A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS

 

Christmas morning. My grandson, Leo Searl, home from university, is spending a few days at my house. He makes breakfast on Christmas morning--smoked salmon on toast with cream cheese and scrambled eggs. What a pleasure to catch up with what's going on in his life.

What's in this strangely-shaped present under the tree for Ben?

Oh, wow! Look what's in my Christmas box! It's a sampler of ibérico ham, a selection of sliced ham, shoulder-ham, chorizo and cured fat from Dehesa Monteros, made from ibérico pigs of the Rubio Dorado breed. They start out eating chestnuts in the forests of Ronda and are finished on bellotas, wild acorns. 

Christmas lunch for three. On a sunny afternoon we started with sopa de galets, a rich chicken broth with giant pasta shells stuffed with pâté. Marinated "standing rib roast" of ibérico pork centered the main course, accompanied by potatoes and squash roasted with onions and apples. 

The pork loin has been boned to facilitate carving, but the rack of ribs tied back on for roasting to keep the meat moist. Ibérico pork with its marbling of fat is especially juicy. Ibérico pork is usually cooked medium-rare to medium--still pink in the center. (The recipe for the pork marinade is here.)

A side dish of chard sautéd with garlic, raisins and pine nuts was served in a colorful hand-made ceramic bowl by Tara Chapman, Leo's mum. 

I bought a kilo of locally-grown pecans, called nueces americanas, from a chica in my aerobics class. The pecans, which I adore, inspired me to make a nut torte just for me! It was sugar-free and gluten free as well. (I used this recipe for walnut torte, swapping King Arthur baking sugar substitute and gluten-free bread crumbs.) For the guys there were also fig brownies with real sugar, sweet figs and lots of nuts. Both desserts are good served with a dollop of rich Greek yogurt or whipped cream.

Pecan torte with a dollop of rich Greek yogurt.

From my kitchen to yours, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL.

PESTIÑOS, A SWEET FOR DUAL HOLIDAYS

 

For whatever holiday you're celebrating: pestiños are honey-glazed fried pastries.

This year both Christmas Eve and the first night of Hanukkah fall on December 24. This recipe for pestiños, honey-glazed fried pastries, is perfect for both holidays. 

In Spain, where nowadays most Christmas sweets are store-bought, pestiños are one of the few that are still homemade. Family and neighbors might gather on a chilly evening to roll, shape and fry pieces of a simple dough. Children can help with the dough, though frying is left to the grownups. 

Ready for 1st night of Hanukkah.

Hanukkah, the "festival of lights," is a Jewish holiday that marks the victory in the 2nd Century BCE of the Maccabees over an occupying force and the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem and the re-lighting of the menorah. Miraculously, the olive oil for the menorah, enough for a single day, lasted for eight days and nights. For that reason the holiday is also a celebration of olive oil when it’s traditional to serve fried foods, both sweet and savory. 

Serve pestiños for a tree-trimming party.

How to serve pestiños? For a Hanukkah party serve the pestiños with pomegranate or grape juice (with or without vodka); mulled wine or hot apple cider. They're equally good for a Christmas tree-trimming party with eggnog.

In Spanish homes, when friends come to visit during the holidays, it’s typical to serve a platter of homemade sweets such as pestiños as well as store-bought mantecados and roscos, accompanied by sweet Málaga wine, aguardiente (anise liqueur) and Spanish brandy de Jerez. 

It's an occasion to catch up on family news and marvel at how much the children have grown, to view the Belén, Nativity scene, and compare recipes for for Noche Buena, the  Christmas Eve festive dinner.

Pestiños are also good for breakfast or afternoon snacks with coffee, hot chocolate, tea or herbal infusions. For dessert, serve pestiños alongside a winter compote of apples and pears stewed with raisins and figs. 

Honey-Glazed Fritters

Pestiños

Serve pestiños for breakfast, snacks, dessert, parties.

