I made this tartare at the end of the summer with a piece of tuna that my friend Eugenio gave me. The idea of the dish was to respect the tuna as much as possible, so I decided to put a mild dressing and thus enjoy the unique flavor of tuna.

 I have thought that this delicacy of the sea would be a perfect way to start any meal. And therefore it is the first idea to cook this Christmas.

Cut the tuna into small cubes. Put them in a bowl and mix them with the rest of the ingredients. 

Season to taste and serve with chives on top and half a lime on one side. 

This starter can also be served on toast; you will see what a success.

Tuna Tartare

I made this tartare at the end of the summer with a piece of tuna that my friend Eugenio gave me. The idea of the dish was to respect the tuna as much as possible, so I decided to put a mild dressing and thus enjoy the unique flavor of tuna. I have thought that this delicacy of the sea would be a perfect way to start any meal. And therefore it is the first idea to cook this Christmas.

In this recipe, I present a fresh and delicious salad featuring two of Spain's most beloved ingredients: cheese and tomatoes. This dish includes three varieties of tomatoes (Daniela, Cherry, and Rama) and a unique Spanish cheese made with black olives.

This simple and quick recipe is sure to become one of your favourite summer dishes.

In recent years, Spanish cheesemakers have been innovating the cheese sector. Their creativity and desire to offer delightful products have led to combinations of flavours and ingredients never before used in cheese production. Some of the innovative cheeses being produced in Spain include cheese with black garlic, truffle, wine, rosemary, nuts and honey, and black olives – like the one used in this recipe.

Tomato and Black olive cheese olives salad recipe

In a food processor or blender, combine the 15 g of black olive cheese, fresh basil, toasted almonds, and toasted hazelnuts.

Add the juice of half a lime and the sea salt.

With the processor running, gradually add the extra virgin olive oil until all ingredients are well combined and the vinaigrette has a smooth texture.

Taste and adjust the salt if necessary. Set aside.

Wash and dry the tomatoes. Slice the tomatoes thinly.

Arrange the tomato slices and cherry tomatoes on a large plate or salad bowl.

Add the avocado cubes and slices of black olive cheese on top of the tomatoes.

Sprinkle the toasted almonds and hazelnuts over the salad for a crunchy texture.

Drizzle the pesto vinaigrette over the salad to your liking, ensuring all ingredients are well coated.

Serve immediately and enjoy this refreshing and delicious salad.

I hope you enjoyed preparing this delicious dish as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you. Enjoy your meal, and I'll see you in the next recipe.

Refreshing Tomatoes and Black Olive Cheese salad

I present a fresh and delicious salad highlighting two of Spain's most popular ingredients: cheese and tomatoes. I've created a salad using three varieties of tomatoes (Daniela, Cherry, and Rama) and a unique Spanish cheese that contains black olives.

This month, I bring you a delicious and nutritious traditional recipe from Spanish cuisine that celebrates the summer harvest of vegetables. Pisto Manchego is a versatile dish that can be enjoyed in many ways: as a main vegan dish, or as a side dish with proteins like fish, eggs, cheese, or meat.

While many cultures have their versions of vegetable stews, such as Ratatouille in France, Caponata in Sicily, and Shakshuka in Israel, Pisto's origins are believed to be Arab. Introduced to Spain by a caliph, it became popular in Andalusia under the name Alboronía. Later, in Castilla-La Mancha, the dish evolved and was named Pisto, derived from the Latin term "pistus," meaning crushed or mashed. Initially, it did not include tomatoes or peppers, which were introduced to Spain after the conquest of America.

In La Mancha, Pisto became a staple, especially during the harvest season when vegetables are at their peak. It has remained a summer classic and a typical dish for field workers throughout Spain.

The recipe I share today is a cherished version from my mother, with whom I enjoyed cooking for this article. Thanks for your visit, Mama. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Wash the tomatoes and cut them into medium cubes. Dice the onion finely.

Cover the base of a medium pot with olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 10 minutes or until golden.

Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar, and salt. Cook for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Blend the mixture in a food processor and then pass it through a strainer to remove seeds and skin for a finer texture.

Adjust the salt if necessary and set the sauce aside.

Wash and dice all the vegetables into small cubes.

Heat a generous amount of olive oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Add the diced onion and sauté for 10 minutes until golden.

Add the green and red peppers and cook for 10 minutes until tender.

