Aragon

Aragon is often referred to as a place where cooking is plain. What's wrong with plain? In the case of Aragon, absolutely nothing. This is the home of good, honest, fullsome cooking. It's people are hardy and the food they eat is all about being filling and warming.

In a region that borders France, and encompasses the Pyrenees, it is inevitable that locally hunted or bred animals deliver to the dining table succulent meat. Lamb, Wild Boar, Venison are just three meats that are served so often throughout the diverse area of Aragon. The south of Aragon produces some of the best ham in Spain. Pata Negra, deriving from the compound fed Iberian pig, is the finest of all Spanish hams, both in texture and to taste. The meals you can expect to savour include roast suckling pig, boar pot roast or a lamb hotpot with paprika.

It's not all meat though. Snails are another popular dish in Aragon. It must be the French influence. Plenty of ingredients grow wild in the countryside. Mushrooms, borage, sweet onions and asparagus are plentiful and used in cooking regularly.

But the people of Aragon also have a sweet tooth. The area is famous for its candied fruits. The so called Frutas de Aragon are sugar candied fruits, some of which are covered in chocolate. But there are rules governing the manufacture of the sweets. They can only be made from apples, pears, peaches, apricots, cherries, figs plums and oranges. Only sugar may be used for candying. Artificial preservatives and colorings are not allowed. Any chocolate used must consist of at least 34% cocoa butter, and no other fat is permitted. So you will see that the gagstronomy of Aragon is, to say the least, varied. And most certainly not plain.

Deep Fried Artichoke Hearts

Have a Heart

A good way to serve the artichoke hearts I have written about under the "How To" section of this site, is to deep fry them and serve as a tapas.

This is a meal that is far from exclusive to Spain. In some countries, including America, they are served as a takeaway, a bit like fish and chips.

Yes, it is a little time consuming to prepare, but both your and your visitors will appreciate the effort when you bite into these chunks of alcachofa.

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Lamb Knuckles with Artichokes

Knuckle down to Aragon Lamb

So now, via our "How To" section, you know how to prepare artichokes (alcachofas). It is time to enjoy them in a sumptuous meal.

And here is your opportunity to do just that. A smashing recipe combining lamb knuckles with those artichokes.

A recipe that comes from Aragon, a region famed for quality lamb.

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Sweet Nuns

Nuns in the Sun
Nuns in the sun cook up a treat

There is a favourite wine bar of mine in the city of Granada that serves great food.

But when it comes to finishing off with a sweet, I walk out of the bar and straight to the Carmelite convent that is opposite.
It is here that nuns sell sweets like none other I have tasted.

You have to knock on a discreet little door and then place your order from a tempting selection of goodies.

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Slow Roasted Lamb with Alioli and Saffron Potato Puree

Lamb with Saffron

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.

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Grilled Lamb's Kidneys

Lambs Kidneys
Grill Some Lamb

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). 

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Lamb Hotpot

Cordero al Chilindron
Hot Stuff from Aragon

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.

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Braised Lamb Shanks

Lamb Shanks
Loving Lamb

The slower you cook Spanish lamb, the nicer it tastes. Here we use the shank from the pierna (shoulder) of the lamb. Try to use lamb from sheep grown in Aragón or Asturias in the north of Spain. Plan ahead. You can cook this over a period of hours, even overnight if you wish. Just don't forget that you have slammed in the lamb.

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Slam in the Lamb

Lamb from Aragon
Slam in the Lamb

A continuing mission of mine in Spain is to find home grown lamb that is as tasty as that which hails from New Zealand. In the north of Spain, the mountains of Aragón are full of grazing sheep. In the south Huescar, in the province of Granada, produces much of the lamb that can be found in Spanish restaurants and supermarkets in Andalucia.

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