VALENCIAN ORANGE AND ONION SALAD

INSIDE A SPANISH STORECUPBOARD

ENSALADA DE NARANJAS
VALENCIANAS

A Spanish storecupboard salad, from winter ingredients, it seems to have gone out of fashion somewhat, now lettuces and tomatoes are on sale all the year round. It is nevertheless excellent for adding a splash of colour to any meal and wonderful before a lamb stew. If green salads are available, decorate it with lettuce or frisee round the outside.

SERVES 6

4 large organs
1 purple onion, or 1/2 mild Spanish onion
lettuce (optional)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
75 ml (3 fl oz) olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch of sugar
a few black olives

Purple onion rings look pretty but must be soaked in cold water for a couple of hours first, to tame their flavour. Slice the onion as thin as possible and push it out into rings, then leave to soak. Drain well on kitchen paper before use. Spanish onions are milder and need no soaking.

Peel the oranges, removing the membrane from the outside of the segments with the pitch. Slice into rings and remove the pips. Arrange the orange and onion slices in a salad bowl. If using a deep bowl, line it with lettuce first, so a frill appears round the edges. If the bowl is wide and shallow, roll the lettuce leaves in wads, slice across and arrange the ribbons round the edge. Use the next 5 ingredients to make a vinaigrette and pour over the salad. Scatter with black olives and let it stand for 30 minutes before serving.

ARTICHOKES WITH TWO SAUSE

(See74)ALCACHOFAS CON
DOS SALSAS


The Spaniards admire the beautiful shape of artichokes and don’t cut the leaves unnecessarily. It’s more convenient for the eater, however, if the hairly choke is removed before they come to table. The cup this makes is then filled with mayonnaise, and there is vinaigrette for dipping the outside leaves. The same tow sauces are often served with the white asparagus from Rioja, which is canned and sent all over the country.

SERVES 4

4 large globe artichokes
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
150 ml (1/4 pt) mayonnaise (See78)
125 ml (4 fl oz) olive oil
3 tablespoons wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Snap off the stalks; with large tough artichokes this will bring away most of the stringy fibres underneath. Trim the bottom almost flat, removing little leaves. This will tell you how tender the artichokes are, and give you a better idea of cooking time. Cook tender heads for 20 minutes, and large tough ones for 40 minutes in plenty of salted boiling water. They will stay green if cooked without a lid Drain them upside down for 10 minutes to cool a little.

To prepare them for the table, start by pulling out the centre leaves. When a soft, lighter cone becomes visible under the first leaves to go, hold the artichoke firm and pull the whole cone out. Underneath is the inedible hairly choke – scoop it out with a spoon. For decoration, turn the cone of small leaves over and lodge it in the artichoke to keep the cup open.

Eat barely warm or cold. To serve, stir a little garlic and parsley into the mayonnaise and fill each cup. Make a vinaigrette with the oil, vinegar and seasoning and pour a little on each individual plate. Eat the outside leaves, dipping each base into vinaigrette. Eat the inside ones – and finally the base itself – with mayonnaise. Remember to put out a plate to use for the discarded leaves.

CON ALCACHOFAS A LA CORDOBESA

(See103)TERNERA

VEAL WITH ARTICHOKES FROM CORDOBA

The town of Montilla in Andalusia gave us the word amontillado for a certain style of strong, medium dry wine, though ironically we now associate it first with sherry. The wines from the Montilla-Moriles district are fortified in Spain, like sherry, and the popular Alvear fino, C.B., is used for both cooking and drinking. Exported Montillas are in the sherry styles but are unfortified and, as a consequence, cheaper than sherry. ‘Pale dry’ Montilla is excellent for cooking. It blends beautifully with veal escalopes in this dish from the neighbouring town of Cordoba, though leftover roast pork is nearly as good.

