LUNCH: IT'S IN THE CAN!

 

Seafood, legumes, vegetables, condiments--

By the end of a month when I shopped infrequently, I was out of everything fresh. No lettuce or green beans. The last tomato. No fruit—except figs, as I wrote about last week. There is meat in the freezer, pasta in the pantry, but not much else. So, what’s for lunch? I open a few cans, combine them in a bowl, and add olive oil. Lunch is served.

Spain is justifiably famous for its products en conserva, preserved in cans and jars. In addition to the varieties of canned fish and shellfish, there are legumes and a myriad of vegetables, from the exotic—cardoons—to the ordinary—canned tomatoes. 

I am equating cans and jars. Some products—piquillo peppers are a good example—come in both cans and jars. Beans, lentils, and chickpeas in Spanish grocery stores are usually presented in tall, 570-gram (20-ounce) glass jars rather than cans.

 Here are a few ideas for easy meals from a can.

A jar of artichokes, a few sun-dried tomatoes, diced ham, with a simplified Romesco sauce as dressing.

Bean salad with a difference--butter beans and canned mackerel get a dressing of fresh herbs.

Piquant piquillo peppers give pizazz to canned sardines. "Butter" the toasts with extra virgin olive oil.

Sardine Toasts

Tostadas de Sardinas

Canned sardines come in almost a dozen varieties. Plain ones are simply canned in olive or sunflower oil. The little fish also are canned in picante (chile-inflected) oil, in tomato or salsa brava sauce, or escabeche (vinegary sauce). Sardinillas, or xoubas in Galicia, are very small sardines. Any of these might be smoked. 

Generally, the best tinned sardines come from the cold waters of northern Spain, Galicia, Cantabria, Basque Country. Those from the Mediterranean are less esteemed, but also less expensive, so they are a fine choice if you intend to chunk them up for a pâté or salad rather than serve them whole. Remember, once processed, the bones in sardines are completely edible, a superb source of dietary calcium.

Piquillo peppers are one of my favorite stand-by ingredients. The piquillo is a small, fire-roasted sweet red pepper that is slightly piquant. The ones from Lodosa (Navarra) have a protected denomination label. If not available, use any canned red pimiento. I've also used pickled red onions, a semi-conserve from the fridge.

Toasted bread

Extra virgin olive oil

Can/jar piquillo peppers, drained

Canned sardines

Sprigs of fresh basil

Pickled onions

Brush toast with oil. Place one or two whole, drained piquillo peppers on each toast. Top with sardines. Drizzle with additional oil and garnish with sprigs of basil. Accompany with pickled onions.

Artichokes with Romesco Sauce

Alcachofas con Salsa Romesco

A couple of jars plus salad greens and a hard-boiled egg add up to a satisfying lunch. 

This salad could also be put together with canned cardoons (cardo), an artichoke relative, or white asparagus. The dressing is a "quickie" Romesco. The salad makes a fine lunch entree, but could also be served as a side, sharing the Romesco Sauce with grilled shrimp or chicken.

Ground almonds are a shortcut for the sauce.

Serves 2

1 can/jar (approx. 13 ounces) artichokes

2 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained

1 tablespoon chopped onion

Lemon juice (optional)

Salt

1 hard-boiled egg, sliced

Diced Serrano or ibérico ham

Salad greens

Sprigs of fresh mint

Extra virgin olive oil + additional for drizzling

Toasted almonds, to garnish (optional)

Romesco sauce (recipe follows)

Drain the artichokes (the liquid or olive oil can be used for making the romesco sauce). Use a serrated knife to cut the artichokes into halves or quarters, depending on their size. Place in a bowl. Chop the tomatoes and add with the onion and lemon juice, if desired (the artichokes may be very acidulated and not need additional lemon). Add a pinch of salt and the eggs. Combine well.

Spread salad greens on 2 plates. Divide the artichokes between them. Sprinkle diced ham on top. Finish with a sprig of mint and drizzle oil over the salads. If desired, scatter a few toasted almonds on top. Serve with the Romesco Sauce.

Quickie Romesco Sauce

Salsa Romesco Rápido

Use this quickie Romesco as a dressing for vegetables and sauce for seafood.

Traditional Romesco Sauce in Catalonia is made with bittersweet ñora peppers, pounded in a mortar with toasted hazelnuts or almonds. In Spanish shops you will find ready-made jars of Romesco and also jars of ñora or choricero pepper pulp, which can be used in this recipe. Or you can whizz this shortcut version of the sauce with ingredients that you probably have in the pantry. Substitute pimentón (paprika, not smoked) and a roasted red piquillo pepper for the ñora pulp. “Hot” pimentón—pimentón picante—is a little bit spicy. If not available use a lesser amount of cayenne. Ground almond meal stands in for whole almonds. The ground almonds are lightly toasted in the microwave. 

1 teaspoon sweet pimentón (paprika)

½ teaspoon hot pimentón

¼ cup water or liquid from drained artichokes

1/3 cup ground almonds

¼ cup fine dry bread crumbs or plain cookie crumbs

2 cloves garlic

1 piquillo pepper or ½ roasted red pepper from a can or jar

2 tablespoons parsley

Pinch dry mint

1-2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

Combine sweet and hot pimentón in a small bowl and stir in ¼ cup of water or artichoke liquid.

Spread the ground almonds on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on High for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, to toast them very lightly. Cool.

In a blender or processor combine the ground almonds, bread crumbs, garlic, piquillo pepper, parsley, mint, and vinegar. Add the pimentón in water. Blend until smooth. Blend in the oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Let the sauce set at room temperature for 1 hour. If it seems too thick, stir in enough water to make the sauce the consistency of heavy cream.

Serve the sauce at room temperature. Store it, covered and refrigerated.

Butter Bean Salad

Ensalada de Alubias

Butter beans have a lovely, buttery texture, but are very bland. Add dressing to them and allow them to marinate before constructing the salad. Fresh herbs are the secret here—oregano, basil, parsley, thyme, cilantro? Choose one or a mixture. Add the herbs to the beans shortly before serving so they do not lose their freshness.

Mackerel (caballa) fillets are really good with the beans, even better if you can find smoked mackerel. Any canned fish may be substituted.

Canned mackerel fillets

Serves 2-4.

2 cups drained and rinsed butter beans from a 20-ounce jar

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + additional for drizzling

1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar

1 clove crushed garlic

½ teaspoon salt + additional for finishing

¼ cup chopped fresh herbs

1 tablespoon chopped scallions

2 guindillas (pickled green chiles), chopped

Sliced radishes

Guindillas--green chiles

Salad greens

Canned mackerel

Hard-boiled eggs, quartered

Cherry tomatoes

Place the beans in a bowl and add the oil, vinegar, garlic, and salt. Let them marinate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours, covered and refrigerated.

When ready to serve the salad, add the herbs, scallions, guindillas, and radishes to the beans. Cover a platter with salad greens and spread the beans on them. Lay the mackerel fillets on top of the beans. Garnish the platter with quartered eggs and cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle salt over all and drizzle with oil. 

More recipes for lunch from a can:

Tuna-Piquillo Pepper Pâté 

Linguine with Canned Squid 

Canned Octopus with Chickpeas and Chorizo 

Salad with Fennel and White Beans

 

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