Mike's favourite recipes...

ALBONDIGAS  

[Meat Balls]

[These are something you find on most tapas menus in Spain

and date back to the days when the Moors crossed from North Africa

and for almost 800 years ruled most of the Iberian Peninsula] 

RECIPE

Ingredients

 ...

1 large fine chopped onion

1 large Green Bell Pepper chopped fine

A large ¼ cup of Olive Oil

2lbs of minced beef (not lean)

½ lb minced pork  (not lean)

2/3rds cup of  fine dried bread crumbs

2 ½ tsp of salt

¼ tsp fresh grated nutmeg

¼ cup of minced parsley

Method: 

Gently cook the onion and pepper in a couple of tablespoons of oil until softened. 

Cool this mixture and then combine with the other ingredients.  

Take level tablespoons of the mixture and mould them into balls.  This recipe will make about 90. 

Make sure you shake the pan frequently so the meat balls maintain their shape. 

Add a little extra oil as necessary. 

Transfer the browned meatballs to a bowl. 

For this you will need:

 At least 4 large gloves garlic  minced

Tbsp olive oil

A large can of whole tomatoes

A tsp of dried Oregano

Cook the garlic for about 15 seconds in oil over a low heat. 

Add the tomatoes and oregano and simmer breaking up the tomatoes. 

Here in Spain it is easier to use Tomate Frito, (which is sort of between canned tomatoes and tomato puree, but I don't know how widely available this is ).  Once the tomatoes are broken up add the meatballs and simmer for half an hour or so until the meatballs are tender and the sauce has thickened slightly. 

Season with salt and pepper and you are ready to go!  

These keep very well in the fridge or freezer and are delicious served hot or cold

with a large glass of red wine. 

BERBERECHOS CON VERDURAS

[Cockles with vegetables]

Ingredients

1 kg (2 lbs) cockles

1 leek

1 carrot

1 onion

1 clove garlic

1 bay leaf

White wine

Olive Oil

Parsley

Salt

Method:

Wash the cockles in plenty of water by scrubbing one against another,

discarding any that are dead

(Tap the open shells lightly, the dead cockles will not close). 

Any cockles that do not open once cooked should also be discarded.

Finely chop the onion, leek, carrot and garlic. 

In a casserole dish (earthenware if possible),

fry the vegetables in olive oil until they brown,

and add a bay leaf, a few sprigs of parsley crushed in a mortar

and a glass and a half of white wine. 

Season with salt and boil for three minutes,

Then add the cockles and cover until the shells open

BERENJENAS GRATINADAS

[Aubergines au gratin]

RECIPE

Ingredients

2 aubergines

150 grams  Jamon Serrano or Parma Ham

150 grams creamy cheese Mozzarella for example

whizzing a couple of ripe tomatoes until smooth and thick.

Oregano, Olive Oil

Method:    

Slice the aubergines lengthwise into thick (about 1 cm) slices. 

Fry the slices on both sides in a little olive oil until tender,

then place on an oven tray and top

with a little tomato puree a slice of ham

and top with the cheese

Sprinkle with oregano and grill until the cheese melts. 

Serve piping hot with a drizzle of olive oil ...and a glass of red wine    

BERZA DE ACELGA

[Andalusian Vegetable Pot]

[This is straightforward pueblo food and its earthiness and simplicity appeal  on a gut level.     In typical Spanish fashion the recipe is a very moveable feast according to what is available. In village homes, chard would be used in winter months, green beans in their place in the summer.  Other more unusual vegetables, such as cardoons, carrots, artichokes, lettuce, broad beans, might be added in addition or in their place, although the chard is trimmed to include only the stalks.  The deep green leaves being saved to cook as spinach.  I prefer to add the leafy part as well as the stalk to the Berza.  This potage is sometimes made with both garbanzos and white beans.  Black-eyes peas can be used in place of either.] 

INGREDIENTS:

400 grams garbanzos (chick peas)  and/or white beans soaked overnight. ( Of course you can speed matters up by using bottled.)

100 grams salt pork or bacon.

200 grams pork or meaty pork bone

2 litres water

½ kilogram chard and or green beans

1 chorizo

1 morcilla (black pudding)

2 cloves, 8 peppercorns, 3 cloves garlic, 2 tsp salt 2 tsp paprika

4 medium potatoes

¼ kilogram pumpkin

METHOD:

If using both the garbanzos and beans, drain and put the garbanzos to cook first with the salt pork, piece of fresh pork and water. 

After 30 minutes, add the soaked beans. 

