Pea and ham soup has been a favourite of mine since childhood. So i was pleasantly surprised to find it also popular in certain parts of Spain.
Predictably, Jamon Serrano is used when making this warming soup in Spain and I enjoyed a particularly sumptuous version in Bubion high up in the La Alpujarra mountains. Now the ham can already be salty so do not make the mistake of some Spanish restaurants and add too much salt.
We've been featuring the Sobrasada sausage recently. So popular on the Balearic Islands and in Catalonia.
Majorcan restaurants and cafes serve it up in a variety of ways. As a spreadable sausage on bread, as a main meal with chicken (see earlier recipe) and, here, fried with eggs.
Many a local worker will eat this for breakfast, particularly in Soller (pronounced Soyer) in the north west of the Island.
Here's another recipe for the ever popular hake (merluza). This one is from green and gorgeous Galicia. An area serving some of the best fish to be landed on the shores anywhere in Spain.
In all but the high temperatures of summer, I love eating Spanish stews. Full of fresh vegetables, potatoes and/or meat. Stews are something of a speciality in Spain. The ingredients may vary, but the restorative powers of a good Spanish stew are undoubted. Here's a recipe from Navarra. Use generous portions of vegetables.
