Peppers are extra than simply staples of the Spanish kitchen, they’re one in every of our culinary foundations. As with tomatoes, when Columbus returned from the Americas within the late fifteenth century, he introduced peppers as a present to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, and so they in a short time grew to become a key a part of our cooking traditions. The pepper’s most iconic contribution to Spanish delicacies is unquestionably pimentón de la Vera, or smoked paprika, which is an important seasoning in loads of Spanish cooking, including beautiful depth to stews, rice dishes, seafood and, in fact, chorizo. However we additionally rejoice contemporary peppers in all their guises. Padrón peppers are, in fact, a basic tapa, whereas pimientos rellenos (stuffed peppers) are stuffed each which manner, from seafood and minced meat to creamy bechamel. From the royal court docket to dwelling kitchens, peppers have taken root in our culinary tradition.
Pimentos rellenos (inexperienced peppers full of slow-cooked ragu – pictured high)
Stuffed piquillo peppers have lengthy been in style in eating places and houses throughout Spain, and are sometimes crammed with oxtail or bacalao. This dish supplies an identical comforting expertise, sustaining the essence of the normal basic whereas on the similar time being a bit extra accessible, making it excellent for dwelling cooking. Serve with a beautiful glass of bobal, a wine from a grape selection frequent in Valencia and Utiel-Requena. Its richness will complement the daring flavours of the stuffed peppers. You can also make the ragu upfront and freeze it, then defrost and decide issues up once more from the final paragraph.
Prep 15 min
Cook dinner 2 hr 40 min+
Makes 8
3 tbsp olive oil, plus further for drizzling
1 massive onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 celery stalks, trimmed and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
200g cooking chorizo, skinned and finely chopped
500g pork mince
1 star anise
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
200ml white wine
400g tin tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
350ml hen inventory
Flaky sea salt and black pepper
8 massive inexperienced bell peppers
Warmth the oil in a big saute pan, then gently fry the onion and celery for 10 minutes, till actually mushy. Add the garlic and chorizo and prepare dinner for an additional 5 minutes, till the chorizo releases all its oils.
Add the pork mince, flip up the warmth and brown throughout, breaking apart the mince with a spoon so it doesn’t clump. Stir within the star anise, lemon zest and white wine, depart to bubble for a couple of minutes, then tip within the tomatoes, tomato puree and inventory. Season nicely, deliver to a boil, then flip down the warmth to a simmer and depart to prepare dinner, stirring sometimes, for 2 to a few hours; add a splash extra inventory or water if the ragu threatens to cut back too far and dry out.
Half an hour earlier than you wish to serve, warmth the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/fuel 6. Lower the tops off the peppers and thoroughly take away and discard the pith and seeds with a spoon. Organize the peppers in a roasting tin through which they’ll match fairly snugly, drizzle with olive oil and season nicely, then roast for 15–20 minutes, till mushy however nonetheless holding their form. Fill the roast peppers with the ragu, then roast for one more quarter-hour. Serve scorching.
Inexperienced pepper and sardine empanadas
Empanadas must be rather more in style than they’re, which makes me surprise if folks have a tendency to think about them as pasties, that are bigger, made with shortcrust pastry that’s typically excessive in saturated fat, crammed with starchy greens, and sometimes mass-produced containing components and excessive in salt. Empanadas, nevertheless, are a flexible and more healthy possibility. They’re made with a lighter, thinner dough, have much less fats, are as a rule baked, and have a crisper texture. They’re usually smaller than pasties, and use quite a lot of lighter, tasty fillings together with vegetarian, vegan and a few internationally impressed alternate options. These ones are made with tinned sardine fillets, however contemporary and even mussels would work nicely, too. Serve with a glass of chilled albariño or a crisp, chilly beer.
Prep 15 min
Chill 30 min+
Cook dinner 1 hr 30
Makes 6
2 tbsp olive oil
2 banana shallots, peeled and finely sliced
4 inexperienced peppers (lengthy ones, if you will discover them), stalks, seeds and pith discarded, flesh sliced
½ tsp chilli flakes
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs contemporary thyme, leaves stripped
Flaky sea salt and black pepper
2 tbsp Pedro Ximénez sherry vinegar
12 tinned sardine fillets, drained
For the pastry
250g plain flour, plus further for dusting
½ tsp tremendous salt
100g chilly unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg, crushed
1 tsp white-wine vinegar
Warmth the oil in a big pan, then fry the shallots for 5 minutes. Add the peppers, chilli flakes, bay leaf and thyme, season and prepare dinner, stirring sometimes, for half-hour, till pretty and mushy. Add the PX vinegar, prepare dinner for just a few extra minutes, then take off the warmth and depart to chill.
To make the pastry, tip the flour and salt right into a bowl, then rub within the chilly diced butter together with your fingertips till the combo resembles breadcrumbs. Combine half the crushed egg with two tablespoons of chilly water and the vinegar, add to the flour bowl and blend in rapidly. Carry the dough collectively together with your arms, then knead very briefly on a floured floor till easy. Form right into a disc, wrap and chill for not less than half-hour.
Warmth the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/fuel 6 and line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper. Divide the chilled dough into six equal-sized items and roll each right into a ball. Roll out every ball into a big disc, then use a pastry cutter or small plate to chop out a 16cm circle; discard any trimmings, or save for one more use.
Divide the pepper combination evenly between the pastry circles, leaving a border throughout the sting, then high each with two sardine fillets. Brush the sides with crushed egg, fold the pastry excessive of the filling and pinch and crimp the sides collectively.
Switch to the lined baking sheet and brush throughout with the remaining crushed egg. Bake for 20–25 minutes, till golden brown, then serve heat or at room temperature.
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These recipes are edited extracts from The Spanish Pantry: 12 Components, 100 Easy Recipes, by José Pizarro, printed this week by Quadrille at £28. To order a replica for £25.20, go the guardianbookshop.com