Fancy a quickie ? Patatas Bravas....fast and cheap

The Spanish love their potatoes but I think they lack imagination when it comes to creating new and exiting dishes with them. The only one potato dish that I can truly recommend is Patatas Bravas [Brave Potatoes] named so because of their hot and spicy sauce. Patatas bravas are thick chopped potatoes that have been parboiled before being deep-fried, and are served with one or more piquant sauces, salsa brava and all i oli . These little potatoes are probably the most traditional tapas food in Spain and they can be found almost everywhere. Patatas Bravas is also a very quick dish to whip-up, feeds plenty and  is cheap.....I like that !!!

The humble potato plant

The potato was first domesticated and cultivated as a crop by the ancestors of the Incas in Peru . All Spaniards are firmly convinced that Spain was the first country in Europe to import the potato from the New World, but most are hazy on the details of who or when, and mutter something vague about Columbus in 1492. English or Irish versions involving Sir Walter Raleigh and the Golden Hind are dismissed as the bogus claims of a pirate.  

Below are a few other ways the Spanish like their spuds.

Patatas fritas ( chips) can also refer to crisps, but these can be further distinguished by calling them patatas fritas de bolsa .
Patatas al horno refers only to baked potatoes, however another Spanish way to cook potatoes in the oven is 'patatas a lo pobre', rather like lyonaisse potatoes in Ireland , chopped up and roasted in oil with lots of onions.
Patatas hervidas / cocidas [boiled potatoes] or patatas al vapor [steamed potatoes] are often served with judias verdes [green beans], guisantes [peas], acelgas [Swiss chard] or col [cabbage] as a first course. They also frequently accompany fish, but rarely appear as part of a main course dish with meat or poultry. However, they feature prominently in many bean dishes and stews.
Patatas guisadas are potatoes boiled with scraps of meat on the bone, as is estofada de patatas . The meat is often almost inedible , but nevertheless gives the spuds a lot of flavour. Again, this is usually a first course.
Puré de patatas [mashed potato] usually seems to be made from a packet in household kitchens, though of course not in good restaurants.
Potato salad consists of cold boiled potatoes slathered in mayonnaise or al i oli sauce often appear as tapas or bar snacks.
Ensaladilla rusa [Russian salad] another common tapa, is cold potatoes sprinkled with paprika or cayenne pepper and a drop of olive oil, with tinned tuna, hard boiled eggs and olives,
Boñatos [sweet potatoes] are popular in autumn, and can be bought hot from street stalls that also sell roasted castañas [chestnuts]

Authentic Patatas Bravas

Serves 4

Ingredients
Potatoes:
500ml (2 cups) olive oil
4 large potatoes
Salt to taste


Salsa Brava
85ml (1/3 cup) tomate frito (a tomato sauce made from pureed tomatoes, onion and garlic with a little sugar and vinegar).
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground cumin
cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce to taste

Method
Parboil the potatoes with their skins still intact either on the stove or in the microwave in a covered bowl filled with water. The potatoes are finished boiling when you put a knife in them, and they are still slightly firm. Set the potatoes aside, so they can cool.

In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the salsa brava, adding white vinegar and cayenne pepper until the sauce tastes tangy and spicy. Set the sauce aside.

Drain, peel and cut the potatoes into 3 cm (1 inch) cubes. Deep-fry or sauté in oil at medium heat until golden brown. Remove the potatoes from the oil and pat them dry with a paper towel to remove excess oil.
Put the potatoes on a serving plate, sprinkle them with salt and drizzle them with the bravas sauce. Some prefer to serve the sauce on the side, but traditionally the sauce is drizzled over top. For an extra tasty version, add a large spoonful of garlic mayonnaise just before serving.

Can we thank the Irish for Samhain?

Most holidays commemorate or celebrate something. But what about Halloween? What is Halloween actually a celebration of? And how did this peculiar custom originate? Is it, as some claim, a kind of demon worship? Or is it just a harmless vestige of some ancient pagan ritual where folks get together for parties, dress up in Halloween costumes and bob for apples?

Halloween originates from the ancient Celts' celebrations and is based on their 'Feast of Samhain'. The Catholic church attempted to replace the Pagan festival with All Saints' or All Hallows' day, followed by All Souls' Day, on November 2nd.

The eve became known as: All Saints' Eve, All Hallows' Eve, or Hallowe'en. All Saints' Day is said to be the day when souls walked the Earth. In early Christian tradition souls were released from purgatory on All Hallow's Eve for 48 hours.

Literally translated, Samhain means "Summer's End". At this time, the hours of nighttime were growing significantly over the hours of sunlight. Hence, Lord Samhain reigned over the long winter months as the influence of the Sun god and the summer season (Beltaine or Beltane) preceded. Samhain's influence grows with the increase in the hours of darkness, as he can only roam the earth during hours of darkness.

