The Ingredients - Pimentón de La Vera

Christopher Columbus brought the pepper back to Spain after discovering it on his second voyage to the Americas. The story goes that he served it to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella who had found it too spicy. However, the monks of Guadalupe took a liking to it and spread it throughout Extremadura and then across Spain. They were planted in many regions including Murcia which has a warm and sunny climate which allowed these peppers to be sun dried after harvest before being ground. In Extremadura however it was prone to rain around harvest time so they developed a different drying method. They laid the peppers on a fire and dried them using wood smoke. This is what gave the pimentón from this region its distinctive rich, smoky flavour. Today the peppers are dried on racks above an oak fire and are turned manually by hand every day for about two weeks. Next they are taken to the mill where they are slowly ground using stone wheels into what is Pimentón de La Vera.

There are three varieties of Pimentón: Pimentón Dulce which is sweet and mild, Pimentón Agridulce which is slightly hotter and darker in colour and Pimentón Picante which is hot and made from several different peppers. Pimentón de La Vera is held in such high regard that its production is controlled by a denomination of origin. Pimentón and paprika are essentially the same, being made from ground peppers. However, the smoke drying process used to make Pimentón de La Vera imparts such rich, deep smoky and earthy flavours that the two should never be interchanged. Pimentón is used widely in Spanish cooking from adding the spice to chorizo sausage and other meats, as well as being used commonly in a wide range of dishes from across the country.

In the Kitchen - Pintxos

Today in the kitchen I am going to put together a small selection of pintxos. I am going to make a range of modern and more traditional bites to illustrate the versatility of presenting food in this way.

Gilda

Gilda translates as lollipop and the classic Gilda is made from a combination of guindilla (Spanish pepper), an anchovy and an olive spiked onto a toothpick. This is perhaps the easiest pintxo to make and the saltiness of the anchovy pairs well alongside the flavour and texture of the olive and the mild warmth of the guindilla pepper.



Charred Tomato with Black Pudding Topped with Chèvre with Balsamic and Honey Vinaigrette

If you have not tried black pudding before I insist that you do. People are put off by the fact that it is a sausage made from blood, but the flavour and texture are a fantastic addition to a range of dishes. In this pintxo the smokey flavour from tomatoes blackened on the grill is layered with the rich mildly spiced sausage and soft tart chèvre and brought together with a slightly sweet honey vinaigrette.



Ingredients (makes 4)
1 tomato
4 slices of black pudding
4 thin slices chèvre (soft goat's cheese)
Sesame Seeds
Honey
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

Preparation:
1. Cut the tomato into 2cm slices.
2. Place under the grill and cook until soft and slightly blackened. Removed and place in bowl for later.
3. Cut the black pudding into slices and fry off in a pan.
4. Place a small spoonful of tomato onto a plate then carefully place the black pudding and a similar size piece of chèvre on top and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
6. Prepare the vinaigrette with two parts oil and one part balsamic vinegar, and honey and salt to taste. Drizzle lightly over the dish.

Onion Confit Stuffed Baby Squid with Roasted Aubergine

This dish pairs the sweet onion confit with lightly grilled squid and earthy aubergine flavours. The key to making this a successful dish is getting the correct balance of sweetness in the confit and being careful not to overcook the squid as you need to be able to bite through it easily as the dish should not require cutlery.



Ingredients (makes 4)
4 baby squid, cleaned and tentacles removed.
1 red onion
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
½ aubergine
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 lemon
Baguette
Olive oil
Parsley

Preparation:
1. Peel the aubergine and cut into 2cm rounds. Sprinkle with salt and roast in a 180C/350F oven for 15 minutes or until soft.
2. Slice the onion finely and fry with a splash of olive oil until the onions change colour and start to caramelize.
3. Add the sugar and vinegar and stir through until the onion softens and thickens into a jam-like texture. Check the flavours and adjust vinegar and sugar if necessary.
4. Let the mix cool slightly before stuffing the onion confit into the baby squid. Use a toothpick to hold the filling in the squid tubes.
5. Cook the squid tubes on a hot grill or pan for about 30 seconds on each side.
6. Slice the baguette and lightly toast the rounds.
7. Place some roasted aubergine onto each round and place a stuffed squid tube on top.
8. Sprinkle with parsley and top with a few drops of lemon juice.

