La pomme espagnole

Those who know me will already know that I have left Spain to return to Canada. No, not to my hometown of Montreal but to Toronto… of all places! This was a very difficult decision. But there are just more opportunities for me in North America at the moment and career-wise this was a decision that had to be taken. After just over 2 months of being back, I still think about Spain every day. I still love the culture, the people, and of course the food. I also feel that this isn’t the end of my relationship with Spain. I just know that I will end up there again some day.

I’ve decided that even if I’m not IN Spain, that doesn’t mean that I can’t write about it. I will continue this blog, mainly because there are still so many foods I haven’t talked about yet. I haven’t even mentioned paella once! I still have a very large collection of photos to choose from and I will keep posting the recipes I learned while in Spain. And of course, I will keep cooking Spanish food.

Just today I made chorizo pasta. I know, its super simple, but it’s also a staple for many Spanish families. It’s like the spaniards’ version of kraft dinner; Every spanish kid eats it, and they all love it! But make no mistake, this is WAY better than kraft dinner… mainly because it doesn’t come from a box. You start with fresh chorizo. The chorizo used for pasta is not as dry as the one you would use to snack on with some bread. Yet it’s still a lot more like a saucisson than a sausage. Cut up the chorizo into little cubes and fry it up with some chopped onion. Once browned, add tomate frito. Unfortunately this is something that I have yet to find here in Canada. Tomate frito is basically cooked tomatoes, like a very plain tomato sauce. Since I haven’t found it here, I used the best prepared tomato sauce I could find, with the smallest ingredients list. You add your sauce to the chorizo, stir it up a little make sure all the chorizo oil gets mixed into the sauce, and add it to your favorite pasta. The kids I met in Spain always preferred it on “macarrones” (which is actually penne pasta) and I totally agree with them. Top it with lots of mozzarella or parmesan and ¡tada! a super quick weekday dinner. Although I suggest you serve this with a salad or something because it’s really not the healthiest dish.

In addition to writing about the things I ate and learned to cook while in Spain, I will be doing a little bit of investigating here in Toronto. When I left for Spain more than 2 years ago, Spanish food was barely on the North American radar. Finding Spanish products in your grocery store was just impossible. So imagine my surprise (and joy) when I came back and started seeing Spanish products here and there around the city. I’ve even found a place that sells real jamón Serrano. It’s not Iberico, but it still made me very happy!

I will start documenting my finds here, so that even if you don’t live in Spain, you can still get the necessary ingredients to make authentic chorizo pasta! I’m also on the lookout for a good Spanish restaurant. Please send your suggestions!