Sardinà: salt cured fish with peppers, onions and egg

Posted on November 3, 2013 by lisajaneroberts

Every year our town has its local “fiesta” at the beginning of September. One of the traditional events is a big sardinà brunch served to whoever turns up by a gang of well-dressed, starboard-leaning ladies. We prefer to eschew the multitude and have our own small-scale celebration with a few friends instead. This year was a beautiful autumn morning, and Oscar was the most excellent chef.
What you need:1 salt-cured sardine per person
a few dried “capellà” (trisopterus minutus, or “poor cod”)
1 egg per person
3-4 onions
10-12 Italian peppers (green)
1-2 heads of garlic
oil
grapes and bread to serve

What you do:
First of all, get a fire going and let it reduce it to glowing coals. This is for the poor cod, which needs to be lightly charred just before you serve it. Prep your veg by cutting the peppers into halves or large chunks, separate the individual cloves of garlic but don’t peel them and roughly chop the onions.
Put a generous slug of oil into a large frying pan (we used a paella pan) and heat. Fry the peppers and garlic until softened and beautifully coloured – this will take a little while, so be patient and keep the beer coming for the cook.Transfer the peppers and garlic to a large serving plate. In the same oil, you are now going to soften the onion. Again, patience and lots of pushing about with the tongs to avoid bitter burning. Once that’s done, you have to lay the sardines in the pan and give them a few minutes on each side. Put the sardines and onions onto another serving plate and let your oil heat up to egg-frying pitch. I’m pretty sure you will know how to fry an egg, but I will say that here they like to sort of flick the hot oil over the top of the egg instead of flipping it; the white bubbles and gets slightly crusty, and the flavours that have infused the oil do wonders for the humble huevo.
The poor cod should be put on the coals at about the same time as you fry the eggs – it only needs a minute or two on either side. You might need an extra pair of hands to deal with simultaneous frying and charring.Now all you need to do is fill a plate with a bit of everything and pour some cold beer!

Serve with: grapes (which are at their best in September), bread and beer

Arros al forn d’estiu (summer baked rice)

Posted on October 10, 2013 by lisajaneroberts

The story goes that when my husband Oscar was a boy, the family would pack a carload of towels, sun shades, chairs, cousins, food and drink and head off to the beach for the whole day. Iaia would always take along a whole, tea-towel-wrapped, ceramic dish of Summer Baked Rice, especially for her eldest son, and he would come rushing out of the sea to demolish the whole lot by himself, washing it down with chocolate milk. It is still one of his favourite lunches!

The amounts here feed between three and four people. If you don’t have a ceramic dish, use a metal baking tray, but increase the amount of water slightly so that it is exactly double the amount of rice.

The black pudding sausage is optional!

What you need:
2 glasses (roughly 400g) Spanish rice
1/2 glass of olive oil
a whole head of garlic
three or four ripe tomatoes
a handful of flat green beans
a good-sized potato
150g white beans
a black-pudding sausage (botifarra)
parsley
1 tsp sweet paprika
saffron/orange food colouring
water

What you do:
Pop the oven on at 200ºC and prep by measuring out your rice and oil, grating one of your tomatoes, slicing the potatoes, breaking the beans into pieces and putting your water on to boil. The amount of water is directly dependent on the amount of rice you use and the type of dish you cook in. If using a metal tray, use two glasses of water for every glass of rice. For ceramic dishes, hold back half a glass or so of liquid. For this particular recipe, I used 750ml of water for 400g of rice.You will also need to make what we call a “picadillo”, which is a bashed-up clove of garlic with a small bunch of parsley and a bit of oil added. I use a mortar and pestle, but finely chopping is good too. Set this aside for a moment while you get on with the frying and assembling.

Place the rice into the bottom of your ceramic (or metal) dish and gently shake it so it settles evenly over the base.

