Salsas and Chutney

Spanish salsas and chutney - cupboard fillers for the winter and when you can make your own they taste even better. One of the main ingredients is of course the tomato, vine ripened if possibe but anything ripe and red will do - the ugly ones pack the most flavour!

If you are lucky enough to have a local Spanish greengrocer who grows his own or get given tomatoes by your Spanish neighbours then why not try making a chutney, just as easy as a Spanish salsa but with more clout after it has matured, brilliant with a wedge of Manchego or Manchego reserva and especially tasty for some reason in winter...

Recently we really got into Spanish style chutneys, there are so many great ingredients you can put into them including spices and if like us you like a bit of chilli to liven things up then some of the red stuff adds a great kick.

You can find our recipes for Spanish chutney, salsas, pate and dips on this page (we also love anchovies which make a regular appearance).

Enjoy!

Spanish Pork Ribs

So what do you do with a few kilos of pork ribs from the butcher? Invite friends! This terracotta tray is almost stacked with ribs ready for the oven but ribs need flavour, a marinade or spicy rub and to get the meat 'falling off the bone' they need to be slow cooked.

Now we like braising so these ribs would be well at home slowly cooking away in wine or beer but for this recipe we have a dry rub using the Spanish favourite smoked paprika and also a few herbs from the garden as well as mixed spice.

Very easy to prepare (although you will get your hands red!) and results in a typically Spanish bold flavour as well as colour once ready to serve.

You will need: (serves 6 - 8)

3kg pork rib, left in racks, cut in half
2 Garlic cloves (crushed)
3 Large sprigs rosemary, leaves chopped/diced
2 tbs Mixed spice
2 tbs Sweet smoked paprika
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Juice of 1 orange

How to Cook:

1. Mix and grind paprika, s & p , garlic, chopped rosemary and mixed spices in a pestle.

2. Rub the mixture well all over the ribs (both sides)

3. Place the ribs in a terracotta cooking tray, drizzle with olive oil and the juice from the orange.

4. Garnish with rosemary and fully cover with kitchen foil.

5. Cook in the oven at 140 degrees for 3 hours.

Optional -  After 3 hours remove from oven and drizzle with honey and cook for a further 20 minutes to make the ribs sweet and sticky. Great flavours with soft succulent meat.

Spanish Chicken and Tomatoes with Serrano Ham

Chicken and tomatoes is a Spanish dish which is enjoyed during the colder months - a real winter warmer. The best way to cook this dish is in a large terracotta cazuela, we use a 37cm cazuela which just fits in the oven...

The chicken is slow cooked in the juices of the tomatoes with the addition of some garden herbs, a splash of red wine and the secret ingredient - smoked paprika. You can use either hot or sweet smoked paprika, the hot stuff will add a chili pepper twist although not too strong as only half a teaspoon is used, what you are after with this dish is an earthy, smokey flavour which just adds that little bit more warmth and depth to the recipe.

The addition of a small handfull of Serrano ham compliments the chicken well and adds another Spanish twist to this easy to make and rather delicious Andalucian casserole. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Full chicken, parted into thighs, drummers, wings and breast
500g tin plum tomatoes, chopped
1 Bulb garlic
3 Bay leaves
1/2 Teaspoon smoked paprika
250ml Red wine
10 Whole black peppercorns
200g Serrano ham, diced
Olive oil

How to Cook:

1. Pre heat the oven to 120 degrees. Place the cazuela over the hob and heat a drizzle of olive oil, once hot, brown off the chicken pieces on all sides.

2. Peel the garlic and add to the chicken, lightly fry until the cloves begin to brown.

3. Add the chopped plum tomatoes including all the juice.

4. Turn up the heat and add the diced serrano ham, peppercorns, bay leaves, smoked paprika and red wine. Turn the chicken pieces so all the meat is well covered.

5. Cook in the oven at 120 degrees for 3 hours (no need to cover) or until chicken is fully cooked and tender.

6. Serve with mashed potatoes and greens.


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Marinated Pork with Herbs and Paprika

Spanish recipe for marinated pork using a blend of herbs and sweet smoked paprika. A delicious winter warmer this recipe needs a few hours to marinade but is well worth the wait for a very rustic roasted flavour. Once in the oven the aromas from this pork joint will fill the kitchen, accompany with roasted vegetables and potatoes in manteca de cerdo Iberico for a thoroughly enjoyable Spanish Sunday roast.

You will need:
1kg Pork loin (boned)
8 Garlic cloves, skins left on
1 Teaspoon oregano
1 Sprig rosemary
12 Black peppercorns
1 Teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
3 Strands of saffron
100ml White wine/cider vinegar
1 Teaspoon salt
Olive oil

Method:

1. Using a pestle and mortar mix and crush all the herbs, spices, salt, pepper and saffron with a good splash of olive oil to create a paste.

2. Once you have a paste add the vinegar and mix well.

3. Place the pork joint in a terracotta cazuela and pour over the marinade, turn the pork and ensure all of the meat is covered.

4. Cover and marinade in the fridge for at least 4 hours (or overnight)

5. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees

6. Pour 1 cm of water in the bottom of the cazuela and cover the joint with kitchen foil, place in the oven and roast for 1 hour.

7. Remove the kitchen foil and continue to roast for a further 40 minutes.

8. Serve with roasted vegetables.


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Serrano Ham and Bean Fritters

Serrano ham and broad bean tapas can be found in almost every Andalucian bar, if not most rural bars throughout Spain. It is not uncommon to walk into a bar and see dozen upon dozen of broad bean shells scattered over the floor near the bar. This is the way broad beans are eaten in rural villages where occasionaly the bar owner will whip around with a brush and pile up the bean shells into a heap in the corner to deal with later.

