Estofado de la abuela (Stew)

Difficulty: 2/5

This is one these recipes every person should know, before leaving your parents house. It is the one that the granny cooks in the rainy and cold days.

In my case is different, when I see reduced price meat in the butcher or supermarket, the first thing I do, it is buying one or two kilos and cook a big Estofado, and leave it for next day (it tastes better). You can keep it in the freezer.

Estofado is suitable for the least tender cuts of meat that become tender and juicy with the slow moist heat method. This makes it popular in low-cost cooking. Cuts having a certain amount of marbling and gelatinous connective tissue give moist, juicy stews, while lean meat may easily become dry.

Stews are similar to soups, and in some cases there may not be a clear distinction between the two. Generally, stews have less liquid than soups, are much thicker and require longer cooking over low heat. While soups are almost always served in a bowl, stews may be thick enough to be served on a plate with the gravy as a sauce over the solid ingredients.

In the 18th Century Pimenton was introduced (paprika), what it gives the Estofado that chorizo final taste.

Ingredients :

• 1500 gr. Beef
• 600 gr. of potatoes(2 big potatos)
• 6 Carrots
• 2 Onions
• 4 Garlic cloves
• 2 Red peppers
• 3 tea spoons of Pimenton (Paprika)
• 8 Spoons of tomato sauce (Natural).
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 Glass of red wine
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil (Spanish better)
• 500 ml of Water or Beef broth (better!)

How to prepare Estofado

1. We soften in the pressure cooker, onion and garlic, when transparent, toss the green pepper cut into large chunks.
2. While frying, season the meat, which will incorporate the sofrito (the onion and garlic).
3. When the meat is browned on all sides, toss the meat ​​pepper and tomato.
4. We few laps and we put the sliced ​​carrots and bay leaves.
5. We cover the Estofado or water (if you had broth) ,add the pimenton (paprika) and the wine, cover and cook for half an hour (if you don’t have pressure cooker leave it for 1 hour).
6. Once time passes, we open, we tested the salt, rectify, and toss the potato pieces and peeled and clean.
7. We cover, put the fire stew five minutes and turn off (if you don’t have pressure cooker leave it for 45 minutes).
8. We removed as it can open the pressure cooker serve this wonderful Estofado.

Sobrasada (Sobrasada de Mallorca)

Difficulty: 3/5

Preparation time: 25 minutes + 3 days (marinated)

Sobrasada is a raw, cured sausage from the Balearic Islands made with ground pork (It is always made with a mixture of lean pork and bacon (unsmoked). Sobrasada is a spread fits really well with anything), paprika and salt and other spices. Sobrassada, along with botifarró are traditional Balearic sausage meat products prepared in the laborious but festive rites that still mark the autumn and winter pig slaughter known as a matanza in Majorca and Ibiza. The chemical principle that makes sobrassada is the dehydration of meat under certain weather conditions (high humidity and mild cold) which are typical of the late Balearic autumn.

Sobrasada is a spread and fits really well with anything. The taste is similar to chorizo, but sometimes has a stronger flavour, probably because the amount of paprika (pimenton) doubles the amount. It is not easy to find the recipe of Sobrasada on Internet, so after doing few of research I got it! see here it is.

Ingredients (1/2 Kilo) :

• 250 gr of Lean Pork. (magro)
• 200 gr Unsmoked Bacon. (tocino)
• 20 gr Paprika (sweet)
• 10 gr Paprika (spicy)
• 2 garlic cloves (3 if you want to make it stronger)
• 15 gr. Salt
• Pepper (pinch)
• Oregano (pinch)

How to prepare Sobrasada

Mince the meat (lean pork and the bacon) as much as you can, remember we are trying to create a spread. I normally use a chopper to do it.

Smash the garlic cloves with a mortar and add a pinch of pepper and oregano. Add the mixture into the meat

Add the paprika and the salt and start moving the mixture with your hands for around 15 minutes until you get the red paste.

Leave the Sobrasada in the fridge for 24 hours, After that you can make sausages or keep it in a container in a humid and dark place. After 3 days it should be ready to eat, BUT if you leave it for few weeks, it will be even better.

I always eat it with a piece of break. Heat the oven, and prepare the bread with some Sobrasada on the top, leave in the oven for 5/10 minutes….if you add a little bit of cheese…ufff! that is even better.

Enjoy!

Chorizo meat (Picadillo de Soria, Chichikis o Zorza)

Difficulty: 3/5

Preparation time: 15 minutes. Mature time: 48 hours.

This plate is traditional consumed after “La Matanza”, and that is when the pig is killed. All the leftovers are normally used to make chorizos , or this dish, what is basically what we insert into the chorizo sausage.

I really prefer this dish that any chorizo, probably because I can choose the meat I want and it is very easy to do, BUT there is something about this recipe, it has to be PERFECTLY done. This is the result of many tries comparing “Los Chichikis” of Maestu (a little Northern Spanish village near Vitoria), which I think are the best I tried so far.

Ingredients

• 500 gr of mince LEAN pork (choose a big mince, bigger better… you can even chop the lean pork finely)
• 20 gr of Paprika (Pimenton), spicy or sweet, that is up to you. I suggest you to use the best Pimenton you can. I personally use what it is considered the best one in the world “Pimenton de la Vera”
• 20 gr of salt.
• 2 garlic cloves.
• 1/2 glass of red wine

Crush with the mortar the salt, the 2 garlic cloves, the paprika and from our 1/2 glass of wine, add one big spoon. You suppose to get a nice red paste.

In a bowl add the mince lean pork and the paste and the rest of the wine. Use your hands if necessary to mix everything. All the meat must be marinated, so be sure you do this properly.

Cover the meat with cling film for two days. Move the meat with a spoon a couple of times in the 48 hours. (This how it looks after 48 hours)

Now the meat is ready, you can cook it straight away or keep it in the freezer. To cook it follow these instructions. Put the require meat in a sauce pan and fry it, when it is fried it, pour a glass of water and leave cooking. Before the water is evaporated throw the water away, so all the fat goes with the water, and add 1/2 glass of wine or 1/2 glass of water until evaporates completely.

The meat will be ready to eat. I suggest you to add a good company, what about a couple of fry eggs, good bread and a nice glass of wine. (after being cooked)

Blackberry Jam

Difficulty: 3/5

Preparation time: 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 Kg of Blackberries
• 900 gr of sugar
• 1 Lemon

Leave the blackberries with the sugar the whole night (around 8/10 hours).

Boil the mixture with the lemon juice from our lemon for around 30 minutes.

Wisk up with the mixer and boil again for around 15 minutes. Strain the mixture and put it in jars, be sure you fill the jar to the top, so there is not air.

Close the jars and put them upside down until they are cool.

Orange Chocolate Truffles with Walnuts

Difficulty: 2/5

Preparation time: 20 minutes.

Ingredients (for 4 people) :

• 1 x bar 100g (70% dark) Lind orange chocolate.
• 1 x bar 50g (50% dark) chocolate.
• 1 x bar 50g milk chocolate.
• 100ml Double Cream.
• 70g Walnuts.
• (OPTIONAL 200g of dark chocolate instead of the 100g+50g+50g of chocolate)

Break up 150gr of the chocolate.

Put the cream in a saucepan and heat until almost boiling.

Add the chocolate and take the pan off the heat, stir until the chocolate has melted.

Chop the walnuts and add to the chocolate, and stir well.

Cool in the refrigerator until set.

Finely grate the remainder of the chocolate. Roll the chocolate mix into small balls, then roll in the grated chocolate. (You can use chocolate powder, both options have a really good finish)).