SERVES 4

8 – 12 small veal escalopes, about 550g (1.25 lb)
6 fresh globe artichokes or 400g (14 oz) canned
prepared bases
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons pork fat or butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
125 ml (4 fl oz) pale dry or medium dry Montilla
wine or good sherry
150 – 250 ml (4 – 8 fl oz) meat or chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Prepare the artichokes. Snap off the stalks (if they are stringy, that means the artichokes are tough and need an extra 5 minutes’ cooking). Trim the bottom flat, removing small leaves. Turn on the side and cut through the top leaves just above the choke, leaving a base about 4 cm (1.5 in) deep. Then trim away the side leaves with a small knife until the white base shows through. Cook the bases in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Drain upside down and cool for 10 minutes.

Flip off any soft leaf stumps with your thumb, revealing the choke. Use a spoon and your thumb to remove the hairy choke, leaving a smooth cup base. Depending upon the toughness of the vegetable, this needs about 5 minutes’ more cooking, which in this recipe it gets once added to the veal. Otherwise braise it in a dish or in boiling water.

Heat the oil and fat or butter in a wide shallow casserole and fry the onion until softened (20 minutes on low heat) then add the garlic. Season the escalopes well then put in half of them, well spread out, and fry over high heat until coloured on both sides. Remove to a plate and fry the remaining veal. Then return all the veal to the pan and sprinkle with Montilla or sherry, boiling this away.

Add the stock – for canned artichoke bases use only half the stock. Bring to simmering point, add the quartered artichoke bases and cook for 5 minutes (or heat through if using canned bases). In Cordoba a dry Montilla would certainly be drunk with this dish, or Chiclana, the local sherry-like Cadiz white wine.

ARTICHOKES

Alcachofas are served whole or the bases only may be prepared (mainly for salads). Hearts (whole immature artichokes) and bases are both sold canned. To prepare the base(See103), to cook and eat whole (See74).

PAELLA DE VERDURAS DEL TIEMPO

PAELLA OF SPRING VEGETABLES

A paella can contain many things through the changing seasons – bacon, chard, tomatoes, white or black beans and turnips – usually with some part of the pig. Here is a pretty dish with the new season’s vegetables. Fresh broad beans can be substituted for the asparagus, and chopped mushroom for the ham.

SERVES 6

400g (14 oz) Spanish medium-grain, or risotto, rice,
washed
850 ml (1.5 pt) good stock
150 ml (1/4 pt) dry white wine
200g (7 oz) trimmed asparagus tips, in short lengths
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
175g (6 oz) raw gammon or bacon, chopped small
200g (7 oz) green beans, trimmed, in short lengths
2 small courgettes, thinly sliced
1 carrot, diced
1 tomato, without skin or seeds, diced
100g (4 oz) mange-tout, trimmed, snapped in half
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a paella pan or wide shallow casserole and fry the onion gently with the gammon or bacon. When nearly soft, add the garlic. Add 2 tablespoons of parsley and the rice, stirring it in the oil for a minute or so.

Combine the stock and wine and taste it, adding seasoning as needed. If it is tasteless, boil to concentrate it, adding wine to make up the volume. Add a third to the rice, bring to simmering point and add the asparagus. The rice takes 20 -25 minutes from the moment the first batch of stock is added.

When the stock has been absorbed, add another third, with the beans, courgettes, carrot and tomato, and stir for the last time. Add the remaining stock with the mange-tout. When the rice is done, cover the pan and let it stand, off the heat, for 5 minutes, then garnish with more parsley. This is good served with slices of fried ham.

(See95)SEPIA GUISADA CON ALBONDIGAS Y GUISANTES

CUTTLEFISH WITH MEATBALLS AND PEAS

The Catalans invented ‘surf and turf’ to eke out one expensive ingredient with another cheap one – originally the festive chicken with the free lobster, a combination which is now enjoyed all over the world. The same idea is behind this dish from L’Emporda, between Barcelona and the French frontier. It could be nicknames ‘poor man’s veal’ for it’s rather like eating veal served two different ways.

