an umami punch that I wanted to use to effectively ‘season’ a dish. We bought a smallish piece and I tried slicing it by hand but just couldn’t get it fine enough, so we invested in small electric slicer. No doubt it will come in handy for jamón and mojama in the near future. I wanted to keep it light, so settled on a salad. I mixed the freshness of shaved raw fennel with some soft fennel confit for contrast. The salty sourness of the fish was tamed by the sweetness of a black garlic vinaigrette and I added some texture and earthiness with Marcona almonds. It really worked as a dish and I would definitely make it again. The fish acted in the way a good sauce should – adding its own flavour, enhancing the other flavours but not overpowering them. I was impressed actually and I am very critical of my own food! You might remember that the Bentomiz post was about my search for a particular wine to go with this course. As I explained, I was unable to find it at Christmas, so I paired the salad with a Galician wine from Rias Baxas. Faustino Rivero Ulecia produce this 2018 from the Albarino grape. It had good sharp fruit, I got apples and white grapes, and the typically slightly briny note from wines of the area. Lacked a bit of punch and dryness for me, but was a good accompaniment to the salad. To be fair we had had quite a lot of sharp cava before this, so it was fine. Sorry I don’t have a photo of this. The meaty starter – Now, I had been ruminating on this one for a while, thinking about how to use Iberico pork in another way than just a lump of – admittedly delicious – meat on plate. Inspiration came in the form of iberico pork burgers from the local supermarket. No, I didn’t do burger and chips for a 2nd starter! You hardly ever see terrines on a menu these days and I think it is a real shame, but they seem out of fashion. I guess chefs don’t see a way to elevate a slab of terrine to new heights, but I think they are missing a trick. Firstly, if you use great ingredients you will likely get a great tasting terrine and what would be the argument against that? Second, they do look nice on a plate in my opinion. Thirdly, from a chef's perspective they are fairly easy to make and easy to portion control! So as it was Christmas dinner and I was doing ‘posh’, how was *I* going to elevate it? Well, there is that great main product, minced Iberico pork. Plenty of flavour from that deliciously fatty meat. I decided to add in pistachios to add some texture and colour, along with minced shallots, herbs, pimentón and a splash of Oloroso. To really go big on flavour I also added some chunky black truffle salsa. Combined with one egg my burgers were transformed into a juicy, umami rich and flavoursome terrine. And to take this up a notch further I tried something completely new. Salt cured egg yolks. What, you say? Why would you want to cure an egg yolk? Well I didn’t know I did, but now I want to find more things I can use them on! Curing them for just a few hours makes that umami yolkiness even more intense. I soft cured mine as I wanted to sauce the warm slice of terrine with it. I should have done them an hour or so less (they were in a 50/50 salt and sugar mix in the fridge for 9 hours) but most were just about right. As you can see from the photo, they looked like perfect, smooth round apricots, but the slightly chewy outside gave way to an unctuous centre. I served with some caper berries for some mad crunch and local white bread rolls that come slathered with olive oil and topped with sea salt. So good. This needed a red wine with some cojones but nothing too dry. We had a Faustino V, Rioja Reserva 2013. This did the job well, medium bodied Tempranillo (mostly) with plenty of red fruit, backed with tobacco and leather hints. This meant it was complex enough but did not distract from the pork or egg. A well-known brand but it fitted the bill for this course and was not expensive – though I can’t actually remember how much it was! We need a pause and something refreshing. What better than a granita? Previous parties have seen the rise and rise of my granitas.... I remember one NYE where a neighbour got more than a bit worse for wear and bad ice-cream head from having three glasses of my Bloody Mary granita. I should give a shout to my sister Lucie for the recipe for that, which has port and sherry in the mix and is hands down the best Bloody Mary going. When in Spain, what do you drink to perk yourself up? Gin Tonic of course! My ‘Larios con tonica’ granita took three days to freeze in our tiny ice box! I think I MAY have put a little too much gin in but, hey ho... Eventually it set enough to break up into delicious boozy crystals which we crunched and slurped through. The main event - As one of our guests is not good with hunks of meat, I went fish for the main course. A distinctly non-Spanish salmon, spinach and leeks ‘en croute’, mainly because I