Yesterday I saw some lovely looking leeks at the market and bought them without any idea of what I’d end up doing with them. In the end this is what I came up with – something autumny that included bacon, garlic and cheese. It was very tasty and easy to make, and quite nice comfort food…
Recipe and instructions below the links.
My buddy raincoaster was recently asking around for a simple yet delicious way of preparing salmon steaks and I immediately thought of this fabulous dish from Janet Mendel’s Cooking In Spain – though at the time I was in Málaga and so had to send Rain the recipe from memory. It’s a recipe I have used a lot, especially for special meals like birthdays or New Year’s eve at home. I’ve always assumed Janet meant cooked ham not jamón serrano… and I have no idea if my version turns out the way it is meant to. For example, Janet suggests adding some fish broth to thin out the sauce if necessary but, as I seldom have fish broth kicking around, I just add more cava. Works for me!
Recipe and instructions below the links.
This dish is ridiculously simple but for years I could never make it as well as the marinated potatoes served at Bodeguita Romero. Then one day I happened to be sitting at the bar when Pedro Romero started mixing up the house potatoes for the day and I discovered that the secret ingredient was vinagre de jerez. I believe Pedro was using a Pedro Ximenez vinegar, but I’ve since made this with the Reserva (aged in oak) and the potatoes come out AMAZING. I usually use small new potatoes, but any semi-waxy potato will do. I also noticed that Pedro didn’t use any utensils to toss the potatoes. Instead he picked up the large pot he was using as a receptacle by the side handles and tossed the whole thing up in a smooth rotating motion several times until the ingredients were well mixed.
Instructions below the links.
This is a very simple dish that’s perfect for summer snacking as it will keep well in the fridge for at least 2-3 days. It’s also quite versatile, kind of like a risotto, in that the ingredients can be changed to suit personal tastes, including leaving out the tuna for a nice vegetarian option. This was originally made for me by a friend using only mayonnaise, but I find “salsa az” much lighter, though for this salad I leave out the garlic.
Instructions below the links.
The other day I was enjoying a special lunch at Manolo León and was urged to try the new chipirone croquettes, and well, they were amazing! So much flavour and served with an ajoblanco sauce.
I loved them so much that last weekend I decided to try making them myself – so be forewarned that this recipe is totally off the top of my head. But in fact, it was quite an adventure and the croquetas turned out very nicely. Instead of ajoblanco I served a bit of salsa az on the side, and instead of chipirones I used smallish calamari (the only squid I could find on a Sunday), but what the heck.
Ingredients and instructions below the links.
On the heels of my tortilla de patatas recipe … this is another tortilla that I really like and it’s also low-carb. Vegetarian too. It’s very tasty on its own, or as a tortilla butty, and goes well with a big dollop of “salsa az”…
Ingredients and instructions below the links.
It all started on Twitter the other day when @OstreaEdulis asked me about the breading on some cazón en adobo that he was enjoying in Jerez. I said they were probably using harina para freír … and before I knew it I was in the market yesterday buying some fish and squid to fry. Then I stopped off at the supermarket to pick up some special flour for frying. I don’t fry much at home (prefer to let the tapas bars do it for me) so it had been a few years since I’d used this flour. I’d forgotten how perfect it was, giving a nice even coating and with a lovely “dry” finish – not greasy at all – as you can see in the two top pics (the bottom one is of pan-fried chiperones). Click to enlarge.
More photos and instructions below the links.
Seriously, this is almost obscenely delicious. I’ve had a couple of versions of it around town and the other day suddenly felt the urge to try it myself… and of course MY version is the best! 😉 It’s super easy, especially if you have a sous-chef to peel the langostines for you. Serve hot with some fresh crusty bread.
Ingredients and instructions below the links.
[click to enlarge]
Stewed pork in tomato sauce
This super-simple recipe I swiped from Janet Mendel’s Tapas: A Bite of Spain – just changed the spices a bit and used chopped tinned tomatoes instead of fresh. The result was yummy…
How could I have not put up a recipe for tortilla de patatas before now? It really is an easy and very versatile dish. This is your basic potato & onion version, which actually would have been prettier with a bit of chopped roasted red pepper tossed in. But really, the possibilities are somewhere this side of endless. Pick a filling you like and have fun. Spinach, onion & red pepper tortilla is also one of my faves, as is one made with just grated courgette and later topped with cheese and white pepper and put under the grill to finish. It also makes a great “butty” with sliced tomato and salsa az (see below).
Ingredients and instructions below…
