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FRUIT
IN SPANISH COOKING
 Using
fruit as an ingredient in Spanish cooking and tapas recipes
is a popular way of adding flavour to Spanish dishes and
adding that perfect accompaniment to cheeses, wines, cured
ham and cooked meats to name but a few. Spain is famous
for its orange and lemon production but there is a much
wider variety of fruits available that are regularly used
in Spanish cooking. Walk through any Andalucian garden and
you are likely to find fig trees, peach trees and cherry,
the Spanish garden also need not be a large affair to grow
your own fruits and even window boxes and terracotta plant
pots which can be purchased very cheaply in Spain will happily
help you grow the likes of chili peppers and even courgettes.
Probably the most widely used fruit in Spanish cooking the
humble tomato but this was not always the case, it was in
fact the Spaniards that introduced tomatoes to Europe in
the 16th century where they were simply grown for decoration.
Spain is also famous for its tomato fight or ‘La Tomatina’
which is held in the town of Buñol in Valencia every
year. The tomatina continues to grow annually with more
than 45,000 people throwing over 100 tonnes of tomatoes
at each other which are kindly provided by the local town
council!
 Tomatoes
in Spain come in many different varieties as you would expect
from the sweet cherry tomatoes on the vine to the extra
large beef tomatoes which are great for all types of salads.
In rural areas of Spain most villages will boast a green
grocer who will in all likely hood will have a patch of
land and a large greenhouse in which they will grow their
own fruit and vegetables, tomatoes are a favourite and there
are no rules regulating size or shape, the result is probably
some of the ugliest tomatoes you are likely to see but this
makes them no less delicious, it could be even be said that
the less aesthetically pleasing they are the sweeter and
tastier they are! Some of the more popular ways of enjoying
tomatoes in Spain is to flame grill them along with onions
and peppers to make what is know as ‘escalivada’
the tomatoes are then peeled and served cold with olive
oil as a side dish, a kind of chunky salsa. Alternatively
you have the classic flavour combination of tomatoes with
serrano ham which also usually involves a good cheese to
complete the trio. Another popular Spanish recipe is Spanish
gazpacho in which tomatoes are the main ingredient (at least
in the modern day recipe)
Is
cucumber a fruit or a vegetable? Cucumber is commonly regarded
as a vegetable although it is a fact a fruit. Cucumber is
regularly used as a garnish and as a main ingredient in
Spanish salads, it is also another ingredient in Spanish
gazpacho and adds a delicious freshness to cucumber and
melon soup, a local cold soup usually served with slices
of serrano ham. For the same reason a cucumber is a fruit
so is the courgette, many gardens have rows of courgettes
as they are a fairly hardy plant and do well in the Spanish
heat providing they have ample irrigation. Courgettes are
grown from seed and the Spanish gardener will usually leave
one courgette to grow and grow…and grow where it will
eventually explode in the Spanish sun producing hundreds
of seeds for next years crop. Courgette goes into all types
of Spanish cooking, always hot dishes such as stews and
casseroles. An Andalucian favourite is courgettes sliced
and sautéed in garlic and olive oil, simple tapas
or an easy starter.
 Chili
peppers do feature in Spanish cooking but not as frequently
as one might think. Spanish cuisine does not tend to be
hot and spicy compared to other world cuisines and the Spanish
people tend to only to use chili in such dishes such as
chili garlic prawns where shelled prawns are cooked over
the barbeque in a terracotta cazuela in olive oil, garlic
and chili, the oil becomes infused with chili and once the
prawns are finished the oil is then mopped up with fresh
crusty bread. Chili garlic prawns or ‘gambas al pil
pil’ as it is known in Spain is a very popular starter
or tapas between three of four people where the dish can
served all at once center of the table. Red bell peppers
are used as an ingredient to make ‘escalivada’
as mentioned above, the peppers are grilled over hot coals
until they turn completely black before being wrapped in
newspaper which makes peeling easier once they have cooled.
The peppers are then peeled by hand by removing the charred
skin to reveal the bright red cooked flesh of the fruit
below, the beauty of this Spanish recipe is that it is rustic,
cooked outdoors and the inevitable ‘black bits’
left over all add to the flavour of the peppers which are
again served drizzled with good extra virgin olive oil.
For
a more unusual fruit there is the prickly pear which is
not a pear at all but the fruit from the paddle cactus (abundant
in Spain and Mexico). The prickly pear as the name suggests
requires some very careful peeling but once prepared has
a delicious soft flesh. In Spain, the prickly pear is often
used to make jelly or can be served with shrimp and other
seafood. The prickly pear can also be used to make vodka
and occasionally as an ingredient in sweets and candy products.
Another fruit that is used to make jelly is quince, a relative
of the apple and pear the fruit is hard and yellow with
a strong flavour. Andalucian recipes sometimes use quince
to add a hint of flavour to apple pies or fruit puddings.
Another popular Spanish product is ‘membrillo’
or quince paste which is similar to a jam although with
a heavier texture. Quinces can also be used to make sweet
dessert wines for which Spain is famous.
Think
of Spanish fruit and you immediately envisage oranges and
lemons, oranges from Seville or perhaps the book ‘Driving
over lemons’ by ex Genesis drummer Chris Stewart. The
use of oranges and lemons in Spanish cooking is much the
same as any other cuisine producing jams, tarts, garnish
or a squeeze of juice or scrape of zest for that added flavour
to cooking. One of the simplest ways of enjoying sweet oranges
is to drizzle them in a peppery extra virgin olive oil,
ultimate simplicity but very refreshing tapas on a hot Spanish
day. Staying with simple but unusual flavour combinations
the strawberry is worth a mention (one of the only fruits
with its seeds on the outside), try splashing a few drops
of aged sherry vinegar over this fruit and wait for the
flavours to get to work on the palate – delicious.