These little pastries are fried in oil then dipped in warmed honey to glaze them. Olive oil in the pastry dough is traditional and adds flavor. Olive oil also is best for frying but less expensive sunflower oil (aceite de girasol) can be used instead. 

After dipping the fritters in honey let them dry on a rack for 30 minutes. They will soak up some of the honey but will still be somewhat sticky. If you prefer not to finish them with honey, instead dredge them in sugar while they are still hot. Place the fritters on a rack to cool. 

The dough can be made several days before using and kept refrigerated. Once fried, the fritters are best soon after they are made but can be stored in an air-tight tin up to five days. 

Makes 40 fritters.

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 strip of orange peel

1 teaspoon aniseeds

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour plus additional for rolling out the dough

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ cup orange juice

¼ cup white wine

Oil for frying (olive or sunflower)

½ cup honey

2 tablespoons water

1-2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Granulated sugar (optional)

Place the olive oil in a small saucepan with the strip of orange peel. Heat it until it begins to sizzle. Add the aniseeds and remove the pan from the heat. Let the oil stand 5 minutes. Skim out and discard the orange peel.

Cut dough in diamond shapes.

Place the flour in a mixing bowl and stir in the salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the oil with aniseeds. Stir some of the flour into the oil. Add the orange juice and wine and mix them into the flour.  

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead it until smooth. The oil in the dough keeps it from sticking, so additional flour probably is not needed. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour or up to 2 days.

Pinch dough firmly.

Cover a sheet pan with baking parchment. Lightly flour work surface. Unwrap one of the balls of dough and pat to flatten it. Roll it out into more or less a rectangular shape 8 to 10 inches wide and as thin as a penny. Use a knife or pastry wheel to cut strips about 2 inches wide. Cut again on the diagonal, making diamond (rhomboid) shapes of dough. 

Pick up a piece and pinch together the two points that are closest together. Pinch firmly so the dough does not open when fried. Place each folded piece of dough on the sheet pan. Gather up any scraps and roll out again. Save a small bit of dough to use to test the oil temperature. (If desired the sheet of shaped dough can be refrigerated for several hours before continuing with the frying.)

Roll, cut and shape the second ball of dough in the same manner.

Put oil in a pan to a depth of 1 inch. Heat on medium-high. Drop a small ball of dough into the oil. When it begins to sizzle, the oil is hot enough (360ºF). Add the pieces of dough without crowding the pan. When golden-brown on the bottom, carefully flip them to brown the reverse sides. Skim out the fritters and drain on paper towels. Continue frying remaining pieces of dough.

Dip in warmed honey.

 Place the honey in a pan with the water. Bring it to a boil and remove from the heat. Set a rack over a sheet pan to catch drips. One by one dip the fritters into the warm honey. Place them on the rack. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Allow the fritters to dry. They will soak up some of the honey but will still be somewhat sticky. Sprinkle with sugar if desired.

Recipes for winter compotes to serve with pestiños:

Sweet Potato-Molasses Compote.

Quince Compote.

Sherried Fig Compote.

Fruit Compote in Grape Syrup.

Pear Compote with Málaga Wine

More fried pastries:

Crispy "Ears" for Carnival.

Fried Turnovers with Sweet Potato Filling.

Sweet and Crunchy Fried Bread.

VEGETARIAN CHORIZO

 When clouds and a winter chill descended on us this week, a pot of black beans seemed like a good idea. Usually I would throw a few links of chorizo in the pot along with vegetables. Chorizo is a powerful flavor pack. But because I was expecting a vegetarian guest for dinner, I decided to make vegetarian chorizo.

Black beans served with sautéed peppers and vegetarian chorizo sausages.

Garlic and pimentón give the vegetarian chorizo a taste a lot like the porky version.

I used tofu plus bread crumbs (gluten-free is fine) for the “meat” of the chorizo and olive oil instead of fatty panceta (belly bacon) for unctuousness. The seasoning was traditional—lots of smoked pimentón, garlic and a few other spices. And, plenty of salt. 