Buy a large cuttlefish if you can, for its flesh is thicker and sweeter than squid, or buy one of the big squid fished in northern waters. If using small squid, keep the tentacles for a pretty salad and use only the bodies in this recipe.

SERVES 4

700g (1.5 lb) big cuttlefish or squid
400g (14 oz) peas, fresh or frozen
1 onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
100g (4 oz) ripe tomatoes, without skin or seeds
400 ml (14 fl oz) meat or chicken stock
125 ml (4 fl oz) dry white wine
1 slice of stale bread
125 ml (4 fl oz) olive oil
1 tablespoon flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper

METBALLS
200g (7 oz) lean pork, minced
200g (7 oz) beef mince
2 slices of stale bread
50 ml (2 fl oz) dry white wine
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg, beaten, for coating
flour for coating

To clean squid, grip the tentacles and use them to pull out the insides. Cut across above the eyes and discard everything below. Large squid (and cuttlefish) have a mouthpiece in the centre of the tentacles which can be popped backwards like a button. Flex the body gently and the spinal structure, like transparent plastic, will pop out. Cuttlefish are very similar, except the body looks like a plump money purse with a frill round it, instead of a rocket with fins. Slit the body up both sides and remove the cuttle bone. Wash squid and cuttlefish well inside under running water. Rub off the skin with salt-coated hands and wash again. Cut the body into squares the size of large postage stamps and the tentacles of large cuttlefish into short lengths.

Make the sauce in a deep casserole without too big a base. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil, fry the bread over high heat till golden and remove to a blender. Fry the onion gently until it starts to soften then add the garlic and parsley. Add to the blender and reduce everything to a puree – this is the picada.

Sprinkle the flour into the casserole (more oil may be needed) and cook over medium-high heat until it turns brown. This is important to give the sauce its dark meaty taste, but be careful that it does not burn. Add the chopped tomatoes and stock and simmer to reduce. Traditionally the picada is added to thicken the sauce and then the whole thing is sieved. The easier way, however, is to add the contents of the casserole to the blender and puree everything once more. Return the sauce to the casserole, add the prepared shellfish and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes, or for 30 minutes if using frozen peas.

Make the meatballs. Sprinkle the bread with wine, then squeeze it out lightly and combine all the ingredients, seasoning well. Make large marble-sized balls and roll them in beaten egg. Transfer them to a plate covered with plenty of flour and shake it to and fro until the balls are coated. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and fry the balls over high heat, shaking frequently so they colour and crisp on all sides.

Add the wine and peas to the casserole and cook till the peas are tender (20 minutes for fresh peas, 5 for frozen). Slip the meatballs into the sauce, bring back to simmering point and give them a minute or so in the sauce. Long-grain rice makes a good partner.

(see96)MEJILLONES A LA MARINERA

SAILORS’ SPICY MUSSELS

The Galician seaboard not only provides Spain with over a quarter of its national fish catch, but also gives the region the damp, misty weather that makes warming dishes particularly appreciated in its cooking.

SERVES 4

1.4 kg (3 lb) large mussels
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 bay leaf, crumbled
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
tiny pinch of cayenne pepper or mild chilli powder
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
125 ml (4 fl oz) dry white wine
salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice


Cover the mussels in cold water and scrub the shells, discarding any that are smashed or do not shut when touched. Pull off all ‘beards’. Do not clean them too far ahead, as this removes their life support system and they die.

Heat the wine in a saucepan with a lid and add the mussels in 3- 4 batches. Cook briefly, covered, and remove them when they open, discarding any that remain shut. Reserve the liquid. Remove the top shell and arrange the biggest mussels in an ovenproof dish. Use a loose shell to cut the smaller bodies free and put 2 bodies in each shell.

