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By Katie O'Neill
Alubias Blancas con Almejas
(Haricot
beans with clams)
2 jars precooked white haricot beans, approx. 550
g each jar (OR 250 g uncooked white beans, soaked and cooked according
to package directions until tender)
¾ kg small clams, rinsed
1 ripe tomato, peeled and chopped
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
olive oil
Place the clams in a saucepan with some salt and
just enough water to cover; cook on high just until most have opened.
Set aside about ¾ cup of the broth and drain off the rest,
and remove the clam from the shells, leaving only some shells intact.
Discard any clams that have not opened. Rinse the beans well and
set aside. Cover the bottom of a skillet with olive oil and sauté
on high the onion and garlic with the bay leaf, adding the tomato
after a few minutes. Now add the beans and the reserved clam broth
and cook until heated through; add the clams and salt to taste before
serving. A sprinkle of freshly ground pepper adds a nice touch.
Serves four as a main dish.
Rabo de Toro Estofado
(Stewed Oxtail)
2 oxtails, cut into pieces
2 onions, peeled, whole
1 bay leaf
a few peppercorns
2 whole cloves
¼ kg carrots, peeled
250 ml white wine
Place the oxtail pieces in a large pot with plenty
of water. Push the whole cloves into the onions and add with the
bay leaf, peppercorns, carrots and wine; heat on high until boiling
and then lower the heat and let simmer, uncovered, three to four
hours or until the meat begins to fall off the bone. Set the meat
pieces on the serving dish and discard the bay leaf and cloves.
Use a hand blender to purée the remaining broth and vegetables,
and serve this sauce over the meat (salt to taste first). This dish
is very nice accompanied with fried potatoes or sautéed mixed
vegetables. Serves six as a hearty main dish.
Jibia con Tomate
(Cuttlefish with tomato
sauce)
1 large cuttlefish (jibia/sepia), cleaned and cut
up into pieces
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 large can stewed, puréed tomatoes (about 820 g tomate
triturado NOT tomate frito)
1 bay leaf
10 peppercorns
olive oil
Cover bottom of a skillet with olive oil and sauté
the onion with the bay leaf and peppercorns on high for a few minutes.
Add the cuttlefish and then the tomato sauce after a few minutes;
cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for an hour or so until the
cuttlefish is very tender when pierced with a fork. Salt to
taste. Serve with
white rice. Serves four to six, depending upon the size of the
cuttlefish.
Tip: For the cuttlefish to really get tender, it
should be frozen first, and then defrosted in the refrigerator
overnight. Be sure to cook on low; increasing heat to speed up
the
cooking will only result in making the fish tougher. Often the
cuttlefish for sale in the markets has already been frozen, so
do ask while
you are there.
MORE DISHES
For the somewhat more adventurous cook...
Riñones al Jerez
(Kidneys with
a Sherry Sauce)
1 kg pork kidneys
2 medium onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 Tablespoon flour
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
1 glass dry sherry
olive oil, parsley, salt
First you must clean the kidneys (this step is absolutely
necessary): wash and cut into pieces, removing the white parts and
fat, if they have any. Steam in a steaming basket, about fifteen
minutes; rinse well and throw away the steaming water. (Or, alternatively,
you can cut into pieces, salt thoroughly, sat aside for about thirty
minutes and then rinse and soak in fresh water for about ten minutes.)
Now heat enough olive oil in a skillet to cover the bottom, add
the onions and sauté for a few minutes. In the meantime,
mash the garlic with some parsley, and a little bit of salt. Add
the kidneys to the onions and sauté about five minutes, add
the flour and the paprika and stir it a couple times, then add the
mashed garlic mixture with the sherry and let cook another few minutes,
just until the sauce has thickened. Serve with white rice. Makes
enough for six people.
Pescaíto Frito
(Fried Fish)
This is really "pescadito frito", but
with the coastal southern accent it ends up sounding like "pescaíto"
and is now commonly referred to as such.
There isn´t really a proper recipe, you just
need to take a trip over to the local produce and meat/fish market
one morning. Mondays and the first day after any holiday are not
especially good days to go, since the fish that is out then was
not caught just the day before, but rather whatever was leftover
from the last market day, or frozen goods. (Keep in mind, however,
that deep sea fish will almost always be previously frozen since
the boats cannot come back each day, and have to freeze it on board.)
Look out for whatever you like best, or boquerones (fresh anchovies),
calamaritos (baby calamari) or calamares(calamari), salmonetes (small
red mullet), cazón (dogfish; first marinate in a spice mixture
available in markets, usually to be mixed with a little white wine
and olive oil), rosada or mero (grouper).
The way to prepare the fish would simply be to first
put a skillet of olive oil on to heat, enough to be able to submerge
or at least partially submerge whatever it is you will be frying.
(The oil doesn´t have to be extra virgen for frying, there
are less expensive pure olive oils that are more appropriate, but
do make sure it is olive oil). The oil should get quite hot but
not begin to smoke. While you are waiting for the oil to heat, lightly
rinse the fish and pat it dry. Pour some flour onto a plate (be
generous). Sprinkle the fish with salt, to taste. Just before frying,
cover the fish with the flour and shake off any excess.
Fry each type of fish separately, but you can use
the same oil, as long as it is allowed to get hot enough before
you put in the next batch (though once used to fry fish, the oil
will not be useable for anything else other than fish, or to be
thrown away once cooled). Fry just until the fish appears cooked
or becomes golden (you may want to try a piece to be sure it is
just right), remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
The ideal way to eat this is as soon as it is done, while it is
still hot. Having a nice salad ready to go with it makes a complete
meal.
The above goes for fried fish, but often one wants
to avoid the frying or simply feels like having fish prepared a
different way. "A la plancha", or grilled, is also very
popular. Again, go to the market, and look for the freshest you
can find: calamar, atún (tuna), pez espada (swordfish) all
come out nicely. Rinse and dry the fish, and then just put on a
large skillet with a little bit of olive oil to heat. When hot,
place the fish in the pan, salt to taste, and add a little minced
garlic and parsley if desired. Cook on high just until done and
serve immediately.
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