The Druids believed that on their New Year's Eve, all of the people who died in the past year would rise up and search for the passageway to the netherworld. On this night the passageway or "veil" between both worlds was it's thinnest. Lord Samhain would roam the earth in search of these souls to capture them and take them to his world of darkness. To this day, some people put lights in their windows to help the dead find their way, and keep Lord Samhain away from taking them.

Samhain Traditions and Beliefs

Samhain is considered a time to eliminate weaknesses - our Celtic ancestors slaughtered weak animals that were not likely to survive the winter and their meat was salted and stored for the dark months, this has evolved into the custom of writing your own weaknesses onto a piece of paper then burning them.

It was customary at Samhain to leave an empty chair and a plate of food for any dead guests, so that they would not be offended.

 At the stroke of midnight - believed to be the hour the dead visited - all remained   silent  in respect.

When a candle flame flickers on Halloween night it is being touched by the spirits of dead ancestors.    

Those born on All Hallows Eve are believed to have the gift of second sight.

If you catch a falling leaf on Samhain before it touches the ground it will bring you good luck and health for the coming winter.

Halloween lanterns
The tradition of face-carved pumpkin lanterns is thought to be derived from the Celts' placing of ancestors' skulls outside their doors at this time. Others see it as originating from using lanterns to ward off any evil spirits, which may be wandering through the thin veil into the living world on this All Hallows Eve.

The lit pumpkins also symbolise that in the darkness of winter the light continues within the seeds, tubers and bulbs dormant under the earth - they are still full of life and glowing like the candles within the pumpkins.

The name Jack O'Lantern derives from an old Irish tale of a villain who after he died could not enter heaven or hell - a damned soul. So he was condemned to wander the land with only a candle to see his way (some say it was a hot ember from the devil), which he placed inside a gouged out vegetable to act as a lantern. Others believe Jack-O-Lantern was a mischievous spirit who carried a light at night and lures night travellers into bogs or marshes, which were the dwelling places of fairies.


The Jack O' Lantern used to be made from a turnip, but Irish emigrants to America adopted the plentiful pumpkin since it is much easier to carve. In the Isle of Man they still carve turnips to make lanterns and call the night 'Hop To Naa', not Hallowe’en, or Trick or Treating.

The custom of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated not with the Irish Celts, but with a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes," made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers, could expeditea soul's passage to heaven. 

   In Greek mythology, goddesses of the underworld were often used to invoke the Samhain. Popular Greek Goddess costumes portray Hecate and Medusa. Hecate was the most favored goddess by Zeus, and mptiness between the worlds of life and death looking for souls of the dead. Both were considered serpent goddesses, and their ancient dark legends spawned myths such as vampires, who fed off the living using venom and snake-like fangs. Ritualistic dress includes snake adornments and three headed masks. Today, Hecate is often referred to as the goddess of witches.

So, although some cults may have adopted Halloween as their favorite "holiday," the day itself did not grow out of evil practices. It grew out of the rituals of Celts celebrating a new year, and out of Medieval prayer rituals of Europeans. And today, even many churches have parties complete with Halloween costumes or pumpkin carving events for the kids. After all, the day itself is only as evil as one cares to make it.

Colcannon - A Halloween Recipe

Here's a wonderful little Irish recipe that I've grown up with.

Colcannon is an Irish dish that is rich in tradition and history. It was traditionally made and eaten on Halloween, as the eating of meat was not allowed. Some families would leave out a plate of colcannon, with a lump of melted butter in the centre, for the fairies and the ghosts.

It was also used as a way of telling someone’s fortune. The idea was to wrap a miniature thimble, a ring, a miniature horseshoe, a button and a silver sixpence in white paper, these items were then dropped into the prepared dish and stirred in through the mixture. The Colcannon was then served and whoever got a little parcel would  know their future, as each item had a meaning as follows; the ring-you will marry or if already married will continue to be happy, silver sixpence-wealth, horseshoe-good luck, thimble-you would be spinster and the button- a bachelor.  

Ths is my mother's recipe.....enjoy!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 small, finely shredded, Savoy cabbage

6 potatoes

1 onion, finely chopped

1 leek, chopped

1/4 litre milk
1/4 lb melted butter
6 rashers of lean bacon (optional)

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method

Cook potatoes in a pot of boiling water until tender. Drain and reserve the water. Place the hot potatoes in a large bowl.

Add chopped cabbage to the reserved potato water. Cook 4-6 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, fry the onion and leek in the butter. Remove from pan and add diced bacon, cook until crispy.

When they are cool enough to handle, mash potatoes with a hand masher or fork. Add the fried onions, leek, bacon and cabbage.

Add milk, salt and pepper and beat until fluffy.

