Spanish Pate

Spanish pate can be purchased in all good supermarkets, upon opening the jar you will find a consistency very much like 'pate' however there is much more to the humble pate... especially when it comes to consistency and more importantly - fresh ingredients. Pictured left is a sardine pate with mixed herbs, some recipes suggest tinned fish but we prefer fresh (baked and flaked!) for a fuller fish pate.

This one you cannot spread... its chunky and packed with flavour and on fresh crusty bread with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil it is sure to please even the most seasoned of seafood enthusiasts! Over at Orce Serrano Hams we have been making and publishing recipes over the past few months and as such have created a 'Dips, Salsas and Pate' recipe section, with over 450 recipes now published we had to start dividing our recipe page up (for us as well as you!).

No recipe here for this pate but you can find this and a dozen or so other tasty Spanish ideas for salsas, pate, chutney and a few fiery ones for the chilli fans:)

View all the Spanish salsa and pate stuff.

Cazuela Rice with Pork Ribs & Morcilla

Cazuela rice is a popular recipe in Spain all year round, in the winter however this dish can be a real warmer depending on the ingredients chosen. For this cazuela rice recipe we have used pork ribs and spicy black pudding (morcilla 'picante') to make this a deliciously filling meal. The terracotta cazuela used for this recipe was a large 30cm dish which offers just the right depth similar to a paella pan to make great rice based dishes.

Ingredients:
400g paella rice
500g pork ribs, cut into small pieces
3 Spanish black puddings, cut in half
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 bulb of garlic, cut in half
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1 litre chicken stock
olive oil
salt

How to make:
1. In a large cazuela, heat about 1/2 cup of olive oil and fry the pork ribs along with the garlic until the ribs are browned all over.
2. Add the potatoes and the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes more.
3. Add the black pudding, cook for five more minutes and then add the rice, stirring well to fully mix together, then add the paprika and the stock. Season and stir.
4. Place the cazuela in a preheated oven to 200 degrees and cook for 20-30 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven, leave to rest for 5 minutes covered with foil and then serve.
  

Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil

This Spanish mackerel recipe was introduced to us by a Spanish chef and neighbour who in true Andalucian style brought some around for us to taste test. The recipe is very simple and very easy to make and is extremely healthy. Similar to what you can buy in a tin but with a lot more flavour and perfectly natural. This dish is great for tapas during the summer months and looks typically Spanish presented in a terracotta dish. Keep the fresh bread handy!

You will need:

4 Mackerel fillets

4 Cloves garlic, peeled

¼ Red pepper, chopped

12 Black peppercorns

2 Bay leaves

200ml Extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1.    Slice the mackerel fillets into quarters and lightly fry in a splash of olive oil – 2 minutes each side.

2.    Meanwhile, halve the garlic cloves and tear the bay leaves in half, add to the 200ml of olive oil in your cazuela.

3.    Once the fillets are cooked lay on kitchen towel and leave to cool.

4.    Once the fillets have cooled add to the olive oil and ingredients, turn to ensure a good covering of oil.

5.    Leave for 2 hours to let the oil infuse and flavours build.

6.    Serve with fresh crusty bread for tapas, also goes well as part of a seafood salad.

Cazuela Mushrooms

Earlier in the year we set about the project of building a clay oven on the patio, not an easy job using Spanish materials (traditional curved oven slabs) but in the name of keeping everything traditionally 'Andaluz' the oven was eventually finished and works great for cooking the usual suspects like pizza and bread (garlic and rosemary bread being a firm favourite).

Now the Spanish summer is in full swing we tend to use the oven for cooking hot tapas or a midday light lunch and this is where the terracotta cazuela performs really well. As as cooking vessel designed to cope with and retain the heat the 'cazuela' is suited a multitude of  tasks, one of which is cooking food in olive oil.
The famous 'gambas al pil pil' (chili garlic prawns) may spring to mind but for this very simple tapas recipe we are using fresh mushrooms bought from our Spanish greengrocer.

Ingredients:

12 large Mushrooms (whole)
6 Garlic cloves (crushed)
200ml Olive oil

Cooking:

Leave the mushrooms whole, place in a 23cm terracotta cazuela.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Add the crushed garlic and mix well.
Place in oven and cook on 220 degrees for 20 minutes.

Our clay oven was approximately 250 degrees with the fire going inside so the mushrooms took slightly less time, you also get that lovely smokey flavour with clay oven cooking. As a tapa these mushrooms are great, just make sure to have some fresh crusty bread to hand to mop up that delicious olive oil infusion afterwards.

