AUTUMN IN A BASKET

 

Create an autumnal meal with these fruits, nuts and vegetables.

Roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes; huesos de santo (saints’ bones, a sweet made of almond paste); pine-nutty panellets from Catalonia, and buñuelos, puffy fritters—all are symbols of the autumn holidays of Todos los Santos (All Saints, Nov. 1) and Fieles Difuntos (Day of the Dead, Nov. 2). 

It’s also the season of the saffron harvest in La Mancha and of newly pressed extra virgin olive oil from my local mill. Coming Nov. 4-10 is International Sherry Week. Also in my autumnal basket are pretty pomegranates, knobbly quince and mushrooms. I’m going to put them all in a pot to celebrate the season.

A slow-cooked stew of pork cheeks with mushrooms and chestnuts in a savory sauce of pomegranate and Sherry with sweet potato fries on the side.

Pork Cheeks with Chestnuts

Carrilladas de Cerdo con Castañas

Pork cheeks are perfect for slow-cooked stews but you could substitute any stew meat in this recipe. 

Pink pomegranate is sweet.

Not all pomegranates have ruby-red kernels. You may have ripe fruit with pale pink arils. They are wonderfully sweet but a disappointment to a food stylist looking for that pop of color to finish a dish. Red pomegranate juice, by the way, cooks to a brownish color. 

A small pomegranate will yield about ¼ cup of juice. If pomegranate is not available substitute grated tomato pulp.

Slit chestnuts and microwave.

A microwave works fine for “roasting” the chestnuts in order to peel them. Cut a slit in the shells across the pointy end of each. Place them, about 6 at a time, on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on High until the chestnuts begin to hiss as they release steam, 1 to 2 minutes. The slits should open slightly. Wrap the very hot chestnuts in a clean towel. While they are still warm, remove the shells, keeping them whole, if possible. The brown inner skins should come off with the shells. If necessary, scrape off the skins. 

By all means use autumn wild mushrooms such as boletus and níscalo (saffron milk cap) if available. Otherwise meaty portobellos or shitakes are a good stand-in.

Chocolate in a meat sauce? Yes, it’s typical in some Galician and Catalan recipes. And, besides, this week is the first international Chocolate and Cacao Week (Guadalcao) which is being celebrated in Sevilla. Add chocolate to the autumnal basket.

Serves 2

8 ounces (12-14) chestnuts (to make 1 cup chestnut meats)

1 small pomegranate

4 pork cheeks (about 4 ounces each)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Flour for dusting the meat

3 tablespoons olive oil + more to fry the sweet potatoes

1 cup chopped onion

1 clove chopped garlic

½ cup diced carrot

3 tablespoons chopped apple or quince

4 large mushrooms, cut in half

3 tablespoons Brandy de Jerez

¼ cup pomegranate juice

1/3 cup fino or oloroso seco Sherry

1 cup water or meat stock + more as needed

Sprig rosemary + more to garnish

Sprig of fennel

Pinch of saffron (optional)

½ ounce dark chocolate, chopped (optional)

2 medium sweet potatoes (14-16 ounces)

Microwave the chestnuts and remove their shells as described above. 

Peel the pomegranate and separate the arils (kernels) from the membrane. Set aside a few of the kernels for garnish. Place the rest in a blender and grind them. Sieve the pulp, pressing on the seeds to extract all the juice. 

Trim pork cheeks.

Use the tip of a knife to remove most of the membrane that covers one side of the pork cheeks. Sprinkle the cheeks with salt and pepper and dust them lightly with flour. Heat the oil in a heavy pan and brown them on both sides. Remove the meat.

Add the onion, garlic, carrot and apple to the oil and sauté them on medium until lightly browned, 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms. Add the brandy and cook off the alcohol, 1 minute. Add the pomegranate juice and Sherry and cook them 1 minute. Add the water. Return the pork cheeks to the pan. Season with salt, pepper, rosemary, fennel and saffron, if desired. When liquid begins to simmer, cover the pan and cook 30 minutes.

Turn the pork cheeks and add the chestnuts to the pan. Cover and cook 30 minutes more. 

Fry cubed sweet potatoes in olive oil.

While the meat is cooking, prepare the sweet potatoes. Peel and cut them into ¾-inch cubes. Place oil to a depth of ½ inch in a small skillet and heat. Add the sweet potatoes and fry them on medium-high until they are lightly browned and tender, about 5 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle the sweet potatoes with salt.

Sauce after blending.

Test the meat for doneness. If not completely tender, cook it 30 minutes longer. When it is fork-tender, remove the pan from the heat. Remove the meat, whole chestnuts (leave any crumbled chestnuts in the pan) and mushrooms. Discard the sprigs of herbs. Scrape the cooking liquid and vegetables into a blender container. Add the chocolate, if using. Blend until the sauce is smooth. Return the sauce to the pan with additional water or stock as needed to make a pouring gravy. Return the meat to the pan to reheat.

Serve the pork cheeks, sauce and fried sweet potatoes garnished with sprigs of rosemary and reserved pomegranate kernels.