knew she would be able to eat and enjoy it. I sneaked a little Spanish influence in by the addition of saffron into my butter sauce. Accompanied by Pommes Anna, which are a favourite, their buttery crispiness is a winning combination and some roast asparagus. We asked our guests to bring some rosé to accompany the salmon. I only did a vague tasting note for one of the wines they brought, but it was miraculous that I did any at all by this stage to be honest! It was another Faustino V in actual fact from 2014, 100% Tempranillo and none the worse for that. A good weight for a rosé which I prefer with drinking with food. The only other things I noted were a light nose (not very descriptive!) and red fruits, the colour was really deep – again, hardly earth-shattering news for a rosé. Stomachs straining a little we agreed on a polite pause to swap Christmas gifts before attempting to squeeze dessert in. The kitchen wasn’t in too bad a state, considering – helped in part by us needing to wash plates between courses – so we could relax finally. Adrian had made the final course some days earlier – which was a good thing, as it took all that time to freeze. Turron is Spanish nougat that comes in many forms – chocolate, crunch, soft, with and without nuts. We used the soft creamy Jijona version, blended some and mixed small chunks into a semi-fredo. I pickled some blackberries to get some acidity to balance all that super-sweetness and a salted dark chocolate sauce also helped reign in the sugar. What could be more perfect to accompany this than a (small) glass of Pedro Ximenez Nectar from Gonzalez-Byass. The sweet sherry that is like liquid Christmas cake and a revelation for all of our guests. Pedro Ximenez or PX is a grape variety mostly grown on the Montilla-Moriles region and the grapes are left out to dry in the sun. This goes to producing a fortified sherry wine that is heady with raisins, slightly syrupy and downright delicious. We were very happy and so were our mates. We love entertaining and although both couples had been around on several occasions for a meal – we had never made so much effort for them before. Good food, super wine and great friends – it was like microcosm of the Spanish way of life itself! We yearn to make it our full-time home and really integrate into the local sunshine life. That way I can enjoy and share even more with our family, friends and you. The Menu
Smoked salmon toasts with goats curd and herbs Cava – Juve Camps Pumpkin & pecan soup Cava Mojama, shaved and confit fennel, Marcona almonds, black garlic vinaigrette Faustino Rivera Ulecia, Rias Baixas, Albarino 2018 Warm Iberico pork, truffle & pistachio terrine, soft salt cured egg yolk, caperberries Faustino V, Rioja Reserva 2013 Gin tonic granita Salmon, leek and spinach ‘en croute’, pommes Anna, roast asparagus, saffron butter sauce Faustino V, rosé Tempranillo 2014 Semifredo of Jijon turron with salted dark chocolate sauce and pickled blackberries Pedro Ximenez Nectar
This is the first of what I hope will be a series highlighting the best of Iberian produce. I will be focusing on one ingredient, product or brand, some well-known, others less famous and some hardly heard of! Hope you like this one and check back regularly for more. I aim to write one a week, but I may be getting ahead of myself there.
This time, I am spotlighting pimentón, the smoked paprika that lends so much flavour to so many Spanish recipes and products. It’s an absolute mainstay in our larder and really versatile for pepping up huge range of dishes.
Most people will have tried chorizo - the most famous sausage of Spain - but may not be aware that the main flavour comes from the inclusion of this smoky powder. It is one of the most used spices in Spanish cookery and is right up there with saffron as an evocation of important periods of Spanish history. Peppers were introduced to Spain from the New World, but it wasn’t until the 17th century that use of their smoked and ground product became widespread in the cuisine.
The best quality comes from the area of La Vera in Extremadura, its geography making it the perfect place to grow the peppers required. A ‘DOP’ certification shows how highly prized the product is and even the amount of oak required to smoke the peppers is regulated. I am a bit of a bugger for chucking pimentón into all sorts of things! It just gives everything that little Spanish kick. Just in the last week - I used it in a marinade, mixed it into spuds to roast them in and sprinkled over a quick salad. Personally, I refer the ‘dulce’ (sweet) version rather than the ‘picante’ for most things, as it’s the smokiness rather the heat that interests me most. The amount of spiciness is merely down to the heat of the pepper grown, but there is ‘agrodulce’ bitter or sour/sweet version which is also worth having in your cupboard! The colour it gives to everything is mouthwatering too.
