Pa amb Tomaquet Bread with garlic & tomato

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 thick slices country bread

4 garlic cloves, peeled

1 heirloom tomato or vine ripe tomato, halved

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt

Fresh cracked pepper

Preparation:

1.     Toast bread under broiler (or on a hot grill) for about 30 seconds per side

2.     Bring to table. Give everyone a garlic clove to rub onto their toasted bread. Then rub tomato halves on toast.

3.     Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

4.     Enjoy warm

Escudella

Ingredients:

2 cups dry white beans (16 oz package of the small white ones)

1 ham bone

1 marrow, bone

3 chicken thighs

14 ounces raw pork sausage, rolled into balls

1 thick ham steak, cut into chunks

1/2 head green cabbage

1 large white potato, cut into large chunks

1/4 cup uncooked rice

1 cup pasta shells

1 cup canned garbanzo beans

salt and pepper

Preparation:

1.     Roll the raw sausage into one- or two-bite sized balls.

2.     Rinse the dry beans in cold water.

3.     Meanwhile, cook the sausage balls over medium heat.

4.     Dice the ham.

5.     Put the beans, sausage, ham, chicken and bones into the pot with 8 cups of water.

6.     Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer, covered for two hours. The chicken should be very tender, almost falling apart.

7.     Remove the bones and bring the remaining stock and meat back up to a boil (if there isn't a lot of liquid you can add more water).

8.     Add the cabbage, potato, rice, pasta shells, garbanzo beans and salt and pepper.

9.     Cook for another 30 minutes or until the potatoes and rice are tender.

Trinxat de la Cerdanya

Ingredients:

1 2-lb. savoy cabbage, tough outer leaves discarded

2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled

12 thick slices of meaty salt pork or bacon

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

2 1/2 oz. fatback, rind removed, thinly sliced

freshly ground black pepper

Salt

Preparation:

1.     Bring two pots of generously salted water to a boil over medium-high heat.

2.     Place the cabbage in one and potatoes in the other; lower the heat in the cabbage pot and simmer until very tender, usually 45-50 minutes.

3.     Boil the potatoes until they are tender, usually about 25 minutes if you've left the potatoes whole, 15-20 minutes if they've been quartered.

4.     Drain the potatoes, allow them to dry off briefly over low heat, and then transfer to a large bowl. Drain the cabbage in a colander, and allow to cool slightly; then pull out and discard the core, and drain again, pressing the cabbage to release water.

5.     Add the cabbage to potatoes, and mash together with a potato masher. Season to taste with salt, and set aside.

6.     Working in batches, lightly brown the salt pork on both sides in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat; then drain on paper towels, and set aside. Pour off the fat and wipe skillet clean with paper towels.

7.     Heat oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until soft, 2-3 minutes; then add oil and garlic to the cabbage mixture, stirring in well.

8.     In the same skillet, heat half the fatback until fat is rendered.

9.     Add half the cabbage mixture, and flatten into a 1/2"-thick pancake. Cook over high heat until a bottom crust has formed and the trinxat slides easily in the skillet, 5-10 minutes.

10.  Invert a large plate over skillet, and carefully flip trinxat over; then slide it back into skillet, browned side up.

11.  Season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook until bottom is browned, 5-10 minutes.

12.  transfer to a platter.

13.  Repeat the process with remaining cabbage mixture to make a second trinxat.

14.  To serve, cut each trinxat into thirds and garnish each with 2 strips salt pork.

Spinach with Raisins and Pine Nuts

Ingredients:

Olive oil

Handful or two of pine nuts – adjust according to how much you like pine nuts

Handful or two of raisins – again, adjust accordingly

4oz fresh spinach

Salt & pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1.     Add a little (very little, less than a tbsp) of oil to a pan, and roast the pine nuts for a few minutes, until they’re starting to turn slightly golden. 

2.     Add the raisins and spinach, season with salt and pepper, and cook the spinach until wilted.

Brac de gitano - Rolled up cake filled with jam and cream

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

Cake:

4 eggs, separated

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

pinch salt

1 oz butter

1 tsp almond extract

Filling:

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup plus 5 Tbsp apricot or peach jam

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup almonds

Preparation:

For the cake:

1.     Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and cover a 9×13 sheet pan with parchment paper. (A sheet pan looks like a cookie sheet with 1/2 inch high sides)

2.     In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar until pale yellow. Add flour, salt, butter, and almond extract.

3.     Add egg whites to a medium bowl, beat until stiff.

4.     Add 1/3 of the egg whites to the yolk mixture. Stir gently until just combined. Fold in remaining egg whites.

5.     Pour into pan and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

6.     Cool slightly. Remove cake from pan and place on a sugared dish towel or saran wrap.  

7.     Roll up into a tube. Let cool to room temperature.

For the filling:

1.     Bring jam to room temperature.

2.     In a medium bowl, whip cream to soft peaks. Stir 1/3 whipped cream into 5 tbsp jam. Fold in remaining cream until just combined.

3.     Unroll the cake. Spread with 1/2 cup jam and then whipped filling. Reroll. Refrigerate for 1-4 hours.

4.     Sprinkle with sugar and cocoa. Slice into rounds. Serve cold.

Panellets (Empiñonados) or Spanish Sweet Potato-Marzipan Cookies

Serves: 25-28

Ingredients

3 cups ground almonds

3/4 cup raw honey

2 medium sweet potatoes (about 190g)

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon rose water (optional)

ground pistachios (or whole pine nuts)

desiccated coconut

cacao powder

Preparation

1.     Preheat oven to 190C (375F).

2.     Peel and cut into large chunks the sweet potatoes. Cook in plenty of water until tender.

3.     Once tender, drain and mash with a fork or spoon until a puree is formed.

4.     Add the raw honey and rose water and mix well.

5.     Add the ground almonds, and with your hands mix it all well until you have a paste, similar to marzipan. (Actually it is marzipan without the sweet potato.)

6.     Allow to cool.

7.     Then with your hands, create 1-inch balls out of the paste.

8.     Beat the eggs in a soup bowl or small dish.

9.     Dip each ball in the beaten eggs and then through either ground pistachios, whole pine nuts, desiccated coconut, or cacao powder or a mixture of coconut and cacao powder. (If using pine nuts, it’s nice to add egg yolk-brushed onto the balls before baking-for a glossy finish.)

10.  Bake the panellets for 10-12 minutes, turning around once half way through.