Patatas a la Brava (Spicy potatoes)
700g potatoes
1/2 l tomato sauce
1 small piece of chili pepper or a little tabasco sauce
6 tablespoons olive oil
Abundant oil for frying
Peel the potatoes and chop roughly. Fry in abundant oil and set aside. Fry the chili pepper in oil and pour over the potatoes. Add the tomato sauce, covering them well but without saturating.
Serve on a plate or in individual dishes.
Pan con tomate, ajo y perejil (Bread with tomato, garlic and parsley)
French bread (baguette)
6 tomatoes
6 tablespoons bread crumbs
2 garlic cloves
6 tablespoons parsley
1 tablespoons paprika
6 teaspoons olive oil
Salt, sugar and parsley.
Tomato Purée:
2 Garlic cloves
3 tablespoons oil
Salt
A pinch of sugar
Place the tomatoes on their flattest side. Cut just above the middle and empty the contents. Set the tomato pulp aside.
Season the tomatoes with salt and a pinch of sugar and turn upside down so that the liquid runs off.
Turn right side up and fill with the finely chopped mixture of garlic, parsley, bread crumbs, paprika and olive oil.
Roast for 20 minutes at 160º.
Tomato Purée: Crush the tomato pulp set aside earlier in an electric blender together with the garlic, oil, salt and a pinch of sugar.
Cut the bread into 6 small slices and coat with the crushed tomato. Place a roasted tomato on top of each slice. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Escalibada (Grilled Vegetables)
2 potatoes
2 onions
2 green peppers
2 Aubergines
Salt
Virgin Olive Oil
Wash the vegetables and potatoes, chop them into thin rings and arrange in a large ovenproof dish.
Sprinkle with salt then finger sprinkle a little oil over the top. Cover with tinfoil and roast for 30 minutes at 170º.
Remove from the oven. Then cook au gratin under an oven grill when this is very hot. Remove when the vegetables begin to roast. Drizzle again with virgin olive oil.
This dish is of Catalan origin. Traditionally, the vegetables were charcoal-grilled in different batches depending on the cooking requirements.
Gazpacho
250 g bread
1 kg ripe red tomatoes
1 green pepper
1 garlic clove
50 g cucumber
1dl oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
salt and a pinch of sugar
water and ice
Accompaniment:
1/2 cucumber
1/2 green pepper
1 piquillo pepper, tinned
1/2 onion
1 hard-boiled egg
fried diced bread
Soak the breadcrumbs for a few hours. Place the previously strained bread, tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, garlic, oil, salt, sugar and a small glass of water in an electric blender. Crush for a few minutes to obtain a consistent blend. Put it through a food mill then pour into a bowl. If the soup is very thick, add a little water to thin it down.
Serve with ice cubes. Cut the vegetables and egg separately. Arrange the accompaniment around the gazpacho or on a separate tray.
Habas a la Catalana ( Catalan-Style broad beans)
1kg broad beans
200g Catalan sausage
2 slices of bacon, chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 onion, chopped
1 small glass oloroso sherry
1 small glass olive oil
8 spring mint, chopped
salt
Shell the beans, removing the pod. Set aside. Lightly fry the chopped onions and garlic cloves in a clay casserole, then add the bacon. Once all the ingredients are transparent, add the beans. Cover the mixture with water.
Add the sherry, two sprigs of chopped mint, salt and water to cover. Cook the beans until tender. Chop the white Catalan sausage into slices and add.
Serve in the same clay casserole and garnish with the remaining chopped mint.
Melón con jamón (melon with ham)
1 yellow melon
100 g ham
Cut the melon in half and then each half into three slices. Remove the seeds and cut the slices into pieces measuring approximately 2.5 cm. Cut the ham into very fine slices, of a size to cover each piece of melon.
Wrap the slices of ham around the pieces of melon and place on a metal or wooden skewer.
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Barquitas rellenas de espárragos. (Asparagus pastries)
Dough for pastries (see Sauces & Pastries)
12 asparagus
Mayonnaise sauce (see Sauces & Pastries)
Pastries: prepare using the same procedure as in the recipe, but with half the ingredients.
Once prepared, place the dough in a pastry bag with a nozzle 1/2 cm in diameter.
Make sticks measuring around 6 centimetres and place on a tray lined with greaseproof paper.
Bake in the oven at 180º for 20 minutes.
Stuffing: cut off the tips of the asparagus to match the size of the boats.
Prepare your own mayonnaise or buy a ready-made.
Slice open the boats with a sharp knife and stuff with mayonnaise and asparagus.
Berenjenas con queso (Aubergines with cheese)
2 medium-sized aubergines
1 camembert cheese
6 tablespoons tomato sauce
Oregano, chopped
Special flour for batter
2 dl olive oil
Peel the aubergines and cut lengthwise into strips 1/2 cm wide.
Place in a bowl of salted water for 10 minutes.
Strain well and roll in flour, then fry in a very hot oil until crunchy.
