I have sampled lamb cutlets and lamb chops in Spain which lacked only one ingredient.
Lamb!
I have eaten in places where to ask: "can I have the bones for the dog, please?" would be a pointless question, as the bones were there on the plate in front of me.
No such problem when enjoying lamb cutlets in the town of Pontevedra, Galicia.
They came with plenty of meat on them. Succulent lamb chops and a delightful fig sauce.
Here is the recipe.
So you have to cook a meal for six people using some ingredients that are at their best in Spain. What meat would you choose? For me it is always lamb. It remains my favourite. Here the slow roasted lamb takes four hours but that gives you plenty of time to prepare
the alioli and saffron potato purée.
Your guests will be the lucky ones, enjoying this superb Spanish meal.
Can one ever eat enough lamb? Not me. The quality can vary in Spain but, when cooked the Moorish way, it is succulent and superb. The Moors mastered how to best cook lamb, and now you can do likewise.
My favourite meat is lamb. You can get hold of the New Zealand variety within Spain, but there is also nice lamb that hails from Spain itself. It may not be as fullsome (they kill them younger in Spain) and, sometimes, the lamb can be what i call 'stringy.' But I have enjoyed Spanish lamb in a variety of forms, and here's a recipe for a particularly tasty dish,
Riñones de cordero lechal plancha (Grilled lamb's kidneys).
On a clear day such as today, from the top of the mountain that faces my kitchen, I can see North Africa. It was exceptionally cold up there, but it was a joy to stare at Spain's near neighbour and imagine the couscous being sampled by many in Morocco. This is a favourite dish of those who live in, and visit Spain each year. Here's a recipe for each Couscous Salad.
Aragón is an often overlooked part of Spain. Odd for a place that is so steeped in history and has such a fine tradition of gastronomy. Possibly the best dishes to come out of Aragón involve Lamb. Here is a recipe for a lamb hotpot using paprika for spice.
Following on from our recipe for Empanadas, here is one for the smaller Empanadillas. These are tiny in size, but titantic in taste. Empanadillas con chorizo y cordero. This recipe should provide you with around two dozen lovely, tasty empanadillas.
Served up in many a Spanish bar, and at most village and town fiestas, Pinchitos Moruños are very popular and have been since Moorish times. Skewers of spicy meat are so easy to cook that you'll often find them for sale on the streets of Spanish cities and at sports events such as football matches. Here's a recipe for some lovely Moorish lamb kebabs serving up to 8 people.