To serve

Serve in soup bowls, making a little well in the middle for the melted butter

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Spanish Olives (Aceitunas)

Spanish olives are rated amongst the best in the world and Spain produces almost 30% of the world's olive oil and is responsible for almost half of the world's olive production, not surprising really as some of the best varieties of olive are found in Spain with a substantial quantity coming from Andalusia.

It was the Phoenicians who first brought the olive tree to Spain, but the Ancient Romans are credited with establishing vast farms of olives, often owned by absentee landlords who lived back in Rome. Although Italy produced its own olives, the Romans relied on Spain as a major supplier of olive oil to the Empire.
At this period green and black olives were cured in salt or brine and eaten both at grand Roman banquets as appetizers and by the common man as a breakfast snack with a hunk of bread.

The Moorish invasion of Spain in the 8th century AD developed and sustained the olive industry in Southern Spain, as it declined in many other parts of the former Roman Empire, introducing new varieties and production methods. 800 years later when the last of the Moors left Spain and it was ruled by Catholic kings, a taste for olive oil was considered to indicate suspicious sympathies for the old regime and lard was re-established as the principle cooking fat in all but the southern regions of Spain.

A handful of olives continued to be a common snack throughout the centuries in Southern Spain. When the tradition of tapas was born, as a snack to accompany a glass of wine in between meals, the first and simplest tapas would have been a slice of bread with a few olives, or a slice of ham

There are hundreds of varieties of olives in cultivation in Spain. These vary according to the region where they are grown and also how they're prepared.The Manzanilla and Queen olives are probably the most well known and popular olives.

Manzanilla Olives
The Manzanillas are grown almost everywhere in Spain and especially Andalusia. They are small and tender and are considered the perfect martini olive, they are also ideal for stuffing, the most popular stuffing being anchovies.

Queen Olives
Queen olives are large, plump and fleshy and are grown in the Seville province of Andalusia. They are perfect for stuffing as they are large and fantastic in aroma and flavour and go really well with peppers, almonds or seafood.

Picual Olives
The most important variety of olive is the Picual and is grown in the provinces of Jaen, Cordoba and Granada in Andalusia. This olive represents almost 50% of Spain's olive production and is delightfully peppery and fresh.

Hojiblanca Olives
The Hojiblanca olive is a pure delight and the first olive I tried that I immediately liked due to its intense and diverse flavour - it tastes like lots of olives in one it is peppery, then fruity with traces of almonds and even grassy hints. The name comes from the leaves, hoja meaning leaf and blanca white and from a distance these trees look vary bright and almost silver.

Arbequina Olives
Another of my recommendations is the Arbequina olive which comes from Aragon and Catalonia and is Spain's best loved olive. The fruit is small and delicate with lovely diverse flavours ranging from smoky and mild to earthy and fruity with hints of artichokes and even apple.

Verdial Olives
The Sierra Magina in the Jaen province of Andalusia is home to the beautifully dark Verdial olive which is quite large with a distinct fruity, yet spicy flavour. I would recommend this olive to a seasoned connoisseur as it is robust and commands respect.

Picolimon Olives
The Picolimon olive is a great table olive with its juicy fullness and fresh citrus flavour. They are round and fleshy and go really well with nuts and dried fruit as an aperitif.

Picudo Olives
The Picudo olive with its lovely unique pointed end like a peak which is from where the name is derived, is generally found in the Andausian regions of Malaga, Jaen, Granada and especially Baena in Cordoba . It is a sweet and fruity olive with soft juicy flesh and makes for a popular table olive in both the green and black varieties.

Carried these back in my suitcase

Generally olives are harvested whilst still green and as a result they are not yet fully ripe and if eaten raw are very hard and bitter. Before bottling, they have to be 'cured' and this is where the fun begins when choosing your favourite type of olive. Initially the preparation for bottling begins with washing and then storing in brine for a long period of time to remove the bitterness and soften them.

During the curing process of green olives, the brine is often prepared with different herbs and aromatics for an exciting but subtly flavoured olive. In some cases families who have been curing their own olives for generations use carefully guarded secret recipes which results in a totally unique olive.


How olives are stuffed:
For centuries, olives were pitted and stuffed by hand. Today everything is done by machines. Sweet Spanish Pepper (pimiento) is the most common stuffing., however my personal favourites are stuffed with anchovies. After harvesting the peppers are placed in brine and shipped to the Seville area where the peppers are ground and mixed with gelling agents to make a reconstituted paste. The paste is then cut and formed into ribbons that are fed into pitting and stuffing machines. The machines pit the olive, take the pimiento and cut them into small pieces and stuff them into the olives all in one smooth operation. Over 1000 olives can be stuffed per hour.

