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!

Mercado Maravillas, in Madrid

This morning, just like many other Saturday mornings, we went to the market. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but I live next to the most amazing market in Madrid: El Mercado Maravillas. Wordreference translates maravilla as wonder or amazement, and that is exactly what I feel every time I walk in. You can find anything here, whether it be fresh fish, beautiful seafood, vegetables, rare cheese, bulgarian sausages, indian spices, weird chicken parts, cow tongues, amazing olives you’ve never heard of… I could go on forever.

Tongues

Seafood stand

But what is so amazing about this market is not just the food. Its the people. Once you’ve found a stand that sells products you like at a good price, you start going there often. And the people who serve you remember you. By now, I’m on a first name basis with my vegetable guy, my cheese guy, my bread lady, and i’m working on getting to know the fish and meat guys better. Why is this so important? Well the benefits are endless. For example, maybe the peaches aren’t great the day I happen to be there, but Ismael (the fruit and veggie guy) will save me some good ones for the next time I stop buy. Of if he thinks his cherries are exceptionally good, he will give some to everyone to try.  It’s also a really great feeling when your cheese vendor asks you about your family back in Canada and your fruit vendor says he wants to meet your mom and have a chat with her.

José the Fish Guy

However, there is one thing that I cannot stand at the market. This seems to happen mostly on Saturdays, and today was especially bad. When everyone in the market is in a great mood, sellers and buyers alike, all of this cheerfulness can be taken away by one kind of person: the old lady. The old lady is pushy, rude, and she always gets her way. What’s that? There’s a line and you were here first? The old lady doesn’t care. She uses her little old elbows to sneak past you and claim that she was there first. Her most common trick is to tell you she only wants one cucumber, that it will be really quick. So of course, being a decent person you let the little grandmother go ahead of you. But suddenly she remembers that she also needs some lettuce, and an apple, some bananas, some garlic, oh and some lemons too! Too late you realize that her “quick” order is actually taking 20 minutes. Too top it off, after having packed her cart with the last of the bananas that you really wanted, she walks away rolling her cart over your toes without even apologizing. This, ladies and gentlemen, is why you should NEVER trust an old lady at the market.

Yes, I sound like a horrible person. But I swear I’m not. I believe in treating your elders with respect, and helping them out whenever you can. I always give up my seat on the metro to anyone who needs it, and I help the lady in my building carry up her groceries. But how can I treat these old ladies with respect when they have absolutely none for me? When they walk around as if they own the market, and everyone who is in their way should bow down to them? Next time someone runs over my foot with a cart, or elbows me out of the way, I want an apology!

We’ve had lots of great food since Thursday, but there is one thing in particular I want to share with you: Cochinillo. Cochinillo translates to baby pig, or little pig. It’s the local delicacy of Segovia, a small town near Madrid which we just happened to be visiting on Saturday (this wasn’t a coincidence). Segovia is also known for its beautiful roman aqueduct and the castle Walt Disney used in his drawings for Sleeping Beauty.

But i’m not here to talk about the tourist attractions. The main reason anyone goes to Segovia, is to eat roasted suckling pig. I know, baby pigs are so cute how can you eat them!? Well, they are also delicious, and tender, and crispy. So I don’t feel too bad. We made a reservation at Duque, the oldest cochinillo rotisserie in Segovia. This place has been here since 1895, and they really know how to roast a pig.

This restaurant has been here since 1895!

To start off our lunch, we had an appetizer of morcilla (blood sausage with rice) along with a marinated cod and salmon salad. Then came the pig. Since we were six, we got an entire pig to ourselves. The cochinillo should be no more than 3 weeks old, and between 4.5 to 6.5 kg; the perfect size for a table of 6! Our waiter brought it to our table and we watched as he expertly cut it into pieces to put on our plates.

The master serving us our pig... YUM

It’s a rather simple recipe in theory, but A’s mother told me it’s virtually impossible to do at home. To roast the cochinillo, you put it in a clay dish with water, salt and lard, and let it roast in a wood stove for about 3 hours. Seems easy, but apparently cooking the meat to perfect juicy tenderness while getting the skin to be extra crispy is quite a challenge. Duque’s cochinillo was just perfect. The meat was incredibly tender and juicy, with so much flavour! And the crispy skin on top was irresistible. I might have looked strange eating a giant piece of roasted skin with my hands, but I didn’t care, it was just too good. Think of the turkey skin you eat at thanksgiving, multiply that taste by 1000, and you might have an idea of what it’s like. YUM! The portions may have been big, but no one had trouble finishing off their plates.

My mother eating her cochinillo with style!

For dessert (somehow we still had room in our tummies) I chose Ponche Segoviano. This is a delicious but heavy cake made with flour, sugar, milk, cinnamon and a ridiculous amount egg yolks, wrapped up in a coat of marzipan. As someone who doesn’t like marzipan, I must admit it was delicious with the cake, and a wonderful ending to an incredible meal.