·         Let all simmer for about one and a half hours, then add the chard, or green beans, which have been cleaned and chopped, and the chorizo and morcilla.

In the mortar crush cloves and peppercorns with the garlic, salt and paprika and add to the berza. 

When meat and garbanzos are nearly tender – about two hours total - add the potatoes and pumpkin, both peeled and cut in small chunks.

Cook another 30 minutes. 

Cut the pork and sausages into small pieces and serve into soup bowls.

Serves 6

BROCHETAS DE VERDURAS

[Vegetable Brochettes]

[At this time of year when the BBQs come out  (certainly in Spain where its too hot to cook in the house)  a simple vegetable meal is most welcome.

Easy to prepare,  easy to eat  and easy on the stomach]

INGREDIENTS:

400 grams garbanzos (chick peas)  and/or white beans soaked overnight.

(Of course you can speed matters up by using bottled)

100 grams salt pork or bacon.

200 grams pork or meaty pork bone

2 litres water

½ kilogram chard and or green beans

1 chorizo

1 morcilla (black pudding)

2 cloves, 8 peppercorns, 3 cloves garlic, 2 tsp salt 2 tsp paprika

4 medium potatoes

¼ kilogram pumpkin

METHOD:

If using both the garbanzos and beans, drain

and put the garbanzos to cook first with the salt pork, piece of fresh pork and water. 

After 30 minutes, add the soaked beans. 

 Let all simmer for about one and a half hours, then add the chard, or green beans,

which have been cleaned and chopped, and the chorizo and morcilla.

In the mortar crush cloves and peppercorns with the garlic, salt and paprika

and add to the berza. 

When meat and garbanzos are nearly tender – about two hours total -

add the potatoes and pumpkin, both peeled and cut in small chunks.

Cook another 30 minutes. 

Cut the pork and sausages into small pieces and serve into soup bowls.

Serves 6

Notes: This can also be cooked, more like a cocido, with a large piece of boiling beef, and served with a first-course broth followed by drained meats and vegetables on a platter. 

Add quartered pears or other fruits to be  berza and you can call it olla gitana, gypsy pot.

CALAMARES FRITOS

[Fried Squid Rings]

[Popular all around the Mediterranean  this recipe provides a light crisp result unlike those which use batter]

Ingredients:

1 Kg (2 lbs) squid

3 cloves garlic

Seasoned flour

Olive Oil

Method:

Clean the squid by pulling the head to separate it from the body.  Use a knife to cut the tentacles above the eyes.

Make sure you have removed the tooth found inside the head.

Remove the innards and quill, together with the skin covering the body. 

Wash the tentacles and body in cold water and dry.  

(or,  buy ready cleaned)

Chop the squid into rings

and leave to marinate for an hour in olive oil and chopped garlic. 

After this time remove the garlic.

Coat each ring or strip in seasoned flour

and fry in hot olive oil until golden brown.

CHAMPIÑONES  CON  JAMON   

(Mushrooms with Ham)

RECIPE

Ingredients:

350g.   Mushrooms

100 g Serrano or Parma ham

1 onion

1 small green pepper

2 cloves garlic

1 tomato

Olive Oil, Salt and Parsley and Chilli Pepper.

Method:

Clean the mushrooms (if they are not too dirty, wiping them with a damp cloth is sufficient) and cut into slices.

Finely chop the onion, garlic and pepper, and fry in a little olive oil. 

When they begin to brown, add the chopped parsley and the peeled and chopped tomato, and cook for a further five minutes. 

After this time, add the diced ham and a touch of chilli (to taste), fry gently, and add the mushrooms. 

Continue frying for a few minutes, stirring well, until the mushrooms are slightly tender. 

Check for salt if necessary

(remember the ham will add salt of its own).

Leave to stand for a few minutes and serve while hot.

CONEJO A LA CAZADORA

[Hunters Rabbit]

INGREDIENTS:

1 rabbit

1 onion

5 cloves garlic

Parsley, Thyme,  Pepper

250 grams mushrooms

1 bottle Red wine

METHOD:

First clean the rabbit and cut into pieces

Now comes the easy bit.  

Put the rabbit in an earthenware stew pot with the chopped onion, crushed garlic, parsley, thyme, mushrooms and a twist of pepper. 

We find that salt is rarely necessary.  

Top up with a bottle of red wine,

cover and place on top of the stove on a low heat for perhaps 2/3 hours.

For the last half hour or so we like to add a scrunch of wholegrain Dijon mustard but that is a matter of personal taste and is obviously up to you.

Check the stew occasionally and if running dry add a little water-stock or even a dash more red wine.

