Menu for a Dinner Party“This is Spanish?” asked one of my dinner guests, as I served a platter of rolled and stuffed pork loin. Well, yeah—pork, figs, Sherry, that’s all pretty Spanish. “It’s a recipe from one of my cookbooks,” I said.The guest, friend and colleague, Gerry Dawes, is a journalist and specialist in the wines of Spain who lives in New York, but spends long stretches of time travelling in Spain. (Read about Gerry's talks with Spain’s top chefs, wine makers and other figures in the world of gastronomy.) Gerry was passing through town, thus the occasion for my dinner party. “You know,” said Gerry, “you could serve this dinner in an American home and, if you didn’t say so beforehand, I doubt if anyone would identify it as Spanish.” He went on to say that I should do a cookbook, based on Spanish ingredients, but oriented towards American tastes. Gerry calls it “modernized traditional” Spanish cuisine.
In fact, once you take away paella, gazpacho and roast suckling pig, much of Spanish cooking could be modern-traditional-Mediterranean-Californian. Just add olive oil. I want Americans to realize that Spanish cooking is perfectly adaptable to how they want to eat.My menu was both Spanish and seasonal—chilly, rainy weather called for robust food and the days of carnaval, the Spanish equivalent of Mardi Gras, the last feast before Lent, seemed to demand an appearance by Don Carnal, Mr. Flesh. So, I went whole-hog and opted for a stuffed pork loin. Easy to prepare in advance, the loin could be popped in the oven before guests arrived. Requiring little attention, it was perfect for a dinner party.Here’s the complete menu:
Alioli dips (quince and piquillo pepper) with breadsticks
Wild boar pâté (from a can) with mini-toasts
Home-cured olives
Salad of oranges, scallions, celery, mesclun and (canned) quail escabeche
Pork loin with fig stuffing in Sherry sauce
Double-mashed potatoes
Chard sautéed with bacon and pine nuts
Cheese-custard tart with pearsPork Loin with Fig Stuffing in Sherry Sauce
Lomo de Cerdo Relleno con Higos al JerezIf possible, have the butcher butterfly the pork loin. To do this yourself: make a first horizontal cut, about one-third of the thickness of the meat, from one long side almost to the other side. Open up the flap. From the inside crease, make a second horizontal cut back to the first side, without cutting through the meat. Open up the second flap. You should have a single rectangular slab of meat, of more or less equal thickness. You will need skewers and kitchen twine to roll and fasten the stuffed meat.The meat can be salted, stuffed and rolled up to two days before cooking. Cover and refrigerate. Bring it to room temperature before continuing. Serves 8.
(Photos by Gerry Dawes)3 pounds boneless pork loinsalt and pepper1 cup fresh bread crumbs½ cup chopped serrano ham¼ cup chopped pork belly fat (fresh pancetta)1/3 cup chopped parsley½ cup chopped dry figs + 5 figs2 tablespoons brandy2 cloves garlic, minced1/8 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary3 tablespoons olive oil1 onion, chopped1 carrot, sliced1 cup dry Sherry1 cup waterOpen up the slab of meat and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.In a bowl combine the bread crumbs, ham, pork fat and parsley. Soak the chopped figs in brandy for 10 minutes. Add the figs to the ham mixture with the garlic, rosemary, ¼ teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well.Spread the stuffing mixture on the meat. Starting with a long side, roll the meat up. Secure with skewers, then tie it at intervals with butcher’s string. Preheat oven to 350ºF.Heat the oil in a pan large enough to hold the piece of meat. Brown the meat on all sides, adding the onion and carrot when meat is nearly browned. Add the five remaining figs.Add the Sherry and water. Bring to a boil and cover the pan. Place in the oven. After 30 minutes, turn the meat. Continue roasting until the meat is tender and reaches an internal temperature of 145ºF, about 30 minutes longer. Remove meat to a cutting board and cover loosely with foil.Skim fat from remaining liquid in the pan. Purée the liquid with carrots, onion and figs in a blender. Remove skewers and string from meat and slice it crosswise. Drizzle some of the sauce over the meat and serve the remaining sauce separately.Double-Mashed Potatoes
