Here there are some recipes with a Spanish touch
Ideas for this summer time with best ingredients from different areas of Spain all drizzled with extra virgin olive oil for that Spanish touch!
Gazpacho with an American twist
Serves 4-5
This soup will inspire your creativity. Spices are all up to your taste buds. During summer months, I could eat this soup daily; it’s simple to make, yet so deliciously satisfying and healthy.
4 tomatoes, cut in quarters, seeds removed
1 small yellow bell pepper, broken in pieces
1 small sweet red pepper, broken in pieces
1 large English cucumber, cut in chunks
1/8 cup shallots, cut in pieces
2 Fuji apples, cut into chunks, seeds removed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Picual Finca Alamillos
1–2 cloves garlic, crushed
1–2 dates or a small handful of raisins
1/2 bunch mint leaves
Juice from ½ lime
Salt to taste
Freshly milled pepper to taste
Cold water as needed to reach desired consistency – start with 1¼ cups
Garnish with chopped scallions, thinly sliced
radishes, and avocado
Directions
Use a blender or food processor and chop all to desired texture. I like mine just a little chunky but well incorporated. If you prefer a thinner texture, add a little water or blend for a longer time. Mixture is best if chilled before serving. When ready to serve, place in bowls and garnish with scallions and avocado.
TIP: Spice it up with chili flakes or jalapeno ( American gazpacho version).
Iberian ham with watermelon
- For the salad:
- 1/2 melon– 'Piel de Sapo' variety. Alternatively one Galia melon instead.
- 50 g Iberian ham
- 1/2 pomegranate – seeds only
- 1 Beetroot – shredded
- 1 small handful lettuce
- freshly ground black pepper
- For the basil oil:
- 25 g fresh basil
- 50 g extra virgin olive oil
METHOD
- We start by making the basil oil. To do that, blanch the basil in boiling water for around 5 seconds. Take it out quickly and put it on ice cold water to interrupt the cooking immediately. Drain it and place it in a blender together with the Arbequina Escornalbou oil. Blend and reserve.
- Open the melon and seed it. If you own an ice cream scoop, scoop the melon in bite-sized balls as per the recipe picture above. Alternatively, peel the melon and cut it into cubes.
- Divide the melon scoops in between the different bowls. Decorate with some leaves of lamb's lettuce and spread the small slices of iberico ham.
- Drizzle with a generous amount of basil oil and sprinkle the pomegranate seeds and the shredded beetroot. Season with pepper and serve.
Mango gazpacho /cold soup
For 2 persons
ripe mango 1 unit, Onion 20g, Yellow pepper 35g, Cucumber 15g, Garlic clove 0.5, Vegetables soup 50g
Apple vinager 15g, Extra virgin olive oil 20g, Ground white pepper, Salt, greek yogurt 100g
We clean and chop all the vegetables as indicated and put them in the glass of a blender together with the broth, the vinegar, the yogurt, a little pepper and salt. Blend until no chunks are visible. Add the Picual The Legend extra virgin olive oil for a big contrast and beat again at maximum power for a couple of minutes until emulsified. If we want a fine texture, we pass the mixture through a sieve and that's it.
Zorongollo extremeno
for 4 people
Large, fleshy red bell pepper 3, Spring onion 1, Pear or branch tomato (or to taste) 2,Egg 3, Garlic clove (or to taste) 2,extra virgin olive oil Arbequina Oli Migjorn, Sherry vinager, Salt, Fresh parsley or chopped chives (optional)
Basically, you have to wash the peppers and roast them whole in a preheated oven at about 200º C for 35-45 minutes, until the skin is black. They are left to sweat covered with a cloth or plastic to cool down by peeling off the skin, and they are peeled, discarding the seeds and filaments. We can take the opportunity to roast some tomatoes, which we will also add to the zorongollo.
Cut the spring onion into fine feathers and place in a bowl covered with very cold water and a pinch of salt; This will make them much softer. Cook the eggs in boiling water, at medium temperature, for about 8-11 minutes. Cool, peel and reserve.
Assemble the zorongollo by cutting the roasted peppers into strips, add roasted or preserved tomato pulp -optional- and the garlic clove. Add a generous splash of extra virgin olive oil, vinegar to taste and moderate salt. Mix to combine the flavors well.
Serve with the well-drained spring onion, the chopped or chopped egg and a little more oil. Finish with black pepper and/or chopped parsley if desired. Save in the fridge until serve.
Very cold or more tempered, this Extremaduran pepper or zorongollo salad appeals almost at any time, as a first course, a garnish for meat and fish or as part of a snack dinner. It can also be a complete light dish if it is completed with tuna, bonito, olives... and some good bread for dipping.
Oliagua from Menorca
We could say that due to its ingredients, this recipe could be considered the Balearic version -specifically from Menorca- of gazpacho, although unlike the traditional Andalusian cold soup, the Menorcan version has the peculiarity that it is served without grinding and that the ingredients go through the fire before reaching the table.
Ingredients
for 4 people
ripe pear tomato 5, green pepper 1, Garlic clove 2, sweet paprika a teaspoon ,Salt and pepper to taste, Thinly sliced stale bread 12,water approx 500ml, Fresh parsley a few sprigs ,Onion 1, Extra virgin olive oil approx.100ml Mis Raices olive oil
Figs or figs (optional as a garnish)
Chilli optional if you like it spicy
Heat a little olive oil in a clay pot and when it is hot, add the julienned onion, the garlic, the peppers and the peeled tomatoes. Season with a little salt and a pinch of paprika and let it cook for about ten minutes.
When the vegetables are well cooked, add the water. On the other hand, we take out the garlic and crush it in the mortar with a little of the broth and return it to the pot already mashed. Add the chopped parsley and lower the heat to a minimum, letting the Menorcan soup cook very slowly, another 20 minutes, avoiding it to boil. During cooking, we can add a little more water if we see it necessary.
Let rest for a few minutes before serving. In an individual clay dish, we place the slices of bread cut very thin soup style, and on them we serve our recipe, letting the bread soak for about ten minutes, taking it warm or cold, to the diner's taste.
Pineapple pork brochetas
for 4 people
pork tenderloin 500g, plain pineapple 300g, Lime juice 2, Honey 4 tablespoons
Soy sauce, 2 tablespoons,Ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ,Sriracha sauce, 1/2 teaspoon
Cherry tomato 200g , extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons
We will start the recipe by cutting the pork and pineapple into large cubes. In a bowl mix the lime juice, honey, soy sauce. sriracha sauce and ginger. Remove and add the diced meat and pineapple, mix and let marinate for 15 minutes.
On some metal or wooden skewers we insert a dice of meat, a pineapple, a dice of meat and a cherry tomato. We repeat this operation until we fill the length of the skewer.
Grease a hot skillet with oil and brown the skewers for about two minutes on each side until lightly caramelized. We serve very hot.