Add the eggplant and cook for 5 minutes, then add the zucchini. Cook for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Add the tomato sauce to the pan and cook on low heat for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are well integrated and the sauce has thickened.

Let the pisto rest for a few minutes or even a day before serving to enhance the flavours.

Pisto Manchego can be enjoyed on its own with crusty bread, served over rice, or as a topping for bruschetta. It's also a fantastic side dish for grilled fish, eggs, or meat. My favourite way to eat this tasty vegetable stew is with fried egg or tuna.

If you liked this summer recipe, you might also be interested in these:

Spanish Vegan Delights, 10 Delicious Plant-Based Recipes

Traditional Pisto Manchego Recipe: Healthy and Delicious Summer Dish

Today, I'm going to show you how to make a delicious and different sauce, a symbol of Catalan cuisine. This sauce made with tomatoes, garlic, and nuts, is so irresistible that you'll want to dip everything in it. And to accompany it, I've selected some tasty seasonal vegetables like eggplant, asparagus, or zucchini, among others, to create a healthy, balanced, vegan dish full of energy.

It's uncertain exactly when Romesco sauce was first created, but it's believed to have emerged after the widespread introduction of Latino-American products like tomatoes and peppers into Catalan households. It's estimated that its origins trace back to the 18th century, in the fishing villages of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. Romesco was a fish and seafood stew that the fisherman used to prepare with the catches that didn't sell. Each household made its version, resulting in unique variations of Romesco sauce.

Essentially, it's a sauce that pairs well with everything; fish like cod, monkfish, seafood, rabbit, snails, pork, or roasted vegetables. It can even be also used as a base for stews (Roux), adding fish, meat or other ingredients after incorporating water or fish stock. Variations abound with additions like chilli peppers, parsley, flour, white wine, brandy, or even biscuits.

Like many recipes, Romesco sauce has adapted to local tastes and available seasonal ingredients in households. Today, it's used to accompany various dishes, like the famous “Calçots”, a variety of spring leeks grilled over an open flame and dipped in this luscious sauce.

Romesco Sauce Recipe with Grilled Seasonal Vegetables

40 g / 1.41 oz / 0.09 lb toasted and peeled almonds

40 g / 1.41 oz / 0.09 lb toasted and peeled hazelnuts

Begin by roasting the tomatoes and garlic at 180 degrees Celsius / 356 F, for 45 minutes. Place the whole garlic bulb and tomatoes on a baking tray. Make a cross-cut to the tomatoes for easier cooking.

After 20 minutes, the garlic will be ready. Allow the tomatoes to continue roasting for the remaining time.

While the tomatoes finish roasting, prepare the remaining sauce ingredients.

Fry the bread in a pan with a dash of oil, then toast the almonds and hazelnuts and set them aside.

Meanwhile, remove the pulp from the hydrated Ñora peppers (soaked for an hour). Alternatively, you could use fried whole ñora peppers instead of just the pulp.

Once the tomatoes are roasted, combine all the sauce ingredients (tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt, ñora peppers, chilli pepper, paprika, almonds, hazelnuts, and bread) in a food processor. Blend them until smooth and achieve the desired thickness, similar to hummus.

The sauce's thickness varies depending on ingredient proportions. For a more liquid sauce, add extra tomatoes or water while blending.

Adjust seasoning with salt and vinegar to taste, and the sauce will be ready.

You can store it in a glass jar covered with oil for several weeks, using it as a dip sauce or flavour enhancer and thickener in your stews.

I've prepared grilled seasonal vegetables to accompany the Romesco sauce, creating a vegan, easy, healthy dish steeped in the Spanish tradition.

And thus concludes our recipe! I hope you enjoyed preparing this delicious dish as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you. Enjoy your meal, and I'll see you in the next recipe.

Authentic Romesco Sauce Recipe: A Taste of Catalonia

Today, I'm going to show you how to make a delicious and different sauce, a symbol of Catalan cuisine. This sauce made with tomatoes, garlic, and nuts, is so irresistible that you'll want to dip everything in it.

This week, I present you with a recipe that encapsulates the essence of spring flavours: a traditional dish in Spanish households that exquisitely combines flavours and nutrients. It is also the perfect meal for any daytime: kickstarting the day with energy at breakfast, enjoying a comforting lunch, or concluding the day with a healthy and delicious dinner.

