Regional CuisineA third of Europe's olive oil is made in Andalucia. Olives and olive oil have been an important product of the region since Roman times. Many types of table olives include small green manzanillas, fat gordales and stuffed olives. Aceitunas alinadas are marinated, cracked olives. |
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Local sherry vinegars are used for dressing salads. Tomatoes and peppers are much used in Andalucian cooking. The region is famous for its grilled fish, especially sardines and deep-fried calamares [squid]. Tapas, sometimes called pinchos, were practically invented in Andalucia to accompany sherry. Seafood and other notable specialties dishes include:
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Some of the best jamon serrana [salt-cured ham dried in mountain air] comes from the mountains of Andalucia. Cured sausages like chorizo and salchichones are often sliced and served as tapas, while cooking sausages include paprika-flavoured chorizos and black morchillas. Tapas which originate in Andalucia come in a range of tantalizing varieties including:
- Gambas a la plancha - a simple yet flavourful dish of whole grilled unpeeled prawns.
- Calamares fritos - squid rings dusted with flour before being deep-fried, and served garnished with a slice of lemon.
- Banderillas - canapes skewered on toothpicks whose popular ingredients include marinated fish and vegetables, hard-boiled egg, prawns, gherkins and olives [the canape is eaten all once to blend the flavours together]
- Pollo al ajillo - small pieces of chicken (often wings or legs) browned in oil and gently simmered in an appetizing garlic-flavoured sauce.
- mejillones a la marinera - a dish of mussels cooked in a tasty sauce of sauteed onion and garlic, white wine, olive oil, lemon juice and parsley.
- Tortilla a la espanola - the ubiquitous thich Spanish omelette served in wedges or small suqares, this tasty dish of onion and potato, bound together with seasoned egg.
- Jamon serrana [cured ham] - this basic tapa can be served in thin slices [lonshas] or unadorned in chucks [tacos], and is often accompanied by bread.
- Chorizo - a popular sausage flavoured with garlic and paprika and usually eaten cold; however some kinds of chorizo are fried and served hot.
- Olives - typical and comes in several varieties including manzanillas pitted and stuffed with anchovies, pimientos or almonds; fat gordals; or marinated in herbs and oil or vinegar.
- Albondigas [meatballs] - a hearty tapa may be served with a zesty tomato sauce.
- Papas bravas - a piquant, delicious dish of bite-sized morsels of potatoes fried in oil and cooked in a spicy tomato sauce flavoured with onion, garlic, white wine, parsley and red chilli peppers.
- Fritura de pescado [see above]
- Ensaladilla rusa [Russian salad] - a cold dish of tuna, prawns, potatoes, carrots and peas coated with mayonaise; and may be topped with peppers or egg.
- Salpicon de mariscos - a luxurious cold salad of fresh seafood including lobster, crab and prawn, with chopped tomatoes and coated with a tasty vinaigrette flavoured with onion and red pepper.
- Ensalade de pimientos rojos - a colorful cold salad of roasted red peppers and tomatoes; the juices from the roasting are combined with olive oil and vinegar to make a delicious sauce for the salad.
- Queso manchego - sheep's cheese from La Mancha, Spain's most popular cheese, served in a mild, semisoft form (semicurado) or in a tangy mature form when left to age (curado).
- Almendras fritas [fried salted almonds], pistachios [pistachos], salted peanuts [cacahuetes], and sunflower seeds [pipas] can accompany drinks.