Chicken and Iberico Chorizo

Chicken and chorizo is a typically Spanish combination, usually fried to make Spanish tapas the juices from the chorizo are infused in the chicken making delicious bites to eat. This recipe however uses Iberico chorizo (or longaniza) as a key ingredient in a Spanish casserole. The dish is cooked in a large terracotta cazuela combining tomatoes, plenty of garlic, peppers and herbs. There is also the addition of split marinated olives making this Spanish chicken dish full of Andalucian flavour. Warming at any time of the year, especially as a winter meal on those cold evenings.

You will need: (makes 8 kebabs)

1 Large chicken, parted

200g Iberico chorizo/longaniza

200g Split olives

1 Red pepper, sliced

500g Tinned plum tomatoes

8 Garlic cloves, crushed

Teaspoon dried thyme

12 Black peppercorns, crushed

Equipment: 37cm terracotta cazuela

Method:

1.    Part the chicken into thighs, drummers, wings and breasts, cut the breast in half and place into the cazuela.

2.    Drain the juice from the tin of tomatoes into the cazuela and roughly chop the tomatoes (in the tin using an old knife or squeeze with your hand)

3.    Remove the stones from the split olives, tear olives in half and add to the casserole.

4.    Add the rest of the ingredients to the cazuela and mix everything well using your hands making sure all of the chicken is covered.

5.    Cook in the oven at 180 degrees for 1 hour 35 minutes.

6.    Serve Spanish style by placing the cazuela center table and serve with seasonal vegetables or mashed potatoes.

Orce Serrano Hams in Australia

A word from our friends down under ~ 'Artesano'

For those of you living in Australia or if you have family or friends living there, you can now conveniently buy Orce Serrano products DownUnder. We featured Artesano de España back in our April news and events but are excited to announce the launch of their new e-commerce site at artesano.com.au perfectly timed for the coming festive season. 

Artesano de España have an exclusive range of Orce Serrano Hams products including authentic ceramic cookware and tableware from our Terracotta, Gaudix and Granada ranges.

They are based just North of Sydney and sell our products via their website. Artesano also maintain a regular presence at some of Sydney’s popular village and organic food markets so that their potential customers “can get to see an feel the products and basically fall in love with them” says Artesano’s creator Sarah Beard. You can keep track of where and when Artesano will be selling their wares by signing up to there newsletter at artesano.com.au or via their blog at artesanofromspain

Here at Orce Serrano Hams we get a lot of enquiries from DownUnder and according to Artesano’s Sarah Beard, “Spanish Tapas are “In” and they’re “Hot”. Tapas bars and Spanish restaurants are opening up in all the popular restaurant areas around Australia. Australians love tapas and the tapas style of eating is perfectly suited to their way of life and climate”. Gayle and I are really excited that we can now offer you a convenient way to buy our authentic Spanish artisan products in Australia.

Beard writes “We are currently importing a selection of Orce Serrano Hams, Spanish homewares for the kitchen and table, typically what we would call our "tapas range”. Traditional terracotta tapas dishes (cazuelas) for cooking and serving as well as Orce Serrano’s stunning artisan range of tableware and serving dishes from artist, Juan Manuels Guadix studio, Andalucia. We have also recently expanded our product line to include the highly sought after Granada range. With the festive season upon us these unique and very attractive pieces look stunning on any summer table. In addition we are increasing our range of sizes in the cazuelas as well as introducing the classic deep cazuela and the terracotta tapas trays. So there is a whole range of gorgeous authentic Spanish homewares to choose from for entertaining over the festive summer season. The quality and beauty of Orce Serrano Hams products make unique and classic gift ideas - all the way from Spain”.

Artesano de España plan to expand their product line to include many more of our unique products including our artisan olive wood products, much more of our decorative ceramics from the Jaen and Granada ranges, as well as products from our new Spanish garden & outdoor range, including Spanish mosaic tiles and house numbers.

 “At Artesano our goal is to provide our customers with unique products sourced from local artisans in Spain. The kinds of products that become the talk of the table, that catch the eye, that have a story and which all have a unique quality to them. Iain and Gayle at Orce Serrano Hams are enabling us to do this.  The quality and beauty of their product range is exceptional and we are very excited about bringing much more of  Orce Serrano Hams extensive range of authentic Spanish products bring an traditional Spanish experience that can be enjoyed in a contemporary Australian setting”

Thank you so much Iain and Gayle from Artesano de España and Australian lovers of authentic Spanish artisan products.

Spanish terracotta - The deep cazuela

Think of Spanish terracotta and cooking and the 'cazuela' immediately springs to mind, that magic clay dish with all the simplicity of a tapas bowl yet versatile enough to create hot dishes over the barbeque or in the oven.

