russian salad / ensalada rusa

This variation on potato salad can be found in tapas bars all across Spain and never fails to satisfy my taste buds. It's not a healthy salad by any stretch of the imagination but it is a great side dish and you can adjust the quantities of any of the ingredients according to your preferences. I would almost never recommend using canned or jarred carrots or peas but in Russian salad they're the only thing that will do. I made a version cooking everything from scratch once and whilst it was a nice salad it just wasn't quite right. The key to success here is to get everything chopped to roughly the the same size. 

Ingredients Serves 6-10 as an accompaniment

1kg waxy potatoes such as cyprus, peeled and boiled whole in salted water then cut into 1cm cubes

approx 250g drained weight of tinned carrots and peas

1 small can of tuna in spring water or brine

handful of green olives in brine (approx 20), roughly chopped

decent pinch white pepper

2 hard boiled eggs, coarsely grated

4-6 tbsp good quality mayonnaise

1. In a large bowl place all the ingredients then stir together carefully until fully combined. Taste for seasoning then adjust as needed.
2. Garnish with strips of grilled red pepper, green olives, more mayonnaise or hard boiled egg halves if you wish. 

tortas de aceite

These crispy, sweet flat breads are incredibly moreish and ever so easy to fall in love with. Ever since I first tried them in Spain several years ago I get regular cravings for them. You can get them over here but they're so expensive that they're difficult to justify. However, I have recently found out how to make them for myself and I can't believe how simple they are. With a straight forward method and cheap ingredients there's no doubting that these tasty treats are going to be making a regular appearance in my house. If you can get your head around a simple bread dough you'll have no difficulty with these. The literal translation is 'oil cakes' but that doesn't sound as good as the Spanish original. My understanding of their history is that they are a traditional sweet from Seville in southern Spain but are now enjoyed all over the world. 

Ingredients These quantities yield around 22 biscuits

100ml of olive oil
large pieces of lemon zest from a whole lemon (or equivalent amount of orange/clementine/tangerine zest)
1 tbsp aniseed (I couldn't get hold of any so used fennel seeds - I reckon you could also use fresh or dried rosemary for a different but equally yummy flavour combo)
1 tbsp sesame seeds
360g plain flour
20g fresh yeast*
80ml warm water
20ml anise (I used ouzo but use what aniseed flavoured alcohol you have to hand or increase the quantity of water)
30g sugar
pinch of salt
Beaten egg white and granulated sugar for finishing.

*My yeast comes in 50g blocks. So I used the other 30g to make my cardamon bread.

1. Put the oil in a saucepan over a low heat. Add the zest and geat until it sizzles and darkens in colour. Add the seeds, turn off the heat and leave to cool. You need to be able to handle it within the dough so leave to cool for at least 15 minutes. Don't rush it and end up burning yourself.
2. Combine the yeast and the warm water until thoroughly mixed. Put the remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl, make a well the pour in the water and oil (once cooled).
3. Mix together until you have a rough dough then turn out on to the counter. Flour the surface if needed then knead the dough until smooth and silky.
4. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with cling film and a clean tea towel then leave for around an hour until it doubles in size.
5. Preheat the oven to 220C and line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Once the dough had risen knock it back down then break off walnut/golf ball size pieces. Roll out each piece  on a lightly floured surface to around 2-3mm thick, rough circles (as thin as you can basically). 
6. Place each rolled out circle on to the baking sheet, brush with the egg white then generously cover with sugar. Bake in the oven for 7-10 minutes (depending on the size of your oven and the number of baking sheets you have you will probably need to do this in batches). Keep a close eye on them. You want them to turn a rich brown colour and for some of the sugar on top to have caramelised. 
7. Remove from the sheet as soon as they come out of the oven and leave to cool.

garbanzos con carne molina / chickpeas and mince - my style

This recipe is not a classy dish but it is a hearty dinner with an excellent balance of spicy and savoury and a comforting texture. I have a feeling that this dish will be a feature of my autumn and winter dining for some time to come. It is part inspired by the garbanzos con carne molida from this intriguing Colombian recipe blog and also the Spanish dish of arroz con garbanzos.

I used Laverstoke Park, lean buffalo mince in this dish as I enjoy the flavour and the fact that it is only 3% fat but you could use any minced beef, veal or pork. Feel free to experiment.

The amounts below are enough for 2-4 people depending on how greedy you are.

Ingredients
300g lean buffalo mince
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic grated/minced/crushed
1 tsp chilli flakes, add more if you like it spicy
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp hot smoked paprika
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tomato puree
400g can chickpeas, drained
generous handful of chopped, fresh coriander
salt and pepper
wedge of lime to squeeze over at the end
100g basmati or other long grain rice cooked with 1 good quality beef stock cube (e.g. Kallo) - see below for my method.