Coat the aubergines in tomato sauce and cover with large pieces of Camembert cheese. Sprinkle with oregano and serve.
Tortilla de patatas (Tortilla Española) Potato Omelette
1 kg potatoes
200 g onion, chopped
8 eggs, 50 g each
1 dl olive oil, maximum acidity 0.4º
salt
Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan (25 cm in diameter) and add the potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes then add the onion and salt.
Maintain over a high heat and occasionally stir the potatoes with a spatula to make sure that they do not stick, moving them from the frying pan surface up to the top. When they are soft, strain them in a colander. Mix the potatoes with the beaten eggs, stirring once and adding salt to taste.
Heat 3 tablespoons of the remaining oil in the frying pan and when it begins to smoke pour in the mixture. Shake the frying pan gently so that the omelette does not stick and shape the edges using a skimmer to lower the heat and leave the omelette to set slowly.
When soft and juicy inside, flip on a plate and slide back into the frying pan to brown the other side for a few seconds.
Presentation: when cool, cut into portions.
Gambas Pil Pil
10 medium prawns, peeled, uncooked
1 teaspoon coarse salt
3 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 piece dried red chilli pepper, seeded or 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pinch paprika
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Heat oil in pan over high heat. Add garlic and dried pepper and stir. Add the prawns and stir until just cooked through, about 1 – 2 minutes. Add salt and parsley and toss over heat for 1 minute. Transfer to serving dish with the oil. Sprinkle with paprika. Serve with crusty bread.
Maimones de Nerja
400g Bread
1dl oil
5 cloves garlic
6 eggs
150g muscatel grapes
water
salt
Slice the bread. Chop the garlic. Peel and de-pip the grapes. Fry the garlic in oil until golden brown. Add the bread, reheat, wet the bread and cook. Mix in the eggs (beaten) and season. Serve piping hot, with the grapes.
Ajo blanco con uvas (Cold garlic soup with grapes)
250 g breadcrumbs.
150 g raw almonds, crushed
2 cloves garlic, without shoots
1 egg
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 glass olive oil, maximum acidity 0.4º
1/2 litre water
100 g grapes
50 g currants and salt:
Soak the breadcrumbs for one hour and then strain. Crush all the ingredients in a blender for 5 minutes and then in a food mill. Place the mixture in a refrigerator to cool. If the mixture is too thick, add ice or more water. Garnish with grapes and currants.
Gambas al ajillo (prawns in garlic)
300 g whole prawns (Fresh if possible)
1 dl oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
4 small pieces of chili pepper
salt
Peel the prawns raw and set aside. Pour the oil into a small pan and add the chopped garlic and chili peppers. Heat everything, ensuring that the garlic does not brown, then add the prawns and season moderately, stirring until the prawns change colour. Serve very hot.
Morcilla de Burgos con pimiento verde (Spanish black pudding with green peppers)
6 slices chapata (Rustic-style bread)
3 green peppers
2 burgos morcillas
Olive oil
Cut the peppers in two lengthwise and the morcillas into slices 2-cm thick.
Fry the peppers in a frying pan coated with oil until they are tender “al dente”. Remove then fry the morcilla.
Cut the bread into diagonal slices. Place 1/2 green pepper and one slice of morcilla on each piece of bread.
Crema para las crêpes (Pancake batter)
125 g flour (12-14 pancakes)
2 eggs
1/4 L full milk
Olive oil for frying
Salt
UTENSILS: Small 7 cm diameter frying pan and an electric blender.
Place all the ingredients in the electric blender. Mix well then leave to stand for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Soak a piece of cotton wool in the oil to grease the frying pan then heat. When it is very hot, remove from the heat and pour in a tablespoon of batter, spreading it evenly around the pan. Return to the heat to allow the batter to set. Flip and cook on the other side. Repeat this process until all the pancake batter has been used.
Note: The pancakes can be made several days in advance and frozen in a pile, placing a sheet of tinfoil between each one.
Revuelto de ajetas (Scrambled eggs with spring garlic)
100g tender spring garlic
4 eggs
2 tablespoons cream
Salt
3 tablespoons oil
6 tartlet cases made from readymade or homemade pastry
Cut the spring garlic items in half and chop into strips measuring approximately 3cm, using only the white portions. Fry lightly in a frying pan with oil until soft, then season accordingly. Beat the eggs, add a pinch of salt and mix in the cream. Pour the mixture into the frying pan with the spring garlic. Stir until the eggs set and the mixture acquires a creamy consistency.
Serve in the tartlet cases.
Huevos rellenos de atún (Eggs stuffed with tuna)
6 eggs
2 piquillo peppers
Mayonnaise, readymade or homemade
2 Tablespoons oil
1 tin tuna in olive oil
French bread (baguette)
Boil the eggs in cold water with salt for 15 minutes. remove the shells under cold running water to stop them from cooking. Chop them in half and remove the yolks. To enable them to stand upright, cut a small slice off the domed area. Crush the chopped yolk and chopped pepper, the crumbled tuna and 2 or 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise.