This easy-to-make and healthy recipe mixes the smoky touch of Ibérico ham with the softness and sweetness of seasonal peas, creating an amazing combination of flavours. And I believe there is no better way to crown it than with a fried egg, with its golden and creamy yolk and egg white with a crispy edge.

Peas have a long history of cultivation dating back 10 thousand years ago. They are believed to have originated in the area that is now the Middle East and Central Asia.

They are a true nutritional gem, delighting us with their richness in proteins, fibre, and a wide range of vitamins and minerals. They not only please our palate but also provide us with energy and vitality.

Peas can be enjoyed in various cooking ways, whether raw in salads, steamed as a side dish, or as a main ingredient in soups, stews, pies, and stir-fries, as in today's recipe.

There are several varieties of peas, including green peas, sweet peas, snow peas, split peas, and black-eyed peas. You can also find them dried, which is the traditional way of preserving them longer, as we do with the other legumes.

Peas are sustainable crops as they can fix nitrogen in the soil, reducing the need for nitrogenous fertilizers.

Peas with Iberico Ham and fried egg recipe

Start by shelling the peas if you bought them fresh. Pinch the opposite end of where the pod is attached to the plant and open it. Then just push out the peas.

Skip this step if you're using canned or frozen peas, but if you can find fresh peas in season, I recommend them, as their flavour, texture, and nutritional value are much higher. Besides, we're currently in the pea season, so it'll be easier to find them at your local market.

 Pour about six tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a pan with the garlic. Cook it over medium heat until it starts to turn golden.

Next, add the diced leek and sauté it to mix well with the garlic, cooking over low heat for approximately 10 minutes or until it caramelizes.

Add the Ibérico ham trimmings and sauté for a couple of minutes. Then incorporate the peas and the splash of white wine or water.

Sauté and cook for another 3 minutes, it will be enough time to evaporate the wine.

Try not to cook the peas too long, as they will lose a large quantity of their nutrients and benefits.

Finally, you can poach or fry an egg to accompany this delight. I fried an egg over high heat to get a crispy egg white and a still slightly runny yolk.

Finish your dish with a sprinkle of chopped chives, grab a piece of bread, something to drink, and enjoy.

Cooking Spring: Fresh Peas with Ibérico Ham and Fried Egg Recipe

I bring you a traditional dish in Spanish households that exquisitely combines flavours and nutrients. The smoky touch of Ibérico ham with the softness and sweetness of the fresh seasonal peas, creates an amazing combination of flavours.

Never before have potatoes been given so much importance as in this recipe. I say this not only because these potatoes are incredibly delicious, but also because the Spanish name for this recipe would is; "Patatas a la Importancia".

This comforting stew can be served for lunch or dinner, as a main dish or as a side dish with meat or fish. You can even add mushrooms or other vegetables of your choice, such as green beans or asparagus.

This Spanish Tapa dish is another of those Spanish recipes born in the post-war period, one of the most food-scarce times, when the poorest families used their ingenuity to create dishes with basic ingredients such as eggs, flour and potatoes.

But before I start with the recipe, I would like to tell you a curiosity related to today's protagonist, the potato.

The potato is a plant that has been cultivated for 8,000 years in the Peruvian-Bolivian highlands, with more than 3,000 known varieties, most of them found in Peru. 

However, it did not reach Europe until the 16th century, when the Spanish introduced American foods such as potatoes, maize and tomatoes. Initially, the potato was considered decorative in Europe, and its consumption as food did not begin until the 18th century, during the Napoleonic era, thanks to the studies of the Frenchman Antoine Parmentier, becoming today one of the most consumed foods and the basis of many cuisines around the world.

Potato Stew Recipe, "Potatoes a la Importance"

1/2 L / 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock (optional)

Peel and cut the potatoes into slices approximately 1 cm thick and season them on both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat a frying pan with oil to about 160 degrees Celsius (320 degrees Fahrenheit).

Prepare a bowl with flour, a bowl with beaten eggs with a pinch of salt and an empty plate with a paper towel to place the potatoes in after frying.

Dredge the potatoes in flour, let them sit in the flour for a minute to adhere well to the potatoes, then shake off the excess flour by tapping them with a fork.

Dip the potatoes in the beaten egg to coat them completely.

When the oil is hot, place the potatoes in the pan and fry on both sides. Please do this in batches to prevent the temperature of the oil from dropping too low due to too many potatoes in the pan, which could cause the coating to come off when they are cooked.