The cazuela can be used in the oven, on the gas hob, on the grill or over naked flame and this humble terracotta dish comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Standard cazuelas will range from 6cm up to the giant 46cm, good for easy Spanish tapas to cooking a full roast. This Spanish terracotta is also available in different forms such as the 'bandeja' - a casserole or square baking tray, again in various sizes. Staying round we also have the 'deep cazuela', this dish is made in exactly the same way as the standard cazuela but has twice the depth.

The deep cazuela is around 13cm in diameter and 7cm deep which makes it ideal for a number of cooking and serving suggestions. Pictured above we have a deep cazuelas filled with olives - great for the busier tapas party as it saves filling up and restocking the olives/nuts or whatever other nibbles that usually get consumed in vast quantities!

The deep cazuela is also designed for cooking, retaining all the qualities of its terracotta cousins all these cazuelas require is a soak in water before first use - this only needs to be done once as after they are cooked in the terracotta will become 'seasoned' ready for next time. Soaking need not take hours but the longer the better in order to toughen up your Spanish terracotta (overnight is good) So what makes the deep cazuela different apart from its depth? Well besides from serving large portions of tapas you can also serve paella, cook gambas al pil pil and a whole variation of piping hot dishes such as bacalao, baked eggs and pies... chicken, steak, fish, the deep cazuela is perfectly designed and just the right size if you enjoy a nice pie! The terracotta has such insulating qualities that a pie will remain hot for hours.

With a lip on each side the deep cazuela is easily handled and quite a robust piece of Spanish cooking equipment, designed for heat or simply to serve olives this cazuela is certainly worth consideration for your terracotta collection.

View more >>>

Ceramic Tapas Bowls

Spanish ceramics are bright, colourful and beautifully designed, Spanish tapas really do need to be served in typically Spanish Tapas Bowls so a few days ago we paid a visit to a town called Purullena about an hours drive East of Granada. To say that the selection of Spanish ceramics was extensive is an understatement!

Every shape, every size, every colour from Granada and also other regions of Spain, each with their own regional influence and design. Good job we emptied the boot of the car before leaving... The village itself is famous for its ceramics and when you drive through you are met by ceramic shops on both sides of the road, open shops displaying every colour of Spain imaginable.

The day turned out to be very productive learning about different ceramic pieces and forging a few new business relationships with some small family operations who had been in the ceramic game for decades.

Next day was the photo shoot outside on the patio, following the visit to Purullena we have introduced 18 new ceramic lines, from regions including Granada, Jaen and Navarra. With worldwide shipping these ceramics are available to all so why not pop into the Spanish and take a look HERE

Spanish Ceramics Australia

Orce Serrano Hams in Australia

Buying traditional Spanish ceramics in Australia has, until now been slightly difficult for those who perhaps only require a few pieces. The cultural tapas scene has really taken off down under and there are a surprising number of Spanish expats living in Australia. An increasing demand for Spanish themed tapas bars and eateries has led to an equally high demand of Spanish ceramics so when we were approached by managing director of “Artesano” Sarah Beard we were more than happy to help out.

Logistics to the other side of the world does take some organising but nearly 300kg of hand made ceramics later Artesano received its first pallet just in time for the Portuguese and Spanish festival. The festival is held in Sydney and attracts over 16000 visitors including the public and businesses. Part of the consignment were our ceramics from Guadix made by Juan Manuel, prior to this festival the furthest these ceramics had travelled was to Germany so you can imagine how intrigued Juan Manuel was to see his work on display in Sydney.

The festival was a huge success with all the ceramics proving popular, from simple tapas dishes to large 37cm terracotta cazuelas. Until now, ceramics from Guadix (Granada region) have been unavailable in Australia so if you are considering Spanish pieces for your establishment or would like to place an order then we highly recommend speaking to Sarah at “Artesano”

If you are tempted by what you see then keep an eye out for Artesano, an online retail store is due to go live early this summer.

Buy Spanish ceramics in Australia >>>


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Spanish Cazuela Omelette

Well its kind of an omelette anyway, you know when you just have one of those days when there's not much in and you decide to invent something using the contents of the fridge? This is one such recipe - Spanish style.

Terracotta cazuelas come in very handy for situations like this, everything is made in and served from the cazuela. A combination of roughly beaten eggs mixed with a range of ingredients makes this dish typically rustic and about as adaptable as far as your culinary imagination can take you...





Ingredients: (serves 3 - 4)

6 Eggs
Mushrooms
Onion
Pancetta/Serrano ham/bacon
Asparagus
Green/red pepper
Tomato
Manchego cheese
Anything else suitable at the back of the fridge.
Ground black pepper

Method:

Pre heat oven to 180 degrees

Whisk the eggs in the cazuela

Slice/chop all the ingredients apart from the manchego.