Stuff the egg whites and place them on 6 slices of bread. Chop up 1 pepper into 6 small squares and garnish each egg.
Huevos estrellados sobre patatas (Potatoes with fried eggs)
1 1/2kg potatoes
2 garlic cloves, peeled
6 medium-sized eggs
Salt
Abundant olive oil
Peel the potatoes and cut into strips, approximately 3/4 centimetres thick. When the oil reaches a temperature of 175º, fry the potatoes in several batches. Control the heat so that the potatoes cook inside without browning. Once cooked, place them in a colander. Leave a film of oil in the frying pan and add the potatoes once again. Whilst re-heating, break the eggs intentionally one by one over the potatoes. Season to taste.
Huevos duros rellenos rebozados (Stuffed hard-boiled eggs in batter)
6 eggs
100g chorizo sausage
Béchamel sauce with 50g flour
2 hard-boiled eggs
Flour
Bread crumbs
Abundant olive oil for frying
Prepare the béchamel sauce with 50g flour. Remove the skin of the chorizo sausage, chop up finely and add to the béchamel sauce. Cook for 1 minute. Cook the eggs in salted water for 15 minutes, then cool under running tap water and shell. Cut the eggs in half, remove the yolks and chop up finely. Mix the egg yolks with the chorizo sausage béchamel sauce and use this to stuff the white of the eggs, creating a domed shape. Roll in flour and beaten eggs and fry in abundant hot oil.
Crèpes rellenas de revuelto de pimientos (Pancakes stuffed with scrambled eggs and piquillo (roasted red) peppers)
12 pancakes, frozen or homemade
6 piquillo peppers, tinned
1 onion, chopped
4 eggs
2 hard-boiled eggs, for garnish
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
If you buy pancakes frozen, thaw at room temperature. Set aside. Chop up the peppers and fry lightly for around 15 minutes.
Whisk the eggs and mix with the peppers and fat that they have released in the frying pan. Stir over a moderate heat until the egg sets. Remove the frying pan from the heat and continue to stir. The eggs should remain fluffy. Distribute the stuffing among the pancakes and fold each pancake into four to form a triangle. Sprinkle with the chopped hard-boiled eggs.
Tartaletas de ensaladilla rusa (Russian salad tartlets)
6 readymade or homemade pastry tartlets
200g potatoes, peeled and diced
250g peas, podded
250g beetroot (optional)
250g carrots, washed and diced
1/4 L mayonnaise sauce, readymade or homemade
Salt and pepper
Cook the carrots and peas together. After 15 minutes add the potatoes and salt. Leave to cool then stir in mayonnaise slowly to avoid saturating vegetables with the sauce. Distribute the mixture between 6 tartlets. If you use beetroot, cook in a pressure cooker for 20 minutes without removing the skin or shoots. Once cold, peel and dice. Beetroot can also be purchased tinned or jarred.
Tartaletas de champiñones a la crema (Mushroom tartlets à la crème)
6 tartlets made from frozen or homemade pastry
1/2kg mushrooms
1/2 onion, finely chopped
50g bacon, finely chopped
2 tablespoons instant onion soup
1 tablespoon flour
1/4L cream
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
75g butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Remove the caps from the mushrooms and wash under running tap water without submerging. Cut into dices, set aside and cover to prevent from browning and changing colour. Fry bacon in butter mixed with oil, when crunchy, add the onion. After 5 minutes add the mushrooms, cover and simmer gently.
Sauce: Poor the cold cream into the flour, stir continuously and bring to the boil. Add the onion soup and Lea and Perrins sauce, stirring continuously. After 5 minutes stir into the mushrooms. Distribute the mixture between 6 tartlets.
Pimientos rojos y ventresca (Red peppers and Centresca breast of tuna)
6 slices of Chapata (Rustic-style bread)
3 red peppers (around 200g)
50g onion
100g ventresca tuna in olive oil, tinned
5 tablespoons olive oil, maximum acidity 0.4º
Cover the peppers with tinfoil and roast for 1 hour. Leave to cool without removing the tinfoil. peel and cut into strips. In the frying pan, lightly fry the finely chopped onion and peppers in the oil. Serve the fried peppers on 6 slices of bread. Place strips of ventresca tuna on top. Ventresca is the breast of tuna fish and is extremely juicy and tender. Ventresca is more expensive than tuna, so ordinary tuna can be used instead.
Pimientos rellenos de morcilla (peppers stuffed with morcilla (Spanish black pudding)
12 Piquillo peppers
2 morcillas, 200g each
1/2L tomato sauce
3 tablespoons cream
salt
pepper
Prepare the tomato sauce and add the cream. Skin the morcillas, chop up the meat and fry, stirring continuously for a few minutes. Stuff the peppers with the morcilla. Place the peppers on a base of tomato sauce in individual ovenproof dishes, sprinkling with a few drops of oil. Bake at 170º for 15 minutes. Serve hot.
