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 

Quinoa Salad with (Canned)Partridge in Escabeche

 

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Author and Spanish cooking expert Janet Mendel tells the story of the Moorish influence on Spanish cooking through 120 recipes and photographs for modern-day dishes, from salads and vegetables to fish, poultry and meat to sweets and pastries, that trace their heritage to foods served in medieval times.  (Hippocrene Books)    

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CONJURING FROM THE CUPBOARD (2)

Cod fillets from the freezer, canned piquillo peppers from the cupboard--dinner is ready in no time.

Last week, after a shopping trip to the Coast, I regaled myself with fresh seafood—calamares for squid sandwiches, a pair of dorada (gilt-head bream) for roasting and gambas, head-on, never-been-frozen,  shrimp. This week, it’s back to frozen fish—a packet of cod fillets.

I imagine most of you, living with restrictions on shopping, are making omissions and substitutions in favorite recipes. Me too. My plan is to use the frozen cod in place of dry salt cod in a traditional recipe for bacalao a la Bilbaina, cod as prepared in Bilbao (Basque Country). Instead of roasted bell peppers, I’m subbing canned piquillo peppers.

Canned piquillo peppers.

Piquillos are one of my pantry staples. These small, fire-roasted peppers add a bittersweet piquancy to any dish.

Use any white fish fillets, fresh or frozen and thawed, for this quick and easy preparation. If you don’t have piquillos, use ordinary canned pimientos or fresh bell peppers, roasted and peeled.

The peppers and garlicky oil make the sauce for the cod. Serve with fries or boiled potatoes.

Flecks of chile add to the flavors of sweet and piquant piquillo peppers.

Pretty good for frozen fish! Simmered in olive oil, the cod stays moist.

Cod with Red Peppers, Bilbao Style
Bacalao a la Bilbaina

Serves 4.

1 ½ pounds cod fillets, thawed if frozen
1 can piquillo peppers, drained
¼ cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons Sherry vinegar
Salt
1 small dry chile, sliced crosswise
1 tablespoon flour
6 tablespoons water

Sauté strips of peppers.

Slice or tear the peppers into strips. Chop one clove of garlic. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a small skillet and sauté the pepper strips on medium heat, stirring, until they begin to brown, 5 minutes. Season them with salt and stir in the vinegar. Remove the peppers and keep them warm.

Heat remaining 3 tablespoons of oil in a cazuela or skillet. Slice the remaining 4 cloves of garlic and add to the oil with the chile. Fry until garlic just begins to turn golden. Skim out the garlic and chile and reserve.

Remove the cazuela from the heat and stir in the flour.
Place the pieces of cod, skin side down, in the cazuela in one layer. Return it to the heat for 2 minutes, shaking the cazuela to mix the flour and oil with the cod.

Shake and swirl the cazuela to mix. Add 1 tablespoon of the water. Shake, rock and swirl the cazuela. Then add another tablespoon of water. Continue, adding 6 tablespoons of water. Cook on moderate heat, swirling and shaking the pan, until fish is just cooked through, 4-5 minutes, depending on thickness.

Place the fish on heated plates. Divide the peppers between the cod fillets, heaping them on top. Scatter the reserved bits of garlic and chile over the peppers. Spoon the oil remaining in the pan over the fish and peppers. Garnish with sprigs of parsley.

Another recipe for frozen cod:
Batter-Fried Cod with Piquillo Alioli.

More recipes with piquillo peppers:
Piquillo Pepper Dip.
Eggplant Rollups with Piquillo Pepper Sauce.
Potato Roulade with Piquillo Peppers.
Piquillo Pepper Ketchup.

Lockdown update: In Spain's gradual de-escalation from strict stay-at-home rules, Málaga province, where I live, on Monday will begin Fase 1 (an advance from phase 0!), allowing gatherings of up to 10 people and the opening of shops (not dine-in restaurants). Some Madrileños are banging on pots and pans to protest being stuck in Phase 0. Mercifully, the number of new cases and fatalities across the country continues to fall.

Last week's fresh fish--gilt-head bream roasted with potatoes and zucchini (Recipe is here.)

SPAIN, FROM THE HEART

 Families and Food
 

If you live in the US and have an interest in the food of Spain, you likely have heard of La Tienda, an on-line retail store that specializes in foods imported from Spain. Not so many years ago, before pimentón, chorizo, olive oil from Spain, serrano and ibérico ham became popular in many American supermarkets, La Tienda http://www.tienda.com/  was one of a very few places to find authentic Spanish products.

