Saturday, July 11, 2026

DIVIDED LOYALTIES—SOCCER AND DINNER

 
Smiles! Argentina is winning!

At halftime, Egypt had scored two goals against Argentina. Marina, Ben’s Argentine girlfriend, couldn’t stand to watch. She got up and left. As her car pulled away, Argentina scored! I yelled out the door “GOAL!!” She returned, put the Argentine blue and white jersey back on, cheered on her team’s win, and stayed for dinner. 


"Soccer is tribal, and love of one’s own team comes hand in hand with a desire to destroy the other," wrote Latin American soccer specialist, Marcela Mora y Araujo, in the New York Times. "But it also allows for camaraderie and solidarity after the contest."

What if you don’t have just one tribe? As an American, gone much longer from my country than Marina from hers, I was hopeful for that team. Now that the USA has been knocked out of the competition, I cheer for Spain. But I adore Leo Messi, so the Argentines get some love too. (I am posting this before today's Argentina-Switzerland game, which surely the Argentines will win.) As for underdogs, I was rooting for Morocco, knocked out by France, Spain’s next opponent in Tuesday’s semi-final match. Whatever will happen if the final is Argentina versus España?

Ben grills meat, vegetables. (Marina Caviese)
In anticipation of the Argentina game we had a small-scale version of Argentina’s famed asado—a meal of grilled meat. An Argentine butcher was found (Carnes Pampa, Fuengirola, Málaga). And the classic pieces of beef, vacío, entraña, and tira, were acquired. 

With near 100ºF temperature in the afternoon, we decided against a wood fire. We fired up the gas grill as the sun was going down. 

Vacio, roasted to medium.
The vacío is a thick piece with a cap of fat that includes part of the flank, part of the flap and the inner part of the skirt. The idea is to roast it low and slow over indirect heat until the fat is crisped and the meat cooked medium, still juicy. The meat is fine-grained. 

The entraña is skirt steak, a long, narrow strip cut from the outer skirt. Many Spanish butcher shops now carry entraña. Because it is well-marbled, it stays juicy when quickly seared to medium-rare (over high heat, 3 to 5 minutes per side). 

The tira de asado is a cross-cut section of the short ribs, including bone and some fat. It is chewy and juicy, very beefy.

Of course I made chimichurri, the garlicky, herby, slightly spicy, Argentine sauce, to go with the meat. I used the recipe from Francis Mallmann’s Seven Fires. Marina declared my rendition of chimichurri a winner—though, where she comes from, it would be made with sunflower or other neutral vegetable oil instead of olive oil. (With the addition of cilantro, I turned leftover chimichurri into Moroccan chermoula to serve with fish on the day of the match between Morocco and France.) 

For sides, I made my favorite grilled vegetable dish, Catalan escalivada, and smashed potatoes with tapenade crust, a recipe also from Seven Fires. I served a selection of salads—kidney bean-green bean and corn; watermelon-feta cheese, and minted carrot with pine nuts and dates. 

Asado meats, smashed potatoes, and bean salad. (Photo by Marina Caviese)


Grilled meats, chimichurri, and escalivada.



Vacio is grilled to perfection--medium, juicy. (Video by Marina Caviese)


Chimichurri (Argentine Herb and Garlic Sauce for Grilled Meats

(Adapted from the recipe in Seven Fires, Grilling the Argentine Way by Francis Mallmann with Peter Kaminsky and Donna Gelb; Artisan, 2009.)

The recipe in Seven Fires says to mince the garlic and herbs. I chose to use a mini food processor. I used Argentine ají, crushed red chile (fairly mild), instead of red pepper flakes.

Prepare the chimichurri a day in advance of serving so the flavors blend. The chimichurri can be kept in a jar with tight-fitting lid refrigerated for 2 to 3 weeks. Serve it with grilled meat, fish, vegetables, potatoes. 

1 cup water
1 tablespoon coarse salt
8 cloves peeled garlic
1 cup packed fresh parsley
1 cup fresh oregano
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes or ají
¼ cup wine vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Bring the water to a boil, add the salt and stir to dissolve. Cool.

Mince the garlic, parsley, and oregano and combine them in a bowl with the red pepper flakes. Whisk in the vinegar and oil. 