The vegetarian mixture could be stuffed into non-animal sausage casings, if available, making the resulting links more like real chorizo. Another alternative is to roll the mixture in cheesecloth or parchment.

Adding beaten egg to the sausage mixture helps to bind the ingredients so they don’t disintegrate in cooking. If you prefer a vegan sausage, eliminate the egg and, instead of rolling the mixture into sausage links, fry it “loose” or in small patties. 

My no-meat chorizo had good flavor and complemented the black beans nicely. But the texture was nowhere near the real thing. Tofu just doesn’t have much chew to it. I recently tasted some morcilla (blood sausage) that had finely chopped almonds in it. I think that would be good in the vegetarian chorizo, adding a little crunchiness to a sausage lacking in texture. 

Vegetarian Chorizo

Chorizo Vegetariano

Tofu, bread, oil, garlic and spices.

Serves 4.

8 ounces firm tofu

2 cloves

1/8 teaspoon cumin seeds

¼ teaspoon black peppercorns

½ teaspoon coarse salt

1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons sweet (dulce) smoked pimentón (paprika)

½ teaspoon hot (picante) smoked pimentón

½ teaspoon oregano

2 slices day-old bread (1 ½ ounces)

½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts or almonds (optional)

3 tablespoons olive oil + additional to fry the chorizo

1 teaspoon soy sauce or miso paste

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt to taste

1 egg, beaten (optional)

Cut the block of tofu into 8 pieces. Place them on paper towels and cover with additional paper towels. Place a weight (such as a cutting board) on top and let the tofu drain 10 minutes.

In a mortar crush the cloves, cumin and peppercorns with the salt. Add the garlic and mash it. Add the two kinds of pimentón and oregano.

Grind tofu in food processor

Break up the tofu into a food processor. Break the bread into pieces and add to the processor with the mixture in the mortar, oil, soy and lemon juice. Grind these ingredients until well combined. Taste the mixture and add salt as needed (½ teaspoon or more).  If using egg, mix it in.

Roll sausages in parchment.

Shape the mixture into two logs approximately 8 inches long and 1 inch thick. Place each one on a strip of parchment. Roll the chorizo log up using the parchment to compact it. Twist the ends of the parchment to make a sausage roll. Chill the chorizo logs 24 hours.

Cut each sausage into four “links.” Poach them in boiling salted water 5 minutes and drain well. When ready to serve, pat the chorizos dry and fry them in hot oil to brown on all sides.  

Recipe for homemade pork chorizo is here.

If you need to refresh your knowledge about pimentón.

A HOLIDAY PUDDING FROM GALICIA

 

This bread pudding is chock full of fruits and nuts, a perfect holiday dessert.

Searching my favorite Galician cookbook (Cociña Galega by Álvaro Cunqueiro) for chestnut recipes (Galicia in northwest Spain is famed for its chestnut forests and dishes, both sweet and savory, with chestnuts), I came upon this recipe for a pudding with dried fruits and nuts. At first glance it seemed like bread pudding. At second reading, it rang the Christmas pudding bells. Now that I’ve made it, it seems almost as if you turned both the figgy Christmas pud and the brandy sauce into an eggy flan! 

Digging a little deeper (via Google) I found that the pudding, entitled mestura in the Cunqueiro book, meaning “mixture,” had several other names—vinchas, from vejiga (bladder); bandullos, meaning “belly,” and calleiras meaning “stomach” or “tripe.”  This seems to show that the pudding originally was stuffed into animal parts and steamed. In fact, one version, traditional during the winter hog butchering, has the bread crumbs soaked in pig’s blood rather than milk, making it not so different from English black pudding. 

The web site also mentioned a particular herb, nébola, that was incorporated in the pudding and also cooked with chestnuts. Which may or may not be Satureja Nepeta, related to the herbs summer and winter savory, or maybe it’s lesser calamint which possibly is the same as za’atar, the herb, not the blend. 