A bouquet of fall flowers and a hearty red wine to accompany the autumn flavors.

More recipes with autumn flavor:

Wild Mushroom and Potato Stew.

Savory Sweet Potato Flan.

Spiced Quince Sauce for Meat.

Roast Spareribs with Chestnuts.

Coleslaw with Pomegranate.

THE TORTILLA: VARIATIONS ON A THEME

 

A classic potato tortilla with the addition of wakame seaweed.

Do you ever come across a recipe on Instagram that you’ve just got to try? Me, rarely. But a post for potato tortilla with wakame seaweed from Porto-Muiños (#portomuinos), Galician harvesters and distributors of algae products, grabbed me. An interesting variation on a classic and I just happened to have all the ingredients to hand.

I can buy several types of algae at my local market at the “health food” stall. Wakame is my favorite. It tastes like a sea breeze smells and is nicely chewy. I use wakame in salad with sesame to accompany sushi, poke and tuna tataki. But, seaweed with potatoes cooked in olive oil? Yes! Wakame adds an interesting flavor as well as texture.  

Shards of dry wakame.

Wakame comes layered in stiff sheets that have been pressed and dried.  After 10 minutes of soaking, it turns from black to dark green and softens to a chewy consistency. Once rehydrated it can be used raw or cooked.

I accompanied the seaweed tortilla with a mushroom sauté al ajillo which also was a variation on a traditional recipe. Instead of the usual champiñones I used white shimeji mushrooms, a product that recently turned up at my local grocery store. With some cherry tomatoes the tortilla and mushrooms made a delightful vegetarian lunch. 

Tortilla is perfect for a vegetarian lunch.

Variation on a theme: champiñones al ajillo made with shimeji mushrooms.

Potato Tortilla with Seaweed

Tortilla de Patatas con Alga

The Porto-Muiños recipe calls for patatas gallegas, Galician potatoes. Those with the PDO Indicación Xeográfica Protexida Pataca de Galicia—protected geographic indication, potato of Galicia, are the Kennebec variety. Not always available where I live, I used ordinary russet-type potatoes for this tortilla.

Potatoes for tortilla are best cooked slowly—not fried—in lots of olive oil. The potatoes absorb very little of the oil, which can be strained and used again. I like onions in tortilla, although the recipe from Porto-Muiños didn’t include them. Your choice.  

½ ounce dry wakame 

1 pound potatoes

½ cup olive oil

Salt

3 tablespoons chopped scallions (optional)

6 eggs

Freshly ground black pepper

Wakame after soaking.

Break the wakame into several pieces. Place them in a bowl and cover with warm water. Soak 5 minutes. With the fingers, prise apart the layers of wakame and soak 5 minutes more. Drain. Discard any clumps that have not softened. Cut any large pieces into shreds. (Makes approximately 1 cup of ready-to-serve seaweed.) 

Cook eggs and potatoes to set.

Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the potatoes, lower heat and cook the potatoes, turning them frequently, without letting them brown. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. When potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes, add the scallions, if using. Cook another minute. Remove the potatoes and onions with a skimmer. Reserve the oil.

Beat the eggs in a bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Add the wakame and potatoes. Let the mixture stand 10 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved oil to a small (8-inch) no-stick skillet. When hot, pour in the egg-potato-wakame mixture. Stir it gently for 30 seconds, then allow to set on the bottom, 3-4 minutes. Adjust heat so that it doesn’t brown or scorch. 

Have ready a flat plate or pan lid. Place it on top of the skillet and hold it tightly while reversing the skillet so that the tortilla turns out onto the plate. Carefully slide it back into the skillet to cook on the reverse side, about 2 minutes. Lift the edge of the tortilla and slide it onto a serving dish.

Serve the tortilla hot or room temperature. 

Shimeji Mushroom Sauté

Setas Shimeji al Ajillo

White shimeji mushrooms, also called beech mushrooms, are a cultivated version of a wild fungi. They somewhat resemble enokitake mushrooms—shell-like caps with slender stems. Sauté them quickly for a slightly crunchy finish or add them to stews and soups to cook to chewiness. 

Chopped ham is often added to mushrooms al ajillo. If you’re cooking a vegetarian meal, just omit it. 

Slice root-end off shimeji mushrooms.

Serves 2-4.

1 bunch (about 6 ounces) shimeji mushrooms

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced

Red pepper flakes

½ ounce diced serrano ham (optional)

Salt

2 tablespoons dry Sherry

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Fry with garlic.

Wash the whole bunch of mushrooms in a bowl of water. Drain. Cut off and discard the clump of root ends. Separate the mushrooms. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and fry them 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and sauté 1 to 2 minutes. Add the ham, if using, and Sherry. Cook 1 to 2 minutes until the alcohol is cooked off. Serve the mushrooms hot garnished with parsley.

Shimeji mushrooms sautéed with garlic, finished with Sherry.

Follow me on Instagram #mykitcheninspain

More recipes with seaweed:

Hake Steamed with Seaweed.