Any trip to a Spanish food shop will give you an idea of the amount and variety of produce that is infused with this powder. Undoubtedly you will come across many varieties of chorizo, spicy and not, sliced for eating, stubby and fatty for cooking. Then there is the lean ‘lomo embuchado’ - pork loin cured and dried for two months after being rubbed with pimentón and garlic. As with any Spanish pork product, the most flavourful and highest quality will be made with Iberico pork, but I better not start on that or I will get waylaid! There are an array of cheeses rind washed or coated with it too and I especially like a semi-cured 'cabra' goats cheese flavoured this way.
Some of my favourite things to pop pimentón in -
Tortilla. Yes I know any Spaniard would berate me for this (probably after berating for including onions!) but it adds a subtle depth to what is – let's face it – quite a bland dish, especially if it is be eaten as a main course. Marinades for meat. Mixed it in olive oil with garlic and maybe other spices like cumin, or herbs like thyme or oregano. This makes a super tasty marinade for just about any meat, perfect for cooking on the barbeque or a griddle pan. It will give a lovely smoky taste. In this potato dish from BBC good food, https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/spanish-potatoes which is becoming one of our favourite potato dishes. It kind of evokes patatas bravas, kind of, but is honestly delicious and really easy. Give it a try! Sprinkled on a salad – especially a mayonnaise based one. Last week I did a quick salad of artichokes from a tin with tiny dice of preserved lemon, olive oil and a dusting of ‘agrodulce’. Perfecto. Keep your pimenton – usually in a cute tin – in a cupboard and out of sunlight. You can find the brand that I prefer ‘La Chinata’ on Amazon by clicking the image link below. I thought I would share a Spanish recipe from my cookbook - A Taste of Les Passeroses - The Cookbook 'Recipes from a retreat kitchen' which you can browse or BUY HERE
The ever popular Tortilla or Spanish potato omelette, so well known and loved when you get a tapas on your hols. But what about when you are back home? In my opinion it should be staple dish especially for vegetarians - because it is really easy and only has three ingredients, all of which you are bound to have around all the time. If I were being super strict and traditional about it there would be no onions, but I am not and they do bring a deeper flavour if you having it as a main dish not a tapa. Also controversially, I include pimenton - Spanish smoked paprika - in it, just to perk it up and give a bit of oomph. Not hot oomph, just flavour oomph. So this recipe is really adaptable as you can really bung in what you like or what is available as well. EG chorizo, feta and herbs, Manchego cheese - any cheese really, cooked mushrooms, spinach... well you get the idea! So for a lunch or dinner/supper (delete as appropriate!) that is filling, tasty, cheap and simple, I don't think it can be beaten, Plus of course it will remind you of sunshine, Spanish bars and holidays so what's not to like? Beun provecho! Serves 4ish 4 large waxy potatoes olive oil 2 Spanish onions 8 to 10 large free range or organic eggs salt, pepper teaspoon of pimenton dulce (Spanish smoked paprika) - optional Peel the potatoes and slice to 2mm on a mandolin or carefully by hand. Season well and either - Cook them very slowly in a large non stick frying pan with a lid on turning often, but trying not to break them. Use plenty of olive oil. OR pop into a microwaveable bowl mixing with olive oil with your hands to coat each slice as much as possible. Cover and cook on full power for 10 minutes. Mix again and keep cooking until they are just cooked through. Meanwhile, halve and thinly slice the onions and fry on a medium heat in olive oil until they are soft but not coloured. Add in the pimenton if using and cook for another minute, remove from heat. In a bowl break and fork or whisk the eggs until combined, season. Mix the onions into the potatoes then the eggs into that mix while everything is hot. Heat a deep frying pan (the one you have already used will be fine if it is big enough) and pop the mix in, shaking the pan to get rid of any air pockets. Cook gently with a lid on. This will take several minutes but you don't want to burn the bottom, so you should finish under a hot grill to cook the top, again being careful not to burn, or cook in a medium oven if your pan is suitable. Press firmly to see if it is cooked through - if it squishy at all, cook a litlle longer. You can test with a knife, but it is not always reliable! Allow to cool slightly in the pan before upending onto a serving plate. Serve simply with leaf salad or maybe the Artichoke, preserved lemon and Almond salad from the book! We love to have a very garlicky aioli alongside, it really goes well! |
AuthorAlex Gonnord-Luty, chef, aspiring good blog writer, Hispanophile, lives currently in France & Spain. Archives
September 2020
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