Spanish Dips

When it comes to Spanish dips you might automaticaly think of 'Spanish salsa' or perhaps the garlic version of mayonnaise 'allioli', both are ultimately welcome on any tapas table and of course deserve to be there however there are so many more flavours to create we thought we would start a new 'Salas & Dips' section to see what we could  do and have a play around with!

Spanish dips are almost like cocktails, a blend of ingredients that come together to create a great flavour and with so many ingredients that can be used in creating a Spanish dip it is easy to rustle up some fairly quick and simple recipes that can include everything from artichokes to anchovies.

To see what we are dipping into right now take a look at your Spanish recipe page.

Courgette with Mushrooms and Sweet Chili

Spanish vegetarian tapas may be less popular than meat based tapas dishes but there are an extensive variety of vegetarian tapas to experiment with. This vegetarian dish is one such recipe which worked very well and uses simple flavours through healthy ingredients and good extra virgin olive oil. 

This recipe can also be made with green beans, or with the addition of lentils or chickpeas. A tapas recipe that can be served on toast, with bread or simply on its own in tapas bowls or as a side dish.

Cooking time: 10 minutes

You will need: (4 tapas)

1 Medium courgette, sliced

300g Mixed mushroom, sliced

2 Small sweet chili’s, chopped

1 Clove garlic, chopped

Olive oil

Method:

1.    Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan or terracotta cazuela and fry the chopped garlic and courgette.

2.    Add the mushrooms and sweet chili to the pan and fry for a further 3 – 4 minutes until the ingredients begin to brown.

3.    Serve in tapas bowls, on toasts or bread and drizzle with olive oil.

Spiced Spanish Mackerel

This recipe for mackerel uses Spanish canary island sauce, there are two types of “mojo” sauce, one for meat and one for fish. The mackerel is cut on both sides before the mixture being rubbed in and the fish left to marinate for an hour. The addition of chili and lemon juice adds a great summer flavour to fish which can be oven roasted or cooked on the barbeque.

You will need: (serves 4)

4 Large whole mackerel, cleaned
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tablespoons Mojo Canario 
1 Teaspoon chili powder
Olive oil
Lemon wedges
Parsley

Method:

1.    Make four diagonal cuts into each side of the mackerel.

2.    Mix together the mojo sauce with the lemon juice and chili powder adding a splash of olive oil.

3.    Rub the mixture over the fish making sure plenty goes into the cuts on the fish.

4.    Cover the fish with kitchen foil and leave to marinade for 1 hour.

5.    Bake in the oven for 20 minutes on 180 degrees. If barbequing place the fish onto a griddle or double hinged grill and cook for 6 – 8 minutes each side.

6.    Serve with salad and garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.

Catalan Calcots

Catalan Calcots served with Romesco sauce is a real springtime treat, typical to Catalonia. We have been lucky enough to experience this feast on a few occasions and this recipe is provided with help of our good friend and neighbour Montse and her Dad Rafael who have been preparing and serving calcots for generations, literally from seed to table...

Ingredients

Home made Salsa Romesco:

250g Toasted almonds
150g Toasted hazelnuts
4 Walnuts
100g pine nuts
1 Dried sweet red pepper or (nora), roughly chopped
¼ Dried chilli pepper, roughly chopped
6 Medium ripe vine tomatoes
7 Cloves garlic
3 Calçots
Salt
Tablespoon white wine vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil

Equipment:
Natural wood fired BBQ, newspaper for wrapping.

Method:

* Roast the vine tomatoes, two of the calçots and the garlic on the barbeque, keeping one clove of garlic aside. Allow the vegetables to cool and then peel removing the seeds from the tomatoes too.

* Place the almonds and hazelnuts, sweet pepper, chilli, all the vegetables, salt and vinegar into a blender or food processor and mix well.

* Slowly add the olive oil as you continue to mix (about 300ml, as the nuts will make the salsa quite thick and textured)

* Keep mixing, slowly adding the oil until the sauce is smooth and thick.

* Check the seasoning and spoon the Romesco into a cazuela or small tapas bowl, cover and keep in a cool place for a day or so until you are ready to enjoy.