Now pour the half-glass of oil into a frying pan and get the heat on. Place the whole garlic head in the oil for a quick, oil-flavouring fry. Once it has been on for a few minutes, drop it into the saucepan with your water and let it simmer gently while you prepare everything else, this will help ensure that the cloves are all cooked through by the time you come to eat them.In the same oil, lightly fry your sliced potatoes. Remove and place over the rice, distributing the pieces evenly. Gently fry your green beans and when they look bright green and slick, add the grated tomato and white beans. Fry for a minute or two longer, then in goes the paprika for a quick swirl. Remove from the heat and pour over the potatoes and rice, spreading things evenly over the whole dish. Slice the remaining tomatoes thickly and place them on top of the other ingredients. Nestle the head of garlic in the middle and (optionally) place the sausage right next to it. Spoon your “picadillo” over everything. Sprinkle a bit of food colouring on top to get the Spanish yellow that people here prefer to white when it comes to rice.Now, hopefully, you will still have the right amount of water in your saucepan, and it will be boiling hot. If it looks as though some of it has evaporated, add a little. It’s important that the water be boiling when you add it to the dish so that the rice starts cooking immediately; otherwise, you might get a gluggy mess. So, carefully pour the hot water over your rice and slip it straight into your oven. Bake until the water has all been absorbed; depending on how hot your oven really is, this should take between 25 – 40 minutes.Let the rice cool for a few minutes before tucking in, or I promise you will burn the bejesus out of your mouth.

Serve with: sweet raw onion slices go beautifully on top, cold chocolate milk is a must for beach-goers, while at-homers could try a fresh young red.

Gazpacho andaluz

Posted on July 16, 2013 by lisajaneroberts

Summer gluts of tomato mean two things around here – cold Andalusian gazpacho and pots of thick tomato jam. Today I am making the first of these for our supper. This is very much a Iaia version rather than a faithful reproduction of the traditional soup – I would love to hear your own recipes, especially if you are reading from down south!
We like to drink our gazpacho from glasses and so add some ice-cold water to get the consistency just right. If, on the other hand, you eat yours from a bowl, it’s usual to add a handful of finely chopped pepper, onion, tomato and/or croutons. The recipe here gives you about a litre of soup.

What you need:
1½ kg ripe plum tomatoes
a chunk of cucumber
a small green or red pepper
half an onion
a clove or two of garlic
olive oil
your favourite vinegar
a pinch of salt
water (optional)

What you do:
Peel the tomatoes using whichever method you prefer – I use a sharp knife and do away with the whole boiling water palaver. Chop into chunks along with all the other ingredients and toss into a blender. (Note: we also peel the cucumber to save sensitive tummies from indigestion).
Once all the veg is in the blender, pour in a happy glug of olive oil, a generous splash of vinegar and a perfect pinch of salt (all of which you can tweak to taste as you blend), and press the “on” button. Add water if it seems too thick, more salt if it seems too bland and more oil or vinegar if you think you need either – this is not rocket science.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Easy? Delicious!

Serve with: croutons, bits of chopped ingredients, and a summer table full of nibbles…

Llescat de pimentons i bacallà (peppers and salt cod)

Posted on July 10, 2013 by lisajaneroberts

Summer gardens are full of bell peppers, and there are plenty of dishes to make the most of the glut. This one has semi-dried (or pre-soaked) salt cod in it. If you can’t find any, try it with a tin of tuna instead and add a small pinch of salt (which you absolutely mustn’t add with the cod!)

What you need:
1 large red pepper
1 large green pepper
a few strips of salt cod
(or a tin of tuna in oil)
a clove or two of garlic
olive oil

What you do:
Get your oven screaming hot (230-240ºC), lightly coat your peppers with olive oil and roast them for about 20 minutes or so until they blister, turning every now and then so they cook evenly. Take them out and let them cool a bit before peeling the skin off and tearing them into strips.

Chop your garlic up very finely and slice the cod into small pieces. Mix into the peppers.

Pour a generous glug of excellent olive oil over everything and set aside for an hour to infuse before dolloping spoonfuls onto pretty plates for a lovely starter.

Serve with: crusty bread and cold beverages of any colour

Llescat – another summer table dish to share

Posted on July 1, 2013 by lisajaneroberts

Llescat, which means “in pieces” is also known as esgarraet, which means “torn” and that is because you literally tear oven-roasted aubergine, peppers, onion and tomato into pieces to make this fruity, garlicky summer supper dish. It’s may seem a bit fiddly to get the skin off everything, but as long as your oven is hot enough, it shouldn’t be a problem. Careful when you open up the peppers – the steam inside burns!