Pimientos rellenos de cangrejo y Carabinero. (Piquillo (red roasted) peppers stuffed with crab and large red shrimp)
Baguette-style bread
6 Piquillo peppers, tinned
200g crab meat, tinned
2 large red shrimps
Mayonaisse sauce
Laurel leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Express cornflour
capers
Boil the large red shrimps in a little salted water with 2 laurel leaves. Once they have boiled for 2 minutes, remove and leave to cool. Peel and dice. Boil the heads and skins in 3/4 litre of the same water.
Strain and put through a food mill.
Prepare a sauce by thickening 1/2 litre of this liquid with the cornflour and bring to the boil. Leave to cool then mix with mayonnaise; for this recipe the mayonnaise must be very thick and prepared without vinegar. Mix in the crab meat with the large red shrimps and sauce. Stuff the peppers with this mixture. Cut the bread into 6 small slices, place a stuffed pepper on each slice and garnish with capers.
Pimientos del piquillo rellenos de bacalao (Piquillo (roasted red) peppers stuffed with cod)
200g salted cod, sliced
1 tin piquillo peppers (about 425g); set aside 2 peppers for the sauce
Béchamel sauce
A few drops of meat stock
Salt
Cut the cod into pieces and soak for 48 hours. Store in a refrigerator and change the water around 6 times. To prepare, place the cod pieces in cold water and heat but remove before boiling. Skin and bone and then crumble. Prepare the béchamel sauce and divide into two portions. Add the cod to one portion, bring to the boil then remove from heat. Use this to stuff the peppers then place in an ovenproof dish. Pepper sauce: Add peppers and meat stock to the other portion of béchamel sauce.
After mixing in an electric blender, pour over the ovenproof dish and cook for 1/2 hour at 180º.
Picadillo helado cordobés (Iced Cordoba vegetable salad)
2 ripe but firm tomatoes
2 cucumbers
1 marrow
2 green peppers
1 spring onion
Olive oil
Sherry Vinegar
Salt and a pinch of sugar
Chop up the cucumbers, tomato, peppers and spring onion. Wash the marrow and dice the skin. Set aside. Vinaigrette dressing: Dissolve the salt, sugar and pepper in a teaspoon of sherry vinegar and stir well with the oil. Mix the vegetables with the vinaigrette dressing and serve very cold with two ice cubes on top.
Patatas al alioli (Potatoes in Garlic and oil sauce)
750g potatoes
Alioli (garlic and oil) sauce
1 tablespoon mild mustard
1 tablespoon sea salt
Table salt
1 pinch of recently crushed pepper.
Peel the potatoes and chop them up into pieces. Cook in water with sea salt until tender but not to the point that they break up. Strain and leave to cool. Mix with the alioli sauce and season to taste. Serve on a plate or in 6 individual dishes.
Salmorejo (Cold tomato and garlic soup)
1 kg ripe tomatoes
2 Cloves Garlic
1 large cup bread crumbs
1/4 L olive oil
1 teaspoon vinegar (optional)
A pinch of sugar
Salt
100g jabugo ham, cut into strips
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
Place the tomatoes and garlic cloves in the electric blender. Crush, add the bread crumbs and blend a little more. Gradually add oil while blending. Once all the oil has been added, season and crush again at maximum speed for 2 minutes to obtain an even blend. Place in the refrigerator. Serve very cold in individual bowls accompanied by ham shavings and hard-boiled egg.
Tortilla de calabacín (Marrow Omelette)
6 eggs
2 dl oil
Readymade mayonnaise
1 kg marrows, unpeeled
2 onions, finely cut
Salt
Chapata (Rustic-Style bread)
Fry the onions slowly in 1dl oil and season with salt. Wash the marrows and, without removing the skins, cut them into thin slices and fry with the onions until they are transparent.
Remove the lightly fried vegetables and place in a colander to drain off any water. Once well strained, heat in a non-stick frying pan with 1dl oil. Beat the eggs in a bowl, season and pour into the same frying pan as the marrows. Reduce the heat so that the egg sets slowly. Using a pan lid, flip the omelette so that it sets on the other side.
When cool, cut the omlette into 6 portions and place on 6 slices of bread. diagonally cut and previously spread with mayonnaise.
Tortilla de pimientos del Piquillo y bacalao (Roasted red pepper and cod omelette)
100 g onion, chopped
400 g green peppers, chopped and de-seeded
3 cloves garlic
8 piquillo peppers, tinned
100 g crumbled cod
8 eggs
5 1/2 tablespoons oil
Soak the cod for 12 hours, changing the water 3 times. In a frying pan (20 cm in diameter) prepare a sauté by lightly frying the onion in oil. Once the onion is transparent, add the garlic and green peppers and fry until soft. Then add the red peppers and cod and lightly fry all ingredients together in 1/2 tablespoons of oil for 15 minutes, ensuring that the cod does not brown.
Season. Beat the eggs and add. Leave the omelette to fry on a very low heat. Once the omlette has set but is still juicy inside, flip over on a plat and slide back into the frying pan to brown and set on the other side.