For the Calcots:

For this Catalan recipe you will need 5 dozen calcots or "scallions" in their entirety. Give them a quick rinse under the cold tap and leave to dry. The barbeque coals are the crucial to success with this recipe – a thick layer of hot coals or "brassa" is ideal, place the scallions on top of the grill and cook until the undersides of the scallions turn black. Rotate and cook until they are black all over (20 – 30 minutes and don not be afraid to burn them slightly). Once cooked wrap them up into bundles of 12 using good old fashoined newspaper. Your Catalan “Calcots” are now ready to eat!

Read the full article inc prepping Calcots here

Photo credits: Montse Capdevila


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Spanish Mackerel in Mojo Sauce

This recipe for mackerel uses Spanish canary island sauce, there are two types of mojo sauce, one for meat and one for fish. The mackerel is cut on both sides before the mixture being rubbed in and the fish left to marinate for an hour. The addition of chili and lemon juice adds a great summer flavour to fish which can be oven roasted or cooked on the barbeque.

Mackerel lends itself very well indeed to strong flavours and marinades, being very economical to buy this fish is tremendously popular in Spain, our - local fishmonger in Orce displays tray upon tray of fresh mackerel every Tuesday and Friday. A super buy, very tasty and immensly versitile mackerel is great at any time of year.

You will need: (serves 4)

4 Large whole mackerel, cleaned

Juice of 1 lemon

2 Tablespoons mojo canario

1 Teaspoon chili powder

Olive oil

Lemon wedges

Parsley

Method:

1. Make four diagonal cuts into each side of the mackerel.

2. Mix together the mojo sauce with the lemon juice and chili powder adding a splash of olive oil.

3. Rub the mixture over the fish making sure plenty goes into the cuts on the fish.

4. Cover the fish with kitchen foil and leave to marinade for 1 hour.

5. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes on 180 degrees. If barbequing place the fish onto a griddle or double hinged grill and cook for 6 – 8 minutes each side.

6. Serve with salad and garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.

....More Spanish seafood recipes >>>


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Jamm'in it up

Andalucian jam... or conserves. Last Sunday turned out to be quite an eventful day. We had been invited to the "Orce Eco Exhibition" to see and sample some of the produce made by small local businesses.

By no means the BBC Good Food show but still very much worth a couple of hours on  a Sunday afternoon. Stalls were organised by local producers of organic food from the locality including an impressive display of hand made leather crafts, cured meats, extra virgin olive oils, liquors, ceramics and other crafts.

The kids were particularly happy taking part in live demo's of pottery which rendered them bound in clay for the rest of the afternoon! A successful event which for us resulted in meeting a broad range of new suppliers and also tasting some exceptional olive oils, liquors and conserves. Black olive pate was a big hit and a tuna conserve that was absolutely delicious. Tapas in every sense and an abundance of home made, home grown organic flavours.

Washed down by cream lemon liquor and with a generous plate of cordero segureno organised by the village the afternoon was a big hit - plus we discovered some delicious goodies ready to hit the virtual shelves in January 2011. Find out more.


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Mussels in Chili Salsa

You know when you just fancy a big bowl of mussels for lunch?

Ingredients:

2kg Fresh mussels
4 Hot red chili peppers (small)
500g tin peeled plum tomatoes
4 Garlic cloves
Olive oil
Coriander
Flat leaf parsley

How to:

1. Add a generous drizzle of olive oil into a large cooking pot, heat until the oil begins to smoke.

2. Add the cleaned mussels, cover with the lid and cook for 4 minutes until shells are open.

3. Meanwhile, puree the plum tomatoes in blender or simply mash up if you want to go rustic, finely chop the garlic and dice the chili peppers.

4. Once the mussel are steamed pour away half of the liqueur.

5. Add the tomatoes, garlic and chili pepper, mix well and simmer for 2 - 3 minutes.

6. Roughly chop the coriander, add to the sauce and mix again.

7. Serve into ceramic bowls and garnish with parsley.

Enjoy with white wine and fresh crusty bread. Just the job!


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Sardines in Escabeche

Spanish "escabeche" salsa? pickle? marinade? Escabeche can be seen on a wide variety of Spanish tinned seafood, the most popular being mussels but what exactly is it? It would be wrong to assume that it is a salsa although nowadays it is commonly regarded as being so. Escabeche has a purpose, the traditional recipe still in use today uses olive oil and wine vinegar as the base to a mixture which was actually made to preserve seafood and meat products (particularly game) in days gone by.