First impressions for some may be that the bar is a scruffy affair but from a practical point of view (from the bar owner) the floor is actually the best place for the discarded shells afterall imagine 20 hungry punters eagerly shelling beans and leaving them on the top of the bar, simply no good as where then would you find room for your glass of fino and plate of serrano ham?

Which brings us to the next point, broad beans and ham. A good bar can go through several serrano hams per day and all these need to be carved, straight from the leg with a handful of fresh beans ~ absolutley delicious. This is however a rustic affair that you won't find in restaurants, there is though that sense of "real Spain" seeing the old boys shell broad beans with a skill us other Europeans seem to lack, washed down with a glass of fino and a few slices of local "jamon"

For the weekend, tapas in our local village are usually hot - cooked up "out the back" where every twenty minutes or so a huge plate of incredible looking food emerges to be divide up between the customers. One such recipe is fritters, not the usual ham croquettes or deep fried bacalao in breadcrumbs but that famous pairing of serrano ham and broad beans, this recipe also lends itself to a little spice - watch out, its got a kick.

Ingredients:

250g Fresh broad beans
150g Serrano ham, diced
1/4 Teaspoon hot smoked paprika (picante)
1 Small hot red chilli pepper (diced)
1 Tablespoon plain flour
1/2 a lemon
Salt
Black pepper (freshly ground peppercorns)

How to make:

1. Shell the broad beans and place into a food processor.

2. Add the diced ham along with the hot smoked paprika and chilli pepper; squeeze the juice of half the lemon into the mix.

3. Blend for a few seconds until the ingredients become the mixture of breadcrumbs.

4. Remove the mixture to a bowl or cazuela, season with salt and pepper and add the flour and mix well.

5. Meanwhile, heat a good 3cm of olive oil in a frying pan.

6. Using two tablespoons shape your fritters by rolling between the two and add to the oil, fry until deep golden brown on the outside turning occasionaly.

7. Serve with a cool yogurt and mint dip or mojo sauce.


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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

Paprika de La Vera

Smoked paprika as an ingredient in Spanish cooking is very popular and used in a variety of main meals and tapas. Smoked paprika generally comes from the "La Vera" region which carries the D.O stamp or Denominacion de Origen - the recognised sign of quality.

Smoked paprika has a unique flavour and adds a real earthy, smoked aroma and flavour to dishes such as fish soups, casseroles and an abundance of tapas



Pimenton Dulce sweet
the most common variety is sweet paprika or Pimenton Dulce this paprika is made from round or bell peppers and is quite sweet on the palate.

Pimenton Agridulce bittersweet
The second is a bitter - sweet paprika known as Pimenton Agridulce not a common paprika and only recently introduced to outside Spain this variety is made using a mixture of round peppers and the more fiery longer shaped pepper resulting in a bittersweet blend and flavour.

Pimenton Picante Hot
Lastly there is hot paprika or Pimenton Picante this paprika is made from long almost burgundy in colour hot red peppers, almost always used in the production of hot Spanish chorizos this paprika boasts a deep ruby red colour and that extra bite required for hotter dishes.




Want to know more on Spanish Paprika?

"Spanish smoked paprika or Pimenton is another of Spain's finest products which carries the "DO" (Denominacion de Origin) Paprika is widely used in all types of Spanish cooking and is of course what gives the world famous chorizo its deep red colour.

The peppers are harvested from September through until early December....." READ MORE..

Pinchitos

Pinchitos are small spicy kebabs. First introduced by the Arabs, pinchitos were traditionally made from lamb although now its more common to have pork pinchitos kebabs - very very popular in tapas bars.



To make pinchitos you need the mix - a special blend of spices which truly transform a pork kebab. Cut your pork into cubes ready for the kebab and cover with the powder mix (you can also a little olive oil and rub the mixture over the meat)



Place onto your kebab sticks and BBQ for 10 minutes or until cooked. You know something is a little different with this mixture as the aroma whilst both prepping up and cooking is mouth watering! Enjoy the "Pinchitos"!



Although many of the recipes on this blog are cooked outdoors, much of the preparation is done in the cave kitchen. Of course when it comes to something like paella and the weather is a bit "unpredictable" the gas hob comes in very handy.. Sometimes even we forget how rustic the kitchen is - can't buy these units in B&Q!



Storage for bits and bobs can be an issue in a cave, the photo below shows some carved out shelving - just to keep those "regularly used" bottles easy to reach. (we never had this much olive oil or vinegar in England!) Anyway, easier to pick out a shelf than put one up, nice and rustic.



Pinchitos mix is available in 62g boxes, spice up some pork kebabs - a 62g box makes up 2 kilos of pork. 1.95gbp. Get the guests guessing..

The Spanish Chorizo

Here at Orce Serrano Hams we like writing articles - research is the best part! This one is all about Spanish sausages. We are also currently working on a recipe along with our butcher in Orce village for "The Worlds Hottest Chorizo".... they should be ready late spring so if you like them hot watch this space!


Simply by tasting any of the many varieties of Spanish sausage, warm, romantic and flamboyant images are conjured up: The intense Spanish sun, the seductiveness of flamenco and the passion of the people and the music.

The most famous of the Spanish sausage, the chorizo, captures each of these images with every mouthful. Its vibrant red colouring although synonymous with the passion and heat of the country, is a result of the fine balance and exact use of local herbs and spices which make up this truly typical delight.

Spanish sausages can be hot and fiery, sweet and mild, earthy, peppery, succulent, complex or simple. Whatever the variety, behind each mouthful lies an old and honest side of Spain which is steeped in tradition and family values.

Read the rest of this article HERE