Restaurant Review - Summer Is Here!
Summer Is Here!
Summer Is Here! Summer Is Here!
AS GILLAINE HATHAWAY NOTES... WHAT BETTER PLACE TO ENJOY THE PLEASURES OF SUMMER THAN BESIDE THE MEDITERRANEAN
This time of the year means good eating, whether on a shady terrace at home, in local restaurants or at those magnificent chiringuitos on the beach. Andalucians are especially good at cooking in the open air, preparing dishes from the wealth of fresh seasonal produce available all around us.
The weather has played an important part in these skills, as did the lack of firewood. In olden days homes did not have indoor ovens because it was too hot and most cooking was done on the top of the stove. There was also very little firewood available so they used olive pits, dried grape twigs or charcoal made by smoldering bush branches, which burn relatively free of smoke - as chimneys were unknown.
Come summer then, cooking in the open air was easily adapted and the pleasure of cooking over an open fire on the beach or in the garden became a tradition. Though indoor preparations simmered on dying fires for long periods of time, outdoors they were cooked rapidly and, as the province of Málaga is famous for its fish (and its variety), many of the recipes were based on the sea.
Though the Mediterranean is now increasingly fished-out and polluted, seafood remains at the core of the cooking heritage. When eating out try the star of Málaga's fish cuisine, pescaito frito, a mixture of small-sized fish such as squid, red mullets and pieces of anglerfish, pijotas, which are slightly floured and fried quickly in olive oil.
Another popular fish now back on the menu after a two-year ban for over-fishing is the boquerón (the best boquerones are called victorianos), which are very similar to anchovies. Fish such as gilthead, swordfish, red mullet and sole are prepared in a variety of ways: baked, grilled or boiled, with a sauce such as alioli - a mayonnaise sauce, creamy, smooth and flavoured with garlic.
More elaborate seafood dishes include pez-limon and lubina (sea bass), baked with garlic, parsley, bay leaves and white wine, and rodaballo (turbot), prepared in a similar manner. Another delicious, savoury dish is pescado a la sal, fish baked under a thick layer of rock salt.
When eating on the beach sardinas al espeto are a must. Fresh sardines are washed in seawater, speared on thin reeds and grilled over an open spit. The secret is that the fire should not touch the sardines: they have to be roasted just by the heat.
But when eating on the terrace at home, particularly if you have guests, food needs to be kept simple, so you - the cook - can enjoy the meal and the company. Fortunately, today we have the electric griddle, a great substitute for the barbecue - on which inexperienced men manage to burn the food extremely easily! The griddle is great for outdoors as you can quickly cook some fresh prawns for the main course right in front of your guests, and serve them with a selection of salads, which you only have to dress at the last minute, accompanied by plenty of fresh bread.
For a starter there is nothing better than the famous summer soup gazpacho, which can be prepared well in advance and kept in the fridge, as it is served very cold. There are so many recipes and variations, and everyone has their own version, handed down within the family and originally made with a pestle and mortar after the ingredients had been laboriously peeled and skinned.
However, the following is a never-fail plate of gazpacho, honed over the years from family and friends' recipes. It is enough for four hungry people and is adapted to today's world, as its preparation combines the use of the modern food processor and the simple sieve and takes only 30 minutes to prepare. It only needs patience to work the gazpacho through the sieve, which gives the right texture and shine to please the purists.
- Into your processor... wash and roughly chop one cucumber, one large green pepper, two garlic cloves (or more according to taste) and the equivalent of three slices of stale bread.
- Process and then add one generous tablespoon of pimenton dulce (sweet paprika), two teaspoons of salt, a generous grind of black pepper, one generous kilo of the ripest red tomatoes you can find, washed and halved, eight tablespoons of virgin olive oil and three tablespoons of wine vinegar.
- Process for up to five minutes or until the ingredients are totally liquidised.
- Pour a quarter of the liquid into a sieve over a bowl and work with a spoon until only skin, seeds and pith remain. Continue until all the liquid has passed through, adding some chilled water to "wash out" the processor bowl.
- Pour the gazpacho into a glass jug, add six ice cubes and leave in the fridge for at least one hour.
- Before serving, stir well, taste, adjust seasoning and add a little more water if the gazpacho seems too thick.
- Serve with accompanying dishes of cubed cucumber, tomato and red peppers or, as we do at home, simply with bread croutons fried in olive oil.
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For the main course buy the best and freshest prawns (gambas) from Huelva or Málaga that you can find. You will need five or six per person. Wash them well, shake off the excess water and sprinkle with some course rock salt. They take minutes to cook and just need grilling on one side until they turn pink and turning over to finish off. Serve immediately.
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If you don't have a griddle, boiled prawns are delicious. Again, it is important to buy the finest you can find. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and drop in the fresh prawns. As soon as they begin to rise to the surface they are done and need to be removed into a large bowl of iced water which has plenty of salt in it. Once they have cooled they are ready to eat, but can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge.
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Don't despair if you cannot get fresh prawns, as good quality frozen prawns can be used, provided they are properly cooked. The important difference when using frozen prawns is to put them into a large pan of salted COLD water with a pinch of sugar and then bring them to the boil. When ready, plunge into a bowl of well-salted ice-cold water. The sugar, incidentally, makes them easier to peel.
These tips on cooking prawns come from a chef with 40 years' experience: Paco Biedma Zambrana is currently head chef at Venta El Casario on the main road opposite Hotel Las Dunas in Estepona.
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Desserts are not a major part of Andalucian cooking, as in other countries, probably due to the healthy lifestyle and variety of fresh seasonal fruits. But if you want to taste one of the few great desserts from this part of the world, then try making torrijas, once again a housewife's staple, as they created it from leftover bread.
Torrijas
(serves 6)
Ingredients:
6 slices of stale white bread, crust removed and cut into 2 cm slices
(special torrijas loaves are available in many shops)
1/4 litre of milk
2 eggs
3 tablespoons sugar
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Nutmeg
1 glass of honey (preferably rosemary-flavoured)
2 glasses of water
1. Pour the honey into a pan, add the water and cook for around five minutes until it becomes a syrup.
2. Heat the milk, sugar and lemon rind in a saucepan, and soak the bread briefly in the milk mixture for around five minutes. Remove into a colander and leave to drain for about one hour.
3. Beat the eggs in a bowl, carefully dip the soaked bread slices in the mixture, remove and fry them in plenty of hot oil until golden brown. (I suggest sunflower oil with a nob of butter.)
4. Drain off the excess oil on kitchen paper then onto a serving dish, sprinkle with grated nutmeg, pour over the syrup and enjoy!
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A SPECIAL COSTA DEL SOL COCKTAIL
How about a little decadence prior to this healthy meal, to get everyone in the mood! A Costa cocktail created specially for H! by award-winning Hotel Puente Romano barman Emilio Torres. This year alone he has come first in the regional Bacardi Martini competition with his "Bacardi Rocio", and first for the best Bombay gin tonic.
Place in a cocktail shaker:
21/2 parts blueberry juice
11/2 parts orange juice
1/4 part lime
3/4 parts Cassis
5 parts Grey Goose vodka
Shake the ingredients and serve in cocktail glass with a green glacé cherry and a mint leaf.