If you are in Madrid, I would highly recommend going to Segovia and having some cochinillo. Its a great experience, and Segovia is the perfect town in which to take a long post-lunch walk. Beautiful views, amazing history, and exquisite food; it doesn’t get better than that!

Casa Labra is celebrating their 150th birthday this year! Happy Birthday!

The greatest thing about this place is that not only have they been here for a very long time (and therefore must know what they’re doing), but that they literally offer 3 different tapas. That’s it. They also offer sit down meals, but really they are known for their three snacks: Cod croquetas, deep-fried cod, and pinchos of marinated tuna. For €4,10 you can get two croquettas and two big chunks of fried cod. And it’s worth EVERY cent. In addition to being rather large, the croquetas are unbelievably creamy and delicious. The fried cod is similar to fish and chips, but without the chips. I don’t know what they put in the batter enveloping the yummy fish, but its incredible and probably really unhealthy. Speaking of which, do not go to this place if you’re on a diet. Both the croquettas and the cod are deep-fried, and leave a remarkable amount of grease on your fingers after eating.

Two croquetas and 2 pieces of fried cod = €4,10. The perfect post-shopping snack!

If you’re ever in Madrid, this is one of the first places you should hit. Besides, it’s conveniently located in the very touristy shopping area of Madrid, so you can’t miss it!

Since my arrival in Spain, I have had a lot of croquetas. Actually, I’ve had more than a lot, I’ve had tons. I just LOVE them! I have searched far and wide (well, staying within Spain’s borders of course!) for my favorite croquetas, but I keep going back to the ones made by Andrés’ grandmother. Even though she obsesses and complains that her croquetas never come out “quite right,” they are always, always amazing. Never pasty and never too salty, they have just the right consistency that makes the béchamel sauce melt in your mouth when you bite into the crunchy exterior. Whatever their flavour, the abuela Marisa’s croquetas are heavenly.

La abuela Marisa

What’s her secret? I was dying to know! Andrés once attempted to make some for me, though somehow they ended up tasting more like hamburgers than croquetas. You should have seen his face when I dared to dip them in ketchup! Anyways, while the effort was nice, the result wasn’t great. So I decided to go straight to the source and spend a wonderful Saturday afternoon getting a private lesson in croquetas from abuela Marisa. It turns out they are super easy to make! We decided to make them with both Jamón and boletus edulis (aka porcini). The secret is in the thickness of the sauce before you let it cool off. It has to get to the point where it almost looks like a dough, completely coming off the sides of your pan. However if you let it thicken too much, your croquetas will turn out pasty, so be careful!

The secret is in the thickness of the sauce; It should end up looking something like this...

Below I have included the recipe as told to me by Marisa. However, like any good grandmother she never used any measuring tools and did it all by eye. Apparently the amount of flour or milk necessary depends on various factors such as the weather, your pan, your stove, as well as your own personal taste. I’ve included approximate measurements in the recipe to get you started, but don’t be discouraged if it doesnt turn out great the first time. Just keep trying with different amounts of milk and flour and eventually you will get a great tasting croqueta! Also, feel free to substitute the jamón and mushrooms for anything else your heart desires.

Attempting to shape the croquetas. My first few were way too lumpy.

If you don’t feel like experimenting in the kitchen, Madrid has quite a few places were you can find delicious croquetas. My suggestion? You absolutely have to try the codfish croquetas at downtown Casa Labra (they only serve one kind), but if you want more variety (such as chorizo, chicken, or even calamari), try the croquetas stand in Mercado San Miguel.

Croquetas de jamón Iberico y boletus edulis

1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 litre of milk, lightly heated
4 big tablespoons of flour
100 g jamon iberico
1 tablespoon boletus edulis powder (porcini powder)
nutmeg
eggs, beaten
bread crumbs

In a large pan, heat the oil and fry the onion until golden. Remove pan from heat and add flour. Let it cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes. Add the jamón and mix. Add the warm milk and stir. Return the pan to the medium heat and keep stirring. Add boletus edulis powder, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens to the point where it separates itself from the sides of the pan. Pour the sauce into a dish and let cool completely in the refrigerator. Once the sauce is completely cool and quite hard, you can begin shaping it into croquetas. As you are making the little cylinders, roll them into a plate filled with flour. Let them rest for approximately 15 minutes. Dip each croqueta into the beaten eggs, followed by the bread crumbs.**  Fry the croquetas 4-5 at a time in a large pan with very hot oil, until a deep golden brown. ¡Que aproveche!

** At this point, you can freeze the croquetas and fry them another day.

xoxo

If you're Spanish, you're first thought might be "Ooooo Delicioso!!"

