Recipes from a passionate cook & foodie
One of my favourite times of the year has arrived - my birthday! Since I am in Spain we will once again replace the traditional birthday cake with something far more interesting - Roscon de Reyes filled with crema de trufa (chocolate cream) and nata (cream). A delight! If you would like information on how to make this Spanish delight check my posts on Roscon de Reyes and Cream de Trufa … [Read more...]
Today I purchased my Roscon de Reyes for the Feast of the Epiphany here in Spain. Anyone curious to hearing more about this delightful treat can find the recipe here. Much as I normally swear by homemade pastries over bought the delectable Roscon de Reyes is the only exception to the rule in my book - for me, it just tastes far nicer when purchased from one of the many numerous patisseries. I normally have my Roscon filled with Trufa, a wonderfully delightful chocolate cream. This year … [Read more...]
This is a dish I created on Easter Sunday and twittered that I had cooked "el conejo de pascua" (thats the Easter Bunny to you...) Some found it funny whilst others seemed to take a huge amount of offence... But life goes on! Back to the stew, it was absolutely delicious - despite the fact that it was my usual bung everything in and hope for the best. Actually, truth be told, I think once you have an understanding of flavours and what works you can make dishes up on the fly like that - and … [Read more...]
Olla Gitana is a typical soup of Murcia in the South East of Spain. Its combination of ingredients makes it practically a meal in its own right - and it is absolutely delicious and extremely filling. It can be served with or without the addition of pork - and although many of the more traditional ingredients rule out this rich stew for vegetarians - with some careful fiddling it could be made suitable. Packed with beans and vegetables it is truly one of the best spanish stews / soups I have … [Read more...]
One of the things I believe I will miss most about Spain is the Roscon de Reyes - a rich sweetbread served on the night before or morning of the last day of christmas - the day of the kings. It has now become traditional to fill these wonderful christmassy treats with sweet cream, custard or "trufa". All of which are delicious when served with traditional hot chocolate. My personal favourite is a slightly crusty version filled with crema de trufa - a chocolatey cream that can add inches with … [Read more...]
Ingredients:: 4 tbsp olive oil 1 cup plain flour 1 rabbit, cut into serving pieces, washed and patted dry ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp butter 1 large onion, finely diced 2 cups dry white wine 6 black olives, pitted and quartered 6 fresh sage leaves - finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped ¼ cup red-wine vinegar Method:: Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan or casserole over a high heat. Flour the … [Read more...]
Ingredients: 12 ripe plum tomatoes, skinned and deeseeded 1 1/2 cups good quality olive oil 2 large sweet Spanish onions, peeled and finely diced 1 tsp caster sugar 1 tsp sea salt 1 tsp Pimientón (Spanish sweet paprika, smoked) 1 tsp chilli powder (hot or whatever you prefer 1 bay leaf (laurel) Method: After skinning, scrape the seeds from the tomatoes into a sieve set over a bow (using a small spoon) cover and leave to “drip”. Blitz the tomatoes, add the juices from the … [Read more...]
Ingredients:: 1 lb lean mutton, cut into 1” cubes and tossed in seasoned flour 6 oz red onion - chopped 2 large cloves garlic – finely chopped 5 oz bacon lardons ¼ bottle full bodied red wine ¾ pint chicken stock 4 oz chorizo – diced or sliced (to taste) ¼ tsp each – allspice, cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg Pinch of cloves 1 preserved lemon – finely sliced, pips removed with a little of the preserving juice Finely grated zest and juice of 2 oranges Handful of finely … [Read more...]
I made these late last night for lunch today. They look absolutely devine, and although not mentioned in the original recipe below I added some lime and lemon zest to the mix. If you chose to make this recipe you may do so or not. I liked the idea, and it makes for a much more attractive pudding. Ingredients :: 3½ oz unrefined caster sugar 9 fl oz freshly squeezed orange juice 1 fl oz freshly squeezed Lime Juice 3 large eggs, beaten Method:: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees … [Read more...]
Ingredients :: 7 oz garbanzos / chickpeas, soaked overnight 4 oz salt pork, Jamon Serrano or bacon 8 oz pork 4 pints cold water 7 oz white beans or black-eyed peas, soaked overnight 1 lb chard or green beans, chopped 6 oz chorizo 6 oz morcilla or blood sausage 2 cloves 8 peppercorns 3 garlic cloves 2 tsp salt 2 tsp smoked pimentón 1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks about 1 1/2 inches across ½ lb pumpkin, peeled and cut into large chunks Method :: If using both … [Read more...]