When it comes to Spanish food, most of us will think of a large pan of paella – but there’s so much more to this varied cuisine.
Celebrity chef Omar Allibhoy wants to change that. His new book Spanish Made Easy will guide you through how to cook more than 70 dishes from the Iberian peninsula. Whether you just want a taste of your last Spanish holiday, or you’re preparing to cook a tapas feast for your friends, he has a recipe for you. Here are some of his favourites…
Piquillo peppers stuffed with mushrooms
Serves six as a tapa
- 150g wild mushrooms, such as oyster, or a mixture of field mushrooms
- 3½ tbsp olive oil
- ¼ small onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- A splash of white wine
- 30g butter
- 50g plain (all-purpose) flour
- 400ml whole milk, hot
- A pinch of grated nutmeg
- 15 tinned piquillo peppers
- 400ml double (heavy) cream
- 50g grated Cheddar cheese, plus extra for topping
- Salt and freshly ground
- black pepper
- Bread, to serve
Trim the mushrooms, remove the stalks, and wipe them with a damp cloth. Roughly chop.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat and fry the mushrooms for at least two minutes, season with salt and pepper, stir well and season again. Fry for a further two minutes.
Add the onion and cook for one minute. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for two minutes, then add the wine and cook for a further minute.
Lower the heat to medium and add the butter. Let it melt, then add the flour and cook for five minutes, stirring constantly, until the flour is lightly toasted.
Add the hot milk, little by little, and the nutmeg, whisking until you have a smooth and silky white sauce.
Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring from time to time to make sure it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan, until the béchamel sauce has thickened. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Chill completely in the fridge. After at least two hours, the béchamel should be firm and ready to handle. Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/325°F/gas mark 3.
Bring three of the piquillo peppers, the cream and cheese to the boil in a small pan over a medium heat and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Use a hand blender to blend until smooth.
With a spoon, fill the remaining 12 piquillo peppers with the mushroom béchamel. Lay them in an oven dish and pour over the piquillo sauce. Scatter more grated cheese on top. Bake for 15 minutes until light brown and crisp, and serve.
Eggs Benedict with spinach and chorizo hollandaise
Serves 4
- 2 cooking chorizo sausages (fresh, uncooked, preferably lightly smoked), finely chopped
- 200g unsalted butter
- 4 eggs (or 8 to serve 2 per person), plus 2 yolks
- Juice from half a lemon
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 250g baby spinach
- Salt and freshly ground
- black pepper
- 4 slices toasted brioche
To serve:
- Sweet pimentón (sweet smoked paprika)
Heat a frying pan on a medium heat and dry-fry the chorizo for three to four minutes. Add the butter and melt.
Pour a few inches of water into a small saucepan over a medium heat. Put the five egg yolks, lemon juice, two tablespoons of water and a pinch of salt into a heat-proof bowl slightly larger than the saucepan. Rest the bowl over the pan and whisk the egg yolk mixture for about two minutes, or until it gets fluffy, taking care not to overcook it.
While whisking, slowly add the chorizo butter in a thin stream until the sauce has fully emulsified and has a creamy mayonnaise texture. Add a touch of salt and pepper and set aside.
Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat and fry the garlic for a few seconds before adding the spinach. Cook for a minute to allow the spinach leaves to wilt. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Lay the toasted brioche slices on serving plates and top each with a spoonful of spinach.
One at a time, break each egg into a ramekin and pour into a pan of simmering water.
Gently poach for two to three minutes, remove with a slotted spoon and place one or two eggs on top of each brioche slice.
To finish, spoon the warm chorizo hollandaise over the poached eggs and sprinkle pimentón over each one.
Confit tomato and jamón Ibérico on toast
Serves 2
- 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 slices rustic bread
- 1 garlic clove
- 60g jamón Ibérico, sliced
- Salt, to taste
Roast the tomatoes with the oil, thyme and salt for 45 minutes at 160°C/140°C fan/gas mark 2½. Toast the bread and rub with the garlic. Top the toast with the tomatoes and jamón, and drizzle over a little oil.
Recipes extracted from Spanish Made Easy (Quadrille, £22)
