Castilla La Mancha

La Mancha is sparsley populated. You can drive vast distances without seeing anyone. But you will find the locals in their kitchens, cafes, bars and restaurants. And they will be enjoying Spanish meals that go back centuries. Using ingredients that have served them well long before the name Don Quixote appeared on the page.

Saffron is grown here in vast quantities. So much so that each October the locals celebrate the Saffron Rose Festival or Fiesta de la Rosa del Azafrán. Mushrooms also have their day in the sun when it comes to a fiesta. And some of the most flavoursome mushrooms grown anywhere, are grown in Castilla La Mancha.

Hunting is big in this area. Wild boar, stag, rabbit and a range of birds are killed for food. The partridge is used in much family cooking, marinated and served in hearty stews with beans, vegetables and spices such as the ubiquitous saffron. The stew or Estofada is what will greet you should you enter a village home in La Mancha. You will not go hungry here. 

And, of course, you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a local Manchego cheese to enjoy. The basis for genuine Manchego cheese is the pure milk of the sheep of La Mancha. When cooking food ot eating out in La Mancha, you would do well to recall the words of Don Quixote himsmelf: "The stomach carries the heart, and not the heart the stomach."

La Mancha Shepherd's Stew

Don Quixote's Lunch

Having written about the joys of the food available in Castilla La Mancha, and with winter approaching, I though it time to deliver a recipe for a great stew from the region.

One that is so typical of La Mancha. A shepherd's stew containing some of the best ingredients of the region. That includes half a rabbit or hare, a partridge and, of course, saffron. You can't eat a meal from La Mancha without saffron.

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Mushrooms with Garlic

Mushrooms of La Mancha

I have written in the articles section of this site about the variety of Spanish food produced from, and grown on, the dry plains of Castilla La Mancha. Two grown in vast quantity are mushrooms and garlic.

So it is appropriate that I offer you a simple recipe for an excellent meal that can be served either in the form of a tapas offering or as a main meal.

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The food of Castilla La Mancha

Aubergines and Cheese - two of the finest foods from La Mancha
Food for 'knights' grown by day

In my continuing culinary journey around the vast expanse of the country that is Spain, I look next at Castilla La Mancha. A region more famous for Don Quixote than for food. But, while the former may be the figment of a lively imagination, the latter is very much real.

Saffron, Manchego Cheese, Garlic, Vegetables - they are all signature products of the region.

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Honey, Honey

Spanish Honey
Sweet Spain

Having just had a delightful plate of Berejenas con Miel (aubergines with honey), my mind turned to the wide array of honey on offer across Spain. And why I like honey produced in Spain when I never previously ate anything involving honey.

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Garlic Breath

Garlic a must have ingredient
Garlic is good for you

Now those of you who dislike being within a hundred miles of garlic had better turn away now. For I am going to give you chapter and verse on why adding garlic is a must when cooking Spanish food.

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Spanish Saffron

Spanish Saffron
World's Most Expensive Spice

There is controversy this week over the authenticity of some Spanish saffron (azafrán). A food investigation says that some of the saffron being exported from Spain as being Spanish grown was, in fact, imported into Spain from other countries.

It seems some companies have been labelling saffron they have purchased abroad as though it were home grown in Spain. This must be in a minority of cases, as so much Saffron is indeed grown and picked in Spain.

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Roasted Peppers & Onions

Spanish bread
On the Bread Line

The Spanish love to eat lots of bread with their meals. My neighbours buy bread twice a day from the bread vans that visit the local villages. Chunky bread that is used to mop up juices or upon which the food is placed before consuming. Some Spanish meals just lend themselves to having along side bread. Here's a recipe for Mojete - a derivation of the word to dip. Roasted peppers and onions is a popular dish in La Mancha but it is a must that you serv it with bread.

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Mushrooms Grilled with Garlic and Parsley

Mushrooms
Magnificent Mushrooms

Mushrooms make for ideal light meals. As we have explored previously, there are many varieties of mushrooms in Spain. But here we simply use the most commonly available mushrooms in Spain. A recipe for setas a la parilla (mushrooms grilled with garlic and parsley).

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Lacquered Pork Ribs

Costillar de Cerdo Lacado
Honey I Ate The Pork

You can make meals large and small with pork. Such as the so called lacquered pork ribs. Easy to prepare and a memorable meal for all.

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Spanish stews

Ollo Podrida
Spanish Stews

It was Don Quixote himself who paid tribute to Spanish stews. In particular the signature stew of Spain, the Ollo Podrida. The man from La Mancha says: "The huge dish steaming there at the front looks to me as though it might be ollo podrida and such a great diversity of comestibles is contained in such dishes that i cannot fail to discover in it something both palatable and wholesome." Well said.

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