Not having a Galician avoa (abuela or grandma) to consult about the traditional kitchen, I used a pinch of summer savory (Satureja hortensis, ajedrea in Spanish). The herb has a fragrance reminiscent of thyme. It can be used in any recipe in which you might use thyme or sage—poultry, pork, stuffing, beans. I loved it in mushroom-barley soup and will definitely add it to the stuffing for the Christmas turkey. While savory—by its very name—may seem unusual in a dessert, I thought summer savory added a subtle forest counterpoint to the intense sweetness of figs and raisins. 

This dessert tastes as if you turned a Christmas pudding into a flan.

Serve the pudding with caramel syrup and whipped cream.

Galician Bread Pudding with Fruits and Nuts

Mestura Galega

You can substitute other dried fruits for the raisins and figs in this recipe. Try dried apricots, prunes, dates, cranberries. Málaga muscatel raisins are the sweetest, but must be seeded. Any seedless raisin could be used instead. Plump the dried fruits in sweet wine, brandy or aguardiente, anise liqueur.

Use day-old bread. Trim off any hard crusts as they will not soften when soaked in milk.

Bake the pudding in a baño maría, a water bath, so that it cooks evenly. Cool and then refrigerate it still in the baking pan before unmolding. The pudding keeps, refrigerated, up to a week. 

We enjoyed the pudding with caramel syrup and whipped cream. A traditional hard sauce or brandy butter would go nicely as well.

Bread, nuts, fruits, eggs, sugar, spices.

12 servings

4 cups diced day-old bread

4 cups whole milk

¾ cup seeded raisins 

1 cup chopped figs

3 tablespoons sweet wine, brandy or aguardiente

1/3 cup + 1 teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Grating of fresh nutmeg

Pinch of summer savory (optional)

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

3 tablespoons melted butter

6 eggs, beaten

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or almonds

¼ cup pine nuts

Caramel syrup or molasses to serve (optional)

Whipped cream to serve (optional)

Place the bread in a bowl and pour over the milk. Mix well and let the bread soak 30 minutes until softened. Mash it slightly with a wooden spoon.

Place the raisins and figs in a small bowl and add the wine. Let the fruit plump until ready to add to the batter.

Savory, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon.

Stir 1/3 cup of sugar, the salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, savory, if using, and zest into the bread-milk mixture. Fold in the raisins and figs. Add the butter, then beat in the eggs. Stir in the walnuts and pine nuts, saving a few to stud the top of the pudding.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly butter a 6 to 8-cup loaf pan and line the bottom with baking parchment. Pour in the batter. Sprinkle the top with remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar and reserved pine nuts. Set the loaf pan in a larger pan and add boiling water to half its depth. Very carefully transfer to the oven.

Chill pudding before unmolding.

Bake the pudding until it is set when tested with a thin skewer, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove and cool the pudding on a rack. Do not unmold. When cool, cover the pudding with foil and refrigerate until chilled.

Loosen the sides of the pudding with a knife. Carefully unmold it onto a cutting board covered with baking parchment. Peel off parchment from the bottom of the pudding. Use a serrated knife to cut thick slices of the pudding. 

Serve accompanied by syrup and whipped cream, if desired. 

Use serrated knife to cut the pudding in thick slices.

More about the Galican herb néboda Hierbas Poco Conocidas.

MY BIG FAT SPANISH OLIVES

 

Fat Manzanilla olives.

I’m celebrating an anniversary! This blog has been going, pretty much weekly, for 15 years! In honor of the occasion and of olive-picking season, I am posting that first blog with updates and a new recipe. 

(November 2009.) I like to tell my guests that the olives they are nibbling come from the tree they’re sitting under. No, don’t reach up and pluck one! Straight from the tree, they are impossibly bitter and astringent. Olives need a curing process to make them edible.

That’s what I’m doing this week, picking, sorting, cracking and soaking olives that will become table olives, eating olives. They are picked green—soon after the first fall rains soak the parched earth and plump up the olives. 

Nov. 2024. We picked more than a month ago and are now tasting the cured olives. 