Tantalizing Tapas Recipes
Gambas a la plancha - Pan-grilled shrimp
Spaniards love to eat grilled shrimp at the counter of a good tapas bar while sipping a glass of chilled fino sherry or cold beer. The bars are often crowded, leaving little or no space for proper eating, and I find it fascinating to watch the locals skillfully manage to eat shrimp with one hand while holding a drink in the other. Look for medium-large whole shrimp and leave the heads on for cooking. Sucking the juices from the flavor-packed heads of the cooked shrimp is considered the best part. Serves 6 Difficulty: Easy Ingredients 1/2 cup olive oil Juice of 1 lemon 2 teaspoons sea salt 24 medium-large shrimp (about 1 pound) in the shell with heads intact Preparation In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt until well blended. Dip the shrimp briefly into the mixture to coat lightly. Heat a dry skillet over high heat. When the pan is very hot, working in batches, add the shrimp in a single layer without crowding. Sear for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium and continue cooking for 1 minute longer. Turn the shrimp, increase the heat to high, and sear for 2 more minutes, or until golden. Keep the shrimp warm on an ovenproof platter in a low oven. Cook the rest of the shrimp in the same way. When all the shrimps are cooked, arrange on a platter and serve immediately.Garlic Chicken - Pollo al Ajillo
Ingredients:
One 3 lb chicken
Extra virgin olive oil
1 head of garlic, divided into cloves, unpeeled, lightly crushed
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp sherry vinegar
1 tbsp white wine
Several strands of saffron, crumbled (optional)
Preparation:
Cut the chicken wings in two parts, discarding tips. Hack off the boney end of the legs. Divide the remainder of the chicken into quarters, then hack or cut with kitchen shears into 2" pieces. Sprinkle well with sea salt on both sides and let sit for 10 minutes.
Heat the olive oil (it should be 1/4 to 1/2" deep) in a large skillet or cazuela until it is very hot. Add the chicken and the garlic cloves and cook over a high flame, turning the pieces frequently for about 12 -13 minutes, until the chicken is well browned and cooked through. Drain the chicken in a meshed strainer and discard the oil.
In the skillet in which the chicken has cooked combine the minced garlic, vinegar, wine, chicken broth, saffron, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, add the chicken pieces, and toss until the liquid is absorbed.
Serve with Calasparra rice and bread to absorb the juices.
* This is a garlic-flavored chicken is greaseless, crisp and very quick to prepare. The chicken is cut into very small pieces it cooks over a high flame in the same time it takes to brown.
Meatballs in tomato sauce - Albondigas
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
8 oz ground beef
1 cup (2 oz) fresh white breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons grated Manchego or Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
2 scallions, chopped fine
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups (16 oz) canned plum tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons red wine
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
Preparation:
In a bowl, thoroughly mix together the beef, breadcrumbs, cheese, tomato paste, garlic, scallions, egg, thyme, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Using your hands, shape the mixture into 12 to 15 firm balls.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook for several minutes or until browned on all sides.
Add the tomatoes, wine, basil, and rosemary. Simmer gently for around 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked. Season generously with salt and pepper and serve hot.
Found in most tapas bars, this traditional dish tastes best when served piping hot straight from the pan. Provide plenty of fresh bread to mop up the juicy tomato sauce.
This serves four, and is a very easy recipe which takes 45 minutes to prepare.
Fried Eggs with Potatoes and Chorizo - Huevos fritos con patata y chorizo
Ingredients:
6 eggs at room temperature
6 roasted piquillo peppers
1/2 cup olive oil
4 large potatoes
Salt and pepper
1 small onion, sliced
5 oz cooking chorizo
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Preparation:
Peel the potatoes and slice thinly. Heat the oil and fry the potatoes, adding the onions and parsley. When tender, remove to serving platter. Cut into thin strips, fry the piquillo, and place them on top of the potatoes. Add more olive oil to the pan if necessary. When oil is hot but not smoking, crack the eggs singly into a dish and slide them into the pan. Splash oil over the egg as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper and remove it to drain. Repeat for each egg, and place the cooked eggs around the potatoes on the platter.
Slice the chorizo in thin slices and fry it very briefly. Add to the platter and serve immediately.
This dish serves several people, depending on their appetites. Even Spanish gourmets find that their families prefer this simple dish to their most delicate creations.
* This fried egg, deep fried in extra virgin olive oil, is totally different from what you find in the U.S. With an unset yolk and crackly white edges, it is great with chorizo and potatoes for breakfast or any meal!Chicken and Rice - Arroz con Pollo
Ingredients:
3 lbs of chicken, cut into small pieces
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 chopped onion
4 tbsp chopped garlic
Salt and pepper
6 tbsp chopped parsley
5 wood-fire roasted piquillo peppers
1 tsp smoked paprika (pimenton de la Vera)
1 pinch of saffron
3 1/2 cups of chicken broth (or chicken bouillon)
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups white rice
Preparation:
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large deep pan (rice will be cooked here, too) heat the oil and saute the chicken until golden on all sides. Remove chicken to a warm platter.
