San Sebastian: Sangria

Sangria. A staple at many Vancouver summer barbecues (or winter anything), trips to Whistler, Sayulita, and wherever else drinkers enjoy the magic of transforming a cheap liter bottle of red wine into a delicious cocktail. There is no wrong way to prepare Sangria, but there is a best way (see below).

If you check out the article on Sangria at Wineintro you will learn that its development in Spain began when the Romans started planting vineyards there around 200BC. The red wine punch the locals produced was named Sangria, as well as the many variations that followed.

Already a devout believer in Sangria, I wasn't even slightly bothered, as some travelers seemed to be, that there was a very limited drink list in many San Sebastian pintxos bars: Sangria, Beer, and Kalimotxo (red wine and Coke). In order to sample a variety of pintxos (the Basque version of tapas) it is best practice to visit as many bars as you can, and since the first step upon entering said bar is ordering a drink to accompany the array of pintxos, you end up drinking many of the wonderful concoction. This version is not exactly the same, but its tried and true, and unlike some of the recipes on this blog, literally anyone can make this. I give full credit here to Jessica Schnurr the master mixer of Sangria.

In a large pitcher combine:

• One bottle of red wine (preferably Spanish if you want to be authentic)
• 2 cups of orange juice
• 1 cup of Fresca and/or soda water (basically whatever is leftover in the fridge)
• 2 limes and 1 orange cut into small wedges
• 2 ounces of orange brandy and/or vodka

Pour over ice when ready to serve.

Pintxos - San Sebastian

Spanish Hazelnut Meringue & Cinnamon Mousse Cake (for Graziella)

Even though the fall season technically begins tomorrow, the 103 degree heat (oh wait weather.com says it only feels like 99) is not making me a believer. That being said, while I was preparing this dessert over the weekend, the cinnamon was infusing into the warmed heavy cream, and with the aid of a high-powered ceiling fan and blasting air conditioning this wonderful smell began circulating throughout the kitchen. I was transfixed. My mind momentarily filled with visions of pumpkin patches, spiced apple cider and donuts. I could smell the dried leaves stuck in my hair from leaping into the pile too many times, and for just one small moment I could pretend that I lived in a place where fall exists.

Even so, this hazelnut meringue cake with its layers of cinnamon dark chocolate mousse is much more appropriate for real, not imaginary, autumn weather. My lovely friend Graziella who is currently living the London life, has taken an interest in baking and asked for a recipe or two. London, where no matter what month you visit almost always feels like fall, seems like the perfect location to devour this dessert. This recipe, adapted from Jane Lawson's Spanish Kitchen (Thunder Bay Press, 2005) may seem entirely Italian because of the hazelnut and chocolate combo, therefore not fitting into the September theme of Spanish recipes. It is the infusion of cinnamon in the dark chocolate mousse, however that provides a Spanish touch.

First prepare the mousse:

• Warm (without boiling) 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and 1 tsp. of cinnamon for about 7 minutes before setting aside for another 7 minutes to allow flavors to mingle
• Strain warm cream mixture into a clean saucepan and stir in 2 cups of grated or finely chopped chocolate (I use Ghirardelli 60% Cocoa Bittersweet Baking Chips) until mixture is smooth, return to heat if necessary, and then set aside to cool
• Whip 1.5 cups of heavy whipping cream and fold in cooled chocolate cream mixture, refrigerate while preparing the meringue

Then the meringues:

• Toast 2 cups of hazelnuts dry in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes (once you can smell them it usually means they are done toasting), let cool and then finely grind in a food processor or coffee grinder
• While the nuts are toasting, beat 6 egg whites and 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
• Once the whites have gained some body but are still quite frothy gradually add in 2/3 cup of granulated sugar and continue to beat until whites reach stiff peaks
• Combine ground hazelnuts with 1 cup powdered sugar and 1/3 cup flour
• Gently fold hazelnut mixture into egg white mixture
• Divide the batter among three sheet pans (lined with parchment) and spread into 3 equal-sized rectangles about a centimeter thick
• Bake for 1 hour at 275 degrees and let cool before peeling away parchment

To assemble: Place one meringue (smooth side down) onto a serving platter and spread half the mousse evenly over top; create another layer with meringue #2 and the remaining mousse. When topping the cake with meringue #3, place the rough side down so that the top of the cake is smooth. To make this extra pretty, sift cocoa and/or powdered sugar over top.

