tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40337706318198996562024-03-19T09:47:42.275+01:00MY KITCHEN IN SPAINSPAIN: Food, tapas, markets, tastes, recipes.JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.comBlogger735125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-33823249599865486012024-03-16T18:39:00.000+01:002024-03-16T18:39:49.318+01:00BLOOMING ROSEMARY The sprightly blue flowers of rosemary blooming by the steps give off a faint resinous scent. A few bees lazily graze the bush. I reach out and pluck a sprig of the rosemary wherever I find it. I put it to my nose and may pocket it to sniff again later. The blooming rosemary reminds me of the old saying in Spanish: Quien va al monte y no coge romero, no tiene amor verdadero. Who goes JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-1675441724133226632024-03-09T14:49:00.000+01:002024-03-09T14:49:02.670+01:00Skewer It! From espetones to pinchitos, kebabs to brochettes, satay to kefta, foods cooked on skewers are favorite fare right around the world. They may have been invented for easy cooking over a wood fire, but brochettes are especially adaptable to pan-grilling in the kitchen. This makes them perfect for winter when the gas barbecue on the patio has been stored for the season.Marinated swordfish JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-35427682324168279052024-03-02T13:14:00.002+01:002024-03-02T13:14:39.634+01:00MOVE OVER, BACALAO, TRY SARDINES Salt-cured sardines, three for one Euro in today's market.One million eight hundred thousand (1,800,000) kippered sardines were purchased in a single day, February 8, 1434, the beginning of Lent, in the city of Barcelona, according to tax records*. These were salt-cured sardines shipped overland from Galicia. Over the centuries the Catholic Church, with its many days of abstinence whenJANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-73217814931350713132024-02-24T17:53:00.001+01:002024-02-24T17:53:47.042+01:00SHOOTING MEATBALLS “It’s all about the light,” Joanna said. “Watch, when I move the whiteboard, how the shadows on the meatballs change,” She shifted the board so the reflected light brightened the dark side of the meatballs. “Can you see it?” When I started blogging about Spanish food (November 2009) I took snapshots of the food I was writing about to illustrate the posts. Photographer friends JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-66415123668456982052024-02-17T12:39:00.000+01:002024-02-17T12:39:48.739+01:00STEW SEASONThe Spanish have a name for it, la comida de cuchara, “spoon food,” that genre of comfort food that’s soupy, stewy, saucy, slow-cooked deliciousness. It’s heart-warming food that also warms up the kitchen. These include potajes and cocidos, pots of legumes plus veggies plus meat, but also estofados and guisos, two words for stews, these usually without legumes.While slow-cooked stews are perfect JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-38983175657246899162024-02-10T19:57:00.004+01:002024-02-10T19:57:31.948+01:00TIME TO RETHINK HUMMUS!
Chef Charo CarmonaHaving become ubiquitous, the party dip for every occasion, hummus perhaps is ready for its remake. I tasted a version this week that
I’m trying out in my kitchen.
It was not called hummus, but ajo pimentón,
“garlic-paprika”. It was a thick spread—what is called paté in Spanish—of
chickpeas, garlic, pimentón and a good dose of cumin. The spread was served
with JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-39859901186819656232024-02-03T16:07:00.000+01:002024-02-03T16:07:39.085+01:00Saffron: Fool’s Gold? Saffron threads.Is this real saffron? Maybe not, as it was very cheap. I bought it because I trusted the labeling with the store’s trademark. It stated, “Ingredients: saffron. May contain traces of cereal with gluten, frutos cáscara (nuts?), mustard and sesame.” Was dye among the traces? The threads of saffron appear uniformly crimson, whereas my La Mancha saffron with denominación de JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-521801867790575602024-01-27T12:07:00.000+01:002024-01-27T12:07:11.768+01:00THE SECOND LIFE OF BREAD I wound up with a whole loaf of bread and nobody to eat it. Often, I save chunks of stale bread in the freezer for adding to gazpacho. Bread emulsifies the olive oil, making a thick and creamy soup. But, it’s many, many months until gazpacho season. Migas, another good use for stale bread, is really meant for a big family gathering. Not what to cook for one.Having recently signed on JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-25389555957379943992024-01-20T13:45:00.001+01:002024-01-20T13:45:53.425+01:00SAN