Patatas RevolconasThis side dish comes from Extremadura, where pimentón de la Vera, smoked paprika, is produced. It can be prepared in advance and reheated in the oven.Serves 6 to 8.3 pounds potatoes1 bay leaf¼ cup extra virgin olive oil4 cloves garlic, peeled1 tablespoon sweet pimentón de la Verapinch of hot pimentón or cayenne½ teaspoon ground cumin1 teaspoon saltPeel the potatoes, cut into chunks and cook them in boiling salted water with the bay leaf until fork tender. Drain, saving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or wooden spoon, adding ½ cup of the reserved liquid.Heat the oil in a large skillet and fry the cloves of garlic until they are golden and remove them to a blender container. Add the pimentón, cumin and salt and remaining ½ cup of liquid and blend until smooth. Add the mashed potatoes to the oil in the skillet. Pour over the garlic mixture and mash it into the potatoes. Reheat, turning the potatoes in the oil. If they are to be prepared in advance, heap them in an oven dish, cover with foil and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before reheating, covered, in a medium-hot oven. Sautéed Chard with Bacon and Pine Nuts
Acelgas Salteadas con Tocino y PiñonesServes 6 to 8 as a side dish.2 pounds fresh chard, washed, trimmed and chopped 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons pine nuts1 ounce chopped bacon2 cloves chopped garlic½ teaspoon saltfreshly ground black peppergrated lemon zestHeat the oil in a deep skillet and fry the pine nuts for a few seconds until they are toasted. Skim them out and reserve. Add the bacon to the pan and fry until crisped. Skim it out.Add the garlic to the pan and, when it begins to turn golden, add the chopped chard. Sauté the chard for 5 minutes. Add ½ cup water, salt and pepper. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove cover and cook another 5 minutes until most excess liquid has evaporated. Toss the pine nuts and bacon with the chard. Grate lemon zest over the top and serve the chard hot.
My good friend, artist Charlotte Gordon (see her work here), was a recent dinner guest at my house. She loved the dessert, a Spanish take on cheesecake, and asked me for the recipe. So, here it is, for all to enjoy.
(Photo by Gerry Dawes)
Called quesada or tarta cuajada, this cheese tart comes from the northern region of Cantabria, famous for its cow’s milk cheeses. It is made with soft, fresh cheese, before the curds have been pressed or salted. You could use unsalted cottage cheese, beaten smooth; ricotta; fromage blanc; or yogurt that has been drained in a colander lined with cheesecloth for an hour.
I substituted Greek yogurt—already drained and thickened—and cream cheese.
I made a crumb crust by pulverizing leftover Spanish Christmas cookies, mantecados and polvorones, with their scents of cinnamon, almond and sesame, and mixing the crumbs with an egg yolk. You can use any favorite crumb crust or try the olive oil crust in my recipe below.
The sliced pears are lovely for winter desserts. But the cheesecake is equally good without them. A tart fruit sauce—of apricots or raspberries—also goes nicely with the cheese tart.
Incidentally, for those minimalist cooks out there, I make this “cheesecake”, without the crust and without the pears, in individual glass cups and cooked in the microwave (with a vented microwave cover; at medium power, for 2 minutes X 3, turning cups a quarter-turn after each 2-minute interval, and allowing to rest 5 minutes before removing).
Got any more recipe requests? Charlotte suggested a "dial-a-recipe," so, instead of phoning me when she's searching for a recipe, she can request it on the blog. Maybe this could work---
Cheese-Custard Tart with Pears
Quesada con Peras
Olive oil makes a crisp-bottomed pastry that contrasts beautifully with the smooth cheese-custard and pear filling.