More World Cup fare:
Low-Country Shrimp Boil, Costa del Sol Style 




 
 

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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Saturday, July 4, 2026

DO YOU EAT RABBIT?

Would you eat rabbit? If you do or if you might, you will be happy to find several recipes for this delicacy in my newest cookbook, Flavors of al-Andalus, The Culinary Legacy of Spain. I include five distinctive recipes for dishes with rabbit: a delicious paella-type rice; rabbit with pasta and fava beans; rabbit cooked with figs and Mudéjar spices; braised in a wine marinade, and with sierra herbs.  


I included recipes for rabbit because in al-Andalus, Moorish Spain, it was a popular meat. Also, I wanted to provide some variation to the much more common chicken (there are also five chicken recipes). If you don’t eat rabbit (besides the pet bunny factor, rabbit is not a kosher meat), I state clearly that you can substitute chicken for rabbit in any of the recipes. And, vice versa. 

In America, the meat is appreciated by chefs and you are more likely to find rabbit on a restaurant menu than in your favorite supermarket. Limited availability may be the main reason rabbit is not more widely appreciated. 
 
Spain eats rabbit with no qualms. Rabbit is a main ingredient in authentic Valencia paella. It can be fried up with tons of garlic, al ajillo; braised in salmorejo, an herby, vinegary sauce; grilled over coals and served with pungent garlic alioli sauce. 

The name “Spain” may be related to its native rabbits. By 1000 BCE Phoenician traders were establishing trading posts on the coasts of Málaga and Cádiz. They called the land i-shphan-im, from which was derived "Hispania" (Roman) and "España". One of the meanings attributed to the Phoenician phrase is “land filled with rabbits.” 

Wild rabbits have been hunted and trapped since time immemorial, providing a welcome source of protein for rural people and a pleasant sport for the nobility (falconry was popular in Moorish times). The animals have been domesticated since Roman times. Farm-raised rabbit can be found year-round in supermarkets everywhere in Spain.  

Rabbit and hare belong to the Leporidae family; they are not rodents. Rabbit is a lean white meat with a mild flavor (hare has dark meat and is fairly gamey). Because it has little fat, rabbit has a tendency, similarly to chicken breasts, to be dry if overcooked. Sometimes in butchering, it is hacked into small pieces, creating nasty bone fragments. If possible, buy a whole rabbit and cut it up yourself. Rabbit is more likely to be raised on a small-scale, making it a more environmentally friendly meat than factory chicken. 

Rabbit with Mustard Sauce
Conejo en Salsa de Mostaza

Tender rabbit cooks in a creamy sauce with mustard.

 


This is a Spanish adaptation of a French recipe, lapin à la moutarde. It reminds me of the spicing used in medieval Spain, when mustard seed was more commonly used than it is in Spain today. The Greek yogurt makes a creamy substitute for crême fraiche.

In Spain a saucy dish such as this would probably be served with patatas fritas—fries. But this rabbit dish is equally good with pasta, polenta, pilaf, or couscous.

Serves 4.

1 rabbit (approx. 2 ½ pounds)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
½ cup dry Sherry
1 cup chicken stock
Bay leaf, thyme and rosemary 
2 carrots, thickly sliced
6 small onions
½ cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
¼ cup Dijon mustard
Chopped parsley to serve

Cut the rabbit at the joints into 6-8 pieces. Keep the liver and kidneys too. Sprinkle the pieces with salt and pepper and allow to come to room temperature.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil on medium in a heavy pan and brown the rabbit pieces on all sides. Remove them.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and sauté the onion, celery, garlic and mushrooms until onions are softened, 5 minutes. Add the mustard seeds. Deglaze the pan with the Sherry and cook off the alcohol, 1 minute. Add the stock and herbs. Return the rabbit pieces to the pan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover the pan, and cook 20 minutes.

Remove cooked rabbit from pan while making sauce.
Turn the pieces of rabbit and add the carrots and onions. Cook until rabbit is very tender, 20 to 30 minutes more. 

Remove the rabbit pieces, carrots and onions from the pan. Discard the herbs. Stir the yogurt with the cornstarch until smooth. Mix into the mustard. Whisk into the juices remaining in the pan. Cook 2 minutes until the sauce begins to bubble. Return the rabbit pieces to the pan.

