I took on board a recipe sent to me recently by a friend who is an aspiring chef in Catalunya. Not a difficult meal to prepare and one that uses probably my favourite food to fry. Squid. There is many a week when I think I would eat nothing else. Squid can be cooked and served in such a variety of ways.
One of the joys for me when it comes to eating in Spain is that squid is so readily available and that there are many ways to serve it up. But one favourite remains constant. Grilled squid. Even then you can make a meal of Calamares a la Plancha seem different simply by virtue of what you serve it with. Too often restaurants in Spain lazily plonk some chips on the same plate. The dish i have named 'beauty and the beast.'
At the end of August thousands of people gather in Valencia to throw lots and lots of tomatoes at each other. All part of the Tomatina festival and, in my opinion, a waste of tomatoes. Even if they are past their best.
The tomato is so adaptable in Spanish cooking, having a part to play in the culinary make up of the country in winter and in summer. Right now, with Spain at its hottest, the tomato can be so very refreshing.
Some of the best seafood served anywhere is placed in front of you in Galicia. I first enjoyed this sumptuous stew in that coastal region of north west Spain. Lobster can be prepared well, with patience, and here you can use it with either mussles or clams.
Bacon and Squid. Have i truly arrived in food heaven? What a marvellous combination. And here's how. A simple tapa serving that is both filling and tasty. We love Spanish food such as this. So simple to prepare. Such a delight to taste. It is making easy dishes such as this that helps prepare you for making bigger and more complicated meals in the future.
I love squid. Cannot get enough of the creature. Especially when it comes served to me as a tasty tapa. It lends itself so well to spice and red wine inspired sauces. Here's a spicy recipe to savour.
In many parts of the world the word stuffing, as it applies to cooking, is only used at Christmas time. I cannot recall my mother stuffing any food other than the traditional Christmas turkey. Had i grown up as a child in Spain, that may have been very different. Many meals in Spain include some item or other that is stuffed. Tomatoes, peppers, poultry. You name it and the chances are that, in Spain, it gets stuffed! Here's two such recipes.
Here's a recipe for Pimientos del Piquillo Rellenos. In this instance we're suggesting stuffing the spicy red peppers with squid and a little ham but, in all honesty, you can stuff the peppers with whichever food takes your fancy. I've had them stuffed with prawns, hake, cod, lobster, lamb, kidneys and all manner of ingredients. If you've got the peppers right, what is in them is a bonus. A supporting act to the star turn.