When served as a tapa you would simply receive a chunk of rabbit in a small dish, but this is an excellent wintry weather base for British style serving with potatoes vegetables etc.

Obviously this dish lends itself to a large glass of red wine

COSTILLAS DE CERDO CON PEPINILLOS

[Pork Ribs with Gherkins]

[An interesting way to serve spare ribs, it makes quite a change from Soya sauce etc.]

INGREDIENTS:

400 grams pork ribs

Pork lard

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

Flour

Vinegar

6 vinegar gherkins

Pepper and Salt.

METHOD:

Season the ribs with salt and pepper and fry with lard until they brown.  Remove from the frying pan and put to one side.

Chop the onion and garlic and fry in the same lard until they are lightly browned (add the garlic after the onion). 

Add a tablespoonful of flour and stir well. 

Slice the gherkins and add to the pan, together with half a glass of water and a squirt of vinegar. 

Season and boil for a couple of minutes.

Add the ribs to the pan, and cook until the sauce begins to thicken.

Serve hot. Accompany with a  glass of red wine

DORADA A LA SAL

[Gilt-head Baked in Salt]

(Note:  Baking in salt is a favourite cooking method in Spain typically used for whole fish, although also for loin of pork which is our most common cut as the legs go off to become hams and the shoulders are either cured on their own or used for sausages and other pork products)   

INGREDIENTS:

Use a large bream, especially gilt-head, or sea bass, snapper or redfish for this dish.

METHOD:

If possible, have the fish drawn through the gills 

Wash and dry the fish well 

Measure it at the thickest part

and allow 15 minutes in a hot oven for every 2 cm,

Or about 20 minutes for a fish weighing 3/4 kilo. 

Mix 2 tablespoons of flour with 2 kg of coarse salt 

Oil an oven pan and put in a layer of the salt. 

Place the fish on top and cover with the remaining salt

The salt bakes into a crust, sealing in the fish juices. 

Crack the crust and peel it away with the skin. 

Place in a preheated hot oven and bake as indicated above

Spoon the flesh off the bones on to plates …

and serve accompanied by two or three sauces, such as alioli and aliño

…or for British tastes perhaps a parsley sauce.

A fish of this weight serves 2 people

when accompanied by at least a bottle of dry white wine

Serve the fish with long grained rice …

or for my taste at least fresh new potatoes

and as its coming up to time for Jersey Royals they would make an ideal accompaniment.

EMPANADILLAS 

[Fried pies]

(Note that the “ll” in Spanish becomes a different letter changing from “elle” to “ellye” thus the name of these tasty morsals is pronounced Empanadeelyas.  Well that is the best I can do),

There are few things more ubiquitous in Spain than the Empanadilla – Sold in bars, cafes bakeries, supermarkets and it wouldn´t surprise me if they weren´t under the counter in the lingerie shop! 

RECIPE

To do the job properly you will have to make a dough with

Ingredients:

270 grams flour

100 grams butter

½ tsp salt

100 ml white wine

Make this into a pastry in the usual way

and refrigerate for a couple of hours before using,

unless like me you feel like cheating and buying some readymade short pastry from the freezer cabinet of the supermarket.

Filling:

Take about 200 grams cooked meat (of any kind although in Spain it will almost always be tuna) 

3 tbs tomato sauce (preferably not Heinz ketchup but more like a Spanish tomate Frito.

1 hard boiled egg chopped

1 tbsp chopped parsley

A good handful of chopped stuffed olives

1 tbsp of finely chopped onion

Mix all the filling ingredients together,

roll out the chilled dough onto a floured board

and cut it into rounds about 10cms across. 

Actually in Spain they forget the Delia bit and cut it into 10 cm squares to save time and pastry.  

Fill the dough with a spoonful of mixture

and crimp the edges together with the tines of a fork.

Fry the pies a few at a time in deep hot oil. 

Drain and serve hot or cold. 

Personally we prefer them cold with perhaps a glass or two of wine 

EMPAREDADOS

[Fried Sandwiches]

Ingredients:

Sliced bread

Ham

Cheese

Egg

This is very simple and easy to make but is a delicious snack at any time and at this time of the year when our minds turn toward warm breakfasts,  this fits the bill. 

For our taste frequent twists of freshly ground black pepper should be added at all stages.

Method :

Slice sandwich loaf fairly thinly or use an English style sliced loaf. 

Spread one side of slices with butter or oil. 

Layer with thinly sliced  ham (in Spain this would be Serrano)  

And semi-cured Manchego  or other cheese. 

Press the bread together tightly,

Cut the sandwiches into  triangles or squares. 