1 ½ cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
pinch of aniseed
1 ¾ cups sugar, divided
4 eggs
½ cup olive oil
2 bosc pears, peeled, cored and sliced
1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup cream cheese, softened
1 cup Greek yogurt
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
For the crust: Combine the 1 ½ cups flour, baking soda, salt and ½ teaspoon cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Add the aniseeds and ½ cup sugar. Beat one egg and beat in the oil. Mix this into the dry ingredients.
Use fingers to press the crust mixture into the bottom and 2 inches up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
For the filling: Combine the sliced pears with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and ¼ cup sugar. Reserve 4 slices of pear. Spead the remaining pears in one layer on top of the crust.
Beat the cream cheese at medium speed until smooth. Beat in the yogurt and the remaining 1 cup of sugar. Add ½ tablespoon of lemon juice and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Beat in remaining 1 tablespoon of flour and 3 eggs, one by one.
Carefully pour custard mixture over the pears in pan. Place reserved sliced pear on top.
Bake until custard is set, about 75 minutes. Allow to partially cool before removing springform sides. Serve the tart warm or chilled.
New Englanders may protest that their beloved chowder has “protected geographical denomination” and can’t possibly have a Mediterranean inflection. But, according to the dictionary, chowder is “a thick soup or stew, typically made of clams or fish and various vegetables”. By that definition, this Spanish fish soup certainly qualifies. Besides, its creamy, white color and the inclusion of potatoes and ham make me think of chowder. So, although chowder doesn’t really translate to Spanish, that’s what I named it in English.
In southern Spain, where this soup comes from, it’s called gazpachuelo, sopa Viña AB (the name of a brand of Sherry), sopa sevillana or sopa malagueña. Its lovely, creamy consistency comes, not from milk or cream, but from an emulsion of olive oil and egg.Which is why I am making this Mediterranean chowder for dinner tonight. A few days ago, writing about my new olive oil (you can read about that here ), I prepared a batch of alioli, garlic mayonnaise—an emulsion of olive oil and egg. I served it as a party dip to guests, but I still have some left over—the starting point for the soup. I only needed to buy fish and shrimp.I like to make this soup as a main course dish, loaded with chunks of fish. I usually use fresh hake (merluza), a white fish related to cod. I use the head, bones and trimmings to make a simple stock. The chunks of boneless fish cook quickly and are added to the soup at the very last minute. Any white fish could be substituted for hake. I used halibut when cooking in Seattle. Small clams are often included too. If you use them, steam them open first, discard shells and add the clams to the soup at the last minute. MEDITERRANEAN SEAFOOD CHOWDER
GAZPACHUELODon’t boil the soup after you whisk in the egg-oil mixture or it will separate. Serves 6.1 egg, room temperature½ cup extra virgin olive oil¼ cup fresh lemon juice1 teaspoon salt8 cups simple fish stock (recipe follows)1 ½ cups diced potatoes¼ cup shelled peas, fresh or frozen1 ½ cups boneless chunks of white fish¼ cup chopped serrano ham1/3 cup peeled shrimp (3 ounces)¼ cup dry Sherrysalt, to tastePlace the egg in a blender container. With the motor running, add the oil in a slow stream until it is thick and emulsified. Blend in the lemon juice and salt. Set aside.Put the fish stock in a soup pot and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and simmer, covered, until tender, about 15 minutes. Add the peas and cook 5 minutes more. Then add the chunks of fish, ham, shrimp and Sherry. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.With the motor running, ladle some of the hot soup into the emulsion in the blender. Remove the soup from the heat and whisk the emulsion into the soup. Serve immediately. The soup can be reheated, but do not boil. Simple fish stock:Makes 10 cups stock. Remaining stock can be frozen.1 pound small fish, fish heads, bones, trimmings plus any shrimp shells12 cups water1 tablespoon salt½ onion, slicedstrip of lemon peelstrip of orange peel1 stalk of celerysmall carrot, split lengthwiseseveral stems of parsleypinch of thymePlace all the ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil and skim. Partially cover and simmer for 1 hour. Strain the stock and discard solids.