Aceitunas- sabor de anchoa

Slow cooked chicken with olives and capers

Ingredients
4 chicken drumsticks
4 chicken thighs
2 tomatoes
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove
1small jar/tin of Spanish green olives
small jar of capers


Method
In a large cooking pot, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil and sear the chicken pieces until all sides have a brown, crisp sear.

While chicken is searing, cut the tomatoes and onion into large chunks, place in blender along with the garlic, and blend until it forms a thick sauce.

Once Chicken is done searing add the sauce and the remaining ingredients.

Bring to a boil, cover the pot and lower the temperature.

Simmer for two hours or until the chicken becomes tender.

Add salt and pepper to taste

TAPAS

Origin and history of tapas

The tradition of serving small snacks with drinks is found all over Spain but originated in Andalucia, a Southern province of Spain.  These snacks are called 'tapas'. The word "tapas" is derived from the Spanish verb tapar, "to cover".

The association with appetizers is thought to have come from the old habit of placing a slice of bread or a piece of ham on top of one's wine glass, first to prevent insects or other impurities falling into the glass and secondly, for the guests to soak up the alcohol they had drunk with something solid,. This edible lid was the precursor of modern-day tapas.

Tapas are intended as appetizers, as a nibble before the meal but they can be "upgraded" to bigger portions, equivalent to half a dish (media ración) or a whole one (ración). This is generally more economical when a tapa is being ordered by more than one person

If you ever go to Spanish bar maybe some of the names will sound familiar to you from now on!!

List of Spanish Tapas

Albondigas - Meatballs
Alitas de pollo - Chicken wings
Almejas - Clams
Berenjenas horneadas - Roasted aubergines
Butifarra - Sausage from Catalunya
Calamares - Battered squid
Callos - Tripe
Caracoles - Snails
Chistorra - Spicy sausage
Chopitos - Small cuttlefish fried in batter
Chorizo al vino - Spicy sausage pan-fried in red wine
Cogollos fritos - Lettuce fried in garlic and oil
Costillas - Ribs
Croquetas - Croquettes, normally with ham, chicken or cod
Diablitos picantes - Mini hamburgers
Escombros - Fry up of bits of small squid.
Empanadillas - large or small turnovers filled with meats and vegetables
Ensaladilla rusa - russian salad

Ensaladilla rusa

Figatell - Speciality of Valencia meatballs of pork and liver similar to faggots
Gambas pil pil - Sizzling Prawns in Olive Oil and Garlic
Gambas rebozadas - Battered prawns Huevos de codorniz - Quail's eggs
Jamon serrano - Spanish ham
Judias blancas - Butterbeans and whole cloves of garlic in a white wine vinegar
Longaniza blanca - Normal sausage colour but not as spicy as longaniza roja
Longaniza roja - A speciality of Aragon, red spicy pork sausage
Magro - Pork in a paprika/tomato style sauce
Mejillones - Mussels
Mejillones rellenos (Tigres) - Stuffed Mussels.
Merluza a la Romana - Hake with a very thin batter
Morcilla - Black pudding
Muslitos de mar - A croquette of crab-like meat skewered on a crab claw
Orejas de Cerdo - Pig's ear
Patatas a lo pobre - Potatoes with onions and peppers
Patatas alioli - Potatoes in a garlic mayonnaise
Patatas bravas - Potatoes in a spicy sauce
Pincho moruno - A stick with spicy meat, made of pork, lamb or chicken.
Pimientos de Padrón - Small green peppers originally from Padrón
Pollo al ajillo - Chicken in garlic
Queso Manchego - Manchego cheese in varying degrees of maturity
Rabo de Toro - Bull's tail or oxtail
Sepia - Cuttlefish
Tortilla Espanola - Spanish potato omelette

http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/tv-show/come-dine-with-me-recipes/series-11/spanish-tortilla-recipe


Try to try as much as you can but remember they aren't small at all.

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Here's a foolproof tapa that my family really enjoy.

Crispy chorizo and new potatoes

(chorizo con patatas nuevas)

Serves 4-6 as part of a selection of tapas

Ingredients
500g new potatoes, scrubbed
3 (about 300g) cooking chorizo sausages, chopped into 1 cm slices
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves chopped finely
2 tbs dry Madeira
Baby spinach for decoration


Method
Boil the potatoes for 8-10 minutes, or until cooked but still firm. Remove from the heat and cool them under running cold water, then cut them in half lengthways on the diagonal and set aside.

Heat a large, non-stick frying pan to hot and cook the chorizo for 2-3 minutes, or until the oils are released. Add the potatoes and rosemary and cook, stirring frequently, over a high heat for a further 2-3 minutes, or until golden and crispy.

Reduce the heat and add the Madeira. Stir and leave to caramelise and brown for a further 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add spinach and serve.

Crisry chorizo and potatoes with baby spinach