Tortilla de patatas (potato omelette)
1 kg potatoes
200 g onions, chopped
8 eggs, 50 g each
1 dl olive oil, maximum acidity 0.4º
Salt
Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan (25 cm in diameter) and add the potatoes.
Cook for 5 minutes then add the onion and salt. Maintain over a high heat and occasionally stir the potatoes with a spatula to make sure that they do not stick, moving them from the frying pan surface up to the top. When they are soft, strain them in a colander. Mix the potatoes with the beaten eggs, stirring once and adding salt to taste. Heat 3 tablespoons of the remaining oil in the frying pan and when it begins to smoke pour in the mixture. Shake the frying pan gently so that the omelette does not stick and shape the edges using a skimmero lower the heat and leave the omelette to set slowly. When soft and juicy inside, flip on a plate and slide back into the frying pan to brown the other side for a few seconds.
When cool, cut into portions.
Tortilla multicolor (Multi-coloured omelette)
12 eggs (3 for each omelette)
Olive oil and Salt
1 x 150 g tin atún claro (Tuna in oil)
2 tablespoons frozen spinach
100 g flat green beans
10 white asparagus tips, tinned
4 piquillo peppers, tinned and finely cut
3 tablespoons mayonnaise sauce
Tuna Omelette: Beat 3 eggs with salt and mix with crumbled tuna. Prepare a flat omelette in a frying pan (20 cm in diameter) with 3 tablespoons oil.
Spinach and green bean omelette: Cook the beans. Fry the spinach in 3 tablespoons oil and add the beans, beaten eggs and salt. Prepare the omelette.
Pepper Omelette:Fry the peppers and add the eggs and salt. Prepare the omelette.
Make a tower of omelettes alternating the colours and cover with mayonnaise.
Almejas a la marinera (Clams in white wine sauce)
1 kg Clams
4 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 dl olive oil
1 dl white wine
2 dl clam stock
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon flour
Salt
Shake the clams to remove any sand and soak in salted water. After 1/2 hour wash the clams and cook in 2 dl water. Remove the clams when they begin to open. Strain the stock and set aside. Lightly fry the garlic in the oil and, before it changes colour, add a tablespoon of flour dissolved in the wine and the clam stock. When this liquid starts to boil, add the clams and sprinkle with parsley. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes.
Serve in 6 individual dishes.
Ajo Blanco Malagueño con uvas (Garlic soup with grapes Málaga-style)
100 g almonds
200 g bread
2 dl olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
250 g grapes
Salt, vinegar and water
Peel the garlic, almonds and grapes and soak the bread. Crush the almonds together with the garlic and add the bread. Stir gently. Pour in the oil, a little at a time, without stopping stirring until the consistency is like a paste. Add the vinegar, salt and cold water and stir well. Strain the mixture into a pot.
Serve in individual (ceramic) pots, adding the peeled (and pipped) grapes and a few small pieces of bread.
Sopa de huevo Nerjeña (egg soup – Nerja style)
1 kg potatoes
3 eggs
2 lemons
Salt, water and oil
Make a mayonnaise using the egg yolks and some olive oil. Cut the potatoes into small pieces. Cook the potatoes and then mix in the egg whites and lemon juice and add a bit of salt. Add the mayonnaise after removing the saucepan from the heat to avoid curdling.
Serve in individual (ceramic) pots.
Ajo Colorao
500 g Miga de pan
3 cloves of garlic
4 dl olive oil
200 g cod
3 lemons
Pepper and salt
Cook the cod, diced, until it becomes crumbly and put the stock to one side. Crumble the bread and crush the garlic. Soak the breadcrumbs in the stock and drain.
Then add the garlic, pepper and lemon juice. Slowly add the oil and stir well until it is a sort of mayonnaise consistency.
Serve in individual (ceramic) pots with the cod crumbled over the top.
Aguacates con Gambas (Avocados with prawns)
1,500 g avocados
400 g prawns
100 g onion
1 egg
Salsa rosa
Caviar
A bit of lettuce
Cut the avocados in half, remove the stone and scrape out the inside and set to one side. Peel the prawns and cook them. Peel the onion and chop finely. Hard boil the egg.
Cut the inside part of the avocado into small pieces and put them into a bowl. Add the prawns, also cut into small pieces, and the chopped onion. Mix it all up gently.
Put the mixture into the avocado skins and top with a bit of salsa rosa.
Serve on a lettuce leaf base, sprinkle the caviar on top and decorate with thinly sliced egg.
Dorada a la sal (Salted Bream)
3 kg Dorada (Sea Bream)
Loads of marine salt
Gut and clean the fish unless this has already been done for you. Pile lots of salt on a plate, place the fish on the salt and then cover with yet more salt.
Cook in a hot oven for between 45 and 50 minutes.
Serve with potatoes and tartar sauce.
Higos secos al vino tinto (Figs in red wine)
1 kg Higos secos (Dried figs)
1 litre red wine
500 g sugar
3 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
Soak the figs in the wine for about one hour. Put everything into a casserole pan and cook well until the wine is reduced. Leave to cool.
