A VOLUPTUOUS FIG TART

 

(Photo by Marina Caviese)

Frozen fig tart

Frozen Fig Tart

Tarta Helada de Higos

Fresh figs are one of the fruits, like pineapple or papaya, that contains an  enzyme that prevents gelatine from gelling.  So they need to be cooked before combining with the cream mixture. Even so, the tart is too soft to slice. Freezing it solves that problem and turns it into a glorious summer dessert.

Figs are so sweet that they probably do not need additional sugar. 

Serves 10.

2   cups chopped figs

4 tablespoons cold water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin

1 tablespoon hot water

2 cups plain yogurt (low fat ok)

1/2 cup cream cheese, room temp

Grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of ground cardamom 

Sugar (optional)

1 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream

Crumb crust for a 10-inch tart pan

4-6 figs to garnish

Place the chopped figs in a saucepan with 1 tablespoon of the cold water and lemon juice. Bring to a boil then simmer 5 minutes, stirring so thefigs don't scorch. Cool the figs. 

Place 3 tablespoons cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle over the gelatin. Let the gelatin soften 5 minutes. Stir in the hot water until gelatin is dissolved. 

Combine the yogurt and cream cheese in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add the lemon peel, vanilla, cardamom, and sugar, if using. Blend I  the gelatin. 

Place the whipping cream in a chilled bowl and beat until it holds soft peaks.

Fold the yogurt-cream cheese mixture into the cream. Set aside 1 cup of the combined mixture.

Place the figs in the blender and process (they don't have to be pureed). Fold the figs into the bowl with the cream.

Spread the fig mixture in the prepared crust.  Spread the 1  up of reserved cream over the top. Decorate with quartered or sliced figs. 

Cover the tart with foil and chill at least 8 hours. If desired, freeze the tart. Remove the tart from the freezer 5 minutes before serving. Use a knife dipped in water to slice it. 

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If this blog looks a bit ragged, it's because I am thumbing it on a mobile phone. My computer died of heat stroke. When the  new one is installed I'll add some more fig photos.

SQUID ON THE PLANCHA

 

Squid grills on a plancha in minutes. Serve it with parsley-garlic aliño and a side of pipirrana tomato relish.

I passed up my chance to lunch with the family at a chiringuito on the beach. I am so missing my summer fix of spit-roasted sardines and plancha-grilled squid. I will have to cook them at home.

 

Although I have eaten grilled squid in restaurants and tapa bars many a time, I somehow didn’t remember that it is usually grilled whole. I asked my fish lady to clean the squid and split it lengthwise, making a sort of squid cutlet instead of a tube. In fact, it’s easier to control the grilling if it’s a flat piece. 

The classic accompaniment to grilled squid is garlic-parsley aliño, or dressing. I jazzed it up a bit with the addition of chile and cilantro. A chopped salad such as pipirrana of tomatoes, peppers, and onions doubles as a side dish and relish. 

Slice the grilled squid and serve with pungent garlic-parsley oil.

Side dish of pipirrana tomato-pepper salad doubles as a sauce.

Grilled Squid

Calamar a la Plancha

A small squid (8 ounces before cleaning) cooks in 1 to 2 minutes. Take care not to overcook or it will toughen. Add lemon juice to the parsley aliño immediately before serving so that the acidic lemon doesn’t leach the color from the green parsley. 

• Use paper towels to pat the squid dry.

• Turn on extractor fan; turn off smoke alarm.

• Heat the plancha very hot; oil lightly.

• Lay the squid on the plancha and do not move it until ready to turn.

• Cook on one side until it begins to brown. Turn and grill lightly on reverse side. Do not overcook or squid will become tough. 

Squid, about 8 ounces each

½ teaspoon coarse salt

1-2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

Chile (optional)

¼ cup packed parsley and/or cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

1/3 cup olive oil + more for the plancha

Table salt

Few drops of lemon juice (optional)

Clean the squid, discarding viscera, ink sac, cartilage, and beak. Save the tentacles and fin flaps. Cut the body pouch open lengthwise (or leave it whole). Place skin-side up on a cutting board and score the surface of the squid. Pat it dry with paper towels.

Place the coarse salt and garlic in a mortar and crush. Add the chile, if using, and the parsley. Pound to make a smooth green paste. Stir in the oil, 1 tablespoon at a time. 

