RECYCLING THE LEFTOVERS

Cauliflower soup with cheese flan and scraps of ibérico ham.

In the wake of a party (see my previous post), I’m left with a heap of cooked cauliflower that went into a winter salad, a pot of black-eyed peas (the vegetarian option had no takers) and even some patatas a lo pobre. I’ve also got quite a lot of ibérico ham remaining—but that does not fall into the “leftover” category, as we shall easily finish it in a week or so.

I served the potatoes reheated alongside a roast chicken and stashed the black-eyed peas in the freezer. Dressed with olive oil and Sherry vinegar, they make a wonderful side dish for partridge or quail,.

Now, what about the cauliflower? It doesn’t freeze so well. Soup? Yes! But, with an embellishment, a savory cheese flan.

The recipe for the soup and flan comes from my La Mancha cookbook, COOKING FROM THE HEART OF SPAIN—FOOD OF LA MANCHA, so the preferred cheese is Manchego. Manchego cheese is made only from the milk of Manchega-breed ewes and is aged a minimum of 60 days. For the flan, a cured cheese is best.

Cheese flan baked in a loaf pan.

I used leftover cooked cauliflower in the soup, but you can start with raw as well. Use regular sweet pimentón (paprika) or, for interesting flavor, pimentón de la Vera, smoked paprika. I garnished the soup and flan with scraps of that tasty ibérico ham. You can make it a vegetarian meal by using water instead of chicken stock and omitting the ham garnish.

Cheese flan with salad.

 The flan might also be served on its own as a starter, with salad greens and vinaigrette.





Cauliflower Soup with Cheese Flan
Sopa de Coliflor con Flan de Queso

Serves 6 to 8.

For the cheese flan
3 eggs, beaten
1 ½ cups whole or 2% milk
Pinch cayenne
¼ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon flour
2 cups grated cheese (about 6 ounces)


Preheat oven to 375º.

Combine the eggs, milk, cayenne, thyme, salt, flour and cheese. Pour into an oiled 6-cup loaf pan. Cover the pan with foil. Place it in a larger pan and partially fill with boiling water. Bake until a skewer comes out clean, 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes more until the top is golden.


For the soup
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon sweet pimentón (paprika)
Pinch of cayenne
Pinch of cumin
1 pound potatoes, diced
4 cups cauliflower florets (1 pound)
8 cups water or chicken stock
1 tablespoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
Chopped scallions to garnish
Chopped ham to garnish (optional)

Heat the oil in a soup pot and sauté the onion 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the pimentón, cayenne, and cumin. Add the potatoes and cauliflower to the pot with water. Season with salt, pepper, bay leaf and vinegar.

Bring to a boil and simmer the soup, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 35 minutes. Remove bay leaf and let the soup cool slightly. Puree the soup in a blender or with an immersion blender. Reheat the puree gently.

Cut the cheese flan into slices and lift them out of the loaf pan with a spatula, discarding any accumulated liquid. Place a slice in each soup bowl and ladle the soup over. Garnish with scallions and ham.

January sunset, North Africa on the horizon across the Mediterranean.

WHERE MANCHEGO CHEESE IS COMING FROM

When you pick up a package of Manchego cheese at the supermarket, do you ever stop to wonder where it comes from?

Manchego means it comes from La Mancha. La Mancha, Don Quixote’s stomping ground, is an upland plateau in the very heart of Spain. It’s a land of open spaces and big skies, where shepherds move herds of sheep across stubbled fields. Windmills appear on ridge tops like a line of cavalry. The occasional castle with its medieval battlements looks for all the world like a movie set.

Authentic Manchego cheese—with a label showing the denominación de origen guaranteeing it’s place of origin—is made exclusively from the milk of sheep of the Manchega breed and produced within the designated areas of La Mancha. 

The cheese must be matured for a minimum of sixty days, producing a semi-cured cheese. Longer curing produces a drier cheese with a pronounced nutty flavor. (Though, “aged Manchego,” without the cheese added, could also mean an old man from La Mancha.) Sometimes cheeses are submerged in olive oil to keep them longer.

(You’ll find much more about cheese making in my book COOKING FROM THE HEART OF SPAIN—FOOD OF LA MANCHA.)

Manchego is one of those go-to cheeses that’s great for almost anything. Slice it and serve as a tapa; use it for grilled cheese sandwiches; grate it for a vegetable gratin; top a pizza with it; pair it with quince paste (membrillo) for dessert. Or use it for these delectable cheese flans.

Cheese Flans with Ham
Flan de Queso con Jamón

Egg whites folded into the custard give these flans a light texture. For a vegetarian version, omit the ham. Serve the flans with steamed broccoli or grilled asparagus as a luncheon entrée or with shrimp or crab and greens as a starter. A semi-cured Manchego cheese works best.

Serves 8.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
3 ½ tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1 cup light cream
½ cup tomato sauce (not concentrate)
2 eggs, separated, whites reserved in a clean bowl
2 whole eggs, beaten with 2 yolks
8 ounces Manchego cheese, grated
3 ounces chopped serrano or cooked ham
Pinch of cayenne
Pinch of dried thyme
½  teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Oil 8 (1-cup) custard cups or individual flan molds and set them in a baking pan.

Heat the oil in a saucepan and sauté the scallions 1 minute. Stir in the flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cream and cook on a medium heat until the custard begins to thicken, 5 minutes. Whisk in the tomato sauce and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.

Whisk in the beaten eggs and yolks. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese, ham, cayenne, thyme, salt and pepper.

Beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Beat 1/3 of the whites into the custard mixture. Fold the remaining whites thoroughly into the custard.

Ladle the custard mixture into the custard cups, filling them only ¾ full. Pour enough hot water into the baking pan to come halfway up the cups. Carefully transfer the pan to the oven. Bake until custards are set (a skewer comes out clean), 40 to 45 minutes.   

Remove the flans from the baking pan and let them cool at least 15 minutes. Loosen the sides with a knife and unmold the flans onto individual plates. Serve warm or room temperature.

Cheese flan with salad greens makes a delightful lunch.