La Tienda is featuring recipes from one of my cookbooks, TAPAS—A BITE OF SPAIN on its web site. TAPAS, with scrumptious photos by Michelle Chaplow, was published by Santana Books in Spain. La Tienda has a near-exclusive stock of this book in America. The current recipe is “Piquillo Peppers Stuffed With Prawns.” Piquillo peppers imported from Spain are available from La Tienda. Have a look at the recipe here http://www.tienda.com/recipes/emails/021511.html . Should you wish to order the book from La Tienda, just click on the picture of it at the end of the recipe.  (And, my blog about piquillo peppers here  http://mykitcheninspain.blogspot.com/2009/11/pick-peck-of-piquillo-peppers.html .)

La Tienda is a family business that was founded in 1996 by Don Harris and his wife, Ruth. The couple lived in Spain with their children during the 1970s, in El Puerto de Santa María (Cádiz), when Don was stationed at the nearby naval base of Rota.

Explained Don, La Tienda was a way to share a taste of Spain as well as the country’s  grace, warmth and traditions that have brought so much to the lives of their family.

“Family is our focus,” Don writes on the web site. “Just as the family is central to life in Spain, we hope to share that emphasis with everyone we work with: our customers, our employees, and our vendors. And, of course, nothing brings a family together like a wonderful meal!” Two of their three sons also work in the business. All make frequent trips to Spain, renewing friendships and searching out products.

Now Don has written a book, THE HEART OF SPAIN—FAMILIES AND FOOD (Duende Press; Williamsburg, VA.), telling about the producers and purveyors and their families in Spain as well as some of the background about certain products. He takes you to visit a cheese maker in La Mancha, Sherry families in Jerez, bean producers in La Granja, ham on the hoof, saffron in the field, shopkeepers, cooks and sauce makers. The book is a little bit of a travel guide, but always illustrated with personal encounters. If there were a “cloud” of most-used words, it would emphasize the words “family,” “traditional,” “values,” “warmly,” “dignity,” “friendship,” “continuity,” “spirituality”  

There are no recipes in THE HEART OF SPAIN, so I selected a recipe from one of my own books, using a product from La Tienda. This is Chocolate a la Taza, thick drinking chocolate, often served with churros, fried strips of batter, for dunking. La Tienda sells Valor brand chocolate a la taza for making drinking chocolate.

In his book, Don Harris relates the story of King Philip II, an early (16th century) aficionado of chocolate. The king, a pious Catholic, faced a dilemma: if chocolate was considered a food, then he would be deprived of it during Lent. But, if the Church classified chocolate as a beverage, he was within bounds, for beverages were not included in the rules of fasting. His confessor assured the scrupulous Philip that drinking chocolate was exempt from fasting requirements. Chocolate continues to be a sweet and comforting delight during the otherwise austere Lenten fast leading up to Easter.

The squares of chocolate already contain sugar and thickening. All you do is add squares of the Valor bar to milk, simmer it on the stove and stir occasionally until it reaches desired thickness. The thickness can be adjusted by the number of chocolate squares used and how long it is heated. On average, 2-3 squares per cup of milk and around 2 minutes simmering time  produces a delicious mug of hot chocolate!

The following recipe is for making Spanish-style drinking chocolate if you don’t have tablets of Valor chocolate a la taza handy. It is adapted from MY KITCHEN IN SPAIN, the cookbook. There is no recipe there for churros, the fried strips of batter to accompany the chocolate, as I find them difficult to make in the home kitchen, but there is a recipe for buñuelos, also served to accompany chocolate. (That recipe is here.)

 (Photo of chocolate and churros by Jerónimo Alba from COOKING IN SPAIN.)

Hot Drinking Chocolate
Chocolate a la Taza
   
This is more like liquid chocolate pudding than like cocoa. It’s thick enough to coat a spoon. It can be prepared with water, milk or a combination.

Serves 4.
 

  8 ounces (8 squares) semi-sweet chocolate

3 cups water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Break the chocolate into pieces and put in a pan with 2 cups of the water. Heat, stirring, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

Stir the cornstarch with 1 cup water until it is smooth. Return the chocolate to the heat. Beat in the milk, sugar and cornstarch. Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. Cook 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Add additional sugar, if desired.

Pour into mugs and serve. The chocolate can be kept hot in a double boiler over simmering water. It can be reheated in a microwave.