ANTÓN AND THE MUTATION OF A STEW (Photo by Mijas Comunicación)How did a hermit-saint who consumed nothing but bread and water come to be associated with lusty stews replete with pig’s trotters, ears, tripe and belly? Such is the commemoration of the day of San Antón Abad (January 17). Many towns, including Madrid, mark the saint’s day with mass and festivities, often including giant stew pots of pork and garbanzo stewJANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-83368761496227499052024-01-13T19:03:00.000+01:002024-01-13T19:03:03.570+01:00WINGING IT These wings were "fried" in a convection oven. So, I did not get an air fryer for Christmas. Having read raves from Facebook friends about what a useful appliance is the air fryer, I’ve been wanting to try one. Then I read that an air fryer is basically the same thing as a convection oven. And, I’ve got a convection oven that I rarely use. Time to put it through its paces.An air JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-7010161692641566802024-01-06T11:56:00.001+01:002024-01-06T11:56:37.330+01:00ONE MORE FEAST DAY! The Reyes Magos bearing gifts, on their way to Bethlehem, as depicted in the Belén, or nativity scene, of the parish church in the village of Mijas. Today (January 6) is the last day of the holidays, el Día de los Reyes Magos, also known as Three Kings or Epiphany, when the Kings amble into the village aboard camels or whirl in on helicopters, bringing toys and goodies to childrenJANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-78258346440223807942023-12-30T13:33:00.000+01:002023-12-30T13:33:18.602+01:00NEW LIFE FOR THE LEFTOVERS Going to recycle the roast pork, sweet potato flans.Remember those sweet potato flans from last week’s blog? We were only three for Christmas dinner, but I had made enough for a banquet. I frequently do that if I am testing the proportions for a recipe. Then I need to figure out what to do with the leftovers.I found in the cupboard a carton of coconut milk (unsweetened beverage, not canned JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-67572208456089118622023-12-23T15:53:00.000+01:002023-12-23T15:53:45.120+01:00SWEET POTATOES, SAVORY OR SWEET Sweet potato flans, savory (top) and sweet.My dear friend, Charlotte (gone from us almost a year now), had a special dish for holidays—sweet potato soufflé. Although it was served as a side with the main course (usually stuffed turkey), it had sugar and sweet spices. I never liked her sweet potato soufflé—it was too much like dessert!So, why not turn it into dessert? And make a savory JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-33667236419833218002023-12-16T14:14:00.000+01:002023-12-16T14:14:42.346+01:00PIQUILLOS! THE MOST FESTIVE VEGETABLE Piquillo peppers are holiday red!Their brilliant red color surely qualifies piquillo peppers as the perfect holiday vegetable. Dress ‘em up, dress ‘em down, stuff them or cut them in strips, serve hot or cold, sauced or simply with extra virgin olive oil. Piquillo peppers are those small, flame-red peppers you buy in jars or cans at the grocery store. Cooks rave about them for their JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-19584826542187618602023-12-09T17:34:00.000+01:002023-12-09T17:34:14.067+01:00TRADITIONAL SPANISH CHRISTMAS SWEETS Marzipan figures are among the traditional sweets for Christmas.You know the festive season has begun when the supermarkets set up their displays of holiday foods. Garlanded with tinsel are racks of hams of every price range, bottles of cava, boxes of chocolates. And, especially, traditional Christmas sweets. Wrapped cookies, small cakes, tiny rings.Here are stacks of the famous JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-83118026397513839082023-12-02T17:47:00.000+01:002023-12-02T17:47:37.194+01:00QUICK FIXES FOR HOLIDAY BAKING I wanted a holiday dessert that was quick and required no sugar. I had super-sweet dates, figs and raisins for a starting point. I bought a package of ready-made pastry that comes rolled and cut in discs for making empanadillas. A whirl in the mini food processor for the dried fruits and I had a filling for turnovers that baked in under 15 minutes. I didn’t use the whole package of 16 JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-69976156365159073552023-11-25T14:12:00.000+01:002023-11-25T14:12:08.694+01:00MÁLAGA RAISINS—THE SWEETEST OF THEM ALL In former days, when I still baked cookies and cakes for family, I would happily spend 15 minutes de-seeding Málaga muscatel raisins, the sweetest, juiciest raisins in the world. In those days, there weren’t any seedless raisins to be had. Now, if I need raisins