Mike's favourite recipes...

HIGADO AL VINO TINTO

[Liver in Red Wine]

INGREDIENTS:

½ kg calf or lamb liver

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp flour

100 ml red wine.

Chopped onion and garlic to taste, Salt and pepper

1 tbsp lemon juice

Chopped parsley.

METHOD:

Cut the liver in strips. 

Sauté  in the oil until lightly browned and remove 

Add onion and garlic to the juices and cook until golden 

Then stir in the flour,

and  add the wine, salt and pepper and lemon juice, stirring well. 

Return the liver to the pan and cook until the sauce is thickened slightly  

Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Serve with crispy bread and a glass of red wine

HOJALDRES DE CIRUELAS Y JAMON

[Prune and ham rolls]

A lovely combination of English Devils on horseback 

and sausage rolls

INGREDIENTS:

200 g (7 oz) fresh or frozen puff pastry

12 prunes, pitted

6  thin slices of Serrano ham

1 egg

METHOD:

Roll out the pastry and divide into rectangles approximately 8 x 4 cm. 

Cut the ham into similar, slightly smaller shapes.

Wrap each prune in a double layer of ham,

Then wrap this in a piece of pastry. 

Roll the pastry up into a cylinder, wetting the edge with a little water and pressing down with your finger to close the roll.

Place the rolls on a baking tray, coat them with egg …

and place in a pre-heated oven on a medium heat until the pastry is cooked.

Perfect with good company, good conversation and good wine, actually its pretty good too with a mediocre wine!

HUEVO FRITO

[Fried Egg]

This really is worth trying !

METHOD

In a small frying pan heat enough oil to almost cover the egg, until it shimmers, just short of smoking. 

Break the egg on to a saucer and slip it into the hot oil. 

Use the skimmer to baste the top of the egg with the oil 

Remove it to drain and continue frying eggs, one at a time.

The eggs may be served with pieces of ham or chorizo, slices of bread and chopped garlic, all fried in the same oil. 

One of the best ways to serve Spanish eggs is on top of garlic flavoured croutons. 

A very heart warming meal, whether you call it breakfast or supper.

I particularly like to serve them with patata y repollo salteados

(Bubble and Squeak to you and I)

MIGAS

[Croutons]

INGREDIENTS

Bread cubes;

salted water;

oil or lard;

salt pork/bacon;

chopped pepper; garlic; parsley; chilli pepper

METHOD

Cut two-day old bread, crusts and all, into very small dice (proper bread -not that awful steamed sliced stuff)  

Sprinkle with salted water – enough to thoroughly dampen but not soak the bread. 

Wrap the croutons in a dampened tea towel and tie in tightly. 

Let sit for a few hours or overnight. 

In a little oil or lard slowly fry salt pork, or bacon, cut in very small dice.

Add chopped red pepper, chopped garlic, chopped parsley and a little chopped chilli pepper, if desired. 

Add the bread cubes and  sauté  them, stirring constantly, until slightly toasted. 

Sprinkle with a little paprika to colour, but don´t allow them to burn. 

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

If the Migas are served with milk, they are  Migas Canas. 

They can also be served with thick, hot chocolate.

The flavourful croutons are a good base for fried eggs and sausage.

They are excellent added to soups or turned into a stuffing for fish or fowl.

With a fried egg and/or a sausage the Migas make an excellent breakfast, lunch or supper and can, of course,  be varied according to what you have available –

Ham, Onion, Green Peppers, etc etc....

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