Pancetta and roasted Tomatoes

Tomatoes, what would we do without them? In Andalucia almost every tapas dish is garnished with tomato, something cool and sweet to calm down a picante chorizo, a main influence in salads, salsa's and dips and absolutely terrific roasted. Roasted tomatoes go a long way to making that exceptional "Escalivada" or bbq roasted veg - if you haven't tried making your own yet then do so this summer, so much better than chargrilled attempts you can buy in jars and much more rustic and natural. See how to make escalivada here, all you need are tomatoes, onions, red peppers, some olive oil and a newspaper.

Our main man in Orce village who goes by the name of "Juan-Jo" (short for Juan Jose) is the village green grocer. He does get a lot of his stuff delivered to what is probably Andalucia's smallest and most busiest shop but when the weather picks up his garden springs to life - this is when you can find a whole range of fruit and veg, ugly as sin but incredibly flavoursome. 

Hats off to Juan-Jo as he has probably grown the ugliest tomatoes ever seen in Spain, big ripe beef tomatoes split to bursting point, small little ugly critters boasting a sweetness that goes great with ham or cured lomo tenderloin and standard tomatoes that, well in reality would never make the grade in any supermarket. Do we mind any of this? of course not, the uglier the better, its all about flavour.

Easy Tapas: Place halved tomatoes on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with pepper - bake on a high heat for 30 - 45 minutes. 5 minutes before tomatoes are ready heat some olive oil in a pan and fry up some cured pancetta until crispy. Tear up some spinach and serve the hot tomatoes and pancetta on top, pur over olive oil from fried pancetta so spinach wilts and season with a little pepper. 

...and thats the job done, the sweetness of the tomatoes goes great with the slight saltiness of the pancetta, combined with spinach (or you could use a basic mixed salad) makes a tasty summer lunch. Drinks for this one? A tall beer or inexpensive red depending on your mood.

Fried Chorizo in Garlic

Thankfully the sun is out which has made a change from all the rain Andalucia has been experiencing recently. Sunshine means tapas and tapas means chorizo. So for our first outdoor "finger food" this year we whipped up something so incredibly simple it takes under two minutes to make. Just enough time to pour yourself a glass of chilled fino to go with it, just the job.

Chorizo's lend themsleves to frying very well, even a chorizo "duro" (hard chorizo) works well and because they are already cured take no time at all to fry up. The addition of a simple splash of extra virgin olive oil and a clove of chopped garlic creates a real Spanish combination ~ just slice up that chorizo into thin segments and fry for 2 minutes.

Save that olive oil which is now infused with juices from the chorizo and the garlic (it will turn into paprika colour) and use it for dipping fresh crusty bread into. Quick easy and very tasty! For the more adventurous you can also use chili flakes to add some heat into mix.

Now where's that glass of fino...

Persistent Rain Threatens Spanish Caves

Spanish caves don't like rain... in truth water (and snow) is the caves worst enemy.  Most caves hold up to water very well, the fact that Spanish caves have been around for decades and in some cases centuries proves that adverse weather conditions are not particularly dangerous for caves. However prolonged weeks of rain can take its toll and this is exactly what has happened since late 2009 until now ~ basically there has been no sun and fine weather to dry out the landscape.

Renovated cave room

Spanish caves by their very nature have no foundations, the foundation is the hillside and rock from which they have been "dug out" this means that caves move all the time as the terrain around them moves too. This may sound quite off-putting but in reality is nothing to worry about, it simply takes minor maintainence little and often such as cosmetic plastering and perhaps filling in the odd crack on a rendered facia.

Rain however can seep through the roof, this takes unusual and adverse weather conditions. Many Spanish caves do not have this problem as they are terraced with plenty of earth on top with a gradient so any water simply runs off. Caves like our own though which have a flat roof are vulnerable to seepage as the water effectively has nowhere to go. The same can be said for heavy snow which ideally needs to be shovelled of the roof before it melts...imagine 150m2 of snow 2 feet deep all turning into water.

We have been living in "Cueva Esperanza" since 2004 and it is the first time we have experienced any water damage. According to the locals Andalucia of late has had three time the average rainfall over the past few months - hence the problems. Luckily a little damp simply needs drying out before re-plastering but this takes time as there may well be water working its way through the rock for a good few weeks yet.

 Water damage

Persistent rain has also been problematic with the terrain in and around the village of Orce and its outlying hamlets. Small landslides partially blocking roads have been frequent as have the odd (and rather large) falling boulders. Pictured above is a small abandoned cave opposite our own, the front slid off during the early hours, now exposed to the elements it probably won't be long before there is a collapse.

The other issue for cave owners is that many of these dwellings are used as holiday homes so with nobody being "in" the cave during the recent weather the rain has been able to cause more damage through damp. Come the summer though all will be well again, the Andalucian heat will bake the caves and revert the rock above to becoming impervious to water once more. The other upside of course is that the resevoirs are full and the region has enough water now to last for the next three years.

For more information on Spanish caves visit Livinginacave.com

Win Tapas!

Win Spanish Tapas!

This Easter we are giving away a great selection of Spanish tapas via Twitter. Simply follow us @TopTapas on Twitter, RT our Twitpic and you could be in the running for some Iberian chorizo, Iberian sausage, Orce chorizo, Jabugo pate and Cazorla gourmet olive oil ~ all packed and shipped completely free of charge with our compliments ~ Free! Gratis!

Offers like this don't come around that often so why not enter? The lucky winner will be chosen this coming April 2010 and will be announced in the Orce Serrano Hams newsletter

GOOD LUCK!

