Pequillo Pepper Stuffed Mushrooms

Spanish pequillo peppers, usually it the pepper that is stuffed but for this recipe we are turning the tables by stuffing large white mushrooms with chopped pequillo pepper which are then topped with Manchego and baked for 20 minutes. Simple tapas, big flavour.

You will need: (12 Tapas)

2 Pequillo pepper (tinned or jarred)

12 Good sized white mushrooms

100g Manchego cheese 

Method:

1.    Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees.

2.    Clean the mushrooms and remove the stalks.

3.    Peel the mushrooms and arrange on a baking tray.

4.    Slice each pequillo pepper into 12 small pieces and place two pieces of pepper into each mushroom.

5.    Cut the Manchego into inch square slices and place on top of the pepper.

6.    Bake in the oven on 180 degrees for 20 minutes or until mushrooms are cooked.

7.    Garnish with parsley and serve.

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.

Stuffed Mussels

This is a great seafood recipe, if you like your mussels and need to try something different then these stuffed mussels will not disappoint. Stacks of flavour and a combination that really does work well.

2 kilos large mussels, scrubbed and beards removed
2 medium red peppers, finely chopped
1 large green pepper, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 sprig of fresh thyme
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons plain flour
2 cusp of milk
Salt and pepper
Manchego cheese, (grated)



1. Steam the mussels in a large saucepan for 5 minutes or so until opened. Drain and when they are cool enough to handle, remove each mussel and place in an oven proof dish spaced evenly apart. Keep one half of each shell.

2. In a large frying pan, melt the butter and sauté the vegetables.

3. Add the flour and seasoning and cook for a few minutes then slowly add the milk until you have a thick paste.

4. Cover the mussels with the vegetable mix and cook in a medium oven for 10 - 12 minutes.

5. While the mussels are cooking, arrange the retained half shells on a baking tray.

6. Remove the dish from the oven (turn the oven up to high at this point) and fill each mussel shell with a mussel and some vegetable mix. Take care as the mixture will be quite hot.

7. Sprinkle with manchego cheese and return to the oven for a few minutes until the cheese melts a little.

ENJOY!!!

New Spanish Food

This summer sees some fantastic new products at the Spanish deli Orce Serrano Hams. Some of these products are exclusive to our artisan producers and include some fantastic 2kg Bacalao salt cod and a new, very special Iberian ham.



To keep our customers updated we have created a new blog with everything happening at Orce Serrano Hams, new products, special offers and promotions, recipe news and much more. You can visit the new blog at www.serrano-hams.com



You can also subscribe and receive the very latest offers direct to your inbox, quite handy as some of our more seasonal products never tend to hang around very long!



New Spanish Products - Orce Serrano Hams Blog

Top 40 Tapas

Top 40 Spanish Tapas, spice up the Christmas season with a range of tapas dishes to impress the guests and create a spread like no other with some authentic food. Here we have a list of the top 40 tapas dishes served up in and around the village of Orce in the Granada province. Some are tremendously simple but packed full of flavour, others need some time in the kitchen prepping up.

The simple 10:

1. Olives - There is an olive out there for everyone, go for a big juicy variety soaked in herbs.

2. Pequillo peppers - Sweet, vibrant colour and good on their own

3. Mojama - Cured tuna loin, adds a special flavour to a tapas spread, wonderful with a good beer.

4. Cheese - Wedges of mildly cured Spanish cheese, compliments most other tapas.

5. Capers - Adds a touch of Spain with every berry.

6. Bacalao - (salted cod loin) slice wafer thin and enjoy with any apperitif

7. Chorizo - Number 1 contender

8. Salchichon - the chorizos cousin, peppery and flavoursome.

9. Iberian Morcon - Special in every sense of the word, almost smokey, deep flavours, quality tapas.

10. Nuts - Salted almonds, maize kernals, the simplest of tapas which go well with cured meats.




Simply pair them up..