 Apples
need not be left just for the pie or apple sauce, in fact
this popular fruit in all its guises goes very well with
chorizo, there is something about the sweetness and texture
of the apple that works so well with the Spanish chorizo
that there are quite a few Andalucian recipes. Two such
recipes are a very simple chorizo and apple kebab cooked
over the barbeque and which can also be served as tapas.
Another is to braise chorizo in apple and cider where the
sweet juices become infused with the spice and paprika from
the sausage, again ideal as tapas or a simple Spanish starter.
One other meat and fruit pairing is Serrano ham and melon,
a cantaloupe melon is best for this cold tapa/starter where
the arrangement is purely up to ones imagination, serve
wrapped, use melon balls or stuff melon slices with thin
slivers of ham, the sweetness of the melon brings out the
mild saltiness of the ham and is a dish often served during
the summer months or even for breakfast – just don’t
forget a drizzle of extra virgin or if you are feeling adventurous
a light sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper, nectarines
and peaches also perform well the same as melon although
a ripe nectarine will also long for a few slices of the
king of all hams the ‘Iberico’. Not forgetting
the humble fig this fruit is well worth pairing up with
serrano ham, figs can be baked or served fresh and produce
a great flavour, accompany this pairing with a milder goats
cheese or a good quality honey.
When
enjoying wine . . . there is nothing quite like a combination
of a good red, cheese and grapes. Grapes are enjoyed all
over Spain and they are not just reserved for wine making,
white grapes or indeed red go well with most cheeses, hard
or soft and add that fruity balanced sweetness to make a
famous trio of flavours. Spanish tapas being a simple affair
can consist of an arrangement of cheeses, fruits and crackers
or indeed ‘banderillas’ which are a selection
of small tapas ‘bites’ served on cocktail sticks.
The classic Spanish platter of course is the cheese board
with grapes, biscuits and cured ham, served with wine the
flavours are divine with grapes adding a juicy freshness
and mild acidity to the entire board.
 Arguably
the king of all Spanish fruits can be found predominantly
in southern Spain, it is served on salads, as simple tapas
and is regularly used in many a Spanish dish, it comes in
a variety of types and is one of the only fruits that can
be marinated, we are course talking about the Spanish olive.
The region of Jaen is regarded as the olive oil capital
of Europe (if not the world) and produces some of the finest
olive oils available. Suprisingly the availability of whole
olives by the jar in southern Spain is not as common as
you may think, this is because most of the olives go direct
into oil production, there are however different types of
olive available from dedicated producers who cultivate their
fruit and tend their groves to produce some of the finest
olives available. It is said that there is an olive for
everyone and although it make some time to discover it any
Spaniard will tell you that it is out there waiting for
you! Olives are used in Spain to garnish salads and also,
play an important part in old recipes passed down through
the generations before olive oil production became commercial.
The olive really is the fruit of Spain and the next time
you drizzle some Spanish extra virgin over your salad remember
that those fruity flavours come from a tree somewhere in
Spain.
Pickling
Spanish Olives
Pickling
olives is something that has been done for generations,
after all many of our own neighbours have olive groves and
enjoy a healthy harvest every year. There are many tips
and tricks to pickling your own olives, indeed all of our
Spanish neighbours have a different technique and each one
is the best! Here we have the simplest way to pickle olives,
for this recipe we have used black olives which require
less time.
You
will need:
Black
olives
Coarse salt
Cider vinegar
Lemon, herbs, pepper (optional)
Method:
- Wash
olives thoroughly.
- Pierce
each olive twice using a small sharp knife.
- Place
the olives into glass jars and fill with mineral water
to the top.
- After
24 hours, drain the water and refill – repeat this
process three times for black olives.
- Now
for the brine, pour off the water into a measuring jug
thus ensuring an accurate measure of brine to pour back
into each jar. To make the brine heat up the given amount
of warm until warm then the salt (100g of salt to 1 litre
of water) bring pan to boil then leave to cool.
- Once
the brine has cooled pour over the olives and seal the
jar. Your olives will be ready.
Sun
dried chili peppers
Drying
peppers in Spain is something that has been done for generations.
In rural white washed village you cannot escape the explosive
deep red colour of strings of peppers hanging from windows
and balconies. In the village of Orce drying peppers is
a popular practice; the peppers are hung in kitchens after
drying and used as an ingredient in many traditional Andalucian
recipes. Here we have two different methods of drying peppers.
You
will need:
Red
chili peppers (large)
In
the oven:
To
dry peppers in the oven firstly they need to be cut in
half from top to bottom, the seeds then need to be removed.
Once the seeds have been discarded place the each half
of the pepper open side down onto a baking tray or shallow
oven tray. Preheat the oven to its lowest setting and
dry the peppers for at least 8 hours (either all day or
overnight)
Traditional
Method:
This
is the technique used in Andalucia and requires the peppers
to hang; you can replicate this method if you have a dry
environment with plenty of air flow.
These
peppers are dried whole therefore do not need the seeds
removed. You will need a large needle and some heavy thread
to tie the peppers together. This is done by tying a cork
onto the end of the thread so the first pepper cannot
fall off. Thread each pepper directly through the middle
about 1 cm below the green stalk, pull each pepper down
the length of the thread so that they stack and “bunch”
all the way to the top. With heavy thread you can achieve
in excess of three dozen peppers on each string. Once
this is done hang the peppers in a dry, well ventilated
area for at least 4 weeks or until the peppers no longer
hold any moisture.
Article
researched and written by Gayle M Hartley & Iain Macdonald
© Copyright 2011 Orce Serrano Hams - www.orceserranohams.com
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