What you need:
2 aubergines (eggplants)
2 greenish-red peppers
2 onions
4 prune tomatoes
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
best quality, fruity olive oil
salt

What you do:
First of all, put your oven at about 220ºC and give it time to heat up. While it is doing so, wash and dry the aubergines, peppers and tomatoes. Peel the onions and chop them in half. They take longer to cook than the other veggies, so you will also need to wrap the halves in a bit of foil. That way, the steam they create is trapped and helps them cook through in time. Put the other veggies in a baking tray and use your hands to rub olive oil over them until they glisten. Add the foil-wrapped onions to the tray and pop them into the hot oven for about 45 minutes, turning everything over about halfway through. Charring is good for flavour, but you don’t want anything to burn dry.Once cooked, place the aubergines, peppers and tomatoes into a deep bowl and cover with plastic film to cool for a bit. Leave the onions as they are to keep steaming in their foil. After about a quarter of an hour, gingerly pull the veg out and peel the skin off – it should come away very easily. Drain any excess liquid off, and then use your fingers to tear the flesh into thin strips. Unwrap your onions and tear them up as well. Season with salt and very finely chopped (or crushed) raw garlic to taste. Pour a generous dressing of olive oil over everything and then mix gently with tongs or a fork. It’s best to let the flavours soak into each other, so we usually prepare this the day before it’s to be eaten. It’s fine to store it in the fridge, but worth taking it out and letting it come to room temperature before forking it onto thick chunks of crusty baguette and devouring.Serve with: a summer spread of ensaladilla, beer-battered aubergines, sardines…and heaps of excellent bread

Pork, tomato and green peppers for dunking bread into

Posted on April 26, 2013 by lisajaneroberts

With the weather warming up, we are slowly moving out of stews and soups, and into the realm of the Valencian mullate, which is Iaia-speak for a dunker. These are hearty, chunky dips that require forks, knives and hunks of fresh bread to dunk in and soak up the flavoursome oils and sauces left on your plate after you’ve scoffed the solids.

The first one I made this season was a typical Iaia mix of pork, tomato and green peppers. Delicious.

What you need:
about 600g of pork fillet
400g tin of tomato
3-4 green Italian peppers
several cloves of garlic
olive oil
salt

What you do:
Separate your garlic cloves but don’t peel them. Cut your fillet into finger-thick slices. Remove the stalk and seeds from your peppers and tear (or cut) them into bite-sized pieces.
Pour a generous tablespoon or two of olive oil into a deep frying pan and heat to moderate, non-screaming warmth; pop your garlic cloves in and let them fry gently in their jackets for a few minutes before adding the pieces of the fillet to brown on both sides. Remove the meat, but leave the garlic and as much of the oil as possible in the pan. Add the peppers and give them a five-minute swirl to soften slightly before pouring in the tomato to fry and reduce. Once the tomatoey mixture is bubbling gently, turn the heat down and put the meat back in the pan. Season to taste, cover, and finish cooking over very low heat for about 20 minutes.
This dip is not meant to be eaten hot, so you will need to let it stand for at least an hour or two before serving. Of course, like all meaty mixes, it is even better the following day. We particularly like it inside a baguette for brunch!

Serve with: bread, fennel and green-leaf salad, and summer beers.

Allioli (garlic mayonnaise)

Posted on March 30, 2013 by lisajaneroberts

Traditionally served with Arròs a Banda, this garlic mayonnaise is also amazing with barbecued lamb cutlets. However, my favourite way of eating it is on toasted baguette slices with a spoonful of grated tomato – a fab starter for any meal.

What you need:
1 egg
5-6 cloves of garlic
Sunflower seed oil
A pinch of salt
A stick blender (or, if you are a purist, a mortar and pestle, in which case I wish you good luck and strong arm muscles).

What you do:
Put the egg, salt and garlic into a deep, narrow container (stick blenders usually come with one) and pour in about half a glass of oil. Start blending. Once you see it thickening and turning white, add more oil in a tiny stream, while you continue to blend.

