Simple Spanish Food

Papaya con miel: A Simple Dessert from the Canary Islands

Papayas and honey are two specialties of Gran Canaria, and together they make a classic Canary Island dessert.

Canary Island palm honey or wildflower honey are the varieties most often drizzled over the papaya. Both of these honeys are dark, mild, and not overly sweet.

Sometimes miel de caña is used instead. Another specialty of the Canary Islands, this "cane honey" is not really a honey at all but a mild cane syrup (it has a far more delicate flavor than the cane syrups  enjoyed in the Southeastern U.S.)

 The most common papaya used for this dessert is a large-fruit variety with delicate, bright-orange flesh.

The mild honey and subtly flavored fruit are complimentary. Each brings out the nuance of the other without overwhelming it.  The result is a light, cool, and refreshing dessert.

Nothing could be simpler to make than papaya con miel.  Just select the best papaya you can find. Remove the seeds. Peel it, and cut it into cubes.  Drizzle over the papaya  a good wildflower honey, or a palmetto honey from Florida. Or make a simple syrup with a natural cane sugar such as demerara.  Garnish with a strawberry or a sprig of mint, and serve.

 

Instant Tapa: mejillones de lata, Tinned Mussels from Spain

As I have said in a previous post, tinned seafood from Spain-- Galicia, in particular--is so high in quality it can be even better than fresh. Hard to believe? Think of the way a confit can be better than fresh duck, or how a first-class homemade pickle can beat a plain cucumber. Neither comparison is an exaggeration.The best tinned seafood from Galicia is an artisan product (with a price to match). It has nothing to do with the smoked oysters and canned clams you find on supermarket shelves here in the U.S. 

I love mussels prepared in all different ways (see my posts on mejillones a la marinera and also  arroz con mejillones), but Galician mussels tinned in escabeche have to be my favorite.  Preserving the mussels in the spicy sauce transforms them into something completely new (again think of confit or an excellent homemade pickle).  And nothing could be easier.  Just open the can,  put a mussel or two on a slice of good toast along with a drizzle of the escabeche, and you have a first-class tapa, almost instantly.

For a great (and authentic) tapas party with almost no work, serve mejillones en escabeche along with other ready-to-serve Spanish foods, such as Cantabrian anchovy fillets in olive oil, queso manchego, jamón serrano and of course olives. This is what Spaniards do at home.

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Esperanza's Albóndigas: a Simple Spanish Recipe for Meatballs with Saffron Sauce

Albóndigas--meatballs--are one of the first things  Esperanza, my mother-in-law, taught me how to cook.  She always uses equal parts ground pork and ground ternera (veal, which in Spain is simply meat from a young cow).  Here in the States I use straight ground venison or ground bison or ground grass-fed beef.  

Ingredients:

1 lb of ground meat of your choice

1 egg

3/4 cup bread crumbs

a handful of chopped parsley

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon of thyme

1 glass of dry white wine (drinkable, but nothing special)

3/4 cup flour (for dusting)

1/2 cup olive oil

4 cups of water, or chicken stock if you prefer

a pinch of saffron

salt

In a large bowl, combine the meat, egg, parsley, garlic, thyme, breadcrumbs, and a pinch of salt.  Mix well. Let the mixture sit in the fridge at least half an hour.

Now shape the meatballs, about 1 inch or a little less in diameter.

Roll the meatballs in flour until they are well coated.

Heat up a large pot. Working in batches, quickly brown the meatballs on all sides in the olive oil, and set them aside. 

When you have browned all of the meatballs, add the wine, the water or broth, and the  saffron to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add salt (about a teaspoon if you have used water, little or none if you're using broth).

Add the meatballs and, if necessary, more water so that they are covered with liquid.

Simmer for 25 minutes, and they're ready. Serve the albóndigas with the sauce sauce spooned over them.   

Esperanza always serves albóndigas with patatas fritas--french fries, a green salad, and of course good bread for mopping up the sauce.