Marmitako Euskera - Basque Fresh Tuna Stew

Marmitako in Basque means 'from the pot' and is also the name for this tuna and potato based stew. Using the freshest tuna possible this stew will turn into a gorgeous unique stew. In this recipe I use Choricero peppers which are dried red Spanish peppers that come from Spain but if you do not have them do not worry just omit them. I also made my own fish stock but you can use any fish stock cubes or stock pots you have available. I must admit that both Amanda and myself loved this recipe and will definitely give it another go. Fresh tuna is one of my favourites when it comes to fish and being the main ingredient in this wonderful dish made this an instant favourite!! Just because I love flags, here is the Basque flag :) For six people you will need...

• 500g fresh tuna, cut into chunks
• 500g potatoes cut into chunks
• 1 red or yellow pepper, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 2 choricero peppers, soaked in boiling water for 1 hour, flesh scraped (optional)
• 2 tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 small onions, finely chopped
• 1.5 litres fish stock
• A pinch of cayenne pepper
• 75ml white wine
• 240ml (1 cup) tomato passata
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• Olive oil, to serve

For the fish stock...

• 2 litres water
• 1 large fish head or 2 small ones
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• A pinch dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf

How to...

1. If making your own stock, put all the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. When it boils, skim the foam that will float on top of the stock. Simmer for 20-25 minutes. Turn off the heat and strain through a fine sieve.
2. Now onto the stew. In a saucepan, add onions, garlic, red pepper, green pepper and tomatoes, cook until soft about 10-15 minutes on medium high heat stirring occasionally. Now add the wine and when the wine has evaporated, add the passata and choricero pepper flesh (if using). Turn off the heat and blend with a stick blender or in a blender and set aside.
3. In the meantime, in a large pan add the strained stock, cayenne pepper and salt & pepper. Bring to boil and add the potatoes. Cook for 15 minutes. Add tomato/pepper mixture and stir well. Simmer for a further 10 minutes.  Add tuna chunks, stir once and simmer for about 5 minutes. Do not overcook the tuna as it will crumble and ruin the stew. Turn off heat and set aside to sit for about 15 minutes before serving.
4. Serve warm with crusty bread.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Tuna Empanada Galician style - Empanada gallega de atún

Empanadas are quite common on dinner tables all over the Hispanic world. in Spain they are usually baked as large pies and cut into squares and can be served as tapas. In Latin America, empanadas are small pies with different fillings. Originally empanadas came from the Spanish regions of Galicia & Leon but basically became popular all around the whole world. I had this Galician empanada when I went to Spain a couple of years ago and I had to recreate it over here as it was so good. It can be served either hot or cold. I used two sheets of pre-made pastry which makes things way easier. So give it a go and we're quite sure you will try it again! You will need.... 

• 2 ready to roll shortcrust pastry sheets
• 2 large or 3 medium red sweet peppers, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon pimentón dulce (sweet paprika)
• 1 teaspoon pimentón ahumado (smoked paprika)
• 2 cans tuna chunks (in oil), drained
• Small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
• Handful green olives, stoned and chopped
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, roughly chopped
• Olive oil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil mixed with a pinch paprika, for brushing on final empanada

How to...

1. Pour oil into a fry pan over medium heat and add in garlic. Cook it for 2 minutes, until golden. Then add in onion,pepper, paprikas, tomato paste, salt & pepper to taste and cook until onions and peppers are soft, about 10-15 minutes.
2. Take off the heat and let cool. Once cool, add in tuna, olives and parsley and mix well.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 190°C
4. Roll out the first pastry sheet and spread the tuna/veg mixture in the middle, leaving about one inch from the sides. Crumble the eggs on top and cover with the other pastry sheet. Seal the edges well with a fork and baste the top with the oil/paprika mixture and snip the empanada with scissors with in three or four places (so as steam can escape).
5. Bake for 25 minutes until reddish golden. Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Zorza Gallega - Marinated Diced Pork Loin Galician Style

Zorza is a very famous dish in the Northwest Spanish region of Galicia. Basically, it is similar to the meat mixture used in the production of chorizo. One of the differences is that for Zorza the meat is chopped in coarser pieces. The impressively delicious taste of this pork dish comes from the long marination period. It is usually left to marinade for 24 hours in the fridge. The ingredients are quite basic but I did use proper Spanish pimentón (paprika) which gives the dish its distinctive red colour and above all a delicious flavour. If not available you can use normal paprika but make sure it is fresh as 'old' paprika tends to lose its flavour. Worth mentioning also the fact that Zorza is traditionally served with deep fried diced potatoes and fried eggs. One thing is for sure that your family and friends will love it no matter how it is served. We recently prepared a lot of it and we took it to a Spanish fiesta and our friends (Spanish and not) loved it and the Zorza was the first of the tapas to disappear from our table!! So do give this a go. The amounts below are for 6 people (if served as a meal) or 10 people or more if served as a range of tapas!!