Potato Salad with Seaweed Mayonnaise.

Tartare Sauce with Seaweed.

Baked Sardines Stuffed with Seaweed.

Seaweed and Squid Noodles with Ink Sauce.

Seaweed Salad with Sesame.

Poke Bowl with Ponzu Sauce.

Kombu Vegetable Stock for Fideo Noodles.

More about Galician potatoes here.

More tortilla recipes:

Classic Potato Tortilla.

Spinach Tortilla.

Tortilla with Fava Beans.

Eggplant Tortilla.

All-Onion Tortilla.

Potato Chip Tortilla

Potato Tortilla With Chorizo and Chard.

Tortilla with Potatoes and Zucchini.

ORANGE SEASON BEGINS!

 

First of the season's oranges!

Early harvest oranges have begun to appear in local markets, reminding me of one of Spain’s gastronomic treasures—the orange, both sweet and bitter.

 “Valencia oranges” are famous, but Sevilla is equally well-known for citrus fruit and for the beautiful bitter orange trees that line the avenues of the Andalusian city.

The Sevilla orange is the protagonist of the 23rd annual Gastronomy Days (Jornadas Gastronómicas) sponsored by Hoteles de Sevilla. Oranges will be featured on the menus at 26 participating hotels until November 10 (see the list here ). As an example, Restaurant los Rincones del Marqués at the Hotel Palacio Villapanés offers Ibérico pork with bitter orange, wild mushrooms and braised artichokes; wild sea bass with orange; steak tartar in brioche with an orange-achiote emulsion; baby lamb with orange and rosemary honey. There’s even an orange wine to accompany the meal.

I’m not in Sevilla this month, but I am inspired to get creative with oranges. Here is a recipe for Sole with Orange Sauce as well as links to recipes with oranges that I have posted in the past. 

Fish with Orange-Caper Sauce

Pescado con Salsa de Naranja y Alcaparras

Pan-fried sole are sauced with orange-caper sauce. 

I was looking for gallineta, a rockfish that I thought would be especially good with orange sauce, but it was not available that day at my market.  I purchased two 8-ounce sole. I had them gutted, skinned and heads removed. This provided two 6-ounce ready-to-cook fish on the bone. Larger sole could be filleted or you could use fillets of any white fish such as sea bass, cod or grouper.

Serves 2.

2 (8-ounce) sole, cleaned and skinned

Salt

Flour

Olive Oil

¼ cup white wine

½ cup fish stock

¼ cup orange juice

1 tablespoon drained capers

1 tablespoon cold butter

Chopped parsley

Sliced oranges for garnish

Fried leeks to garnish (optional)

Sprinkle the fish with salt and allow them to come to room temperature. Dust them with flour on all sides. Add enough oil to cover the bottom of a skillet and place on medium-high heat. Add the fish and fry them until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the fish and keep them warm.

Garnish with oranges and fried leeks.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the wine and cook, stirring up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Let the wine reduce to 1 tablespoon. Add the stock and orange juice. Cook on medium heat until the sauce is reduced by half. Add the capers and heat thoroughly. Taste and add salt if needed.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter in small pieces, swirling it into the hot sauce. 

Place the fish on a platter or individual plates. Spoon over the orange-caper sauce. Sprinkle generously with parsley. Garnish the plates with sliced orange and fried leeks, if desired.

Shredded, fried leeks.

For the fried leeks: Wash the leek and remove outer layer. Cut the white part of the leek into 4-inch segments. Cut the segments in half lengthwise. With a sharp knife, slice the leek lengthwise into thin strips/threads. Soak them in ice water for 20 minutes. Drain well and pat dry on paper towels.

Fry the leeks in 2 inches of oil in a deep pan until they are golden-brown. (Use a deep pan as moisture in the leeks can cause the oil to bubble up.) Skim the leeks out and drain well on paper towels. Sprinkle them lightly with salt.

More recipes with oranges, sweet and bitter:

Orange-date salad.

Orange Gazpacho Cream (Porra).

Moroccan Orange and Date Salad.

Winter Salad with Oranges and Squash.

Málaga Salad with Oranges and Potatoes.

Orange, Avocado, Fennel Salad.

Artichoke and Orange Salad.

Potato-Orange Dunking Salad with Black Olives (Mojete).

Beer-battered fish, sour orange sauce.

Coleslaw with Orange Vinaigrette.

Sour Orange Mayonnaise.

Fish Soup with Sour Orange.

Anchovies in Orange Escabeche.

Beer-Battered Fish with Sour Orange Sauce.

Turkey Breast with Sour Orange Marinade.

Duck Breast a l'Orange.

Pork Chops with Orange-Madroño Sauce.

Pork Tenderloin with Orange Sauce.

Orange-Saffron-Sherry Olive Oil Cake

Orange-Saffron-Sherry Olive Oil Cake.

Sour Orange Sponge Pudding.

Orange Marmalade Pouring Sauce.

Orange Marmalade.

Sliced Oranges with Brown Sugar and Olive Oil.

Intensely Orange Syrup.