1. Heat a wide frying or saute pan over a medium heat then add the oil and cook the onion until translucent, you don't want it to colour too much.
2. Add the chili flakes and cumin and stir together, cook for a further minute or two.
3. Now add the mince and stir until it has all browned evenly. 
4. Next add the crushed garlic and stir, followed by the tomato puree. TIP: Before you stir the tomato puree through the whole mixture cook it for about a minute to one side of the pan until you start to see the colour change. This will help to intensify the flavour. 
5. At this stage I had a left over grilled aubergine so chopped it up and added it in for an additional texture and flavour but this recipe will work equally well without or you could experiment by adding other roasted veg such as red peppers or courgettes.
6. Next add the smoked paprika followed by the drained chickpeas. Lower the heat then cook the mixture for a further 5-10 minutes.
7. Taste for seasoning then adjust to your preferences.
8. Mix the rice into the meat and chickpea mixture and continue to cook over a low heat until it is all heated through.
9. Sprinkle over the fresh coriander then serve with lime wedges on the side.

How to cook perfect rice...

1. Put the rice in a saucepan, cover with boiling water/stock so that the water is about 1.5cm above the rice.
2. Cover, then boil on a medium heat for 5mins then turn the heat off and leave for approx 10 mins until all the water is absorbed. Do not lift the lid at this stage. Trust that this will all work out. 
3. While the rice is cooking you can get on with the rest of the meal.
4. When the rice is ready to use you should have perfectly separate, fluffy grains of rice.

iberian feast

Having recently returned from a trip to glorious Porto I have now developed a serious taste for the drink that gives the town its name. The city is visually stunning and lots of fun to explore with some lovely bars, restaurants and cafes and a great atmosphere. One of the most memorable parts of the trip was learning about port and you really can't go there and not sample the drink. In one particular bar you can enjoy a huge variety of ports from a range of bodegas. They also offer a tasting selection accompanied by chocolate and fruit. We enjoyed the atmosphere of this bar so much that we returned on subsequent nights.

Since returning home we have now set ourselves the task of finding our favourite tawny port. We've got three bottles lined up and will be accompanying the tasting with some of our favourite Iberian foods.

Gambas al Pil Pil

Ingredients

Approx 300g raw prawns

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3-5 cloves garlic (add more if you want it extra stinky), finely sliced

at least 1 tsp dried red chilli flakes but feel free to add more to taste.

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat up your pan, add the oil followed by the garlic and chili flakes. 
2. Once the garlic is golden brown, take care not to let it burn, add your prawns and cook until they have turn pink all over and are completely cooked. This will take a couple of minutes. 
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Put the whole lot into a serving dish, oil and all, and you're ready to eat. It isn't particularly low calorie but it is really tasty to dip your bread in the garlicky, chili, prawn oil. Yum.

Padron Peppers (Pimientos de Padron)

Whilst this is a Spanish recipe, Padron peppers come from the town of Padron in Galicia, which is the bit of Spain that overhangs Portugal in the north. This is a ridiculously easy recipe but it is important you get the correct peppers and don't scrimp with the salt. In season, Padron Peppers are starting to appear in supermarkets. I've also noticed an Italian equivalent called Friggitelli in some supermarkets. They are not the same kind of pepper but could serve the same purpose in a tapas selection.

Ingredients

Packet of Padron Peppers - 130g is enough for two to share as a tapa

Olive Oil - approx 2-3 tbsp

Sea Salt - Maldon would be perfect here.

2 Servings: 128 calories, 14g fat, 2g sat fat

1. Heat a frying pan until it is very hot, a couple of minutes should do it. 
2. Pour in a generous glug of olive oil, you want the base of the pan to have a covering of about 2-3mm depth. 
3. Put the peppers in the pan keeping the heat high. Move them around a bit so they cook evenly. You are aiming for the peppers to blister and colour up. This will take about 2-3 minutes. 
4. Take the peppers off the heat and pour into a serving dish. Sprinkle them generously with the sea salt and serve. If you're not concerned about calories it is nice to dip your bread in the oil left behind in the serving dish.

Grilled Courgette & Aubergine

Another super easy recipe but full of great flavours. You can eat this warm or prepare it in advance and chill it for eating later. You can cut the courgette and aubergine any way you like but it is easier to serve and eat if you try and keep them similar.

Ingredients

1 courgettes, sliced lengthways 5mm thick - approx. 220g

1 aubergines, sliced lengthways 5mm thick - approx. 500g 

Olive Oil - 2 tbsp

Juice and zest from 1 lemon

Black Pepper

Salt

Fresh rosemary, chopped - 1 sprig

Fresh oregano, chopped - 1 sprig

clove of garlic, crushed

Oil Spray

For a variation try adding a sprinkle of dried chilli flakes and/or a teaspoon of fennel seeds.

1. Heat up your griddle pan, it needs to be very hot - do not add any fat to the pan, it will smoke and burn needlessly.
2. Mix together the olive oil, herbs, salt, pepper, lemon juice and zest and garlic (and the chilli flakes and/or fennel seeds if you're using them) and leave to one side. 
3. Once the pan has heated up, lightly spray the veg slices and place the pan in a single layer and cooked for a couple of minutes on each side. Don't move them around otherwise you won't get the grill marks. 
4. When the slices lift up easily from the pan and have got a decent colour on them turn them over. Depending on the size of your grill pan you might need to do this in batches. Once each batch is cooked, remove them from the pan and place in your serving dish.
5. Once all the courgette and aubergine is cooked pour the oil, lemon juice and herb mix over them slices and then leave for at least 10 minutes for the flavours to mix.