NOTE: If you can resist immediately eating this cake, refrigerating overnight allows the chocolate mousse to soak into and soften the meringue layers, making it even more delicious

Barcelona: Romesco Sauce

I saw this recipe in Jane Lawson’s Spanish Kitchen and was reminded of a meal in Placa Reial. The bar was quite touristy and cheesy, you know the type with the laminated picture menus for foreigners, usually a bad sign but the place was very busy so the food couldn’t be that bad. The sauce on the grilled seafood was this lovely nutty and thick tomato sauce like the romesco sauce below.

Gently heat 2 tbsp. olive oil and add 10 almonds and 10 hazelnuts to toast for a couple minutes. Remove from pan and fry 1 slice of white bread (without the crusts) for a minute or two on each side until golden and toasted. In a food processor mix into a paste: bread, nuts, 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, ¼ tsp. paprika, 1 large tomato with the skins removed, ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper, 2 tsp. sherry vinegar, and any remaining oil. Serve over grilled seafood and vegetables.

Barcelona - Placa Catalunya

Barcelona: Hot Bomb/Croquetas

Although my first impression of Barcelona was not fantastic (witnessed a lively knife fight on the way to the hotel), all was forgotten after an experience at La Tramoia at the top of Las Ramblas (and then remembered after a prostitute grabbed my boob shortly after exiting). Nevertheless, those couple hours of tasting bite after scrumptious bite was a most enjoyable experience largely due to a little treat they called a Hot Bomb. To be completely honest, this was only ordered because of its name, I don’t think I even bothered to figure out what it was beforehand. Crispy on the outside, fluffy and cheesy on the inside, these little fried balls covered in a spicy aioli allowed me to forgo any guilt I felt returning to La Tramoia a second night when there are literally hundreds of tapas bars to try. The recipe below, adapted from Jane Lawson’s Spanish Kitchen will help you uncover some of the Hot Bomb magic.

Croquetas

• First prepare the béchamel sauce: In a saucepan melt 1/3 cup butter, then add ¾ cup all purpose flour until the mixture is dry; remove from heat and whisk in ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock; gradually whisk in 1 cup milk and return to heat. Continue stirring for about 8 minutes until the mixture is thick and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
• Second prepare the chicken filling: Heat 1 to 2 tbsp. olive oil in a frying pan; cook ½ leek and ½ celery stalk both finely chopped in the oil for 5 minutes; add 7 ounces of ground chicken and fry until cooked through.
• Combine the béchamel, chicken filling, and 2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley and refrigerate until completely cooled. Once cool, form mixture into small balls or “tator tot” shapes about 2 inches long. Roll each ball in some flour, then in a beaten egg, and finally into breading (1/2 cup bread crumbs and ½ cup ground almonds). Fry in 3 inches of oil that has been heated to 350 degrees for 2-3 minutes and drain before serving.

A shortcut for recreating the Hot Bomb spicy aioli: mix 1 cup of mayonnaise with 2 tbsp. of Sriracha hot chili sauce and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Barcelona - Parc de la Ciutadella

September = Spanish Food!

