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Cachelos (dry, spicy red potatoes )

This is a Castilian mountain dish, ideal for cold winters.

1Kg potatoes

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 Tbsp pimentón *, picante or dulce (or a mixture) according to taste

Pinch salt

Peel the potatoes and boil in salted water until just cooked.  Drain and when cool enough to handle cut into ½” thick slices; return to the pan.  In a small frying pan, heat the oil and fry the garlic until it turns brown, but not burnt – this is tricky!  Remove from the heat and stir in the pimentón.  Pour over the potatoes and put over a low heat for a few minutes, shaking the pan to stop them sticking, until the potatoes turn a deep satisfying red colour.  Serve warm, rather than hot.

Notes: pimentón is often called Spanish paprika, but its colour and smokey flavour make it worthwhile seeking the real thing – it should be available in good delis, and I get mine from Bill’s in The Cliffe in Lewes.  It comes in two varieties: picante, which is hot (like cayenne, but more flavour) and dulce, which is sweet (like paprika, but ditto). Unless you like things very fiery I would advise a cautious approach to the former, and we went for the mixture.

The original recipe had the potatoes kept whole, but we preferred to slice them to allow the flavourings to penetrate, and to make them easier to eat as a tapas.

Tortilla a la Payesa (omelette with potato, peas and green beans)

Tortilla is common throughout Spain , but is more usually known in the basic potato and onion form.  This country version can also contain diced raw ham (Serrano ham) though we omitted it in deference to the vegetarians in our audience.  Tortillas can be tricky to cook – you need to do everything quite slowly, so things cook through but do not burn, but not so slowly as to dry them out (said it was tricky!). 

4-5 Tbsp olive oil

1 large potato, thinly sliced

1 slice Spanish onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 small tomato, chopped

100g green beans, cut into short lengths

4 Tbsp peas, fresh or frozen

4 eggs

Salt & pepper

In a deep sided frying pan gently cook the potatoes in 3 Tbsp of the oil until just tender.  Remove to a sieve over a bowl and leave to drain. 

In the same pan cook the onion and garlic until it and takes colour (if you’re using ham, add at this stage too).  Add the tomatoes, beans and peas and bubble up to evaporate excess liquid.  Meanwhile beat the eggs with salt and pepper, then stir in the contents of the pan and the potatoes.  Put the rest of the oil, together with the drippings from the potatoes, in the pan and reheat, then tip in the egg and vegetable mixture.  Cover the pan with a well fitting lid and allow to cook gently until just set. 

To turn the tortilla, carefully hold the lid tightly on the pan and turn it over smartly so that the tortilla ends up on the lid, (make sure the tortilla hasn’t caught on the bottom before commencing this manoeuvre, and I advise doing it over the sink in case any oil escapes), then slide it gently back into the pan.  Return to the heat and cook a further few minutes to brown the other side, then remove to a plate.

Ensalada de Escalibada (roasted aubergine, peppers, onions and tomatoes with artichoke hearts)

Observant customers will have noticed the absence of aubergine in the version of this recipe served at the Alma event during the Festival – this was because we already had two aubergine recipes, and enough is enough…

1 small aubergine

1 green pepper

1 red pepper

1 medium onion

3 artichoke hearts *

½lb tomatoes

5 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp lemon juice

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 Tbsp minced parley

1 tsp capers

Salt & pepper

2 hard-boiled eggs

Put the aubergine, peppers and whole peeled onion in a roasting pan in the oven (180°C, 350°F, mark 4) for about 30 minutes, turning once or twice.  When cool enough to handle, peel the peppers and cut into strips, cut aubergine into chunks, coarsely chop onions – they should still be slightly crunchy.  Put in a serving bowl with the sliced artichokes and tomatoes.

Whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, capers and seasoning, then pour over the vegetables and mix gently.  Chill, and serve decorated with slices of egg.

Notes: the best thing to do here is to buy fresh globe artichokes, remove the outer leaves by folding down and snapping them off, when you get to the small tender leaves use a sharp stainless knife to cut across the top of the heart to remove the choke, cut off the stem and carefully pare around the base, put into a bowl of water acidulated with some lemon juice.  Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, put in the artichoke hearts and cook for 5-10 minutes until just tender – drain and leave to cool.

However, the easier thing is to buy a jar of artichoke hearts in oil or brine, drain and use (jars tend to be better than tins; if in brine, leave to drain for quite a long time, turning and squeezing regularly – you really don’t want to include the brine in the dressing.)

Berenga con Queso

1lb aubergine * cut in ½” rounds

250ml beef or chicken stock

2 slices onion

12 blanched almonds, lightly toasted

2 slices mild cheese ^† 

1 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan

Freshly ground black pepper and nutmeg

Preheat the oven (180°C, 350°F, mark 4)

Bring the stock to the boil with the onion slices – add the aubergine slices and simmer until just tender, about 5 minutes.  Remove to an ovenproof dish, reserving the stock but discarding the onion.

In a blender, grind the almonds to a fine powder, then add 125ml of the reserved stock – check seasoning and add salt if necessary.  Pour the liquid over the aubergine, cover with the slices of cheese and the parmesan, black pepper and nutmeg.

Bake for 20 minutes, serve warm.