For the sauce, fry the onion in the oil in a small pan, adding the garlic and then the flour when the onion softens. Cook briefly. Meanwhile boil the mussel liquid down to about 175 ml (6 fl oz), then add it to the pan with the bay leaf. Bring to simmering point, taste and add the tomato paste, paprika, cayenne and a little salt and lemon juice, as needed. Strain the sauce through a sieve then pour it over the mussels and heat them briefly (5 minutes under a low grill or in a medium oven). As the mussels are distinctly spicy, Spain’s best-known lager, San Miguel, which has plenty of flavour of its own, would make a good thirst-quencher.

PAELLA VALENCIANA

RICE WITH CHICKEN AND SEAFOOD

SERVES 6 – 8

1 kg (2lb) chicken with giblets, or 3 small chicken legs plus a chicken carcass
700g (1.5 lb) monkfish on the bone, or 500g (1 lb) white fish fillets, plus some fish bones
250g (8 oz) prawns in the shell
500g (1 lb) clams or mussels, cleaned (see96)
250g (8 oz) baby squid, cleaned (see95)
500g (1 lb 2 oz) Spanish medium-grain, or risotto, rice, washed
500g (1 lb) onions, chopped
tender pods from 300g (10 oz) podded peas, or 1 celery stalk, chopped, plus 50g (2 oz) mange-tout, trimmed, in short lengths
400g (14 oz) canned tomatoes, with juice
250g (8 oz) green peppers, seeded and cut in squares
100g (4 oz) French beans, trimmed, in short lengths
75g (3 oz) cooked chickpeas or haricot beans, or frozen broad beans
75g (3 oz) peas
5 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped about 150 ml (1/4 pt) olive oil
150 ml (1/4 pt) white wine
1 bay leaf
20 saffron strands or 2 x 2 g packets of powder
2 teaspoons paprika
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Start by making a good stock. Strip the flesh off the chicken and cut into large chunks. Joint the legs, then halve, chopping through the bone with a heavy knife. Put the carcass (and giblets) into a stockpot.

Cut the fish into chunks about 5 cm (2 in) wide and remove any skin. Reserving 6 whole prawns for decoration, shell the prawns, putting the shells and fish debris in the stockpot. Add 1 chopped onion, half the pea pods, or celery stalk, and the bay leaf and cover with water. Simmer for an hour then strain. Measure the liquid, add the wine and reduce again until you have about 1.2 l (2 pt) liquid. Pour a little over the saffron in a cup and keep the rest ready in a saucepan.

Prepare the shellfish. Heat some of the stock in another saucepan and add half the clams or mussels. When they open, remove them and discard the shells. Cut the squid bodies into rings and keep the tentacles in a bunch. Check through the recipe and prepare all the ingredients, grouping things that are added together. Drain the tomato juice into the main stock and cut the tomatoes into strips. The recipe takes an hour from this point.

Use a paella pan about 40 cm (15.5 in) across or a wide shallow casserole which will hold 4 l (7 pt). Heat 4 tablespoons of oil over gentle heat and soften the onions. Season the chicken pieces, increase the heat, and fry the chicken until golden. Add the peppers and the remaining pods or mange-tout and stir-fry for about 5 minutes – more oil may be needed. Season well.

Add a little more oil, then toss the squid tentacles in it, so they stiffen. Reserve these for the garnish. Season the fish pieces and add them to the pan. (If you are not using a paella pan it is easier to do this in a separate frying pan, with more oil.) Fry them on both sides and then add the squid rings.

Fry the garlic and add the rice to the main pan. Stir the rice in the oil and let it fry for 3 – 4 minutes, sprinkling it with paprika. (If the fish was fried separately, fit in now.) Add a third of the hot stock to the pan, all the beans and peas with the shelled prawns and shelled clams or mussels. Stir the rice for the last time, making sure everything is evenly distributed, then tuck the unshelled clams or mussels.

