Serranía Kitchen - recipes from around the world

Paul recently posted two recipes for red cabbage, to use up the gorgeous brassicas from his huerto. He still had four heads left, so he trimmed them, shredded them, used most for an experimental curry, and froze the rest fresh for a future date.

Paul’s Cabbage Curry
 

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 generous handfuls of shredded red cabbage
• 150 g frozen peas
• 5 tbsps sunflower oil
• 2 tsps cumin seeds (comino)
• 2 bay leaves
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric (cúrcuma)
• ¼ tsp of pimentón picante
• 2 tsps chilli powder
• ¾ tsp salt
• ¾ tsp sugar
• 1/4tsp garam masala
• ¼ litre of vegetable stock
• Basmati rice

Method

• Chop and shred the red cabbage.
• Heat the oil in a wide-based pan.
• Reduce to a medium-high heat and fry the cumin seeds and bay leaves for 30 seconds.
• Add the red cabbage and peas and mix together well.
• Fry for about 30 seconds.
• Add the turmeric and pimentón and stir well.
• Add the stock and stir.
• In the meantime, start the rice.
• Bring to the curry mixture to the boil, then cover the pan, turn heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• When the vegetables are tender, stir in the chilli powder, salt and sugar.
• Cover and cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes.
• Sprinkle in the garam masala.

Serving suggestion

A couple of poppadoms each with mango chutney and/or fresh sliced onions go well with this dish.

To drink, try dry cider (brut) from Asturias , an India Pale Ale (IPA) or a strong lager. Guinness also works.

© Paul Whitelock

Tags: Asturias, bay leaves, brut, cabbage, chilli, cider, comino, cumin, cúrcuma, curry, garam masala, IPA, lager, mango chutney, onion, peas, pimentón picante, poppadom, red cabbage, salt, sugar, turmeric

Last Thursday, 8 December was Inmaculada Concepción. The weather was so wet, it was a day for staying in, not for going out to celebrate the Virgin Birth.

In between the showers, Paul harvested some of the glut of red cabbage from his huerto and decided to experiment with these vibrant and healthy-looking brassicas and whatever else he had in the house. After all, he couldn't go out to buy any ingredients, as shops were shut for the religious holiday.

Paul came up with two different ideas, one a smooth creamy vegan soup made with potatoes; the other a chunky sweet and sour “stew”, with carrots.

1. Jovan and Paul’s Vegan Cream of Red Cabbage Soup

Taking on board German stepson Jovan’s vegan principles, Paul came up with this tasty offering, which is also gluten-free.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 head of red cabbage. Use fresh cabbage, otherwise the soup may taste slightly bitter.
• 1 large potato: Use a starchy variety. It helps to make the soup creamy.
• ½ red onion.
• 6 cloves of fresh garlic, roughly chopped.
• Parsley as garnish.
• Lemon (or lime) juice.
• 1 tsp ginger powder. It gives a very nice warm taste to this soup. You could also use fresh minced ginger.
• 1 tsp ground black pepper.
• 1 tsp salt.
• 2 tbsps olive oil.
• 1 small cup of almond or coconut milk.
• ½ litre of vegetable stock.

METHOD

• Roughly chop the red cabbage. Peel and chop the potatoes too. Since we will be blending the vegetables in the soup, you can roughly chop all the vegetables.
• Heat oil in a saucepan. Add garlic and onion. Sauté until the onion becomes translucent.
• Add cabbage, potato, ginger powder, salt, and pepper. Sauté for a few minutes. Sauteing for a few minutes before adding the stock brings out the flavour of the cabbage, but don't overcook it as it will be cooked with the stock too.
• Add vegetable stock, mix well, and cover the pan. Simmer for around 20 minutes.
• Remove the lid and blend the soup with a blender until it turns smooth and creamy.
• Add almond milk to the soup and mix. Switch off the heat
• Finally, add lemon juice. Drizzle some olive oil/almond milk on top and garnish with fresh parsley.
• Serve with course farmhouse bread.

ACCOMPANIMENT

Serve with a toasted beer or a stout. I’ve tried it with a Christmas ale from LIDL and with Guinness. Both go well with this soup.

Guten Appetit!

© Jovan Le Knorz and Paul Whitelock

2. Paul’s Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage Soup

Paul’s second experimental dish was inspired by his love of Asian cuisine. Hence the sweet and sour element.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small diced onion
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 3 diced carrots
• 1 finely shredded red cabbage head
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• ½ litre of chicken/vegetable stock
• 2 tbsps honey
• 2 tbsps red wine vinegar
• Salt to taste
• 1 small cup of finely chopped dates

METHOD

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and then add chopped onion and a pinch of salt. Cook the onion down for a few minutes until it begins to caramelise.
• Next, add the carrots and stir again - making sure to scrape up any leftover onion bits.
• After that, it's time to add the shredded cabbage. Cook it down until it starts to turn bright purple.
• Once it's looking vibrant, add the can of tomatoes and stir.
• Next, add the stock, red wine vinegar, honey, salt and chopped dates and turn the heat down to a simmer.
• Simmer the soup for at least 45 minutes to soften the cabbage and to develop as much flavour as possible.