Serve in a ceramic dish with, if you so desire, some nuts and a bit of cream.
Chopitos al Chiringuito (Baby squid)
1 kg Chopitos (Baby squid)
1 head of garlic
Parsley, lemon and salt
Olive oil
Clean the squids and season. Finely chop the garlic and parsley. Cook the squid on a griddle/hotplate (plancha)
Serve in a ceramic dish with a bit of oil, the garlic and parsley. Add a squeeze of lemon as required.
Nisperos con miel de caña (Loquat in cane honey)
1 kg Nisperos (Loquats)
Cane honey
Heat the honey. Using a toothpick or other skewer, dip the nísperos in the honey and make sure they get completely covered.
Enjoy!
Compota de batata con miel (Sweet potato and honey compote)
1 kg sweet potatoes
1 litre Cane honey
1 Cinnamon stick
1 dl water
Lemon peel
A few cloves
Cut the sweet potatoes into large pieces. Bung everything into a pan and cook until the potatoes are suitably done. Leave to stand for a short while.
Serve in a compote dish with all the juice.
Caracoles a la Nerjeña (Snails Nerja style)
6 dozen snails (local ‘sierra’ snails)
300 g Onions
350 g Tomatoes
100 g Almonds
6 Garlic cloves
50 g Bread
2 dl Oil
Water, salt, red pepper, lemon juice and saffron.
Clean the snails well with water and salt, boil for a few minutes and drain. Finely chop the tomato and onion. Fry the garlic, bread and almonds and put to one side.
Fry the onions, tomatoes and pepper and add the snails. Mix in the almonds, bread, saffron, a few drops of lemon juice and a drop of water and then cook slowly for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve in a ceramic dish with all the juice. Use a toothpick or the like to skewer the snails.
Cabrito a la Nerjeña (Kid, Nerja style)
3 kilos of kid
200 g Almonds
200 g Bread
1 head of garlic
1 litre white wine
3 dl Oil
1 dl Vinegar
Salt, red pepper, laurel, thyme and saffron as necessary.
Cut the meat into pieces and soak with vinegar, peel the almonds and garlic.
Sauté the meat in oil with three finely chopped garlic cloves, laurel and thyme. When it is golden brown, add the wine and continue cooking.
Fry the rest of the garlic, the bread and liver of the kid and then add to the above mixture and cook until the meat is tender.
Serve with a few potatoes or salad, whichever you prefer.
Calabaza Frita (Fried pumpkin)
1 kilo of pumpkin
2 dl oil
Vinegar, garlic, pepper, oregano and chili as necessary.
Skin the pumpkin and cut into small pieces. Make a marinade with the rest of the ingredients.
Fry the pumpkin in oil until it is about half cooked. Add the marinade and continue cooking.
Serve on a wooden plate with a few slices of country-style bread.
Roscos de Aguardiente (Alcoholic doughnuts)
250 g Orange juice
250 g oil
2.5 dl Aniseed
750 g sugar
4 eggs
1,400 g flour
60 g yeast
Cinnamon, water, grated lemon peel, liquor as you see fit.
Mix 500g sugar, cinnamon, liquor and water into a syrup. Set to one side.
Make a mound of flour, hollow in the middle, and add the rest of the ingredients. Knead until nice and supple. Stretch the dough and then cut using a pastry cutter.
Fry in a lot of oil. Once fried, dip them in the syrup mixture and then in sugar.
Eat and enjoy.
Espetos de Sardinas (Sardines on a stick)
1 kilo Sardines
Salt
Clean the sardines using seawater. Do not gut, decapitate or remove any bits of the fish. Season as required.
Make a small bonfire. Ideal would be to use a one metre long box, filled with sand, and with the bonfire on top.
Find some sticks or skewers about 20 cm long and skewer the sardines through the centre (widthways), three or four per skewer.
Once the bonfire is ashes/cinders only, no flames, stick one end of the skewers into the sand/bonfire at a slight angle and let them fishies cook.
Eat and enjoy.
Raya en adobo (Skate)
1 kilo Skate
6 cloves of garlic
1 tsp of pepper
1 dl vinegar
1 dl wine
1 dl water (don’t want to drown the wine!)
1 tsp oregano
salt, laurel and parsley to suit
Clean the Skate and cut into pieces. Peel the garlic and crush it.
Bung all the ingredients into a suitable bowl, add the skate and let it marinade for two to three hours.
Drain the liquid, dust the skate with a bit of flour and fry it.
Fritura de Pescado (Fried fish platter)
500 g Chanquetes (Whitebait)
500 g Salmonetillos (Mullet)
500 g Boquerones (Anchovies)
500 g Calamaritos (Baby Squid)
500 g Lenguadillos (Small Sole)
500 g Calamares (Squid)
flour
salt, lemon and parsley to suit
Clean the fishies, season, dust with flour and then sieve them.
Fry each type of fish separately in a lot of oil and at a very high temperature. Fry a bit of parsley.
