MAR Y MONTAÑA—FOOD OF SEA AND HILLSIDE

 

"Mar y montaña" --the Spanish "surf and turf," seafood and food from the land cooked together. Here the mar is represented by octopus and algae, the mountain by sausage and chickpeas.

A new TV show caught my attention last week—Como Sapiens on Spain’s RTVE-1. It’s a gastronomy magazine, showcasing the best of home cooking, avant-garde chefs doing their thing, regional foods, celebrities who cook and lots more.

One presenter was opening cans and jars of Spain’s fabulous foods en conserva and demonstrating how to use them. He emptied the contents of a jar of baby fava beans into a bowl, added sepia en su tinta—cuttlefish in inky black sauce—from a can and popped it into the microwave. Instantaneous mar y montaña—“sea and mountain”—or, surf and turf. My kind of food.

Since the first weeks of Covid lockdown, when shopping was severely restricted, I’ve restocked my pantry several times. But, I confess to eating more canned and frozen foods than ever in my cooking career.  

So, here’s a version of mar y montaña—surf and turf—cooked with pantry ingredients. I started with a sofrito (could be fresh or canned tomatoes), added chorizo sausage and canned chickpeas, an open jar of seaweed salad (three kinds of algae with olive oil and vinegar), a potato, and, after 15 minutes of simmering, pieces of cooked octopus. I had octopus in the freezer, but canned would work too.  For a vegetarian version, use mushrooms instead of chorizo and algae such as wakame instead of the octopus.

Octopus with Chickpeas and Chorizo

Pulpo con Garbanzos y Chorizo

Quantities can be varied to suit what you have on hand. I used a 660-gram jar of chickpeas, rinsed and drained (2 ½ cups). A mini-food processor is great for finely chopping the ingredients for the sofrito. If using frozen octopus, don’t wash off the gelatinous coating, as it adds to the flavor. Likewise, if using canned fish, incorporate the liquid too. I used fish stock stashed in the freezer. Chicken stock is a fine substitute. Or just use water. If you want a soupier version, add additional stock or water. Taste before adding salt to the pan, as stock, chorizo and octopus are all somewhat salty. 

This makes 2 big servings or 4 small ones.

2 chorizo sausages (6 ounces)

3 tablespoons olive oil

¾ cup finely chopped onion

½ cup finely chopped green and/or red pepper

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 teaspoons pimentón (paprika)

½ teaspoon smoked hot pimentón

½ cup crushed tomatoes

¼ cup white wine or dry Sherry

1 cup fish or chicken stock

2 ½ cups cooked and drained chickpeas

1 bay leaf

Sprig of thyme

Fennel seeds

1 large potato (10 ounces), cut in cubes

8 ounces cooked octopus, cut in bite-size pieces

Chopped spinach, kale or chard (optional)

Salt to taste

Slice the chorizo into bite-size pieces. Heat the oil in a deep pan and fry the chorizo until lightly browned. Remove and reserve the chorizo. 

Cooks in 30 minutes.

Add the onion, peppers and garlic to the fat remaining in the pan. Sauté them until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the two kinds of pimentón. Quickly add the tomatoes, so that the pimentón doesn’t burn. Add the wine and raise the heat. Cook 1 minute until the alcohol is cooked off. Add the stock, bay, thyme, fennel and cubed potato. Add the chickpeas and chorizo. Cook, covered, until potato is nearly tender, 15 minutes.

Add the cut-up octopus and spinach, if using. Taste the sauce and add salt if needed. If necessary, add additional water. Cook 10 minutes longer.  Discard bay leaf and thyme before serving.

More recipes for mar y montaña--most of which can be prepared with ingredients in the pantry and freezer.

Beans with Clams (Fabada con Almejas).

Chickpeas with Shrimp.

Surf and Turf (Chicken with Seafood).

Linguine with Squid Sauce and Bacon.

"Cobblestone" Salad with Chickpeas and Tuna.

More about the types of chorizo here.

More about the types of pimentón here.