Most of my olive trees are varieties usually pressed for oil. But I have several Manzanilla trees that produce big fat, fleshy olives, the same kind you usually find in jars at the supermarket. The home-cured ones are very different from commercial olives. Commercial olives are soaked in an alkaline solution (lye) to remove the bitterness. Home-cured ones require nothing more than water and salt, plus seasoning. 

I prepare my olives in the Andalusian style that I learned from local country people many years ago. 

Cracking olives before brining.

First, the olives must be cracked with a stone or mallet to split them open. This allows the soaking liquid to quickly penetrate to the pit. Uncracked olives require months to sweeten; split ones take about three weeks. 

I wear old clothes because smacking olives splatters oil everywhere. I’ve also tried the method from Extremadura, where olives are rayado, incised with a sharp blade. (I resisted buying a rough wooden tool that had both a clapper for splitting open the olives and a hole with blades for slitting them.) As an experiment this year, I used a little gizmo, like a hole-punch, to remove the pits from some of the olives. (I’ll report back on whether this was successful or not.)

I place the olives in small earthenware jugs, orsas.  I cover them with water. I use non-chlorinated well water. It’s extremely hard water (high in calcium, demonstrated by limescale on my kettle), which may help keep the olives crisp. I drain off the water and refresh it every two or three days until, when tasted, the olives are no longer bitter. 

Defining bitter is very subjective. I bought some cured olives at the market a few days ago that I would say were still really bitter. It’s a matter of taste. I let mine soak, changing the water every few days, until they are really sweet. That takes about three weeks. 

The olives are then immersed in brine, where they continue to cure, as well as take on flavor. Years ago, I learned that the brine should be strong enough to float an egg. That can vary depending on the freshness of the egg! Optimal measures: measure the water required to cover the olives. Use 7 tablespoons of kosher salt or any non-iodized salt for every 4 cups of water. (Basically, use a 10 percent brine for initial fermentation, then store the olives in a 12.5 percent brine.)

Now comes the flavoring. In my village, traditional flavoring for olives includes quartered lemons, unpeeled cloves of garlic, sprigs of thyme and flowering bracts of fennel. Elsewhere in Spain, I have sampled olives flavored with strips of red pepper, chile, oregano, vinegar. 

Although the olives are ready to eat in a few days, flavor develops as fermentation continues. After about a month, I pack the olives into clean jars and refrigerate them. Without conservatives, they last for months. That is, they last if I haven’t given them all away by Christmas.  

Four kinds of olives this year. Ben took charge of cracking, soaking, brining and seasoning the Moriscas in the clay jar and a small jar of whole ones. I doggedly had another go with whole, uncracked Manzanillas. The dry-salt cured black olives were a new experiment. 

Garlic, thyme, fennel to flavor.

(Nov. 2024) After years of experimenting, I have discovered that the fat Manzanilla olives do not keep well with the home-cure. They lose their crispness and the skins become leathery.  (Next year we may try the method with sosa caustica, lye, for the Manzanillas.) 

Years ago my friend Antonia told me that the only variety of the several on my land that are good para endulzar, to fix as table olives, is the Morisca. This olive is smaller than the Manzanilla but with a good ratio of flesh to pit and a thinner skin. After the fermentation process, the olives stay crisp in seasoned brine for months. Ben took charge of the cracking and seasoning this year. They are the best olives ever!

Salt-dried black olives.

We also experimented with dry-salt curing of ripe, black Manzanilla olives. Coated with coarse salt, the olives were left to drain and dry in a slotted container. The result is wrinkly black olives somewhat like Greek or Moroccan varieties, but very big and juicy. Will they keep?

Whole Manzanillas.

I put one jar of whole (not cracked), green Manzanillas in brine for about two months. They’re delicious, but already are becoming soft. Another jar of whole Moriscas is better.

You can add flavor to bottled, store-bought olives. Buy unpitted Seville olives (big Manzanillas). Drain them and rinse well. Marinate them for two days with slivered garlic, salt, sprigs of fresh or dried thyme, a sliced lemon and a little extra virgin olive oil. 