The addition of herbs in escabeche packs a real flavour punch - thyme, rosemary, garlic infuse with the olive oil making fresh crusty bread for dipping a must for home made escabeche. Wine vinegar is also used which, during cooking smells quite potent, however when you taste the meat there is only a slight hint of acidity which actually compliments fish and meat very well. A salsa? well yes, the advent of the fridge has seen this Spanish mixture become more of a flavour part of cooking instead of a necesity for preserving food. Escabeche is usually served cold with cold meat so also acts as a marinade. Here we have a simple recipe of fresh sardines in home made escabeche, enjoy.

Ingredients:

12 Sardines
50g Plain flour
200ml Olive oil
80ml White/red wine vinegar
½ Teaspoon hot smoked paprika
1 Small onion, diced
Sprig of fresh thyme
Sprig of fresh rosemary
6 Garlic cloves
Salt
Pepper
Handful broadleaf parsley, chopped

Method:

1. Butterfly the sardines by removing the head, gutting and pulling out the spine.

2. Dust each fish in the flour then fry for 2 minutes each side. Once cooked place the fish onto a cazuela.

3. Whilst the pan is still hot add the remaining ingredients except the parsley, bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Pour the infused oil over the sardines and leave to cool for half an hour.

5. Serve the fish on salad and garnish with the parsley.

6. Enjoy the now infused oil with fresh crusty bread for dipping.


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The Tapas Table ~ 10 Tapas Ideas

Hosting a Spanish tapas party? Try these top 10 ideas to make it go off with a bang!

Spanish tapas, almost everyone knows what they are, where they are from, what they can be and yet not even a Spaniard would dare tell you that they knew the true origin of tapas, yes there are theories but which one is the most plausible..? The Spanish tapa has, over recent years spread from Spain to bars and restaurants all over Europe. One such country where tapas have taken gastronomic bars and eateries by storm is the United Kingdom where it seems that you cannot enough of the humble Spanish “tapa”.

Another popular way of enjoying Spain’s tapas culture is to host your own tapas party, this can involve creating a whole range of plates with small bites of food and also conjuring up some famous recipes such as “Gambas al Pil Pil”, stuffed garlic mushrooms or paella. So how do you make your Spanish tapas table truly Spanish? Well there are other things to consider and with a little imagination you can really impress the guests with both hot and cold tapas recipes as well as unique ways to serve them.

1. Jamon: If you are really going to town on your tapas party consider a ham, a Serrano ham need not break the bank and always proves to be a great centerpiece, with front legs available and including a stand for under 100 euros you are already half way there with one of Spain’s most famous exports.

2. Ceramics: Spain is a very colourful country and in certain respects rustic the further inland you travel. Spanish ceramics come in many guises from bright yellows, brown terracotta’s and the traditional blue, green and white designs from the Granada region. Ceramics are inexpensive and small tapas servers all add to that “Spanish feel” of your tapas party.

3. Embutidos: Embutidos are cured meats, we have already mentioned ham but there is a wide range of Spanish cured sausages which can grace and add real flavour to your spread of food. Try some authentic chorizo’s, salchichon (cured sausages) lomo (cured pork tenderloin).

4. Paella: As with ham carved straight from the leg paella can also be served from the pan in small tapas portions, particularly handy if your having a large number of guests. To make serving the paella even more authentic there are mini 10cm paella pans which can be purchased as paella tapas servers.

5. Gazpacho Shots: A fantastic way of serving cold gazpacho soup either indoors or out, the soup is served in hollowed out cucumber “shots glasses” see recipe here

6. Salsa’s: May seem an obvious one but get the flavours going with the famous Canary island salsa or “Mojo” sauce. Served in small colourful tapas bowls mojo sauce will have guests intrigued particularly if they haven’t tried it before, just keep a good supply of bread sticks handy!

7. Mojama: Among the many seafood tapas available mojama is the king. Popular with a cold beer in Madrid this cured tuna loin should be sliced wafer thin, a truly unique flavour.

8. Cava: Set the party off with a bang, Spanish cava is inexpensive and great for greeting the guests, also try Asturian cider or to go the whole hog buy in some Spanish beers such as Cruz Campo, Mahou, Alhambra or Estrella.

