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An International Melting Pot

Poster: Gillaine Hathaway 01/05/2006

GILLAINE HATHAWAY SHOWS US HOW TO PREPARE TWO TRADITIONAL SOUPS USING SEASONAL INGREDIENTS.

So you think you came to the Costa del Sol to enjoy the climate and more laidback lifestyle compared with other European countries, including the one you came from! Well you made a great choice. After all, Andalucian people are a happy race, and enjoy life to the full with a lack of abandon that is not found in other northern countries.
Just look around you on a Sunday when you lunch out at a local restaurant. You are surrounded, not just by other foreigners, but by many Spanish families from all walks of life, enjoying a meal together - prepared with the same abandon and simplicity with which they live their lives. They are not only enjoying the excellent Mediterranean food but also the company of their luncheon friends.
And rightly so, because "Mediterranean" means "middle of the earth". In times gone by the Mediterranean ocean was named because it was at the heart of western civilisation. Spain, Morocco, Egypt, Syria and Greece all owe their prosperity to seafarers who followed the trade routes to the Far East and beyond. Thus the eating habits of Mediterranean peoples have been influenced by any number of ancient world powers, from the Phoenicians to Alexander the Great, the Arabs to the Romans, the Turks to the Venetians. Just about everyone has thrown something into the international melting pot that is Mediterranean cuisine.
The Mediterranean is composed of so many different cultures that there is no single image that represents its cuisine. Even olive oil, wheat and the vine, its shared trinity of ingredients, vary according to which part of the Mediterranean you live in. In Andalucía the three most important native ingredients are olive oil, garlic and wine. The most widely used herbs are thyme, rosemary, fennel, oregano, bay leaf, plenty of parsley and, in areas where there was a significant Muslim presence, mint.
Politically, Andalucía comprises eight administrative provinces, each with its own distinctive character, fitting into the four culinary zones and each influenced by geography and the degree to which Muslim cooks were in charge of the historic kitchen. And, according to folklore, many Andalucian dishes traveled north to France when Eugenie married Napoleon III in the 19th century.
So in a way many of you have just come back home! And many of you, though you might not realise it, are here as much for the food as for the quality of life. We are, after all, what we eat.  So eat the delights of the Mediterranean. Prepare the fresh ingredients that surround you and enjoy your life on the Costa del Sol even more. 
These monthly articles are here to help you do just that. From recipes to advice on where to learn more about Mediterranean cuisine, news of the restaurants and hotels organising gastronomic feasts, and information on some of the people promoting this magnificent way of eating, whether it's at cookery schools or through organic local products.
Remember that Andalucian cookery is based on what the housewife had to hand; hence why so many delicious dishes have evolved. A classic example is gazpachuelo soup, a delicious oh-so-simple soup made with eggs from her chickens, olive oil (a family staple) and left-over bread. Oh yes... and a lemon or two plucked from the tree outside her door.

Gazpachuelo Soup
(serves 4)
Ingredients: 
4 eggs, separated
4 cups of water
approx. 150 ml virgin olive oil
1 slice of stale bread or equivalent, cut into 2 cm cubes
salt and pepper to taste
8 lemon wedges

• Place the stale bread into a suitable serving bowl and soften with a dash of boiling water.
• Place the water into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
• Meanwhile, make a mayonnaise with the egg yolks (I use my food processor) by beating well and slowly adding the olive oil in a very thin trickle until it thickens.
• Add the egg whites to the boiling water and stir well.
• Remove from the heat and when it has cooled a little pour a small quantity onto the mayonnaise; stir in carefully to avoid lumps and little by little add the rest of the liquid.
• Pour this over the bread, stir, add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately, accompanied by the lemon wedges, which each person squeezes in to his/her personal taste.

In the Gibraltar/Algeciras area of the Coast this tasty soup is served just like this, but in Málaga, where local prawns were easily available, these were added in too. Sometimes potatoes took the place of the bread. Simply a matter of what was to hand.  
Andalucian housewives in days gone by were not concerned with "air miles", a hot topic today. Their cooking was entirely seasonal and they did not have to spend time reading supermarket labels to see what they were really buying. We want to encourage you to do the same and use the produce that is all around you, not fruit and vegetables that have traveled thousands of miles from far-away places. Seasonal products taste so much better. Just try a locally grown mango and not one which has made its way from the Ivory Coast. 
To help us with this we have enlisted the services of a devoted British foodie, Mike the Organic Grocer, who - as his nickname suggests - sources and provides local produce. Take a look at his monthly list of seasonal products (accompanying box) and be surprised at how long it is and how much better they taste. 
On Mike's seasonal list this month are courgettes (zucchinis). So let's have another Andalucian soup which also uses a family staple, bacon.

Courgette and Bacon Soup
(serves 4)
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
15 gr of bacon, chopped
1 onion, sliced
600 gr courgette, chopped
1 litre of ham, chicken or vegetable stock

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add 100 grams of the bacon and fry gently until it starts to brown.
• Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently until the onion is soft and translucent.
• Now add the courgettes and stock. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until the courgettes are very tender.
• Meanwhile, in a small pan fry the remaining chopped bacon until crisp. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.
• Allow the soup to cool slightly and process with a hand blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Before serving re-heat the soup as necessary and serve with a sprinkle of the crispy bacon.

If you have bought a kilo of courgettes, use up the rest like this:

Courgettes (or calabacines)
(serves 4)
Ingredients
4 or 5 medium or large green courgettes
3 tblsp olive oil
4 garlics, peeled and coarsely chopped
salt and pepper

• Lightly scrape, wash and dry the courgettes and dice into approximately one-centimetre pieces.
• Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, lightly fry the garlic, add the courgettes and stir well to coat with the oil.
• Cover with a lid and leave to simmer until the courgettes are soft.
• Remove the lid, season with the salt and pepper, turn up the heat and cook until lightly browned.

This dish can be served as an accompaniment to meat or poultry, or as a delicious light lunch or supper dish with a fresh free-range fried egg.
Substitute left over cauliflower for the courgettes and you have another easily prepared vegetable to accompany meat dishes. Or use mushrooms, setas or hongos, instead of courgettes.
If you add some finely diced serrano ham to the mushrooms, you have a typical Spanish starter or tapa.  French beans (judias) or broad beans (habas) can be used, but they have to be cooked first.

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