In Spain, olives are enjoyed as a tapa and alongside meals. They top typical salads, from mixed greens to exotic orange, onion and salt cod. They are used rarely in cooking, although duck with olives is a Sevilla classic. Olivada is an olive pâté, sensational spread on toasts. 

The olive blog was originally published Nov. 7, 2009. A month later (Dec. 10) I posted a follow-up, The Taste Test, and deleted the original blog. Check the blog archives for more entries about olives. You can search for recipes or product information in the little window that appears in the upper-left hand side of the screen. (To see the search window on a mobile phone screen, scroll to the end of the blog and switch to “view web version.” The (tiny) search window appears in the upper left corner.)

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Pork Stew with Olives (2024)

Estofado de Cerdo con Aceitunas

Strips of pork are braised with Sherry, olives added at the end of cooking.

Serves 4. 

1 pound pork shoulder

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Flour

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic

1/3 cup dry Sherry

½ cup grated tomato pulp or canned crushed tomatoes

2 cups meat stock or water

Carrots (optional)

Pinch of winter savory or thyme

4 medium potatoes, cut in small pieces

1 cup pitted olives

Chopped parsley

Slice and cut the pork into 3-inch strips. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and let them come to room temperature. Dredge the pork in flour and pat off excess. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Brown the pork strips and remove them.

Add the onions and garlic to the skillet and sauté them until softened and beginning to brown, 5 minutes. Add the Sherry and cook 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stock and carrots, if using. Return the pork to the pan. Season with salt, pepper and savory or thyme. When the liquid is bubbling, regulate the heat so the stew cooks gently. Cover and cook 15 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook 15 minutes longer or until potatoes are done and meat is tender. Add the olives and heat thoroughly. Serve the stew sprinkled with parsley.

Add a pop of color to olive-drab stew with a sprinkling of cranberries or pomegranate kernels.

More recipes with olives:

Grilled Duck Breast with Olive Sauce.

Tartar Sauce with Seaweed and Olives.

Olive-Cream Cheese Dip.

Tuna with Olive Sauce.

Chicken Breasts with Sevilla Olive Sauce.

Green Olive Sauce for Fish.

Green Olive Spread or Dip.

BEYOND PUMPKIN PIE: HOLIDAY DESSERTS

I was expecting out-of-town guests for Thanksgiving dinner this year (November 28) and started planning a festive menu. But somehow I had missed one of their messages, the one that said “arriving December 27.” Not November. Luckily I had not yet bought a turkey, but I had gone through my recipe files in search of a holiday dessert. 

I found lots of possibilities, from pumpkin desserts to date-filled turnovers, creamy walnut pudding to almond nougat mousse. Should you be looking for a holiday dessert that’s not pumpkin pie, here are some suggestions with links to the recipes. 

Pumpkin Pie Adjacent 

Here are several desserts made with pumpkin or squash in totally different permutations and none with that ubiquitous pumpkin pie spice!

Pie with no pumpkin, but an alternative squash.

Galician Tart with Angel's Hair and Almonds (Tarta Mondoñeda). The filling is a confiture called cabello de angel, or angel's hair. It's made by cooking strands of a kind of gourd with lots of sugar. An almond cream is spread on top and encased in puff pastry dough. You can buy the angel's hair in cans. Or substitute a pumpkin jam or any fruity jam such as apricot. The recipe is here.

Pumpkin pudding studded with nuts.

Pumpkin Pudding (Arnadí). This pudding from València is a little like pumpkin pie without the crust. Dairy-free, the pudding is thickened with almond flour and egg yolks, spiced with cinnamon, ginger and orange zest. Get the recipe here.

Pastry squares with pumpkin filling.

Pastry Squares with Pumpkin Custard Filling (Miguelitos). Use frozen puff pastry dough and an easy to prepare custard filling of pumpkin scented with cardamom. You could serve the squares with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream. See the recipe for Miguelitos.

Pumpkin doughnuts!