9. Cazuelas: The famous terracotta dish which has a multitude of functions. Cazuelas come in a huge range of sizes and have tremendous insulation properties so can be used in the oven, on the hob and even barbeque. Ideal for serving those sizzling chili garlic prawns.

10. Crema Catalana: No not the dessert but the liqueur… Nice over ice!

For further info on tapas and a range of authentic food take a browse around the online deli and should you have any questions don't hesitate to get in touch.


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The first rule about tapas

The Spanish summer has definately arrived, after a few weeks of rain the campo was as green as we have ever seen it in seven years. It is said that Andalucia has the greatest fluctuation in yearly temperatures, we can believe it! 50 degrees in the height of summer and a chilly minus 20 degrees during a bad winter.

This time of year of course gives rise to outdoor eating - at every opportunity although given the heat we prefer the late evening affair with a bottle of wine and a meal typically around 9.00pm which incidently is still horrendously early to be having evening meal as far the Orce locals are concerned.

Given the amount of rain Andalucia has had this year and last, our cherry tree seems to have shot up a few feet in the past month. There have been so many cherries on some branches that I have taken on the roll of tree surgeon on the agreement that Gayle makes a cherry crumble (which was enjoyed last night and replaced the usual tostada this morning). Anyway, we thought it better to enjoy the first decent abundance of cherries the tree has produced instead of the local magpies which look like they are going to dive bomb you at any second if you show interest in "their" fruit...

Summer means tapas. A light lunch usualy consisting of whatever is in the fridge tapas are easily knocked up and its great to experiment. Below we have one such experiment with a trio of simple flavours - serrano ham, broad beans and a little bit of mojo..

Mojo sauce is one of those sauces which is a great all rounder, for dips and marinades plus a whole lot more. Sometimes though it just needs a few spoonfulls dropped into a bowl and away you go dipping. Broad beans and Serrano ham or "habas con jamon" are one those famous combinations so adding a little bit of spice made sense and actualy worked very well alond side some olive oil drenched bread and a leftover salad.

The first rule about tapas is that there are no rules!


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Lost your Mojo?

Mojo sauce or Moho sauce? Lets just call it Canary Island salsa to be safe. Anyway...its back! Re-launched after a long awaited absence the famous "Mojo" hits the virtual shelves once again. So what is so special about mojo sauce you might ask? Well, its all about flavour and this one is bursting with it. There are two differnet types of this sauce from the Canary Islands - "Picon" ~ thats your hot one (and quite fiery too) and "Canario" or salsa verde/green salsa which is milder but still has a great unique depth of flavour.

The red "picon" mojo sauce is commonly used with red meats although it goes very well with chicken dishes as well.

The green "canario" mojo is best used with white meats, again chicken but also fish. Good examples would be hake, cod, dogfish etc.

This particular brand has been worth the wait as neither type contain any preservatives or artificial colouring, they are also gluten free. Each sauce is a careful blend of olive oil, herbs, spices, vegetables and lemon. Delicious.

Mojo is an incredibly versitile sauce, it can be used as a simple dressing on meat dishes or a simple dip to go with your tapas or bread sticks. One favourite though is to use the sauce as a marinade which adds a very noticable but not overpowering flavour to meat and fish. Salads are another top contender but a firm favourite for the spicy version is to tumble a generous serving with roast potatoes, a match made in heaven - or even the Canary Islands...


More Spanish Salsas

Spanish Meatball Recipe

This hot and spicy version of traditional Spanish meatballs are an exciting variation of Spain's favorite tapas dish.

You will need (makes around 25 meatballs):

650g minced beef
1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 slices of white bread
3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
Good squeeze of tomato ketchup
1 dried chili, chopped
1 egg, beaten
handful fresh parsley, chopped
Splash of white wine




Method:

1. Remove the crusts from the bread, tear into chunks, place into a food processor and blend until you get breadcrumbs. Tip the crumbs into a mixing bowl.
2. Blend the onion, chili and garlic in the food processor for a few minutes and then add to the breadcrumbs in the mixing bowl.
3. Now tip the mince, tomato ketchup, wine and egg into the bowl, season and mix well until all the ingredients are blended together. Chill in the fridge for around 15 minutes to let the flavours infuse.
4. Using your hands, shape the mixture into balls, then dust in a little seasoned flour shaking off the excess.
5. Fry the meatballs in batches in hot oil for a few minutes until golden and then drain on kitchen paper.
6. Cook in a medium oven for about 20 minutes until cooked through.
Delicious served hot with salad and cool yoghurt dip or serve 2 or 3 with tomato salsa for a fiery tapas dish

Need typical Spanish ingredients? CLICK HERE

Recipe for Grouper

Poached Grouper with Spanish salsa. Here is another recipe given to us from our local "pescaderia". Very easy to make and takes around 15-20 minutes.