This can be done by one person, though it might be easier with two. Keep going until you have enough!

Coca gallega (Galician-style pizza)

Posted on March 29, 2013 by lisajaneroberts

A compulsory part of any major meal here is the picaeta, which is a rough equivalent to “nibbles”. In our family, one of the most appreciated nibble foods (apart from the ubiquitous home-roasted peanuts, olives and crisps), is Auntie Joaquina’s Coca Gallega, a pizza-like pasty which is cut up into squares and devoured almost as soon as it gets to the table.
This recipe is easy, although you should remember to do the basic tomato mix the day before to ensure that it has the right texture and depth of flavour. Feel free to leave out the tuna if you don’t like it, or don’t want to consume the noble fish, and (speaking from experience) it is no great disaster if you forget to add the pine nuts, although they do provide good little nubby bits to bite.
The most complicated part of the recipe is moving the pastry once you have it rolled out, but a rolling pin and a bit of flour solve things admirably.
This recipe gives you quite a bit of pizza. We had four friends staying over for the Easter weekend, and I served it with a big green salad and a plate of Serrano ham for dinner – there was enough left over for morning tea on Sunday. It’s perfect for taking along to a buffet-style party or picnic!

What you need for the filling:
1/3 glass of olive oil
1 kg of tinned tomato
1 green Italian pepper
1½ spoonfuls of sugar
5-6 cloves of garlic
3 tins of tuna in oil
50g of pine nuts
4 boiled eggs
What you need for the pastry:
1 glass (200ml) sunflower oil
1½ glasses (300ml) beer
a good pinch of salt
plain flour (as much as the liquid admits)

What you do:
It’s best to prepare the tomato base the day before you want to cook the pizza. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and gently cook the garlic without letting it burn. Chop the pepper into small pieces and add to the garlic, frying lightly. If your tinned tomatoes are not already pureed, smoosh them up in the blender until they are smooth, then add to the pan. Chuck in the sugar to reduce the acidity of the tommies. You now need to let as much liquid as possible evaporate, while the tomato fries itself tasty. It took about ¾ of an hour the other day, on a medium flame and with a piece of foil over the top of the pan to stop tomato splatting all over the place. Once you think the mixture is dry enough, remove it from the heat and leave it in the fridge until tomorrow. The following day, drain the tuna of all oil (or brine), chop the eggs into small chunks and add both, together with the pine nuts, to the now cold tomato. Mix well and taste for seasoning. Set aside while you make the pastry and get the oven warm.Heat your oven to 160ºC, preferably with the heat only coming from the bottom. If you can’t choose, then place the pizza down low in the oven to avoid any burning on top. Pour the beer and oil into a large mixing bowl and add a pinch of salt. Now add flour bit by bit (about half a glass at a time) and mix in with a metal spoon until a dough begins to form. You are looking for quite a soft, oily dough but one that doesn’t stick to your fingers. When it’s ready, turn it out onto a floured surface and work it lightly – this isn’t bread, so there is no need to knead for any longer than a couple of minutes. Divide the dough into two parts, one slightly larger for the bottom layer. Using a flat oven tray (about 60 x 60) lined with baking paper as your guide, and enough flour to stop things from sticking, roll out the bottom layer until it is about 2-3mm thick. Prick with a fork. Spread your tomato mix over the pastry, exactly as you would a pizza. Use it all.
Now roll out your lid; it should be a little thinner than the bottom. Transferring it to the pizza can be tricky, but if you lightly flour the surface of the pastry and your rolling pin, you should be able to carefully roll the flat dough up onto the pin and then unravel it over your tomato.
Use a fork to press the edges together and prick the top surface. Brush with a beaten egg and pop it into the oven for about 40 minutes, checking from time to time. If you find the base is cooked, but the top is still very pale, you can switch to the grill only, keeping your eye on the pizza to make sure it doesn’t get frazzled. Allow to cool completely before serving (it’s even better the next day!)

Serve with: other nibbles, or a salad and some cured meats for a main meal.

Iaia's kitchen

Traditional recipes from my Valencia mother-in-law

Category Archives: garlic