Pumpkin Puffs (Buñuelos de Calabaza). 

These doughnuts made with pureed squash would be nice for a Hanukkah party (first night of Hanukkah coincides with Christmas Eve this year) when it's traditional to eat fried foods. The yeast batter can be made in advance. The puffs—or doughnuts—are fried right before serving. Check out the recipe here.

Turnovers with pumpkin jam filling.

Turnovers with Pumpkin Jam Filling (Empanadillas con Calabaza).

Sort of like mini-pies, but these turnovers are not baked, they're fried. A very traditional Andalusian Christmas sweet, the filling can be made with "angel's hair" squash, pumpkin or sweet potato. The recipe for Fried Turnovers with Pumpkin Jam is here.

Holiday Puddings

Sweet potatoes for dessert!

Sweet Potato Flan (Flan de Batatas).

You could caramelize the flan molds, if desired, or just drizzle the flan with store-bought caramel syrup or, for a very traditional touch, miel de caña, molasses. This flan is made with eggs and cream cheese plus the mashed sweet potatoes. See two versions of the flan, one sweet and one savory, here., 

More festive holiday desserts with sweet potatoes: Sweet Potato Compote and Sweet Potato Parfait.

Almond Nougat Mousse (Mousse de Turrón).

Turrón—almond nougat candy—is essential at the Spanish Christmas table. Here it is whipped into a rich and foamy mousse and finished with grated chocolate. This dessert can be made days in advance of a dinner party. See the recipe here.

Creamy walnut pudding with chocolate.

Walnut Cream with Chocolate Sauce (Intxaursaltsa)

This is a fancy version of a very old-fashioned holiday pudding from the Basque country. It's easy to make—walnuts cooked in milk with sugar and cinnamon, then pureed. Chocolate and whipped cream turn it into a luxurious dessert. The recipe is here.

Prune-Sherry Ice Cream with Burnt Sugar Sauce (Helado de Ciruelas Pasas al Vino Jerez con Salsa de Caramelo).

This is a frozen pudding, another dessert that can be made well in advance of holiday dinners. A creamy burnt sugar sauce makes it very sophisticated. The recipe is here.

Cakes and Bars with Nuts and Dry Fruits

Dried apricots and almond bars.

Apricot-Almond Bars (Pan de Orejones y Almendras) 

This sweet is traditionally made with dried figs ground to a paste and mixed with almonds and sesame. The confection can be made with any dried fruit—apricots, figs, raisins, prune or a mixture of fruits. It typically contains a shot of anise-flavored liquor, aguardiente or anis seco. You can omit it or substitute a sweet wine such as PX or Málaga moscatel. 

This version with apricots contains flour to keep the mixture crumbly. It is finished in the oven to cook the flour.

Chewy date and nut bars made with olive oil.

Date Bars (Barritas con Dátiles)

When I was growing up, dates were a holiday treat when my mother made Date Bars, chewy squares, chock full of nuts and sweet dates. Her recipe called for butter and a cup of sugar. This version uses olive oil and no sugar. Here's the recipe for Date Bars and more about the Spain-Morocco date connection.

Fruity fig blondies.

Fig Brownies (Brownies con Higos sin Chocolate)

Like the date bars, these "brownies" (actually "blondies" as they have no chocolate) are chewy with nuts and dried fruit. They are made with olive oil instead of butter. Get the recipe here.

Bite-size pies with figs.

Fig and Date Turnovers (Empanadillas de Higos y Dátiles).

These fruit-filled turnovers will remind you of mince pies and fig newtons! The filling ingredients can be changed for raisins, prunes or dried apricots. See the recipe for a secret to making the pastry for the turnovers.

No-sugar cake with apples and raisins.

Apple Cake with Honey-Wine Syrup (Bizcocho de Manzana con Sirope de Miel y Vino Dulce).

This cake is sweet with no sugar, dairy-free and made with olive oil instead of butter. For guests who want more sweetness there is a separate pouring sauce of honey and fragrant sweet wine.