Ingredients:

Grouper (1 fillet per person)
1 Jar Spanish Salsa
1 Onion chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic diced/crushed
1 Green pepper chopped
Caper berries



1. fill a large pan half full as the fish will be poached

2. Take one jar of salsa and heat gently.

3. Gently fry the onion/pepper/garlic then add to the salsa

4. When the pan of water is hot add the fish and poach for around 20 minutes (for 3 fillets)

5. When the fish is poached lay on a plate and cover with the salsa.

6. Garnish with caper berries and serve immediatly

Delicious!!

Spanish Meatballs

This Spanish meatball recipe was given to us by the owner of a bar in a nearby village. A great recipe as a main meal and good tapas too as they can be eaten hot or cold.

Ingredients:

500g minced beef
3-4 cloves garlic
1 onion
parsley
1 egg (beaten)
4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 slices stale bread
milk
white wine
flour
salt
pepper
olive oil



How to cook:

1. In a blender or mortar, crush 2 cloves of garlic with the parsley and mix with a dash of white wine.

2. Place this mixture in a large bowl with the mince, mix well and then leave to stand for 20 minutes.

3. Place the bread in a shallow dish and cover with the milk. Leave to soak for a few minutes

4. Add the bread, egg, salt and pepper to the mince and knead until all the ingredients are mixed together.

5. Make small balls and roll each one in flour.

6. Cook in plenty of hot oil until they turn golden brown, drain and place in a casserole dish.

For the sauce:

1. Finely chop the onion and the remaining garlic
2. Place a little oil from the meatballs into a casserole dish or large earthenware dish
3. Add the onion and garlic and gently fry until they begin to brown.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and about half a glass of white wine.
5. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes
6. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and then place in a moderate oven for 20 - 25 minutes.

Serve with fresh crusty bread, a tall beer or glass or red. Enjoy..

Home Made Salsa

A job for the winter months...looking after some cacti for the Spanish neighbour, this feller below is a bit of a monster at nearly 8 inches tall and breeds like a gremlin from the 80,s everytime you add water.



Something else growing in the garden are two large tomato plants... tomatoes mean SALSA!

6 - 8 medium ripe tomatoes
Garlic (amount depending on preference)
1 - 2 Green peppers
Olive oil
salt to taste
1 tbsp of sugar



Chop the tomatoes and then blend until they become a liquid.

Transfer tomatoes to a pan, add the salt and cook for roughly 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, de seed and chop the peppers into pieces about 2 cm in size and chop the garlic.

In a frying pan, add a little olive oil, the garlic and the peppers. Allow to cook gently until they are soft.

After about 20 minutes of cooking the tomatoes, almost all of the liquid should have evaporated and you will be left with a thick sauce. If necessary, cook a little longer.

When you have a thick salsa, turn the heat right down and add the sugar to the tomatoes.

Add the cooked garlic and peppers to your tomatoes and heat gently.

Serve in a bowl adding a little olive oil to the salsa. You can of course add some "fire" with chili peppers. Lovely.



Spanish Salsa / Mojo Sauce

Salsa de Canaria

"Canary Island Sauce"

"Salsa de Canaria"

"Moho Sauce..."

A real Spanish delight with a multitude of uses! Spice up most dishes (especially BBQ) with these famous salsas from the Canary Islands. Perfect for tapas these salsas can be used as a marinade, sauce or dip

A firm favourite with roast potatoes / fritters, marinaded ribs or fish - particularly a nice tuna steak.

*One for red meat and BBQ dishes (spicy)



*and one for fish and chicken dishes



A guaranteed hit at any BBQ or Spanish function / tapas party.