Easter Eating

Easter time in Orce is a big event as with all of Spain, Easter also means that Orce village and our small hamlet of Fuente Nueva becomes extremly busy. There are quite a few Spanish from the North of the country who have cave holiday homes in the area many of whom have been coming here for nearly 20 years. The community is quite tight knit so everyone knows everything about everyone! When it comes to social events though we always get an invite and although we can't attend every one we do like to work hard and party harder - or should that be fiesta harder?

This year saw some neighbours arrive for a short Easter break, just a few days but just enough time to organise a get together one afternoon for a home made "Fabada Asturiana" made by another friend originaly from Asturias. Having never had a "true" Fabada Asturiana before we were very much looking forward it, after all if a chef from Asturias can't make it then who can?

The table was set for ten including the kids who were running around outside trying to find Easter eggs. The neighbours had broght presents in the form of two walkie talkies for the boys so it was a mass and very well executed operation to find the camoflauged hard boiled eggs. There is a way to eat Fabada Asturiana which was all new to us, beans first with bread then the meat accomapnied with salad. The fava beans were something we have never seen the likes of, again from a small producer in Astirias these beans were enormous...! Almost a meal in itself.

Then comes the meat, smoked chorizo, morcilla (black pud) and some ribs for good measure, all cooked to perfection. Now all we need is the recipe as long as its not a closely guarded secret we'll try and get it posted here asap.

...and then...a well earned siesta. Just the job.

Morcilla, fried egg & garlic potatoes

Morcilla or "black pudding" is made in both hot and sweet varieties, the hot or "picante" version has quite a kick and served with a fried egg and crispy garlic potatoes it makes a great wake up breakfast - sure to blow the cobwebs out and get you functioning after a cerveza too many the night before!

You will need: (serves 2)

4 Morcilla sausages
2 Eggs
2 Medium potatoes
Fresh parsley
1 Clove garlic
Olive oil

Method:

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into inch square cubes, rinse and par boil for 6 - 8 minutes.


2. Meanwhile, cut the morcilla sausages into inch long segments and gently fry in olive oil.

3. Peel and dice the clove of garlic.

4. Remove the morcilla from the pan and throw the potato into the same oil and fry for 5 minutes with the crushed garlic until crispy.

5. Fry, poach or scramble the eggs, garnish with roughly chopped parsley and serve with toast and torrefacto coffee.

Delicious!

Popular Spanish Recipes

Popular Spanish recipes from main meals to simple tapas. Last week we published our 200th recipe on the deli so thought it would be a good idea to see which are the most popular. There are some recipes that you would expect as well as few surprises. So here we are - The 2009 top ten Spanish recipes

1. Spanish meatballs

2. Gambas al Pil Pil

3. Morcilla

4. Paella

5. Dorada (Gilthead Bream)

6. Marinated Dogfish

7. Serrano ham croquettes

8. Iberico chorizo sandwich

9. Spicy chorizo tapas

10. Serrano ham stuffed chicken

We have two different types of Spanish meatballs in tomato sauce the other being a particularly spicy version.

To catch all the best home made Spanish recipes why not bookmark the Orce delicatessen, 5 recipes are published weekly ranging from tapas, famous Spanish dishes, local recipes from the village, winter warmers and outdoor cooking.

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HAPPY COOKING!

Spanish Butchers

Buying from your local Spanish butcher can, at times be a bewildering experience. Choice cuts of lomo tenderloin, variations of offal, legs and paletillas of lamb, morcon, morcilla, brains (yes, brains) trotters and prime ham...



There is a big issue in the UK at the moment driven by all sorts of entities regarding where food originates from. Rightly so but what went wrong in the first place? Simple works, why complicate things! The UK produces some of the best meat available in the world as does Spain, France, Germany, Italy and thats just a handful from the EU.

Every country prides itself on its produce, one exceptional gourmet line from rural Andalucia is "Cordero Segureno"



To find out more about Andalucian meats from local rural butchers including what to ask for, recipe ideas, cuts of meat, offal and a whole lot more take a look at our latest article "Sausages to Sirloin"

Morcilla and Pancetta Roast

This Spanish recipe for belly pork and black pudding is very similar to our pork and black pudding roast. The main difference though is that this version can be served up as Spanish tapas or raciones.