Notes: * the recipe on which this is based suggests peeling the aubergines – I don’t like to do that because I like the flavour the skins add, but it’s up to you.  I also don’t dégorge (ie salt, drain and wash) my aubergines for the same reason.

^†  I don’t really know what would be an authentic Spanish mild cheese, but if you can find one, use it – what I have used is a mild cheddar, which tastes OK. Sorry to sound like Fanny Craddock (or the Sainted Delia) about the “freshly” grated parmesan, pepper and nutmeg, but it really makes a difference to the flavour.

Berenjena de Almagro (pickled aubergines)

This pickle comes from Castilla, apparently from the village of Almagro .

4 small round aubergines *

250ml red wine vinegar

500ml water

6 Tbsp fruity olive oil

1½ tsp salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 small dried chilli

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp ground cumin

¼tsp oregano

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil.  Cut the aubergines almost in half, leaving the base intact.  Cook for about 10 minutes until barely tender, drain and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, mix together the vinegar, water oil, salt, pepper, chilli, garlic, cumin and oregano.  Put the aubergines in a clean jar just big enough to contain them, pour over the marinade, cover and leave for 4-5 days at room temperature. 

To serve, remove from the marinade and cut into slices, to accompany, for example, the Tortilla a la Payesa.

Notes: small round aubergines are best for this, but other wise use larger, long ones, and make two lengthwise cuts – you’ll obviously need much larger jars!

Pollo Extremeño ai Picada

(chicken in red wine sauce with a picada)

NB this is not strictly speaking a traditional dish, since the chicken in wine comes from Extremadura and the picada from Cataluña, almost on opposite sides of Spain, but those who have tasted the combination will I think agree that they work extremely well together, so I make no apology.

For the picada:

25g each blanched hazelnuts and almonds

2 pinches powdered saffron

2 cloves garlic

½ tsp ground cinnamon

2 sprigs parsley

1-2 Tbsp dry sherry

Toast the nuts under the grill, but do them separately because they cook at different rates and they should not be allowed to burn.  In a mortar, crush the garlic and parsley with a pinch of coarse salt, then add the nuts and grind them to a paste.  Add the saffron and cinnamon, then a little sherry to bind – aim for a stiff paste.  This can be kept in a sealed jar in the fridge for quite some time.

  For the chicken stew:

4 chicken thighs

Salt

2 Tbsp lard *

Large glass red wine

250ml chicken stock with a bouillon cube dissolved in it ^‡

2 Tbsp butter

Season chicken with salt and brown in the lard in a small heavy casserole.  Mix together the wine and stock and add to the pot.  Bring to the boil, add the butter, cover tightly and cook in the oven (190°C, 375°F, mark 5) for 1 hour or until the chicken is tender.  Remove chicken and keep warm, if necessary add a little water to the pot and stir to loosen all the tasty bits, then put in the picada and stir until dissolved.  Return the chicken to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes before serving.  Alternatively do this earlier in the day and allow to get cold, then reheat before serving – this allows the flavours to blend and penetrate the meat beautifully.

Notes: or oil, if you must, but this is a country dish and lard gives it a little something I feel.

  ^‡  preferably fresh stock, but otherwise consider using Knorr liquid chicken bouillon, making it extra strong and omitting the bouillon cube.

Ensalad de Judias Blancas en Salsa Romesco

(white bean salad with sauce of dried peppers, chilli, fried bread, almonds, garlic)

The Romesco sauce comes from Cataluña and is often eaten with fish, shellfish and chicken, and can be added to stews part way through their cooking time – white beans are widely eaten, and it is perfectly possible that they would be dressed with Salsa Romesco.

1 large ripe tomato

5 cloves garlic

1 dried sweet pepper*

1 dried red chilli, seeds removed unless you like it hot

125ml water

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar^†

125ml + 1 Tbsp fruity olive oil

¼” slice good crusty bread

10 blanched almonds

Salt and fresh black pepper

2 tins White beans, eg Canellini

Place the tomato and garlic in an ungreased roasting tin and roast in the oven (180°C, 350°F, mark 4) for 30 minutes – when cool enough to handle, skin and de-seed the tomato.

In a small pan bring the water and vinegar to the boil with the dried pepper and chilli, simmer 5 minutes.  Drain.

Fry the bread in the Tbsp of olive oil until golden (use a little more if necessary – don’t let it burn or toast, it must fry to get the texture right).  Remove from the pan and set aside, fry the almonds in the oil left in the pan until golden (beware, it only takes a few seconds).

Put pepper, chilli, bread, almonds, tomato and garlic in a blender, whizz for 30 seconds, then add the oil a little at a time as for mayonnaise.  Season with salt and pepper, whizz again, taste and adjust seasoning, adding a little extra vinegar if you feel it needs it.

This can be made a couple of days ahead and kept in the fridge.

To make the salad, drain and rinse the beans, put them in a bowl, pour over the sauce and with your hands gently mix together.  It’s worth leaving them to stand for an hour before serving.

Notes; You could garnish with any or all of the follow

• Peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped tomato
• Chopped hard-boiled egg
• Pitted sliced black olives

  *     (available from deli’s and Tesco, and probably other supermarkets – persevere, because the flavour is not the same without it)

  ^†       (for those who are allergic, lemon juice would give the necessary acidity, though not the flavour)

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