Arrange the tomato strips across the surface and pour in another third of the hot liquid. Reduce the heat to the minimum and start to shift the pan regularly, if the heat source is smaller than the pan bottom. (A thin pan, or a deep one, is best cooked in the oven at 180 ºC [350 ºF, gas 4] from this point.)

Add the remaining stock and continue cooking for 15 – 20 minutes. Test a rice grain: if it’s cooked, decorate the top with the unshelled prawns and squid tentacles. Cover the top – traditionally it is wrapped in layers of newspaper – and let it sit for 10 minutes for the rice to absorb the final liquid. In Spain, red wine is served with paella- try Faustino V reserve.

Cooking Procedure

Ingredients

· 500g (1 lb.) chicken
· 500g (1 lb.) rabbit
· 480g (1 lb.) medium grain rice
· 350g (3/4 lb.) paella vegetables (big haricot beans "garrofó", small haricot beans "tavella", green beans "bajoqueta (de ferraura)"/"judías verdes", red peppers and green peppers optional)
· 24 snails (optional)
· 120g (1/4 lb.) tomatoes
· 1.5 L (4 cups) of water
· olive oil, salt, paprika ("pebre roig"/"pimentón dulce"), saffron, rosemary.

Procedure
Clean the snails, chicken and rabbit thoroughly. Cut the chicken and the rabbit in small pieces and salt them generously. Pour olive oil in a paellera and, when hot, quickly stir-fry the chicken and the rabbit pieces. When they have browned, add the tomato and stir-fry until well cooked, then add the vegetables and stir-fry til they reduce. Add a pinch of paprika and stir-fry for one or two minutes.

Before the paprika gets burnt, pour the water into the paella (you might find it best to pre-boil the water first). Add saffron and salt to taste. (If you've never used saffron before, start with a pinch, about 10 threads.)

Add the snails if you are using them. Bring everything to a rolling boil and let it bubble for about 10 minutes. Correct for the evaporation of the water by adding a little extra water as needed.
Add the rice and stir. Spread the rice over the pan (it should be less than 1 cm thick) and let it simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes, and then reduce the heat to low and let simmer gently for a further 10 minutes. When the rice is almost dry, remove pan from the heat, place some small branches of rosemary over the rising rice, and let the rice absorb the remaining liquid. Cover with cloth or sheets of newspaper for about 10 minutes. Once the rice is dry the paella is ready to be served.

Ritual Eating
Some lemon juice may be poured over the paella. The Valencian words "bon profit" must be said.
Paella is usually eaten on the very paellera with a spoon, made of wood if possible. As a local rule says, no bread must be eaten if the paella is to be finished.

Variations
Rice is the most important ingredient in paella. The other ingredients are there to give the rice flavor; add enough to complement it but not so much that they overpower the rice. That said, paella lends itself well to experimentation. Use whatever fresh ingredients are available to you.
The soul of this dish is the saffron. Sold in threads, it is not cheap, but a little goes a long way. Lightly toast the rice in olive oil before adding the chicken stock flavored with the saffron. Add some chicken or pork, in bite-sized pieces. Crab claws, mussels, scallops, and shrimp provide flavor of the sea. Green peas and pimento peppers add color. This dish fits wonderfully with the concept of "cooking for sport", once you get the basics.

Paella

Paella is a rice dish, it is traditionally eaten on Sundays. The name paella is the word for "frying pan" in Catalan/Valencian (from Latin patella).
Paella is usually garnished with vegetables and meat or seafood. The three main ingredients are rice, saffron, and olive oil.


Possible background
There is an old story of how the Moorish kings' servants created rice dishes by mixing the leftovers from royal banquets in large pots to take home. It is said by some that that word paella originates from the Arabic word baqiyah, meaning leftovers. The story that the word 'paella' derives from 'para ella' (for her) is unlikely, even though it is said that most paellas are made by men cooking once a week for their wives.
It is, in fact, commonly believed that paella was served among kings in France and Spain. The Romans may have produced a first form of paella.