Heat a plancha or heavy skillet on high. Brush it with oil. Lay the squid body, scored-side down, on the plancha. Grill without moving until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. If squid tends to curl, press it down with a spatula or place a weight on top.

Turn the squid and grill the reverse side 30 seconds. Remove. Grill the tentacles and fins in the same manner. Sprinkle the squid with a little table salt. If desired, slice it into crosswise strips. 

Stir the parsley oil and add the lemon juice, if using. Serve alongside the grilled squid.

Seaside chiringuito on the Costa del Sol, where grilled sardines and squid are a specialty.

More recipes with squid:

Squid in Its Own Ink 

Fried Squid Sandwich with Alioli 

Squid Stuffed with Meat (with how-to prep squid)

Squid Stuffed with Hake Roe 

And, sardines: Grilled Sardines

More about plancha grilling.

. 
 

This cookbook explores the fascinating story of the deep and lasting influences that Islamic culture has left on modern Spanish cooking. 

Author and Spanish cooking expert Janet Mendel tells the story of the Moorish influence on Spanish cooking through 120 recipes and photographs for modern-day dishes, from salads and vegetables to fish, poultry and meat to sweets and pastries, that trace their heritage to foods served in medieval times.  (Hippocrene Books)    

 Order on IndiePubs (USA) 

Use PROMO CODE HIPPOCRENE40 for 40% off on all Hippocrene titles at IndiePubs online bookstore.

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GAZPACHUELO IS NOT GAZPACHO—OR, IS IT?

 

We think we know what gazpacho is—the cold soup from Spain made with tomatoes blended with garlic and olive oil. Gazpachuelo is a cooked soup from Málaga that sometimes has fish or shellfish in it. It may be closer to the origin of gazpacho than the cold soup.

The origin of the word “gazpacho” is tracked to way before the arrival of tomatoes from the New World to the European continent. One study (María Teresa Santamaría, “Etimología de gazpacho,” Universidad Castilla-La Mancha, 2023.) links the word phonetically to the Latin “caccabaceus,” a cauldron or cooking pot, and subsequently to bread cooked in the pot. The word apparently became “gazpacho” following the Reconquest of the Arabic-speaking population of Mozárabe Christians in the transition to the Romance language that would become Castellano Spanish.

The word “gazpacho” was originally used for a cooked dish, a shepherd’s stew to which is added a flatbread called torta. The dish, often with partridge or rabbit, continues to be popular in La Mancha and is known by the plural, gazpachos. 

Gazpachuelo, although it is a diminuitive of gazpacho, is a cooked dish. Consisting of bread, rice, or potatoes with an egg and olive oil emulsion, it is sometimes called sopa de huevo in other parts of Spain. It is not unlike the Greek avgolemono. In inland pueblos of Málaga gazpachuelo might include salt cod, while in the fishermen’s barrios of Málaga it has bits of fish and shellfish. 

I’ve written about gazpachuelo before (see below for links to recipes). Today I’m making a summertime variation, turning it into a shrimp-potato salad served with a chilled lemony broth.

A lemony potato salad with shrimp mixes with a light broth made with mayonnaise.

Add garnishes to taste--crispy croutons, olives, green peas. 

Chilled Gazpachuelo Soup with Shrimp-Potato Salad

Gazpachuelo en Frio con Ensaladilla de Gambas

I have divided the recipe into its components, shrimp broth, potato salad, mayonnaise, and soup, as it easily can be prepared in stages.   Be sure to refrigerate the components if they are prepared in advance. A light shrimp broth is the liquid base for the soup. If shrimp heads are not available, use store-bought fish stock, light chicken broth, or plain water.

Shrimp heads for broth.

For the shrimp broth:

8 ounces small, heads-on shrimp

Salt

2 cups + 4 cups water

Ice water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1  clove garlic, lightly crushed

1 bay leaf

Parsley sprig

Lemon wedge

2-3 small potatoes (8 ounces), scrubbed

Peel the shrimp, reserving both the heads and bodies in separate bowls. (If desired, remove dark veins from the shrimp.) Bring 2 cups of water to a boil with ½ teaspoon salt. Have ready a small bowl of ice water with ½ teaspoon salt. Add the peeled shrimp to the boiling water. Immediately remove the pan from the heat. Set a colander over a heat-proof bowl. Drain the shrimp, saving the liquid. Place the shrimp in the ice water to cool. Drain and reserve the shrimp, covered and refrigerated, until ready to serve the soup.