Small is the new tasty...

The Friday lunchtime dilema...Pop into a tapas bar for a swift beer and a few titbits or pop into the fish shop, see whats in among the spread and go home to cook. Cooking it was - but something easy, it was just one of those days when you fancy something different but didn't have a tremendous amount of time to make it.

We opted for anchovies...an easy dish with no complication, in true style the guy serving removed the head and pulled out the innards showing us what to do just in case we hadn't quite got to grips with it after last time (or the time before that) give him his due though, he is nothing but thorough and very knowledgable if you buying something different. With another fishmongers open just around the corner you get the feeling that customer service is a top priority, stiff competition especially considering Orce village only has 1200 inhabitants its quite amazing how it can support two fishmongers - a bit like 1950's Britain, a flashback to traditional family run fishmongers, butchers and covenience stores.

A few handfulls of anchovies and two whole cuttlefish later for good measure not forgetting a huge bunch of broad leaf parsley the cleaning began. Pulling heads off three dozen fish no matter how small they are is something my better half just won't do so prepping was up to yours truly...

Seasoning the flour is the trick before deep frying, get a sprinkle of salt, a good pinch of freshly ground pepper and some paprika to build up those flavours, dust the fish thoroughly and fry a dozen at a time in olive for 3 - 4 minutes. Garnish with lots of torn up parsley and squeeze over with a little lemon juice, a great plate of tapas.

Fresh anchovies are, well fresh! Entirely different from what you get in a tin - not salty at all and of course they are very healthy full of the usual omega 3 etc. We kept this lunch about as simple as it gets serving only with fresh bread and extra virgin olive oil accompanied with a "tubo" (tall beer).

Simple and easy tapas.

"Flamenco Eggs"

Spanish Flamenco! That most famous of dances from Andalucia, my better half informs me that it is a lot harder than it looks too so I'll just stick to the tortilla and a bit of clapping. A few years ago after finishing the renovations on the cave house we organised a small fiesta for the neighbours who had kindly helped and offered all sorts of advice upon our arrival. In usual Spanish style a few more people turned up - the sound of music on a still summers evening attracts some of our more colourfull locals like bees around honey...

Music was played from the cave, settees were brought outside and the food was flowing nicely. As with most parties it came alive later on once everyone had been been plied with cerveza or the local (and somewhat powerfull) "tinto"



Then came the flamenco, a strange first time experience watching from the sidelines, one of the neighbours was a pro in the literal sense teaching my good lady some of the moves. In the background though there were those (like me) that had absolutely no idea at all. The image of inebriated grown men clutching bottles of red wine trying to dance flamenco was rather amusing at the time, particulary when feet were stamped with all manner of serious expressions on faces.



Cavehouses themselves are synonymous with old Spanish gypsy culture and you can still visit the caves of Sacramonte in Granada city today to experience the real flamenco first hand inside a cave dwelling. I must say that watching talented experienced dancers is a real joy, you become engrossed in whole culture of it all, the music, the food, and the participation.

Now then, "flamenco eggs" an easy and very colourfull dish:

Ingredients

1 Large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 Red pepper, chopped
1 Green pepper, chopped
1 400g can chopped tomatoes
2 Boiled potatoes
4 Large fresh eggs
Olive oil



1. Cut the potatoes into cubes and par boil until almost soft.

2. Fry the onion, garlic and peppers in olive oil until soft.

3. In a large cazuela heat up the tomatoes, season then add the cooked potatoes, onions, garlic and peppers. Mix well.

4. Using a wooden spoon create four indents in the mixture - crack one egg into each one.

5. Cook in the oven at 180°C for around 15 minutes or until eggs are done.

6. Serve with fresh crusty bread and a glass of good red wine.

A Spring in the step

Spring in Andalucia? Surely the rain has stopped now! The south coast of Spain has had a real battering weather wise over the past few months. One of our neighbours claimed that the region had received three times the normal rainfall since December last year and we can well believe it, Spanish cave houses and indeed conventional houses have collapsed due to the constant drenching over the past few months.

The recent storm that rattled Southern Spain as well our European neighbours in France and the UK arrived early Sunday evening with 85mph winds and driving rain. Its always good to have a storm that clears the air but this was this the last one to see off Granada's "rainy season"?



(Below) the morning after. (Above) Almond blossom high up in the Sierra de Umbria, Fuente Nueva, Orce.



Wood collecting time... After enjoying a hefty delivery of slow burning almond wood mixed in with a bit of peach wood it was time to gather just a few more of those fast burning sticks to generate some heat. Sunday mornings (or indeed today being Andalucia day) are great to get out and grab some fresh air, get some wood take some photos and get fit after a lazy winter in the cave house.

This year being as wet as it has been has attracted the "processional pine caterpillar" in large numbers - stay clear, these are one of natures beasties that rank quite highly in the dangerous category. Aside from the caterpillars the views were fantastic from the top of the mountian, an old haunt for us if you like as when its not wood collecting time we usually take the kids up to the same spot for a picnic during the summer and relax for a couple of hours.



There is something quite wonderfull about being out in the campo at this time of year, barren wasteland is prepping itself up to change into a sea of colour with wild flowers and the fields quickly turn green as well as the mountains, for a short window of time it could almost be Scotland. Easter or Semana Santa is just around the corner and that means a visit from the Spanish neighbours, the "cocinero" in the family makes the absolute best romesco sauce which are accompanied by barbequed onions, wrapped in newspaper the Spanish neighbours serve them on upturned roof tiles. "Calcots" ~ the absolute business!

(recipe coming soon)