Thursday 4th January 2018.
Even the darkest days.
Last September I jetted off to the Catalonian capital of Barcelona. A city of glamour and grandeur. A playground for the super rich. Behind it's front of consumerism lies a city with bags of culture, fantastic food and wonderful locals. A narrow back street, the buildings towering high while almost tilting forward towards each other. Endless wrought iron balcony's and washing lines with fresh bedding hanging out to dry. It was down this said street that I ate a dish similar to mine above. Cooked by a lady who looked 60 but was probably in her late 80's, she was very protective over her recipe and method when I asked (I can hardly blame her, why share your secrets with a random tourist). When I got back on home turf, I messed around in the kitchen for days, all in an attempt to create something vaguely similar. Above is the result. Whenever you visit the Mediterranean countries, their food always seems to have a savoury undertone that is near impossible to replicate. I've seen it in my Italian grandmothers cooking. It's like a secret ingredient, except it's not. I think some just have the magic touch. Spicy Spanish sausage, sweet Romano peppers, sharp lime juice. A perfect supper for this most miserable time of the year, served hot with sour cream and warmed flatbreads. Heaven.
You'll need:
- Red onions, 2
- Garlic, 1 clove
- Good quality chorizo sausage, 240g
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tbsp rose harissa paste
- 250g mixed baby peppers (or red Romano one if you can't get hold of these)
- 150g piccolo tomatoes
- 400g can chickpeas
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 1 Lime
To serve:
- Small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Sour cream
- Warmed pitta/flatbreads, 4.
Method
1. Place a large, casserole type pan on the hob over a medium heat. Take your knife and gently run it down the length of the chorizo to cut the papery skin and then proceed to peel it all off. Slice the chorizo into thick coins and place them in to hot pan. Turn the heat down slightly and leave for a few minutes to sizzle and release them precious, scented oils. Turn over after a few minutes and fry for a further minute or two on the underside. By this point you should have a pool of fiery red oil in the pan. Remove the chorizo from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving as much oil behind as is possible. Place in a bowl and put to one side.
2. Next, peel and roughly slice the two red onions, then throw them in the hot oil along with the finely sliced garlic. Add a pinch of salt to stop the onions burning, cover and fry on a medium heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring regularly until they became translucent and they start to catch at the edges.
3. Add the fennel seeds and oregano, fry for a further minute stirring constantly. Deseed and thickly slice the peppers, then half the tomatoes and add them both to the pan, stirring to coat in the spiced oil. Fry for 5 minutes with the lid off, stirring regularly until softened.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan, then half-fill the empty tin with cold water before adding that too. Add the Harissa, chickpeas, and the chorizo from earlier. Give it all a good stir then leave to simmer, covered, on a medium heat for 30 minutes. Take the lid off for the last 5 minutes to allow some liquid to evaporate and the sauce to thicken.
5. Remove the lid from the pan, and season with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Turn off the heat and squeeze in the juice of the lime, making sure to catch any falling pips as you do.
6. Finish by scattering over the roughly chopped parsley, then serve with the sour cream and flatbreads. Enough for 4.
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