Heat the oil in a soup pot on medium-high. Add the shrimp heads and crushed garlic. Fry them 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are browned. Add the reserved liquid from cooking the shrimp, 4 cups water, bay leaf, parsley, lemon, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and add the potatoes to cook in the pot. Cook until potatoes are tender when piereced with a knife, 15 minutes. Remove the potatoes. Set a strainer over a heat-proof bowl and strain the shrimp broth. Discard the solids. Let the broth cool.

For the mayonnaise with lemon juice:

Use your best-flavored extra-virgin olive oil to make the mayonnaise. 

1 large egg

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon salt

Place the egg in a tall container with ¼ cup of the oil. Using an immersion blender, blend at high speed without raising the blender until the egg and oil are mixed and beginning to thicken. With the blender running, slowly add the remaining ¼ cup oil. Raise and lower the blender until the mixture is emulsified. Add the lemon juice and salt.

For the potato-shrimp salad:

Cooked potatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 piquillo pepper (from a can) or 1 tablespoon chopped roasted red pepper

1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley

Cooked shrimp

Peel the potatoes and cut them into ½-inch dice. Place in a small bowl and add the oil, salt, and lemon juice. Chop the piquillo pepper and add to the potatoes with the parsley. If not serving immediately, store, covered, in the refrigerator. Immediately before serving, add the shrimp to the potatoes, saving a few to garnish the tops of the soup. 

Soup after blending.

To serve the soup:

Mayonnaise with lemon juice

5 cups shrimp broth

Potato-shrimp salad

Shrimp to garnish

Chopped chives or parsley to garnish

Cooked peas (optional)

Olives (optional)

Rucula leaves (optional)

Croutons of fried bread or breadsticks (optional)

Place the mayonnaise in blender cup. Beat in 1 cup of the shrimp broth. Place the remaining shrimp broth in a deep bowl or pot (so it doesn’t splatter when blended). Gradually beat in the mayonnaise-stock from the blender cup. Place the soup in a covered bowl or flask and chill until serving time.

Mound or mold the salad.

Divide the potato-shrimp salad between 4 shallow bowls, mounding it in the center of each bowl. Or place it in a small mold as pictured.

Carefully pour the chilled soup into the bowls around the salad. Garnish with a few shrimp and peas, if desired, on top. Sprinkle with chives. Serve garnishes of olives, rucula, croutons alongside the soup. 

Serve a selection of garnishes on the side. 

More interpretations of gazpachuelo:

Meatballs in Gazpachuelo Soup (meatballs are turkey; purple potatoes)

Mediterranean Seafood Chowder (Gazpachuelo) A Málaga classic. Why not call it chowder?

Viña AB Soup (Gazpachuelo with Sherry) 

And, a recipe for ensaladilla--without the soup:

Ensaladilla Rusa 

A documentary about gazpachuelo (in Spanish) made by Jorge Rivera Gazpachuelo (Documental, Subs ES/EN) | Videos & Movies on Vimeo   

My latest cookbook, FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS, The Culinary Legacy of Spain, has a recipe for classic Málaga gazpachuelo with seafood, made with rice instead of potatoes. As well as several versions of gazpacho (with no tomatoes), and for the La Mancha gazpachos (plural), a stew with chicken! 

. 
 

This cookbook explores the fascinating story of the deep and lasting influences that Islamic culture has left on modern Spanish cooking. 

Author and Spanish cooking expert Janet Mendel tells the story of the Moorish influence on Spanish cooking through 120 recipes and photographs for modern-day dishes, from salads and vegetables to fish, poultry and meat to sweets and pastries, that trace their heritage to foods served in medieval times.  (Hippocrene Books)    

 Order on IndiePubs (USA) 

Use PROMO CODE HIPPOCRENE40 for 40% off on all Hippocrene titles at IndiePubs online bookstore.

***

Order on amazon (USA)

Order on amazon.es  (Spain)

Order on amazon.co.uk (UK)

Order on amazon.com.au (Australia)

(If you order on Amazon, please give my book a review!)

***

Order from Kitchen Arts & Letters

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