Add ingredients to eggs and mix well.

Grate a little manchego cheese over the top

Season with a little dried thyme or smoked paprika if it takes your fancy.

Bake in oven for 15 minutes.

Very rustic, easy to make and filling. For the above we used a 20cm cazuela although you can always make them in individual cazuelas, say 14cm for one serving (asparagus may need par boiling first)


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Winter Cazuela Pies

Spanish winter recipes...Mmmm cazuela pies. This February has seen the second significant covering of snow over Orce village and outlying hamlets. When it comes it comes!,even in an old Andalucian cave house with 2 meter thick walls it gets cold so a good winter warming recipe is called for.

Cazuela pies will certainly keep you warm, (and your lap if you decide to enjoy in front of the tv) in fact the insulation properties of the terracotta cazuela will keep these pies hot for hours. A great way of serving up piping hot winter pies, for this simple recipe we have used beef. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 kilo stewing beef, cubed
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
250g mushrooms, wiped and chopped
half bottle red wine
2 beef stock cubes
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
300g shortcrust or puff pastry

How to cook:

1. In a large casserole dish, heat a little olive oil and butter and when it is really hot and smoking, add the beef and brown on all sides. This may need to be done in batches.
2. When all the beef is nicely browned, add the stock cubes and cook until they dissolve in the juices.
3. Add the vegetables and the wine bring to the boil.
4. Add the bay leaves and season. Reduce to a very low heat and cook covered for 3-4 hours, removing the lid for the last hour or so.
5. When the beef is done, preheat the oven to 230 degrees.
6. Spoon the beef mixture into 4-5 14cm cazuelas. Divide the pastry into 4-5 even sized pieces and roll out into rounds.
7. Dampen the edges of the cazuelas and top with the pastry. Press down to seal and flute the edges. glaze with egg wash and make a hole in the middle for the steam to escape.
8. Cook in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is a golden brown.
9. Serve with thick cut chips for a hearty and warming winters meal.

The Spanish Cazuela

This week guest writer Victoria Twead, author of the laugh out loud funny "Chickens, Mules and two old fools" gives us the lowdown on the humble cazuela, the terracotta cooking dish that no Spanish kitchen is without.

The Magic Spanish Cooking Pot ~ Victoria Twead

Before I moved to Spain, I didn’t even know what a cazuela was. Now I’m accustomed to seeing shop shelves bowed down with piles of them. Orce Serrano Hams offer cazuelas in a variety of sizes.

A cazuela is a Spanish version of a casserole dish, made from clay and instantly recognisable. Some are authentic and hand-thrown, others are mass-produced. Whether hand or factory-made, the terracotta dish is slow-fired in a kiln which ensures amazing strength and density in the finished article. Then it is glazed, but only in the interior, then fired again.

Cazuelas are exceptionally sturdy and most are safe to use in the oven, on the stovetop, barbecue or in the microwave. Every Spanish household has cazuelas in its kitchen, often passed down from mother to daughter.

In my village in the mountains, the ladies use cazuelas all the time. They taught me the proper way to care for cazuelas, a method used since the Middle Ages:

Soak the entire dish in water and leave for 12 hours

Drain and wipe dry, then rub the unglazed bottom with a clove of garlic

Fill the dish with water to half an inch below the rim, and add half a cup of vinegar

Slowly bring the water to boiling on a low heat and boil until just half a cup remains

Cool slowly and wash

Your cazuela is now ready for use - the garlic has created a seal. The method seasons the pot, kills bacteria and hardens the unglazed parts. If you look after your cazuela, my neighbours assure me, it will last several lifetimes.

Victoria Twead

Useful Links:

Victoria's Website
Buy the Book!
Worlds Smallest Cazuela

Cazuela Eggs

Terracotta cazuelas, the essential tool found in every Spanish kitchen. A cazuela is a clay dish which is fired and then glazed. Tremendously useful and very hard wearing cazuelas also come in a multitude of sizes from 8cm to almost three feet! Read more on the Spanish cazuela >>>

Cazuela eggs, this recipe is one of those spur of the moment things where you just fancy doing something different. I remember years ago as a child having baked eggs topped with cheese so with that in mind out came the cazuelas, it was either standard egg and chips or an experiment!



Ingredients: (serves 2)

4 eggs
8 slices, hand carved serrano ham
1 tomato
50g grated manchego cheese
Dried thyme
Smoked paprika
Tabasco sauce

How to Cook:

Crack 2 eggs into each cazuela.

Slice the tomato and lay the slices on top of the egg.

Lay the serrano ham slices over the tomato

Season well using the thyme and paprika, splash of Tabasco.

Grate the cheese over the top and bake at 200 degrees for 15 minutes.

Delicious!