Once browned on both sides, place them on absorbent paper to drain the excess oil.

In a medium pot, heat about 6 tablespoons of oil over medium heat.

Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until translucent.

Add a teaspoon of flour and stir well. Cook it for about two minutes or until brown colour.

In a mortar or food processor, crush the garlic, saffron, and white wine with a pinch of salt until get a homogeneous liquid. Add it and a bay leaf into the pot.

Allow the alcohol to evaporate and add the vegetable stock and half the chopped parsley.

Boil everything for a couple of minutes mixing the flavours well, and carefully place the potatoes in the pot.

Cover it with a lid and cook it for 30 minutes over low heat.

Check they are tender with a fork or knife and garnish with the remaining chopped parsley.

Now place the pot in the centre of the table, serve plates to your guests and enjoy.

As always, I hope you enjoyed this humble recipe, and if you'd like to leave any comments, you can do so on Facebook or Instagram, where I also share additional content for each recipe.

Spanish Potatoes Stew Recipe, Ingenuity in Times of Hunger

Never before have potatoes been given so much importance as in this recipe. I say this not only because these potatoes are incredibly delicious, but also because the Spanish name for this recipe is; "Patatas a la Importancia".

Asturias, one of Spain's lushest and most picturesque regions, is home to a delicious drink that is more than a mere drink. In Asturias, cider is interwoven with the fabric of its people, culture, and history.

Today, I aim to delve into the significance of this enchanting beverage in Asturias, exploring its traditional production methods and the unique ritual of its service - known as "el Escanciado."

The cider-making season commences in October with the harvest of apples, initiating a meticulous process deeply ingrained in tradition. From hand-selecting the apples to their crushing and fermentation in traditional "Lagares" (cider presses), each step is pivotal in crafting Asturias' distinctive cider. Carefully controlled fermentation and subsequent ageing yield a beverage encapsulating the singular flavour of the region's apples.

Pouring Cider, "El Escanciado" and "El Culin"

One of the most distinctive features of Asturian cider is how it's served: through "el Escanciado" or pouring. Raising the arm to pour the cider from a considerable height isn't just a technique; it's a ritual that enhances the drink's organoleptic properties, aiming to mimic the pressure of the cider when served directly from the barrel. Then, the glass you've been served, known as "el culin," must be consumed in a few gulps. If you're not accustomed to drinking cider, ask the waiter for a smaller glass next time.

Moreover, camaraderie and celebration intertwine with the act of sharing a bottle of cider, making it a unique social experience.

Cider Culture in Asturias - "Cultura Sidrera"

Cider in Asturias transcends its role as a mere beverage; it serves as a socio-cultural emblem evident in all facets of Asturian life. From "espichas," intimate gatherings hosted within cider houses, to "fiestas de prao," where music and cider transform the countryside into a jubilant arena, and not forgetting the "Sidrerías," bars offering a taste of Asturian culinary delights alongside impeccably poured fresh cider.

Indeed, cider lies at the heart of celebrations, fostering camaraderie and joy among friends and family. Its historical roots stretch back centuries, with references dating to the 1st century BC, a testament to its enduring appeal.

Although cider is emblematic of Asturias, its influence extends to other regions as Basque Country, and other countries, each with its own variant. From France to Mexico, through the United Kingdom and Argentina, cider is produced and consumed worldwide. However, the Asturian-style serving method is unique and characteristic of the region.

As you can see Cider in Asturias isn't just a beverage; it's a link to history, tradition, and community. Its meticulous production process and characteristic serving style make it a cultural treasure that transcends borders.

Here are a couple of useful links for you to learn more about Asturias, its cider, how to get it, and some of my recipes that pair perfectly with a bottle of cider.

Few regional recipes to pair with a glass of cider:

I hope you enjoyed it, and I'll see you soon with more recipes.

Tuna Tartare

Ingredients ( Serves 4)

Preparation

I’m Chef H. Delgado

Latest entries of my blog

Refreshing Tomatoes and Black Olive Cheese salad

Traditional Pisto Manchego Recipe: Healthy and Delicious Summer Dish

Authentic Romesco Sauce Recipe: A Taste of Catalonia

Cooking Spring: Fresh Peas with Ibérico Ham and Fried Egg Recipe

Spanish Potatoes Stew Recipe, Ingenuity in Times of Hunger

Cider Culture in Asturias: Tradition, Crafting, and Festive Customs

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