Serve with slices of lemon and some fried parsley.
Berenjenas con jamón (aubergine with ham)
1 aubergine
1 egg
A few slices of Serrano ham
A bit of flour
A pinch of salt
Olive oil
Slice the aubergine, roughly 1cm thick.
Beat the egg, add a pinch of salt and set aside. Heat the oil, medium heat. Dip each slice of aubergine first in the egg, then in the flour, and fry for four or five minutes or until golden brown.
Drain off the excess olive oil – kitchen towel is good for this sort of thing – and serve with a slice of ham, either separately or on top of the aubergine.
Gambas fritas (Boozy fried prawns)
1/2 kg medium sized prawns
olive oil
150g flour
2 egg whites
250 ml beer
salt
Sieve the flour into a bowl and add a pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon olive oil and, most importantly, the beer! Stir well until it has a smooth consistency and then leave it at room temperature for about 30 mins.
Peel the prawns but leave part of the shell at the tail end. Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff, or worn out, and then add them to the batter.
Heat some oil ready to deep fry the prawns. Pop the pawns in the batter one at a time and fry them, a few at a time, until golden brown.
Remove the prawns from the oil and drain off the excess oil by putting them on a plate covered with kitchen towel.
Serve, eat and enjoy!
Pinchitos (Meat on a stick!)
1/2 kilo of lean pork, cut into small cubes
2 garlic gloves, finely chopped
2 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp pimenton (paprika)
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Crush the garlic together with the salt and then add all the rest of the ingredients, mixing them nicely together.
Skewer the cubes of meat and then leave them in the mixture to marinade for a couple of hours. Spin them round a few times to make sure the meat is completely covered.
Cook them for three or four minutes at high temperature. This can be on a barbecue, under the grill (on tin foil) or on a plancha/griddle pan if you have one. As long as it’s hot!
Serve, eat and enjoy!
Croquetas (Croquettes)
Time to maybe use some of those leftovers and turn them into delicious croquetas.
1 dessert spoon of olive oil
2 dessert spoons of flour
1/4 litre of milk
1 egg
100 g breadcrumbs
Nutmeg
150 grams of ham/tuna/bacon or whatever you like/fancy/have left over.
Salt
Put the oil in a frying pan and warm it up. Once the oil is warm remove the pan from the heat and add the flour, stirring it with a wooden spoon until it becomes a paste.
Back onto the heat with the pan and now add the milk, a little at a time. And keep stirring! Add the nutmeg, a pinch of salt and the filling of your choice. Cook until the mixture is stiff. And keep stirring!
When the mixture is stiff enough, transfer it into a bowl and let it cool. Beat the egg. Once the mixture is suitably cool, use your mittens to mould suitably sized portions into an elongated oval shape. Dip each croqueta into the beaten egg and then into the breadcrumbs and place each croqueta separately on a plate.
You can now choose whether to fry them immediately or put them into the fridge until you need them. When you fry them, they want to be crispy.
Mussels (Mejillónes)
2 dozen mussels (scrubbed)
2 tbsp minced green onion
2 tbsp minced green pepper
2 tbsp minced red pepper
1 tbsp chopped parsley
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice
Splash of red pepper sauce
Salt
Steam open the mussels and put them in a deep pan with the water. Cover the pan and put over a high heat, shaking the pan, until the shells open. Remove from heat and discard any mussels that do not open.
(If you want to use a microwave, put the mussels in a microwave-safe bowl, partially covered, and microwave at full power for one minute. Stir and then microwave for another minute. Remove any mussels that have opened and microwave one minute more. Remove open ones. Repeat twice more, discarding any mussels that have not opened.)
Mix the onion, green and red pepper, parsley, oil, and vinegar, season with red pepper sauce and salt.
When cool, place the mussels (in their shells) on a plate and then pour the mixture over the mussels.
Manchego Adobado (Marinaded Manchego cheese)
Cube some Manchego cheese and stab with a cocktail stick. Put the sticked cubes in a jar and fill with a good quality olive oil. Add a few dried herbs, such as thyme or rosemary, and then put the lid on and forget about it for about a month.
Don’t worry if you forget about it for more than a month, it will keep maturing for up to a year.
That’s all there is to it, apart from eating it of course.
Pulpo a la Gallega (Galician Octopus)
Time to get to grips with an octopus!
water
6 tablespoons coarse sea salt
1.5 kilo frozen octopus, thawed overnight in the fridge
0.5 kilo new potatoes, boiled with their skins on and kept warm
1 cup extra virgin oil
2 tbsp hot paprika
Fill a large pan with water, add 5 tablespoons of the salt and bring to a boil. While the water is heating, you can busy yourself by rinsing the octopus under the tap.
Pierce the octopus with a fork or other suitable implement and dip it into the boiling water. Lift it out immediately and, when the water returns to a boil, dip it briefly again. Repeat this process 3 or 4 times, or until the tentacles curl. Now put the octopus in the water and let it boil at medium heat for about 2 hours, or until it is tender.