Serve the rabbit with carrot and onion and the sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. 





Finish rabbit in creamy mustard sauce.



More recipes with rabbit:











You will find recipes for both rabbit and chicken in The Flavors of al-Andalus as well as for lamb and beef, but no pork. The recipes are from contemporary Spain, but they are based on the cooking of Moorish Spain. 
 

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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Saturday, June 27, 2026

TOMATO LOVE

 

A small selection from my Tomato photo file!

I love tomatoes. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner, on a hot summer’s day, there’s nothing better than a juicy, ripe tomato, sliced, salted lightly, and doused with extra virgin olive oil. As I am reveling in great tomatoes, from the garden and market, I am finding lots of ways to serve them without cooking. Gazpacho, obviously, but here are more possibilities.


Tomato with basil (albahaca) is so good that it’s a cliché. With sliced goat cheese, freshly ground black pepper, flaky salt, and olive oil it is, in my opinion, an ideal breakfast. But raw tomatoes are also complemented by oregano, mint, cilantro, tarragon (estragón), fennel (hinojo), and dill (eneldo). A few drops of vinegar enhance their flavor, but full-on vinaigrette overpowers their sweetness. Which is why I rarely put tomatoes in a mixed lettuce salad. 

Tomatoes stuffed with Russian salad (ensaladilla rusa).

Shrimp cocktail with tomatoes!

A Mediterranean version of succotash with corn, butter beans and tomatoes.

Tomatoes Stuffed with Russian Salad
Tomates Rellenos con Ensaladilla Rusa

For stuffing, choose large, round, firm-ripe tomatoes such as “Beefsteak.” (Want more about Russian Salad, the famous ensaladilla rusa? Check here.)

Makes enough Russian salad to fill 3 large or 4 medium tomatoes. 

Diced potatoes and vegetables for the filling.
3-4 tomatoes
Salt
1 ½ cups cooked potatoes cut in 1/8-inch dice
¼ cup cooked carrot, cut in 1/8-inch dice
2 tablespoons cooked and chopped green beans
1 tablespoon chopped red pimiento from a can
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped chives or parsley + more to garnish
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil + more for drizzling
1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Salad greens to serve

Scoop out pulp for tomato shell.
Cut the tops off the tomatoes. Scoop out the pulp and seeds, leaving a shell. Salt the insides of the tomato shells and invert them in a colander to drain. Discard seeds and hard core from the pulp. Strain the remaining pulp and save the juice for another use (I'll add the juice to gazpacho tomorrow). Chop the pulp and set aside to use in the stuffing.

Combine the potatoes, carrots, beans, and pimiento in a bowl. Add ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Add the chives and the reserved chopped tomato pulp. In a small bowl mix together the oil, vinegar, and mayonnaise. Fold the dressing into the vegetables. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Before filling the tomato shells, drizzle them with a little oil. Spoon the salad into the tomato shells, mounding it slightly. Garnish them with additional chopped chives. Serve the stuffed tomatoes on a layer of salad greens.



Shrimp Cocktail with Tomato
Salpicón de Gambas con Tomate

A summer twist on shrimp cocktail.

Salpicón is a versatile dish that can be made with any combination of mariscos, shellfish, or with a single one. Besides shrimp, you can add mussels, crab, chopped octopus, scallops, lobster, or even chunks of fish. Salpicón without the tomatoes is a favorite starter for Christmas holiday meals. But I learned to make it in tapa bars where it was made, similarly to pipirrana, with tomatoes and other summer vegetables.

I used very small gambas rojas ("red" shrimp, though they're actually pink), plunged into boiling, salted water, drained, and chilled in ice water before peeling. If using larger shrimp, cut them into approximate ¾-inch pieces. 

Serves 4

1 cup peeled and chopped tomato
½ cup chopped green pepper
3 tablespoons chopped scallions
Jalapeño, minced (optional)
½ cup chopped avocado
1 hard-boiled egg
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar
Salt 
¼ cup chopped parsley or cilantro
1 cup cooked and peeled small shrimp
Lettuce leaves to serve

Combine the tomato, green pepper, scallions, jalapeño if using, and avocado in a bowl. Separate the egg yolk from the white. Chop the white and add to the tomatoes.
Mash the yolk in a small bowl with ½ teaspoon salt. Stir in the vinegar until mixture is smooth. Slowly whisk in the oil.

