Having lived in Spain since 1999, Pure Adventures guide Bo Lohmann is knows a lot about the cuisine unique to this part of the world. Fresh vegetables, olive oil and sea salt are staples in a Spanish diet and simple preparation makes it easy for you to try any (or all) his favorite Spanish recipes.
Exqueixar
Exqueixar is a typical salad of Catalan cuisine that consists of desalted and torn dried and salted cod mixed with vegetables, such as tomatoes, onions, and sometimes pepper. The tomatoes may be chopped finely or grated. It is dressed with olive oil. Olives are usually added, as well as (occasionally) other ingredients, such as hard-boiled eggs. It is typically eaten during the summer.
Ingredients
- 500g of salt cod
- 4 tomatoes
- 1 onion
- handful of black and green olives
- vinegar
- olive oil
Method
- First, place the salted cod in water for six to eight hours to rehydrate and remove excess salt. Change the water two or three times, first after half an hour, and then an hour after that. Drain the cod and tear it into fine strips. Chop the onion and tomatoes and combine with the cod. Add olives, vinegar and olive oil. Marinate for one hour and store in the fridge. Salt to taste.
Recipe and photo credit: Wikipedia
Salmorejo
Salmorejo is a soup consisting of tomato and bread, originating in Cordoba (Andalusia) in the south of Spain. The soup is served cold and garnished with diced Spanish Serrano ham and diced hard-boiled eggs.
Ingredients
- 1 lb / 450 g tomatoes
- 1 / 2 clove(s) of garlic
- 2 oz / 50 g white bread
- 1-2 tbsp vinegar
- olive oil
- sea salt
Method
- Skin the tomatoes and remove their cores. Using a blender, liquefy the tomatoes and garlic and add the vinegar and seasoning. Soak the bread in water until tender, then wring it out. Next, add half of the bread and blend until smooth. Continue adding bread and a little olive oil and blending until the cream has a smooth, creamy consistency. Chill the soup and then serve in a shallow bowl, garnished with ham and egg and accompanied by fresh bread.
Recipe and photo credit: Wikipedia
Calçot
Calçots are milder and less bulbous than onions and have a length of between 15 and 25 cm (white part) and a diameter of 1.7 to 2.5 cm at the root. Planted in trenches, like an onion, as a single bulb, and successively increasing the depth of the soil around the stems throughout autumn and winter, they sprout into 4-10 shoots, roughly the shape of small leeks. The most traditional way of eating calçots is in a calçotada (plural: calçotades), a popular gastronomical event held between the end of winter and March or April, where calçots are consumed massively. Calçots are then grilled and dipped in salvitxada or romesco sauce, and accompanied by red wine or cava. Pieces of meat and bread slices are roasted in the charcoal after cooking the calçots.
Recipe and photo credit: Wikipedia