ACCOMPANIMENT

Garlic bread or a crusty farmhouse cob.

A strong dark beer, eg Murphy's Irish Stout or Schwarzbier from LIDL, or a hearty and full-bodied red wine, such as Jumilla or Valdepeñas.

© Paul Whitelock

 Tags: 8 December, almond milk, Asian cuisine, brassica, carrot, chicken stock, Christmas ale, cob, coconut milk, cream, Cream of Red Cabbage Soup, dates, farmhouse, garlic bread, ginger, ground black pepper, Guinness, honey, huerto, Inmaculada Concepción, Jovan Le Knorz, Jumilla, lemon juice, LIDL, lime juice, Murphy's Irish Stout, olive oil, onion, parsley, Paul Whitelock, potato, red cabbage, red wine, red wine vinegar, religious holiday, salt, Schwarzbier, sweet and sour, Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage Soup, toasted beer, tomatoes, Valdepeñas, vegan, vegetable stock, virgin birth 

Paul Whitelock

When we British talk of a fry-up we think of bacon, sausages, eggs, fried bread, etc. A Spaniard who orders a fritura expects to get a selection of fried fish, eg fritura malagueña.

How about this as a fry-up? Paul put together all the late-Summer vegetables he’d collected from his huerto in the last couple of days and made this:

Fuente de la Higuera Fry-Up

Ingredients

Fresh Mediterranean vegetables – use whatever you’ve got or buy what you need from a good supermarket. I used tomato, onions, courgettes, aubergines (two colours), a red pepper, a handful of small green peppers and a few potatoes. Plus garlic, of course.

Method 1 – Baked in the oven

• Cut the vegetables into medium-sized chunks.
• Pre-heat the oven to 180C
• Oil a baking tray with olive/coconut/almond oil and coat the vegetable chunks well by rolling them around with your fingers.
• When the oven reaches temperature place the baking tray in the middle of the oven.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until the veg chunks begin to turn golden brown.
• Serve as it is or with rice or pasta.

Method 2 – Fried

• Slice or dice the vegetables as you prefer.
• Heat 2 tablespoonfuls of olive/coconut/almond oil in a large frying pan.
• Add the prepared veg and fry, turning/tossing continually.
• Serve as above with rice or pasta.

What to drink?

A nice glass or two of sidra from Asturias is a delicious and refreshing drink to accompany this dish. I don’t recommend Ladrón de Manzanas or La Prohibida – they’re too sweet (and too expensive!)

Note: Paul called his experimental dish Fuente de la Higuera Fry-Up because he lives in Fuente de la Higuera, a pedanía just outside Ronda. He also liked the alliteration of the letter ‘F’.

© Paul Whitelock

Tags: Asturias, aubergine, courgette, fritura malagueña, fry-up, fuente de la higuera, garlic, green pepper, Mediterranean, onions, Paul Whitelock, pepper, potatoes, recipe, red pepper, sidra, Spaniard, tomato, vegetables

The other evening Paul Whitelock was wondering what to cook for dinner when he remembered a dish he discovered over 20 years ago when he first read “Driving Over Lemons” by Chris Stewart. Paul adapted the basic recipe described in the book and used to prepare it quite frequently back then. Paul had no recipe written down; it was still in his head. For Eye on Spain, he has adapted it once again. Here is what he did…

Paul’s Papas a lo pobre –Serranía style

Ingredients (for two)

3 medium-sized potatoes, cut into pieces

1 boniato (sweet potato), cut into pieces

1 medium-sized onion, chopped roughly

1 leek (optional), chopped into rings

4 cloves of garlic, chopped roughly

½ red pepper (optional), chopped roughly

½ yellow pepper (optional), chopped roughly

½ green pepper (optional), chopped roughly

Salt

Black pepper

2 tbsp. olive oil

Method

Fry the onions, leeks and garlic lightly until soft

Add the remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat until potatoes are soft

Stir frequently to prevent sticking

Serve in a bowl with a chunk of rustic bread and a glass or two of bog standard red wine, eg Valdepeñas, or a bottle of cerveza tostada Mahou, Alhambra roja or cerveza negra (eg Guinness or Schwarzbier from LIDL).

¡Buen provecho!

© Paul Whitelock

Tags: Alhambra roja, cerveza, cerveza negra, cerveza roja, cerveza tostada, Chris Stewart, Driving Over Lemons, Eye on Spain, garlic, Guinness,  leek, LIDL, Mahou, olive oil, onion, papas a lo pobre, Paul Whitelock, pepper, potato, recipe, red wine, Schwarzbier, sweet potato, Valdepeñas