Add the onion, garlic, and parsley to the oil and saute until the onion is soft. Add the pimentos, pimenton, saffron, broth, wine, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil.
Add the rice and cook over medium high heat, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, stirring until the rice is semi-dry but some liquid remains. Burry the chicken in the rice. Cover and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. Turn the rice and the chicken over with a fork from bottom to top; cover and simmer for another 10 minutes. Transfer rice and chicken to a serving platter and garnish with a little parsley. Serve with some fresh bread and a green salad.
* This traditional meal is common throughout Spain. It is easy to prepare, delicious dish and a crowd-pleaser!
Andalusian vegetable pot
Ingredients:
7 oz garbanzos / chickpeas, soaked overnight
4 oz salt pork, jamon serrano or bacon
8 oz pork
2 quarts water
7 oz white beans or black-eyed peas, soaked overnight
1 lb chard or green beans, chopped
6 oz chorizo
6 oz morcilla or blood sausage
2 cloves
8 peppercorns
3 garlic cloves
2 tsp salt
2 tsp smoked pimenton
1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks about 1 1/2 inches across
1/2 lb pumpkin, peeled and cut into large chunks
Preparation:
If using both the chickpeas and beans, drain and put the chickpeas to cook first with the salt pork, fresh pork, and water. Bring to a boil, skim, then simmer for 30 minutes. Then add the drained beans.
Let all simmer for about 1 hour, then add the chard or green beans, and the chorizo and morcilla. In a mortar, crush the cloves and peppercorns with the garlic, salt, and paprika and add to the pan. When the meat and chickpeas are nearly tender, add the potatoes and pumpkin. Cook for another 30 minutes. Cut the pork and sausages into small pieces and serve in soup bowls.
* Serves six. This is best known in the Cadiz area, some version of it is served throughout Andalusia. It is usually made with chard in the winter and green beans in the summer. Just about any other vegetable on hand can be thrown in as well. Unlike the cocidos, no soup is separated out of the berza. Leftover meat and fat, called pringa, is chopped and served in a bread roll, a favorite tapa in Seville.
Spanish Omelette - tortilla de patatas
Ingredients:
1/2 pint of olive oil
5 medium (40 oz each) baking potatoes, peeled, sliced and lightly sprinkled with salt
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 eggs
Salt
Preparation:
Heat the olive oil in a 9-inch skillet and add the potato slices carefully, because the salt will make the oil splatter. Try to keep the potato slices separated so they will not stick together. Cook, turning occasionally, over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the potatoes are tender. Drain into a colander, leaving about 3 tablespoons of oil in the skillet.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt. Add the potatoes, and stir to coat with the egg. Add the egg-coated potatoes to the very hot oil in the skillet, spreading them evenly to completely cover the base of the skillet. Lower the heat to medium and continue to cook, shaking the pan frequently, until mixture is half set.
Use a plate to cover the skillet and invert the omelette away from the hand holding the plate (so as not to burn your hand with any escaping oil). Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and slide the omelette back into the skillet on its uncooked side. Cook until completely set. Allow the omelette to cool, and then cut it into wedges. Season it with salt and sprinkle with lemon juice to taste (optional). Serve warm or at room temperature.
* A very easy recipe that takes 35 minutes to prepare. This ubiquitous, versatile and delicious Spanish staple lends itself to countless variations: mushrooms, beans, spinach, tomatoes can be added, omit onions, or serve with mayonaise. This recipe serves four, and can be served warm or cold.Asparagus Wrapped in Jamon Serrano
Ingredients:
1 bunch of fresh asparagus spears
12 long, thin slices of jamon serrano
Juice of 1 lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 heaping tbsp chopped yellow or orange bell pepper
Preparation:
Steam fresh asparagus or drain wild asparagus. Wrap slices of jamon around a small bunch of asparagus. Chill until cool.
Before serving, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This makes an elegant appetizer or party dish.
ANDALUZ - PROPERTY
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