11. Serrano ham & Melon - a famous tapa or starter, brings a great juicy flavour.

12. Serrano ham & Almonds - popular tapa in local bars for a good reason!

13. Chorizo & Apple - can also be BBQ'd but a fresh pairing is also exceptional

14. Cheese & Wine - no explanation required

15. Iberico ham & Peaches - a duo that expresses the finest of Spain

16. Lomo & Grapes - tenderloin of cured pork with large grapes, another classy tapa

17. Squid & Red Pepper - Seafood flavours with fresh pepper, summer tapas!

18. Serrano ham & broad beans - served in all bars in spain

19. Ham & Tomatoes - another famous tapa, don't forget the olive oil..

20. Salsa - a mix of tomatoes, pepper, garlic that should not be left from any table.



Turn up the heat...

21. Squid rings - battered, served up in salad aliolli, perfection

22. Serrano ham croquettes - muy famoso!

23. Spanish tortilla - Spanish omelette, hot or cold a real flavour of Spain

24. Chili garlic prawns - "gambas al pil pil", on for the all time top 3?

25. Baked sardines - simple cooking, fresh and flavoursome, serve with salad and oil.

26. MMMMussels! - steamed in wine, garlic, a little chili and broadleaf parsely.

27. Clams in salsa - served up locally in their shells with hot salsa, toothpicks at the ready!

28. Octopus salad - in garlic and olive oil, served up in fresh salad..

29. Spinach and ham salad - a recent find, packed with flavour and presence

30. Canary island chicken dips - cooked chicken in mojo salsa, wow!



Now we are really cooking.....!

31. Spanish meatballs - perfect tapas served up with crusty bread

32. Paella - choose your own variety, No1 tapa?

33. Pork and Tomato - "magra con tomate" hot tapas in fresh tomato sauce, remember the bread..

34. Serrano ham & Peas - garlic, onion, ham, peas, fabulous flavours

35. Stuffed peppers & morcilla - full bell peppers stuffed with hot black pudding, only in Spain..

36. Poor man Potatoes - with a difference...roasted in Iberico "manteca" sublime..

37. Stuffed spinach leaves - need prep but what a result!

38. Herbed lamb chops - flavour to the full with mint, thyme, oregano, red wine...

39. Beef Chimichurri - pieces of finest beef rib in Argentinian salsa, superb.

40. Sam Faina - Slow cooked rabbit in a rich vegetable sauce, top Spanish tapas.



There we have the top 40 Spanish tapas to create a Spanish twist this festive season. We hope this has provided some inspiration but if you are still looking for that elusive Spanish recipe or product then visit Orce Serrano Hams

Christmas Tapas Ideas

Christmas tapas! The festive season is almost upon us and parties will soon be in full swing... Christmas time sees an extraordinary rise in the popularity of salted peanuts, brazil nuts, toblerones and all manner of party snacks. So, to be a little different we are blogging about the party snacks of Spain over the next few days.

Christmas is a time for friends and family so give them a treat! Typical tapas spreads you will in Andalucia consist of good quality cured meats like Lomo, Chorizo and Salchichon. Of course olives and cheese accompanied by sweet pequillo peppers are always present..



Big Parties - lots of plates! Serrano ham with slices of tomatoes and cucumber, remember the fresh crusty bread and that essential extra virgin olive oil.



Spanish chorizo - nothing else in the world of sausages will do, to make flavours a little more interesting fold the chorizo slices in half and scewer on a cocktail stick with a piece of apple or grapes.



For something more unusual which will certainly have he guests asking "mmm, whats that?" try some Mojama (cured loin of tuna) with some salted almonds or maize. Very nice, alternative and interesting.



Tapas servers - small portions BIG flavour! For an authentic Spanish twist use these 10cm mini paella pans and cazuelas to serve up nuts and olives.



Next up: Pate's and spreadable sausage...

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

Whats in the Garden?

From the bay leaf to the tiniest strands of saffron, discover what makes Spanish cuisine so special.