Roasted Red Pepper, Anchovy, Leek and Cream Cheese Tart

These small tarts are very easy to make and taste great fresh out of the oven. To get the most out of the ingredients the leeks need to be slightly caramalized, the peppers need to have that rich smokey flavour and the anchovies should be of a decent quality.



Ingredients (makes 4)
1 leek, white portion only
4 anchovy fillets, drained of oil
1/2 small red pepper, roasted, peeled and cut into 4 strips
4 10cm squares of puff pastry
100g cream cheese

Preparation
1. Preheat to oven to 180C/350/F
2. Cut the leek in half and boil until tender.
3. Transfer the leek to a hot frypan and colour each side of the leek.
4. Cut 4 squares of puff pasty and place an anchovy, slice of red pepper and 1/4 of the leek onto the square. Make sure you leave some room around the sides of the pastry so it can puff up.
5. Place in the oven on a roasting tray until the pastry puffs and starts to brown.
6. Remove from oven and place a small teaspoon of cream cheese on top of the tart.

Prawn Brochettes with Red and Green Pepper Vinaigrette

Prawn Brochettes are a classic Basque pintxo. This version adds the sweetness of peppers with the tartness of sherry vinegar for a clean, light finish. The prawns are the stars of the dish here so make sure you don't overcook them.



Ingredients (makes 4)
8 prawns, peeled and deveined
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 spring onion
Sherry vinegar
Olive oil
Baguette

Preparation
1. Very finely dice red and green peppers and finely slice spring onion.
2. Prepare vinaigrette using two parts oil to one part vinegar.
3. Combine vinaigrette with peppers and let sit for 5-10 mins.
4. Grill or BBQ prawns until just cooked through.
5. Place two prawns on a slice of fresh baguette and lightly drizzle over vinaigrette.

Chèvre with Membrillo and Candied Walnuts

This is a sweeter pintxo with the tartness and soft texture of the chèvre being offset by the sweetness of the membrillo and crunchy candied walnuts.



Ingredients (makes 4)
Membrillo (quince paste), preferably in block form
Baguette
Walnuts
Maple Syrup
Chèvre (goat's cheese)

Preparation
1. Thinly slice baguette and fry off in a pan with some butter until crisp and brown.
2. Chop walnuts and add to a hot pan with some maple syrup and move around until nuts are coated and maple syrup has thickened, then remove and allow to cool.
3. Take a thin slice of baguette and top with a slice of chèvre. Top with a similar size piece of membrillo and then a few candied walnuts.

The History - Pintxos, the tastes of Donostia-San Sebastián

Donostia-San Sebastián, or San Sebastián as it is commonly known, is a small city of less than 200,000 people located on the Bay of Biscay on the northern coast of Spain, situated within Basque country. Although not large in stature this seaside city is often thought to be the jewel in the culinary crown of Europe. San Sebastián boasts seven three-Michelin Star restaurants, and chefs leading the way internationally with inventive modern cuisine. However it is not the Michelin star restaurants that draws the most foodies from around the world to flock to this seaside city. Pintxos are Basque style tapas that have developed into small gastronomic delights, that at the top bars have become more akin to an amuse bouche than a simple bar snack. In San Sebastián the locals eat Pintxos as part of a Txikiteo, which is a pre dinner or lunch bar crawl in which you might meet friends, have a small glass of local txakoli wine and one or two pintxos, and then move to the next bar. However many a gluttonous tourist has been compelled to graze over a much larger selection. Pintxos can range in price starting from two dollars and although traditionally are served on bread, can include any small bite. They can comprise of a simple combination of olive, pepper and anchovy through to a a less traditional combination of foie gras and apple. Pintxos literally means 'thorn' or 'spike' and refers to the toothpick that is a part of many pintxos. They can be used to hold food together, but also can be used to identify different prices and varieties of pintxos. Traditionally the pintxos are laid out across the bar and you take what you like, and upon finishing your bill is tallied using the honour system or by counting the toothpicks.