Dip them in  beaten egg .

Fry the sandwiches in oil,

turning to brown both sides.

(Classically in Spain the sandwiches would be dipped into milk before the beaten egg and then into fine breadcrumbs ...

but for me and most Spaniards this is all a bit delightfully Delia)

ESCALOPINES AL QUESO DE CABRALES

[Beef Fillets with Cabrales cheese]

 The quality of beef here in Spain is superb and impresses all our visitors. 

Essentially this is because it isn't Spanish beef at all, its Argentinian!

INGREDIENTS

6 beef fillets (small and thin)

100 g (4 oz) Cabrales cheese  (or any strong blue cheese). 

[I personally favour Roquefort although no doubt the died in the wool Englishman will go for Stilton –

they are all very good]

Single cream

Brandy

Butter

1 egg

Flour, Olive oil, breadcrumbs, Salt.

METHOD:

For the sauce:

Melt two tablespoonfuls of butter and the cheese in a frying pan. 

Add a glass of single cream and a squirt of brandy. 

Reduce for three minutes. 

Blend in a food processor until the sauce is creamy

~~~

Sprinkle the fillets with salt and roll in flour,

Dip in egg and coat in breadcrumbs. 

Fry in hot oil and place on a platter.

Serve with the sauce piping hot with a vegetable or two if you prefer

And of course a glass of a full bodied red wine

ESPARRAGOS RELLENOS DE SALMON

[Asparagus stuffed with Salmon]

INGREDIENTS:

6 thick white asparagus

150 g (5 oz) smoked salmon

1 egg

Flour

Olive Oil and Salt

METHOD:

Peel the asparagus from the tip down. 

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil

 Add the asparagus and cook for around 35 minutes. 

Use a larding needle to check if they are done. 

Remove from the water and place on a cloth to dry. 

Tinned asparagus can also be used.

Open the asparagus up lengthways like a hotdog. 

Fill with strips of salmon, coat in flour and dip in egg. 

Fry in hot oil

Serve at once ...

Can be accompanied with a simple lettuce and tomato salad,

GAMBAS AL PIL PIL

[Garlic Prawns]

Although Spaniards would use olive oil in this dish ~

I prefer the French version using butter. 

Very simple, very quick and very delicious.

RECIPE

Ingredients:

For two generous portions (or four mean ones)  

Take about 450 grams of uncooked King prawns shell on or off depending on whether you want the hassle (and fun) of manhandling them at the table. 

Method:

Preferably using an earthenware pot melt about 200 grams of butter until sizzling

Then add the prawns throw in crushed garlic to taste followed by a good “scrunch” of finely chopped parsley (preferably flat leaved)  sizzle

and stir away for about 5 minutes until the prawns are a nice rosy pink.

Take the pot directly to the table and enjoy  with some fresh crusty bread.

Very simple, but fit to grace the table of Kings.

Naturally this should be accompanied by a good dry white wine and if you can find it we would certainly recommend  Abadia de San Campio Albarino. 

This is expensive even in Spain at about 6 Euros (bear in mind that local wine retails at about 50 centimos per litre) but is well worth it in our opinion.  

 GAZPACHO

[the traditional Andalusian salad soup] 

 (This takes very little time to prepare

and is delicious for lunch on a hot summers day)

RECIPE

Ingredients (for four)

6 medium tomatoes

½ onion (I prefer red ones)

1 medium cucumber

2 glasses of iced water

2 gloves garlic if liked

Chopped parsley

Juice of ½ lemon

Sherry or white wine vinegar to taste.

Method:

The easy way is to hurl everything into a “Whizzer” and Whizz until smooth.  Add some ice cubes and place in the fridge for an hour or two . 

That has taken about 5 minutes if that. 

The Andalucians would add fresh bread crumbs but that is a matter of taste,

we prefer to have the fresh crusty bread in slices. 

GUISANTES SENCILLOS

RECIPE

Ingredients:
 
1lb fresh shelled peas (young broad beans are equally good)
1 finely chopped shallot
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ounce chopped serrano ham ( Parma ham will do)
1 coffee spoon of sugar
wineglass of cold water.
 
Method: 

Heat the oil in a casserole and fry the shallot for 3-4 minutes

without letting it colour

Then add the peas and stir around for a few minutes more

before adding the water and sugar. 

Cook over moderate heat for 15 minutes

after which add the ham and continue cooking for a further 20 minutes or so. 

( keep an eye on the water level and add a drop more if necessary). 
 
This really is simple and delicious but it must be made with wind dried ham to obtain the true flavour 

and of course serve with fresh crusty bread

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