Allioli

Allioli is a paste like cold sauce from Catalonia, The Balearic Islands and Valencia, it is now produced in abundence all over spain as an accompaniment for grilled or fried fish, shellfish, Paellas, salads, potatoes and snails to name just a few. Allioli means "Garlic and oil" in Catalan and is made by pounding garlic olive oil and salt with a large mortar and pestle to a smooth textured paste, traditionally it doesn't contain eggs, as in the Provencal "Aioli" but most contempary recipes now suggest the use of eggs to allow faster and easier mixing, this also provides a smoother sauce and gives the sauce a nice sheen, for these reasons, I will be including an egg yolk in my recipe today.

Ingredients:

Large mortar and pestle

1 Egg yolk

3 Cloves of garlic

1 250ml virgin olive oil

A pinch of salt

Method:

Peel and place garlic cloves into mortar along with salt, grind to a paste. Seperate the egg yolk from the white and add the yolk to the garlic paste and mix. Now add the olive oil a little at a time as for mayonnaise(an extra pair of hands can be useful to slowly drizzle in the oil as you mix the sauce with the pestle). Remember to always stir in the same direction, continue until you have a thick, mayonnaise-like sauce, enjoy..!

The Traveling Fork: Moving

The Traveling Fork: Moving

Gazpacho Andaluz.

Gazpacho is a refreshing cold tomato-based raw vegetable soup, originating in the southern region of Andalucia, Spain. Gazpacho is widely consumed throughout Spain, its neighbour Portugal,(where it is known as Gaspacho) and parts of Latin America. Gazpacho is mostly consumed in the summer months due to its refreshing qualities. It is usually served in glasses in the Spanish bars with ice, with some customers consuming it by the pint, in beer pint jugs..! mmmm..

Ingredients:(4 Servings)
1kg of Tomatoes(the redder the better)
1 Red bell pepper(approx 60g)
250g Cucumber
1 Small onion(approx 100g)
3 Cloves of garlic
1/2 Small apple(optional, I feel it adds a sweetness)
3 Dessert spoons of a quality olive oil
6 Dessert spoons of white wine vinegar(more or less depending on taste)
3 Slices of bread for Croutons
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste only if not using apple
Flat leaf parsley to garnish.
Ice

Method:
Wash all vegetables thoroughly, cut the tomatoes in 4, cut the peppers in half remove pips and all of the white core, then cut both pieces in half again. peel the cucumber and onion then roughly dice. Peel the garlic. If using the apple, peel, core and cut in quarters(only use 2 quarters, as we will be using the other 2 quarters later)
Add all the vegetables to a blender and completely blend to a liquid, add the olive oil,vinegar and salt to taste(and sugar if you haven't used the apple). Pour out into a jug, then pour out into small bowls or glasses.
You can now chop the remaining apple into small dice(and if you have any more tomatoes, peppers and cucumber you can dice them too). Set to one side.
Cut the crusts from the slices of bread and cut into small dice, add alittle olive oil to a frying pan, once oil is hot fry the croutons until golden brown.

You can now sprinkle a little diced apple, tomato, pepper, cucumber and croutons on top of the Gazpacho portions and finish with an icecube and some freshly chopped flat leaf parsley.

Tortilla de patatas.

The tortilla de patatas (potato omelette) is one of the most widely consumed dishes in Spain, it can be made with or without onions, so with my love of onions this recipe will be "with".

The tortilla de patatas is eaten in many different ways here in Spain, almost all bars serve it as a tapa on its own, or as a sandwich filling using firstly baguettes,(a bocadillo), or with a small roll called a "Pitufo" which translated means "Smurf"
It can also eaten cold, with composite salads and cold or barbequed meats.

Ingredients: (4-5 Servings)
5 Large potatoes peeled and sliced(3-4mm).
6 Large eggs.
2 Medium onions chopped.
Good quality olive oil.
Salt and black pepper.
A medium non-stick Frying pan or Skillet.


Method:
Lightly fry the onions in the medium frying pan with 2 dessert spoons of olive oil, once cooked, empty into a bowl and set to one side.
With another couple of dessert spoons of olive oil in the same pan, fry the sliced potatoes, trying not to break them up too much, once again set to one side
Crack the eggs into a large bowl add 2-3 twists of a salt mill and whisk.
Next you add the potatoes and onions in layers into the whisked egg and push down so all potatoes and onion are covered by the egg, then allow to sit for approximately 15 minutes.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the large frying pan(or skillet) moving the oil around to coat the pan, add all of the egg, potato and onion mix, spreading the potato and onion quickly as the egg will find its own level. After about 2-3 minutes turn down the heat to medium/high, shaking the pan every now and then to prevent sticking.
Once mix sets and the underneath is golden brown, turn the tortilla out onto a dinner plate, with the cooked side facing up. Keeping the pan on the heat, add a little more olive oil, once again move the pan to coat in the oil and slide the tortilla with the uncooked side down, back into the pan. Continue to cook and shake the pan until the other side is golden brown. If required you can continue to turn the tortilla a couple times more to give it more colour. As I said before this can be served warm or cold and is great served with a glass of Red Marqués de Cáceres 2005.

Fabada Asturiana

It was a fair few years before I had actually sampled this heavy winter dish but once I did, I almost felt robbed of the pleasure of endulging in it's rich flavours in my earlier years in Spain.
Fabada Asturiana, often simply known as "Fabada" , is a rich bean casserole origionally from Asturias but is widely available all over Spain and in Spanish bars and restaurants worldwide. Fabada is made with dried large white beans called "Fabas"(which need to be soaked overnight before use) Lacón(cured ham hock), Tocino de pancetta(cured bacon belly), morcilla(a black blood sausage, the spanish cousin of black pudding), chorizo(traditional Spanish spicy sausage), Azafrán(saffron) and seasoning. A ham bone can also be added for extra flavour.
Fabada is a distant cousin to the "Cassoulet" from southern France. Fabada is a very heavy dish and for this reason is often eaten for lunch with bread. If you fancy a tipple to compliment this asturianan dish, you could endulge yourself with an Asturian cider.


Ingredients: (4-6 Servings)
1kg of Fabas or Cannellini beans(Italian white kidney beans)
3 morcillas
3 chorizos
1/2 kg of lacón
100g of tocino
2 medium onions
3 large garlic cloves
Saffron, salt and pepper to taste.
Water to cover.

Method:
Soak the ham hock in tepid water(after singeing off any remaining hairs)and fabas in cold water over night.
Sweat off the onions and chopped garlic(frying without browning) until softened, then place in a large heavy casserole dish.
Next add the drained fabas, lacón, tocino, morcillas,saffron, pepper and chorizo(there are many types and sizes of chorizo, the best I feel for this dish is a sweet chorizo of about 2-3 inches.) then cover with water. You DO NOT want to add the salt at this stage as the ham and bacon will release its salts during cooking,
Then cover the dish with a lid or tin foil and place in a pre-heated oven at 135º (gas mark 1) for approximately 90 minutes, after this time remove from oven and taste, if required add salt, top up the water, stir and return to the oven for a further 90 minutes.
After this time remove from oven and taste, add more salt and pepper only if required and serve with crusty bread.