"Herbs and spices are derived from strong aromatic plants, which have been cultivated for thousands of years to add flavour and colour to our everyday cooking. Herbs are usually the leaves of wild plants that grow locally, but spices are considered the more exotic of the two and tend to be imported from the Far East or the Old West." READ MORE

Here is a trio of what is in the garden this year. It is by no means a large garden but we utilise a lot of pots and planters for the patio. This year we constructed some terraces (being on a hillside) so with luck, next year will yield some great vegetables.


Above - Bay Tree, these do grow quite large but take a few years, an old bay can reach 35ft high and be equally wide. Below, good old basil (well used!), a fabulous herb with a multitude of uses - when its Italian night its pasta and pesto sauce... very nice.



Peppers...(ok not a herb but just as important in Spanish cooking) seen drying on the front of most houses in rural villages during late summer, a real splash of colour in every sense of the word. Peppers fair quite well in the campo as they are quite hardy. Parsley is something we use a lot of but the broad leaf variety struggles in the poor soil in the area.



We also have the unbeatable mint - standard mint and peppermint, the locals use the latter for water, simply place a sprig in a bottle of mineral water overnight for a very cool refreshing glass of water the next day, subtle and works well.

Aromatic Guide to the Spanish Kitchen

Roast leg of lamb with garlic and rosemary - one of our real favourites during the winter, probably one of the best examples of where herbs compliment meat. Full Spanish recipe coming up soon.

Red Prawn Paella

The red paella is a classic version of paella here in Spain. A lighter version of Spain's most famous dish with a sweet juicy flavour from the peppers and tomatoes. Given its name "paella rojo" as the dish is a fabulous deep red colour, makes a great centre piece to any outdoor or indoor function.

Ingredients:

400g fresh prawns
1 onion
2 red peppers
4 vine tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
350g Calasparra Rice
1 litre chicken or fish stock
3 tablespoons virgen olive oil
150g roasted piquillo peppers
¼ teaspoon sweet Paprika
¼ teaspoon saffron
Salt and pepper



How to cook:

1.Peel the onion and chop finely, peel and crush the garlic. Chop the piquillo peppers and vine tomatoes into small pieces. Clean and peel the prawns thoroughly. Put the stock onto heat.

2.Heat the oil in a paella pan and add the onion and garlic. Cook gently for a few minutes. Add the red pepper and cook for a further 5 minutes, then add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes or so.

3.Add the rice a ladleful at a time and cook for 5 minutes stirring all the time until the rice is translucent. Then add the stock again using a ladle, Calasparra rice needs 1½ parts stock to 1 part rice.

4.Add the saffron, paprika, prawns, salt and pepper. Stir once to mix then lower the heat and cover. Cook for around 20-25 minutes until the stock has been absorbed by the rice.

5.Turn off the heat, add the piquillo peppers and cover again for 5 minutes before serving.

Delicious.

Rojo, Rojo, Rojo!

Peppers... they suggest something hot, bright red chili peppers, peppercorns etc etc. However, one of the best side dishes to an Andalucian meal are red peppers, something on the sweeter side...



Cook the peppers lightly each side - a little flame is good to scorch the skin, otherwise BBQ lightly over hot coals.



Then peel? NO!! Wrap your cooked peppers up in newspaper, throw them in a bowl and place them in the fridge over night.

Next day remove from the newspaper and the skin will fall off. Serve cold with lots of extra virgin olive oil, as a side-dish, tapas or part of a salad.

Spanish Gazpacho

Gazpacho! A real treat in the summer when you need something light for lunch, ultimately healthy - almost like a blended salad or a vegetable smoothie!



Ingredients:

1 small cucumber peeled
4 tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
Half a small onion
1 small red pepper
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Water (amount depends on desired consistency)
Ice cubes to serve



How to cook:

* Roughly chop the tomatoes, pepper, onion and cucumber.

* Finely chop the garlic

* Place all the ingredients in a large bowl or food processor

* Using a hand blender or food processor, blend the ingredients together to form a thick paste.

* Add the olive oil, vinegar and season with salt and pepper

* Blend for a second time, adding water little by little until you achieve the desired consistency.

* Serve in tall glasses with crushed ice and a sprig of fresh mint to top.



Perfection on a summers day!