What was your first thought? Mine was “EW! What’s with all the little black toes?” When I first saw these at the market, I had no idea what they were and why anyone would even think of eating such an ugly thing. Then I was told these are some of the most delicious, and expensive, seafood found in Spain: Percebes. According to our friend Wikipedia, they are called Goose Barnacles in English, although I doubt many of you have ever heard the term. They belong to the crustacean family, and are found on the coasts of Spain, Portugal, Morocco and…. Canada! While I have never heard of a fellow Canadian eating one of these things, apparently there is such a high demand in Portugal and Spain that they actually import Percebes all the way from Canada. They are quite expensive here in Spain (75euro per Kilo at the local grocery store!), mainly because of the danger involved in harvesting them.

Everyone kept telling me that I just had to try these things, especially the ones from Galicia, a region in the north of Spain. Lucky for me, I got to go to Galicia for a week in August. Since I was in the area, I decided this would be the best time for me to try these slimy little creatures. We were staying with A’s parents, who were super nice and bought some percebes for dinner one evening. I was really excited to try them, but when I saw them on the table my reaction wasn’t so positive. Even after being cooked, they still looked like wrinkly black toes. This is where I thank my parents for teaching me to try a little bit of everything and be open-minded when it comes to food. If it wasn’t for that, I don’t know if I would have tried them, and would probably have missed something great.

75 euros per kilo? Imagine what these must cost at a restaurant!

To eat percebes, you have to make a little cut near the “nail” part, remove the black skin, and eat the chewy black thing inside. I know, still doesn’t sound too appetizing, but the taste is actually really good. I think it tastes just like the sea: a bit fishy, and quite salty with a chewy texture, somewhat like a mussel. Once I got the hang of removing the skin, I was eating one percebe after another and found I couldn’t stop ’till they were all gone! I wouldn’t say they are my favorite crustaceans, but once you get over their appearance these little creatures are actually quite delicious.

To Spaniards, percebes are a delicacy not to be missed. In my opinion, they are definitely a must-have experience for anyone visiting northern Spain. But when it comes to seafood, I would still choose a nice lobster over percebes any day!

The positive side of summer however is that I absolutely adore summer food. I love experimenting with salads, eating lots of grilled fish, and of course cold soups! And the best part of being in Spain in summer is GAZPACHO!

My first attempt at making gazpacho in Spain! Delicious!

Gazpacho is a chilled vegetable soup, traditionally done with a lot of tomatoes. The gazpacho we know today originated in the south of Spain in the province of Andalucía, although some say you can find recipes similar to gazpacho which come from way back when the Moors occupied Spain. Of course, gazpacho would have been tomato-less until the 16^th century when the conquistadors brought tomato seeds from South America.

Today gazpacho comes in many different flavours, using a variety of vegetables and fruit. Chefs all over the world are altering the traditional recipe by using ingredients such as watermelon, papaya, avocado, and green tomatoes. While all of these recipes sound delicious, I love traditional gazpacho so much that I don’t feel the need to change it at all.

I am lucky to have been given a wonderful recipe by Andrés’ mother, the woman who has been introducing me to many Spanish dishes since I’ve arrived here. This recipe uses the traditional gazpacho vegetables: tomatoes, cucumber, onion, green pepper and garlic. The most important ingredient is the tomato. If you have bad, unripe, or hard tomatoes, don’t even try it. Make sure your tomatoes are ripe and juicy and have lots of flavour. You will also be adding bread to add texture to the gazpacho. It’s best to use day-old bread, and try to find the cheapest baguette you can find. It doesn’t have to be quality bread, but none of that mushy sliced-bread stuff. Also, once you’ve blended all of the ingredients into a thick soup, you can choose to either leave the chunks in, or strain the gazpacho to make it smooth. Both are very good, it just depends which texture you prefer. Gazpacho can be eaten from a bowl or sipped from a glass, and always tastes best on a hot summer afternoon! Enjoy!

Gazpacho Recipe

Courtesy of Marisa Giménez

½ kg cucumber
125 g onions
250 g green peppers
2 kg ripe tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
8 tbs olive oil
6 tbs vinegar (I used cider vinegar but red wine vinegar is good too)
Bread (cut up into small pieces)
Salt, Cumin and Paprika to taste

Chop up all the vegetables as small as you can, and mix them together using a blender or food processor. Mix in the olive oil and vinegar. Add bread a little bit at a time, mixing well after each addition, until you’ve achieved the consistency you prefer. Add salt, cumin and paprika to your preference. Keep blending everything until you have a relatively smooth soup. You can now either leave it like this or strain out the small chunks. It is best to leave it in the refrigerator for a couple hours before serving.