After spending the afternoon in a car, ferry, bus, and then train, we are sitting on a shuttle to Leonardo da Vinci Airport across from a very young couple who are planning their fall wedding. They look calm, well rested and organized - they have clearly planned ahead and are hours early for their flight home to Atlanta. Needless to say they are looking at us like we're complete lunatics as we dig through all our stuff trying to find the plane tickets to Barcelona. When I finally find the tickets I have a smirk on my face thinking 'we may look crazy but we do this all the time and it seems to work out' until I read Ciampino Airport on the ticket, at which point I start to act exactly like the crazy lunatic they are envisioning. There are two airports in Rome!? How could they!? Of course we are on the direct shuttle so we can't get off, but eventually make it back to the city and plead with the various cab drivers to take all our money and drive us to this mysterious Ciampino Airport.

I'm not sure if it was because I was physically and mentally drained, or it was actually that hysterical, but I find myself in tears laughing at the spectacle that is a Ryanair flight. It's extremely hot and humid waiting on the tarmac so you would think everyone would just sit still and keep to themselves to make the situation more bearable - WRONG - instead every single person decides to play this game where whoever pushes the most buttons and makes the most adjustments to their reading lights, seats, and air (which won't turn on no matter how many times they twist the nozzle) wins! Oh and you get extra points for pushing any buttons the flight attendants tell you NOT to push - I guess no one speaks any of the five languages these warnings were made in.

After arriving in Barcelona and leaving the circus behind I stupidly thought the best meals were behind me, consumed in the various regions throughout Italy. I say stupidly because this assumption (along with many other assumptions I have when traveling) was way off. As an apology for my lack of faith in Spanish cooking, the recipe section for the month of September will be filled with recipes similar to those foods devoured in Barcelona and San Sebastian, two cities belonging to very distinct culinary regions.

San Sebastiano

Barcelona - Las Ramblas

Confusing Menu Items Deciphered

Recently I have been devouring this fantastic Phaidon publication, Coco, “an unrivalled snapshot of what is happening in current gastronomy”. Essentially ten world-renown master chefs have selected 100 of the best contemporary chefs from around the world to highlight in one text. The book contains a menu from each chef’s restaurant as well as photos and a couple recipes for their dishes. The experience of reading the book was exciting (like they are actually going to give us normal people their recipes), but also a little daunting.

Do you know when you’re learning a new language and you have a dictionary at hand for when you inevitably get stuck on a word you don’t recognize? I have been doing the same thing reading Coco, but with the Oxford Companion to Food (Alan Davidson, Oxford University Press) by my side, because I have never heard of half of the ingredients. I’m a little ashamed to say this, but there have been times when I have been too embarrassed to inquire about a dish because I assume everyone knows what it is. In order that I, and maybe you as well, never risk missing out on a delicious dish at a restaurant ever again, I want to share a little bit of my research below. If you have a desire to travel the world leaving a wake of devoured meals behind you (doesn’t everyone?) then check out Coco from the Scottsdale Public Library – if I ever return it.

• Foie gras: I always assumed this was the same as a pate - wrong! Foie gras is goose or duck liver that is enlarged as a result of force-feeding the birds, a method first practiced in classical Rome. France is the largest consumer of foie gras, although most of it is produced in Israel and E. Europe.
• Sweetbreads: Nothing to do with carbs, sweetbreads is the term butchers use for the pancreas and thymus gland of a young animal. If you watch Iron Chef, they are always cooking with these.
• Cloudberry: Initially I thought this was made-up, turns out there have been 'cloudberry wars' in Northern Scandinavia over this most delicious and expensive berry grows. Apparently, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs had a cloudberry diplomacy department. They also grow in northern regions of North America, but as far as I know no wars have ensued.
• Consomme: as opposed to a broth or stock this is a 'finished' clear soup served at the beginning of a meal.
• Salsify: not a verb, but a root vegetable native to the lands surrounding the Mediterranean, was eaten in classical times before those in France and Italy began to grow and consume it in the 16th century. The root resembles a long, white carrot, and the young leaves are used in salads.
• Fricassee: usually this indicates small pieces of chicken or veal that have been fried before being coated in a creamy sauce - no relation to frisee of the salad variety.
• Teal: not just a beautiful color, but also a small wild duck, and yes some kinds have green-tipped wings.