• 1 kg pork loin, chopped into small dice (about 0.5 cm cubes)
• 3 tbsp sweet pimentón (paprika)
• 1/2 tbsp hot pimentón (paprika)
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp fine sea salt
• A large zip-lock bag

TWO TIPS: 

1. Make sure the meat is cut in equal pieces so as it cooks evenly.
2. If using 1 kg of meat cook it in two batches.

How to...

1. Put the meat and all the remaining ingredients in a large zip-lock bag, partially close and let all the air out. Now close the bag entirely and start mixing the meat and the ingredients by gently massaging the back. Keep doing this for about 10 minutes until the meat turns red and all the other ingredients are mixed in.
2. Put in the fridge and leave to marinade for 24 hours.
3. When it's time to cook your Zorza, heat up a wok or a  shallow pan on high heat and carefully start stir-frying the Zorza quickly, make sure your stir continuously to avoid it from sticking to the pan. Zorza takes less than 10 minutes to cook.
4. Serve warm with deep fried potatoes (cut the same size of the meat) and a fried egg per person. You can also put in a bowl for everyone to help yourself when you do your Spanish fiesta. Tapas are awesome!!!

Enjoy!!

R&A

Guisantes a la Murciana - Peas Murcia Style

This dish comes from the Spanish region of Murcia and it is an absolute delight. It is a simple enough dish to start a great dinner party with. They are very easy to prepare and so so tasty. The chorizo, Serrano ham and pimentón (paprika) makes this dish so...well Spanish! Give them a go and you will definitely try them again!! You will need (for 4 people)...

• 400g fresh or frozen peas
• 75g chorizo, diced
• 75g Serrano ham, chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 250ml vegetable stock
• Olive oil
• Sea salt

Method

1. Start by frying the onion with a pinch of salt in some olive oil. Cook until soft and transparent.
2. In the meantime, cook the peas in plenty boiling water until cooked. Drain and set aside.
3. To the cooked onion, add the chorizo, Serrano ham, paprika and flour. Stir well and cook for a few minutes until the flour is slightly toasted.
4. Now add the peas and stir well into the ham & chorizo mixture. Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil.
5. Ladle into bowls and chop the hard boiled egg onto each serving.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Arroz con chorizo, pimientos, cúrcuma y garbanzos - Turmeric rice with chorizo, red peppers & chickpeas

This is one of our favourite rice dishes. It tastes like Spain :) The flavours are so intense. The chorizo gives the dish a kick, the red peppers give it a beautiful colour and taste, the chickpeas give it a great crunch. Our secret in making this rice dish even more tasty is that we boil the rice in turmeric scented water. You just put a teaspoon of turmeric in the water before boiling and the rice will taste incredibly good and obviously it will have the turmeric's vivacious yellow colour. It is very easy to make...so go on...give it a go!

You will need...

• 200g Chorizo, peeled and chopped into cubes
• 1 medium red onion, finely sliced
• 2 small red peppers, sliced
• 200g cherry tomatoes
• 250g rice - (we use two 125g boil-in-bag rice bags)
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• Olive oil
• 1 teaspoon turmeric

Method...

1. Start by boiling the rice in the turmeric water. (1 teaspoon of turmeric in the water)
2. Fry the onion in a little olive oil until soft.
3. Add the pepper and chorizo and stir well. Cook until the peppers are soft.
4. Check the rice...if ready set aside.
5. Add the cherry tomatoes and chickpeas to the chorizo/peppers mixture and simmer for a couple of minutes until tomatoes and chickpeas are warm.
6. Add the mixture to the rice and stir carefully again to mix all the ingredients. 
7. Serve with extra olive oil.

Enjoy!!

R & A