Ingredients:

Pancetta (in a sheet, scored)
6 Morcilla sausages
1 Large onion
6 Bay leaves
Rosemary
Salt & Pepper



How to cook:

Cut the black pudding sausages in half lengthways and lay on a baking tray.

Finley cut the onion into rings and lay on top of the black pudding.

Lay the scored pancetta on top and smear with olive oil, season well with the salt, pepper and herbs then place the bay leaves on top before roasting for 1 1/2 hours.



Turn up the heat for the final 20 minutes to achieve good crackling

Serve the pork cut into thin strips, for tapas place one strip of pork and half a sausage onto a plate topped with onion.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Pancetta Roast

Pancetta or "belly pork" is popular in Spanish cooking, there are two types of pancetta commonly available in Spain - fresh and lightly cured, for this very simple roast we are using a fresh pancetta.

Ingredients:

Pancetta (belly pork) piece around 8x12 inches square
2 Morcilla (black pudding) sausages
1 Apple chopped
Salt and Pepper



1. Place the morcilla sausages and chopped apple on top of the pancetta and roll up the pork so the sausages and apple are stuffed inside.

2. Tie the roll with string (around 4/5 times)

3. Score the pancetta and rub with salt, pepper and olive oil

4. Roast in the oven for around 2 1/2 hours

This version has apple chunks inside but you can also simply serve with a home made apple sauce. Goes great with roast potatoes, green beans etc and the cinnamon in the black pudding compliments the apple. A real winter warmer!

Stuffed Pepper with Black Pudding

Spanish black pudding or "Morcilla" is a fantastic ingredient in many Spanish tapas recipes. Generally morcilla comes in a traditional sausage (strings of 6 -8) shape similar to chorizo and is packed with herbs and a hint of cinnamon. La Carniceria de Julian in Orce village make their own morcilla and always include walnuts which adds to the flavour. Here we have a simple dish using red bell peppers and black pudding.



Ingredients:

Red bell peppers
3 Morcilla sausages
Rice (optional)

Slice the top of the red pepper and remove the seeds. Slice the morcilla sausage into half inch thick rounds and stuff these in the pepper. Place on a baking tray and cook in the oven on a moderate to high heat for 45 - 60 minutes.

Rice version: Split the morcilla sausage and mix well with cooked rice, stuff the pepper and cook for 45 minutes.

The sweetness of the red pepper goes really well with the black pudding - for a little extra "bite" you can always use a hotter, more spicy black pudding sausage.

A Spanish Breakfast

Breakfast or "Desayuno" is a family affair in the cave house, especially at weekends. After a 6km bike ride in the campo with the dog chasing behind its good to come back and have a big breakfast! The antique table (mesa camilla) was aquired from a friend shortly after we moved to Spain. Years ago it would have had a long tablecloth draped over to retain the heat from a round metal plate at the base which would have been used to house hot coals from the fire. These can still be seen today used in the same way by some of the older generation.



So... some fruit, tomatoes on toast with olive oil and morcilla with a fried egg for me. I remember when I was younger being non too keen on black pudding but the Spanish version soon got me (and all of us) persuaded. You can even buy a "picante" version which is sure to wake you up even if a bike ride doesn't.



And this is where it all goes on - the cave kitchen, running water and electricity :) For more information on Spanish black pudding and other types of cured sausages read the article "Secrets of Spanish Sausages"



Next up: Herbs, essentials for the Spanish kitchen

"Morcilla" Spanish black pudding

There is nothing quite like slices of morcilla sausage for breakfast or early tapas. Spanish black pudding is produced all year round but the best of the hand made variety comes from the local Carnicerias or "butchers"



Laced with cinnamon, spices and a generous amount of walnuts the local black pud really is a fabulous dish suitable at any time of the day. Cook the whole sausage or slice up and fry in a little olive oil - superb!

locally made Morcilla