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Spanish recipes
By Anthony Pemberton
Figures from the European Union show that people living in Mediterranean countries like Spain can expect to live longer on average than people in other countries. The Mediterranean, particularly the Spanish, diet consists of lots of oil, salt and fat, so how can this possibly be more healthy? According to some experts it is not the type, but the quality of the ingredients Spaniards use that makes the difference. Almost everything in Spain is organic and fresh, and products such as meat and vegetables are almost always bought from a local market which for most Spaniards, is simply a way of life. These fresh ingredients are obviously incorporated into the Spanish recipes and the gastronomy of the country which does boast many different foods to please anybody´s pallet.
Many of Spain´s dishes and recipes contain the essentials of olive oil and garlic, with onions, bread, salt, meats and seafood forming staples or main components to a typical Spanish dish be it as a core ingredient or as an accompaniment.
True Spanish cooking is rich and varied, much like the country itself. Spain´s culinary history began with the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians settling the coastal areas. Later the Romans, and more importantly the Moors brought with them elements of their own cooking which lingered and blended into Spain´s culinary heritage. Imports from the New World included the tomato, potato, sweet potato, vanilla, chocolate, many varieties of beans, courgette, and the various peppers and chilies. The golden spice saffron enhances many Spanish foods, paella in particular as well as many other dishes including Asturian fabada, a wonderful mixture of beans, chorizo, morcilla and salt pork.
Many Spanish recipes are heavily influenced by seafood available from the sea surrounding the country. Seafood is one of the country’s most famous specialities, you can be fairly sure that whatever you order from the menu in a Spanish restaurant has been bought that day and probably caught the day before that.
However, recipes for Spanish dishes differ depending on the region. For example in the case of seafood, it can be found all over Spain but is found more in cooking in coastal areas like Valencia, Andalusia and Galicia. Inland traditional dishes use meat products more often.
The Spanish climate means that most fruit and vegetables are home-grown. The perfectly rounded apples and smooth peppers we are used to in other European supermarkets are nowhere to be seen here. Fruit and vegetables in Spain are GM-free meaning that they may appear haggard or lumpy, this however simply equates to a stronger and more natural flavour and texture.
Here is a traditional Spanish recipe which employs fresh ingredients:
Adalusian Gazpacho
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1 Kilo tomatoes (preferably plum tomatoes)
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1/2 small onion (60 grams)
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1 small green pepper
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1 small cucumber (the small chubby Spanish type)
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1 small cup of olive oil
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2 desert spoons of vinagre
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200 grams of bread from the day before, soaked in water
Steps:
· Put the tomatoes, onion, pepper, cucumber, vinegar, oil and bread into a liquidizer. If you want to dilute it, add a glass of water.
Tip: if you want to go for a tangy garlic taste, add a small amount of fresh garlic to the mixture before liquidizing.
· Put the mixture into a bowl, add salt and pepper and leave the gazpacho to chill for at least an hour. If you want to eat it straight away, you can put some ice cubes in to cool it down. Gazpacho is a summer dish which is meant to hydrate and cool down your body. So the colder the better!
· Serve the gazpacho in soup bowls, with the portions of diced tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion, croutons etc on the table, so that everyone can add them to their bowl as they prefer.
Tip: you can also sprinkle diced Serrano ham or hardboiled egg.
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