Immediately before serving add the parsley or cilantro and shrimp to the tomato mixture. Add the egg yolk dressing, saving a little to spoon over the top of the cocktails. Place lettuce leaves in cocktail cups and divide the shrimp-tomato mixture between them. Drizzle with remaining dressing and a little chopped parsley.







Succotash
Salteado de Maiz y Alubias

For this version of succotash, chopped raw tomatoes are added at the finish.

This is a Mediterranean interpretation of an old-fashioned New England dish of corn and lima beans. I've never found fresh lima beans in Spanish markets. Fava beans, which limas somewhat resemble, are not in season, but canned butter beans are a good substitute. I used fresh sweet corn, stripped off the cobs, but frozen or canned corn kernels are an easy substitute for fresh. Add the chopped tomatoes at the end of the cooking time. The residual heat will draw out the juices of the tomatoes without actually cooking them. I serve succotash as a side dish or, with the addition of smoked ham and a fried egg, a satisfying lunch or supper dish. 

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 ounces chopped bacon 
1 cup chopped green and/or red pepper
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1 ½ cup corn kernels
1 ½ cup drained butter beans
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of oregano or thyme
¼ teaspoon pimentón picante de la Vera (smoked, hot paprika)
1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar
1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes
Lacón ahumado (smoked ham) (optional)
Salad greens if serving cold

Heat the oil with the bacon in a heavy skillet. When bacon begins to brown, add the peppers, onions, and garlic. Sauté on medium-high until onion is softened, 5 minutes. Add the corn and beans, season with salt, pepper, oregano, pimentón, and vinegar. Cook on medium 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and immediately remove the pan from the heat. Add diced lacón, if using. 

Serve the succotash hot or cold.

Uncooked Tomato Sauce
Salsa de Tomate Cruda 

Noodles with uncooked tomato sauce and basil.

This sauce is quick to prepare and has many uses. Spread it on toasted multi-grain bread for authentic pan con tomate. Add the sauce to canned beans, season to taste, and serve hot or cold. It’s delicious with pasta too. 

I like ripe Roma tomatoes because they are easy to peel. (The Roma or “plum” tomato is called “pera” in Spanish.) The tomatoes get chopped in a food processor. Because they are not strained, it’s best to skin the tomatoes first. For a truly uncooked sauce, I don’t dip the tomatoes in boiling water to facilitate peeling. I peel them with a potato peeler. It took me only 5 minutes to peel the 6 or 7 tomatoes for this recipe. 

1 ½ pounds tomatoes (6-7 medium)
1 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, crushed
Basil leaves
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Optional additions: red pepper flakes, chopped anchovies, capers

Peel the tomatoes and quarter them. Place in a food processor with the salt, garlic, and 2 basil leaves. Process until the tomatoes are thoroughly chopped, but not pureed. Transfer the tomatoes to a sieve set over a bowl. Let the tomatoes drain. Save the juice for another use.

Pan con tomate--just add ham.
Scrape the tomato pulp into a bowl and stir in the oil, pepper, and any optional additions. Cover tightly. Keep at room temperature for up to 4 hours, but refrigerate for longer storage.

If serving the sauce with pasta: Cook preferred pasta according to package directions. Drain it, saving a little of the cooking liquid. Add a olive oil and grated cheese to the hot pasta. Ladle the uncooked tomato sauce over the pasta. Scatter chopped basil and additional cheese on top. 



This photo was taken by my son, Ben Searl, on the summit of Mulhacen, Spain's highest mountain peak. Carried aloft in the backpack, it is astonishing against that colorless background.



More tomato recipes:





Imagine life before tomatoes! Here's a whole cookbook, The Flavors of al-Andalus, with nary a tomato. Although the recipes are from contemporary Spain, they are based on the cooking of Moorish Spain, before there were tomatoes, a New World contribution. There are several gazpacho recipes, all them very traditional, but without tomatoes. A fine addition to your cooking repertoire! 
 

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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