Merry Chefs: A for Andalucia (Spain)

Andalucia is the largest of Spain's 17 autonomous regions and it's the one which evokes the most powerful images of a country famed for its flamenco, fiestas, bullfighting and raw passion. It's a land which has both spawned and inspired great writers, poets, actors and painters. Andalucia gave birth to Pablo Picasso and the 17th century royal painter Velasquez and it held an enduring fascination for novelists Ernest Hemingway and Laurie Lee. It's the setting for the most performed and famous opera of all time, Bizet's Carmen. And it's a unique place where east meets west in an exotic melting pot of Jewish, gypsy, Moorish and Christian cultures.

FOOD

Enjoying and experimenting with Andalucian cuisine is a fundamental part living in Andalucia. What better than an alfresco lunch commencing with a chilled summer gazpacho soup. Freshly harvested Mediterranean fish and a salad dressed with the finest Olive Oil. The Mediterranean diet is one of the most nutritionally healthy in the world. On the coast you will find the fish and seafood the traditional fare. Inland there is a tendency for ham sausage and game dishes not forgetting vegetable and meat stews.

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CHORIZO & TOMATO SALAD Starter
3 tbs Olive oil
1 tbs extra virgin oil
100g Chorizo (Good quality pref half a Alejandro Chorizo hoop) chopped
3 big Tomatoes chopped chunky
3 big Spring onions Chopped
Sea Salt (agood amount)
Black pepper
3 tbs sherry vinegar
Parsley chopped
Basil chopped
2 Garlic cloves diced

Methodology –
Fry Chorizo in olive oil till brown
Add the garlic and fry for 1 min
Combine all other ingredients in mixing bowl.
Add the Chorizo and garlic to mixing bowl and pour a little of the chorizo and garlic oil over.
Serve with goat’s cheese and Serrano ham.

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BAKED SEA BREAM with Aioli and fresh salad
2 Whole Sea Bream gutted and leave scales on
4 Kg of cheap Sea salt
1 Egg
2 Lemon Skins
2 tbs fennel seeds
bunch of Thyme Fresh

Methodology –
Prepare barbeque
Mix water and salt so it is like slush and then mix in 1 egg, lemon skin peelings and fennel seeds.
Stuff cavity of fish with loads of fresh Thyme
Place salt slush on hot coals about a 1cm thick and cover an area big enough to put the 2 Sea Bream on.
Place the 2 sea Bream on salted area on BBQ then cover with rest of salt then place coals over the top of the salt and cover with tin foil.
Leave for 20 mins and then you’re done.
Clear away tin foil and coals off top of salt. Salt will be rock hard to tap until cracked open and you can remove the fish.

Serve with a pot of Alioli and fresh salad.

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SAFFRON AIOLI
3 Garlic cloves
Sea Salt
70ml Olive oil
Pinch of Saffron

Methodology-

Mash garlic, saffron and sea salt in pestle and mortar
Then add oil in small amounts and mash fast after each bit of oil is added until you have yummy yellow sauce.

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CUCUMBER SALAD
½ Cucumber sliced into chunks
10 black olives pitted and halved
2 tbs capers
½ Sweet pepper sliced into chunks
bunch of Fresh parsley
1 juice of a large lemon
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Combine and leave in fridge for at least 2 hours mixing occasionally

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Overview

Overall turned out to all be very nice and especially enjoyed the Seabass was so tender and took on a lovely taste from the fennel seeds. Never cooked fish like this before and we were both very impressed how it turned out worth the effort and recommend anyone to try it. When making the Chorizo salad use a good quality chorizo as suggested below. We also bought a cheaper one from a mainstream supermarket and the taste and texture was poor compared to the Alejandro.