Chili Salsa

Chili salsa makes the perfect dip and is quick  and easy to make up - especially if you have your own chili peppers. Spanish markets in the summer months are crowded with fruit and veg stalls and also plant stalls selling a whole range of plants, herbs, fruit trees and shrubs.


Back in July we bought two chili plants, 2.50 euros each and a real bargain not just for the chili's but they also add some great colour to the patio or herb garden. Of course we just had to make a chili salsa so here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

4 tomatoes, diced

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed,

1 small fresh chili pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped

Pinch of salt

Teaspoon of sugar

Olive oil

How to cook

1.    Heat a little olive oil in a heavy based saucepan and gently fry the garlic and chili over a low heat for a few minutes until they soften.

2.    Add the tomatoes, season and turn up the heat. When the tomatoes begin to bubble, lower the heat and add the sugar.

3.    Cook gently for around 20 minutes, stirring and breaking up the tomatoes from time to time.

4.    Remove from the heat and allow to cool.  Blend for a few seconds using a hand blender to create a smoothish sauce (I like it quite chunky)

5.    Return to the heat to warm through when ready to serve.

Pairing Wine with Tapas

If you have ever spent much time browsing through store areas such as the Marks & Spencer wine section, you have probably noticed that the selections can be a bit difficult to look through if you don’t have a specific goal in mind. Such an extensive wine collection exposes you not only to different types of wine, but to wines from different regions all over the world, and from different years. It’s almost impossible to make any sort of strategic decision beyond a guess when choosing what you want. This is why a lot of people prefer to buy wines specifically for certain dishes. 


This particular article will look into which wines pair well with the popular Spanish dish (or dishes) known as tapas. It is quite difficult to accurately define tapas, but if you have never been to Spain or eaten in an authentic Spanish restaurant, the best way to put it is that “tapas” refers to a range of fine appetizers that can be put together to form a meal. For some, tapas are an acquired taste, as they generally involve very strong flavours. So – which wines do people tend to enjoy with these tasty Spanish dishes? 

Many seem to think that the best possible wine to pair with a tapas dish is a Spanish white Rioja. The Rioja, or at least the white Rioja wine, is generally thought of as crisp, with a slight citrus taste to it. It seems that people enjoy this sort of sharp, fruity taste alongside the powerful flavours associated with most tapas. Similarly, some people seem to prefer Sherry or Rosé, which also provide something of a crisp, fruity taste with a bit of a dry feeling. Dryness seems to be a priority in pairing wine with tapas, simply because more delicate wines will not always stand up to some of the stronger flavours you can find in tapas (from ingredients such as olives and some cheeses). 


Pairing wine with food in a satisfying manner is not an easy task. Generally, it takes a practiced palate to understand which flavours will work best with others. In fact, particularly for a food as unique as tapas, which can include any number of different ingredients and tastes, it can be quite difficult to find a suitable wine. However, if this is indeed your task, there is plenty of information online, including recommendations from experts, that should help you to make more specific decisions.

Images © Orce Serrano Hams

Spanish terracotta - The deep cazuela

Think of Spanish terracotta and cooking and the 'cazuela' immediately springs to mind, that magic clay dish with all the simplicity of a tapas bowl yet versatile enough to create hot dishes over the barbeque or in the oven.

The cazuela can be used in the oven, on the gas hob, on the grill or over naked flame and this humble terracotta dish comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Standard cazuelas will range from 6cm up to the giant 46cm, good for easy Spanish tapas to cooking a full roast. This Spanish terracotta is also available in different forms such as the 'bandeja' - a casserole or square baking tray, again in various sizes. Staying round we also have the 'deep cazuela', this dish is made in exactly the same way as the standard cazuela but has twice the depth.

The deep cazuela is around 13cm in diameter and 7cm deep which makes it ideal for a number of cooking and serving suggestions. Pictured above we have a deep cazuelas filled with olives - great for the busier tapas party as it saves filling up and restocking the olives/nuts or whatever other nibbles that usually get consumed in vast quantities!

The deep cazuela is also designed for cooking, retaining all the qualities of its terracotta cousins all these cazuelas require is a soak in water before first use - this only needs to be done once as after they are cooked in the terracotta will become 'seasoned' ready for next time. Soaking need not take hours but the longer the better in order to toughen up your Spanish terracotta (overnight is good) So what makes the deep cazuela different apart from its depth? Well besides from serving large portions of tapas you can also serve paella, cook gambas al pil pil and a whole variation of piping hot dishes such as bacalao, baked eggs and pies... chicken, steak, fish, the deep cazuela is perfectly designed and just the right size if you enjoy a nice pie! The terracotta has such insulating qualities that a pie will remain hot for hours.

With a lip on each side the deep cazuela is easily handled and quite a robust piece of Spanish cooking equipment, designed for heat or simply to serve olives this cazuela is certainly worth consideration for your terracotta collection.

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Pork joint with white wine and garlic

Cooking a joint of pork in garlic and white wine is a real favourite of ours, the local butcher has some exceptional cuts of fresh pork including 'magra' and 'lomo' both of which are good for this recipe.

Cooking pork this way is also a good way of using up those tired peppers at the back of the fridge, in fact any veg hanging around the kitchen makes a nice contribution to what is simply a pork roast. To cook the pork we are using a terracotta roasting tray or 'bandeja' which is ideal as it allows a full bottle of wine plus plenty of ingredients.

Ingredients: (serves 4 - 5)

1.5kg pork joint
2 Bulbs of garlic
1 Red bell pepper
3 Onions
Cracked black pepper
Salt
Thyme
Olive oil
70cl White wine

Method:

1. Peel and slice the onions and red pepper and place in the bottom of the roasting tray.

2. Take each garlic clove and crush (use the thick end of a large kitchen knife) then scatter around the tray.

3. Clean the pork joint, pat dry and place on top of the vegetables then smear with a little olive oil, season with salt/pepper/thyme and rub in well.

4. Pour the white wine around the pork and cook slowly in the oven at 120 degrees for 3 hours.

5. Serve with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Serrano Ham and Cuttlefish Tapas

Serrano ham could be described as the king of all Spanish tapas, along with the humble olive it is probably the most widely enjoyed tapa in Andalucian homes, handy in the fact that if you have a full leg (usually seen on top of the fridge in Spanish kitchens) you can simply carve a few slices at your leisure and when the ham is nearing the end of its life you can get a small knife in all those hard to reach places and carve out thicker strips or 'tacos' (small pieces) which are great for frying or adding to recipes.

Having such a ham is always good to have as sliced ham from the leg also makes a great ingredient and can add some well needed flavour to various dishes. Take the recipe below for example - during the making of some cuttlefish and vegetable kebabs we had too much cuttlefish so in order to enjoy it fresh we quickly whipped up an easy tapa of cuttlefish and serrano ham fried with bay.

As probably one of the easiest recipes on this blog the cooking time is literally under a minute. Put a splash of olive oil in a frying pan and heat, meanwhile cut some serrano ham (quite thick around 3mm) and slice into strips. Cut up the cuttlefish and grab a bay leaf out of the garden. Fry together for a minute and serve in tapas bowls with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Easy as well, tapas! and a lovely flavour from the bay.