]]> http://lapommeespagnole.com/2010/06/today-i-made-gazpacho/feed/ 4 http://lapommeespagnole.com/2010/06/a-taste-of-home-in-madrid/#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://lapommeespagnole.com/2010/06/a-taste-of-home-in-madrid/#comments Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:27:56 +0000 Laurence http://lapommeespagnole.com/?p=60 I’m warning you, this entry is not about Spanish food. I know, this is a blog about Spanish food and I’m writing about something else? I’m a terrible blogger. But this week was restaurant week in Madrid, and that means half-priced dinners at over 100 restaurants around the city. To be honest, I was feeling tired of Spanish food, and I just wanted the comfort of a dinner prepared by my mother.

Lucky for me, I can find something similar (though never as good) in any French gourmet restaurant. Unfortunately, that’s rarely an option for someone working on a teacher’s assistant salary. So I thought what better than restaurant week to go and splurge a little on some upscale French food? I did some searching, and found this great little place called Le Petit Bistrot Madrid.

picture from www.lepetitbistrot.net

Le Petit Bistrot has the exact feel of a typical French bistro. For those of you not in the know, this means simplistic décor, wooden floors, and lots of wine. A good bistro must have a decent wine list. As soon as I opened up the Le Petit Bistrot’s menu, I got really excited. There were so many delicious dishes to choose from! I opted for a salmon tartar with mango and pesto to start, followed by duck filet with apricots and potatoes. I was also really excited about A’s choice of the escargot appetizer and steak tartar dish.

The first courses arrived, and my first thought was: “I’m jealous, I was to trade appetizers!” I LOVE escargot. It really made me miss my mom’s garlic butter and parsley escargot. This one was ALMOST the same, but I think perhaps the cook forgot to add salt. With a pinch of added salt it became perfect!

My salmon tartar with mango and pesto sauce was not as exciting. Actually, it was disappointing. I think it was a combination of bland salmon and the flavourless mango. It had a lot of potential, but it was just lacking a boost of flavour that could have come from riper mangoes, or better quality salmon.

Luckily, our main courses totally made up for the lackluster salmon. My duck was amazing. Cooked to perfection, nicely juicy, and accompanied by some yummy little potatoes. I loved how they brought the whole sauté pan to the table so I could enjoy it freshly off the stove! A’s steak tartar was seasoned to perfection. They even brought out a little spoonful ahead of time to make sure it was seasoned to his taste.  Very classy!

This was a very enjoyable experience, and I left happily full of yummy French food. I do love discovering Spanish food, and it is truly wonderful, but I think that my heart will always be with the French (the food, not the people!). Thank you Le Petit Bistrot for taking me back home for an evening

Our first night did not disappoint. We found this cute little restaurant (unfortunately I forget its name) which seemed to have a great menú for a great price. As a starter I chose a terrine de foie gras with goat cheese and some fruity sauce. It was fantastic. I’m not entirely sure why, but there was foie gras EVERYWHERE in San Sebastián. This alone made me insanely happy. As some of you might know, foie gras is on my list of favorite foods, and has been since I was about eight years old.

I loved how foie gras was everywhere in San Sebastián!

My friend ordered Huevos revueltos con jamón y esparragos. This is a very typical Spanish dish. While we North Americans tend to associate eggs with breakfast, here in Spain it is a very common lunch or dinner dish. They come in all forms (omelet, fried, scrambled, etc) and are often mixed with potatoes or some other vegetable. I will try to go further on this subject in another blog entry, because there is a lot to write about Spanish eggs! These eggs in particular were scrambled with jamón ibérico and asparagus, wrapped in a crunchy crouton. YUM!

Just look at that amazing presentation!

My foie was followed by a Zarzuela de Pescado. This was basically a variety of fish cooked in a heavenly sauce. I hate myself a little for not asking what kind of fish was included, especially since one of the little fillets was the best fish I have had in a long time, and I have no clue as to what it was. It was soft and white, and melted in my mouth releasing an explosion of flavour. I know “explosion of flavour” sounds a bit ridiculous, but I assure you that is the only way to describe it. At first it has a very normal fish flavour, but as it melts in your mouth it releases a kind of deliciousness that I just can’t express in writing.

Can anyone tell what kind of fish this was?

To finish off this delicious meal, I had porcion de chocolate con moras which translates to portion of chocolate with blackberries. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect of this “portion” of chocolate, but I figured anything with the word chocolate would but great. Even after having eaten it, i’m not quite sure how to describe it. It was like a creamy, thick square of chocolate paté. Chocolate paté must sound strange, but I don’t know how else to explain it. And it was just so yummy that I forgot to take a picture of it! Sorry!

I still have to tell you about two more San Sebastián meals, one of which consisted of the city’s famous pintxos. But I will have to leave that for another blog entry. Hopefully very soon