Once cooked, let the octopus rest in the hot water for 10 minutes. Using scissors, cut it into pieces, the tentacles into 1cm thick rings and the body into small chunks. Pour a little olive oil onto a plate and put the octopus on top. Cut the potatoes into similar 1cm thick slices and surround the octopus pieces with the potato slices. Pour some more olive oil over the whole lot and sprinkle with hot paprika and the rest of the salt. Serve while the octopus and potatoes are still warm.
As an alternative, you could serve the octopus on skewers.
Olivos Aliñadas (Marinated olives) – Recipe 1
1 kilo pitted olives
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 piece of fennel
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 tsp peppercorns
5 cloves garlic
6 tbsp of distilled white vinegar
Sealable jars or containers.
Wash the olives under the tap.
Shove all the ingredients, except the olives, into a large bowl and mix them up thoroughly. Now add the olives and give the whole thing a good stir until all the olives are nicely coated.
Place the mixture into one large, or several small, sealable jars or plastic containers. If there is any space left in the container, fill it up with water. Give the jar a good shake then put it in the fridge and forget about it for at least 3 or 4 days.
When you decide to serve them, bring them up to room temperature first.
Gildas (Anchovies, olives and chilli peppers)
This one is from the Basque country.
100 g marinated anchovies (in olive oil)
250 g Guindilla chilli peppers
200 g pitted green olives
cocktail sticks
Roll up the anchovies and put them on the cocktail stick. Add two chilli peppers and an olive and there you are, a nice, simple tapa.
Salsa de Cebolla (Orange and onion salad)
4 oranges, peeled
1 red onion, finely sliced
2 tbsp raspberry vinegar
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
20 black olives, pitted
4 tbsp raisins (covered for 20 minutes in hot water and then drained)
2 tbsp almonds, blanched and finely chopped
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
Fresh mint
Slice the orange, put it on a plate and cover with the sliced onion.
Mix the oil, salt, pepper and vinegar into a sauce and pour over the oranges and onions. Sprinkle the raisins, almonds, sunflower seeds and olives over the salad. Cool the salad in the fridge and serve chilled.
Salsa de Garbanzos (Chickpea Salad)
1/2 kg chickpeas
2 hard boiled eggs
4 red peppers (pimientos del piquillo)
bunch of spring onions
1 clove of garlic
1 large tomato
extra virgin olive oil
white wine vinegar
salt and pepper
50g cured ham
Drain and rinse the chickpeas. If you use dried chickpeas, soak them overnight and then boil them the next day in a pressure cooker for about 10 minutes or for 1 hour 10 minutes in a saucepan. Otherwise use a can!
Blanche the tomato, remove the skin and seeds and cut it into small cubes. Cut the ham into small pieces, slice the eggs and chop up the onions.
Put all the salad ingredients into a bowl and then add some olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix gently.
Pan con tomate (Bread with tomato, Catalan style)
We’re off to Cataluña for this next traditional and easy to prepare snack.
2 slices whole-wheat bread
1 clove of garlic, halved
1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 small plum tomato, cut in half
Salt and pepper to taste
Grill or toast the bread and then rub one side with the cut-side of the garlic clove. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Now rub the toast with the cut-side of the tomato. Sprinkle with salt and coarsely ground pepper.
You now have the choice. You can eat it ‘as is’, complement it with some Manchego cheese or put a slice or two of serrano ham on top. All are equally authentic and equally as delicious.
Riñones (Kidneys in sherry)
8 fresh (lamb) kidneys
1 onion, chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
100g diced bacon
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tbsp flour
dry sherry
1 tablespoon tomato puree
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fry the onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a low heat and when it starts to soften, add the diced bacon and garlic.
Remove the membranes and core the kidneys, then cut them into largish pieces. Remove the onion and bacon from the pan and add 1-2 tablespoons more olive oil.
Put in the diced kidneys, a a few at a time, over the highest heat, stirring occasionally. When they are sealed, pull them to the sides of the pan and add the next lot. When they are all sealed and coloured, add back the onions and bacon, sprinkle with flour and stir it all up.
Finally, add the Sherry, tomato and thyme and bring to a simmer. Add seasoning to taste.
Percebes (Gooseneck Barnacles)
Gooseneck barnacles
Bay leaf
Butter
Crusty Bread
Rinse the barnacles thoroughly in fresh water, rubbing them gently to remove any sand.
Boil in water (fresh) and chuck in the bay leaf.
Serve hot, cold or at room temperature, whatever your fancy, with maybe some melted butter over them.
To eat gooseneck barnacles, simply peel off the outer skin and either bite off the neck (the edible, fleshy part of the critter) or give it a twist and pull.
Navajas (Razor clams/shells)
12 clams
3 eggs
1 cup of flour
1 cup of breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper
Rinse the clams and drain. Dip the clams in flour, egg, and then roll them in the breadcrumbs. Fry in a small amount of oil at high heat for a two two three minutes until brown. After cooking, put them on kitchen towel to absorb any grease. Serve.