HOLIDAY FINALE

Almost down to the bone. Daniel slices the last of a Spanish ibérico ham, ordered in the United States from La Tienda, importers of Spanish products. Daniel orders his ham right before Thanksgiving and packs it along to gatherings during the holiday season. 

 

I brought Spanish turrón (almond nougat, both soft Jijona and crunchy Alicante) and little figures of marzipan from Spain. Just a few pieces left to finish out the holidays.

On New Year's Eve we put out the last of the pimentón-rubbed goat cheese that I brought from Spain and imported Spanish chorizo picante, Palacios brand, bought locally at World Market in Atlanta, GA. 

For our family gift exchange we had "white elephant" baskets, each  packed with themed goodies. Can you believe, I drew the Spanish foods basket? Extra virgin olive oil, a packet of serrano ham, anchovies, wine and more. I later swapped a few items from my grandson's Italian basket and contributed the oil to the family kitchen.

Among the contents of the Spain basket, a Tempranillo wine from Valdepeñas, perfect with our roast leg of lamb on New Year's Eve.

For New Year's day I'm making black-eyed peas, a Spanish recipe with a southern tradition in the U.S. Will it be chorizo or smoked southern sausage? I definitely would have added collard greens, but they didn't turn up on the grocery order. I cooked the black-eyed peas with some of the ibérico ham fat.

Black-eyed peas--good luck for the New Year. It's 75 degrees F. in Atlanta, Ga., warmer than where I live in southern Spain. 

Black-Eyed Peas with Tomato Sofrito
Potaje de Carillas con Sofrito

Serves 4.

2 cups dried black-eyed peas (14 ounces), soaked in water 8 to12 hours
½ cup sliced leek
1 cup sliced carrots or pumpkin
2 bay leaves
1 head garlic, char-roasted (see instructions below)
Pork, pork belly or ham hocks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
Red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon pimentón de la Vera (smoked paprika)
1 cup peeled, seeded, and chopped tomato
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Pinch of ground cloves
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon wine vinegar

Drain the soaked black-eyed peas and place them in a pot with 6 cups of fresh water. Bring to a boil and skim off the froth. Add the leek, carrots, bay leaves, cloves of char-roasted garlic and pork or ham hocks. Cover and simmer the peas 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the onion and pepper 5 minutes. Stir in the red pepper flakes and pimentón and immediately add the tomato. Season with salt, cumin, oregano, parsley, cloves, and pepper. Cook the sofrito 8 minutes.

Add ½ cup cold water to the black-eyed peas. Bring again to a boil and stir in the sofrito. Cover and simmer until peas are very tender, 60 to 90 minutes.

Stir in the vinegar and cook 5 minutes longer.

This is an Andalusian cooking technique, used especially for potajes with legumes. Char-roasting garlic makes it easy to peel a whole head of garlic and mellows the bite of raw garlic. 

Spear the whole head of garlic on a kitchen fork (use a hot-pad to protect your hands) or grip it with tongs and roast over an open flame on a gas stove or barbecue until charred on all sides. Once cool enough to handle, rub off all the charred skin and add the cloves of garlic to the pot of black-eyed peas.