for a recipe, I reach for seedless sultanas. Not because they’re delicious. They are a place-holder. Inspecting the JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-65618258982016095722023-11-18T13:14:00.000+01:002023-11-18T13:14:01.713+01:00THE SIDE DISH YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR Rustic lunch or savory side dish--garlic-fried breadcrumbs topped with grapes and olives.Migas—fried breadcrumbs—just might be the side you need, the dish that will fill the carb slot for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And fill it with plenty flavor, too. Oh, and might I add? This could be the turkey stuffing you’ve been waiting for. Use migas to stuff a bird or serve it as dressing on the JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-70643532052592075732023-11-11T13:27:00.000+01:002023-11-11T13:27:58.826+01:00SHERRY WEEK, FROM COCKTAILS TO ICE CREAMInternational Sherry Week is still happening, through tomorrow, November 12! Thousands of restaurants, bars, wine stores, wine educators and bodegas across the world are holding Sherry tastings, special menus, and other Sherry-themed events, to show how this Spanish wine pairs with a wide variety of dishes, from cheese and cured meats, to fish, seafood, stews, and desserts.My contribution for JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-23514829185203257932023-11-04T11:55:00.000+01:002023-11-04T11:55:36.513+01:00OLIVES—SOME FOR EATING, MOST FOR OIL Ben knocking olives into a tarp. Ten minutes later, the wind caught the tarp and dumped the olives into the brambles! Still, we took 70 kilos to the mill, and more to pick! It finally rained! Not enough to end the drought, but enough to plump the olives. Time to get picking. First, I pick enough fat Manzanilla olives to fill an earthenware jar, for curing for table olives. Next, my JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-16629295952218189172023-10-28T17:47:00.000+02:002023-10-28T17:47:14.973+02:00QUINCE—THE OTHER FALL FRUIT Quinces center the fall fruit bowl.Last week I touted my apple recipes for fall. But, let’s not forget that other autumnal fruit, the quince. Less widely-known, but nearly as versatile as apples, quinces are spice-scented, but not very edible in their raw stage. Their tough skins are rich in pectin, the substance that jells jellies. In Spain, quince—membrillo—is popular as dulce de JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-84717864385827479112023-10-21T14:07:00.002+02:002023-10-21T14:07:27.968+02:00AN APPLE TIME OF YEAR While summer temperatures have lingered way into October in much of Spain, the produce in the markets announces that autumn has arrived. Apples--their scent, their colors, the sweetness--are the pregoneros, or heralds, of the season. Spain occupies a middling position in European production of apples. Poland is far and away the market leader with Italy and France a distant second and JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-78191238238823938772023-10-14T12:14:00.000+02:002023-10-14T12:14:45.346+02:00ECONOMY-CLASS LAMB Chunks of lamb neck with a rich gravy, slow-cooked until they are fork-tender, garnished with fried almonds.Hey, the lamb necks are on sale! This is meat full of flavor, priced way below the expensive leg, shoulder and chops. It’s the perfect excuse for an old-fashioned caldereta, a shepherd’s style lamb stew. In fact, the stew can be made with lamb of any cut—tiny baby lamb (JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-3494906352037323522023-10-07T13:47:00.001+02:002023-10-07T13:47:54.110+02:00A THREE-INGREDIENT RECIPE Huevos Rotos are fried eggs mixed up with fried potatoes. Here they are served with accompaniments of, clockwise from the top, mushrooms, olives, bread, chorizo, serrano ham, fried peppers and cherry tomatoes.Fry potatoes in olive oil. Fry eggs in olive oil. Mix them together. Three ingredients, not too much time in the kitchen and the result is a sublime dish for breakfast, brunch, lunch, JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033770631819899656.post-36889930149444220652023-09-30T13:46:00.000+02:002023-09-30T13:46:15.815+02:00RABBIT, RABBIT Country-style rice cazuela with rabbit, mushrooms and asparagus.I was definitely looking for something that wasn’t chicken. Or fish, for that matter. And, what should appear, but a package of cut-up rabbit in the meat section at the supermarket. Rabbit it is. Hopefully it will bring good luck for a new month, a new season.Rabbit once was widely hunted in Spain, a nice addition to Sunday JANET MENDELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05727555362345930082noreply@blogger.com2