Tag: Spain

Patatas bravas: one bite and you're in Spain right away! – Italian Cuisine

Served as an aperitif or a snack in Spanish restaurants and bars, patatas bravas are delicious fried potatoes with a slightly spicy sauce

If you have been on vacation in Spain do you know that the Spaniards prefer the conviviality of an aperitif with many different appetizers to lunch, the famous tapas. Colorful, tasty, delicious, tapas are accompanied with a nice glass of sangria, a lot of chatting and eating a Madrid like in seaside bars. Among the many tapas, one of the favorites, even for tourists, are the famous ones patatas bravas: French fries accompanied by a sauce that varies according to the area of Spain in which they are cooked. Their origin is not very clear. He talks about it Ángel Muro neither El Practicón, a treaty of 1893, introducing the use of saffron for the sauce. According to others, patatas bravas originated in some Spanish bars, but what is certain is that it is a popular dish and that it is even better enjoyed with a cervezto (a beer, in Spanish) ice cold. But how are they prepared? Here is the recipe.

The patatas bravas recipe

Ingredients

For the potatoes: 1 kg of potatoes (preferably yellow flesh), seed oil and salt to taste

For the sauce: 150 ml of tomato puree, half a red onion, 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, a few drops of Tabasco, extra virgin olive oil and salt to taste, Worcester sauce to taste.

Method

Start with the sauce that will accompany your patatas bravas.

Chop the onion, then place it in a saucepan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and let it dry. Then add the tomato puree and apple cider vinegar. Cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat.

Add a few drops of Tabasco, the worcester sauce (if it is the first time you use it, try it before adding it!), the salt. Blend everything. Some add a few tablespoons of mayonnaise at this point to make the sauce creamier, evaluate the result and possibly try to do it with a minimum part of the dressing.

Wash and peel the potatoes. Then cut them into cubes (or into wedges, as you prefer). Boil them for a few minutes in boiling salted water (they must not become too soft or they will turn into a puree instead of becoming crunchy in frying!).

Prepare plenty of seed oil in a saucepan, let it heat up and try the heat with a crumb of bread or a piece of potato. If it sizzles it's ready. Transfer the potatoes and fry them. When they are golden, transfer them to a plate with absorbent paper to remove the extra oil. Serve hot with their sauce.

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Roscón de Reyes: sweet King of Spain – Italian Cuisine

Roscón de Reyes is a dessert typical of the Spanish Christmas holidays. Simple or filled with cream, this sweet bread that smells of butter and orange blossom is a must for the Epiphany breakfast. And in the dough it also hides a surprise!

Some dishes, especially traditional dishes, have an enormous evocative power. They don't just talk about ingredients, but about people, stories, traditions. The Roscón de Reyes it's a age-old dessert, which in Spain is now the protagonist of the entire holiday season.
Eggs, butter and orange blossom water are some of its ingredients. The result is one big donut, a dough similar to a brioche, covered with candied fruit, laminated almonds and granulated sugar.
Simple or cut in half and seasoned with cream, cream and sweet truffle, marzipan, cream yema quemada or whatever comes to mind from an inspired pastry chef, this cake never fails Spanish tables the morning of January 6. It is accompanied with a cup of hot chocolate, surrounded by friends and family. The joy for newly discarded gifts (in Spain it is traditional to exchange gifts on Epiphany day) does the rest.

The magical powers of the Roscón de Reyes

The funniest feature of this dessert with a high sentimental content is that it hides one in the dough surprise it's a dried fava bean. The reason for this peculiarity must be sought in history. Or in stories.
According to some, the origin of the Roscón de Reyes dates back to Roman times, specifically to the Saturnalia, the celebrations that took place between 17 and 23 of December in honor of Saturn, god of agriculture. These are the days that coincide with the winter solstice and the end of work in the field and those that allow us to glimpse, shortly thereafter, even the end of the darkest and coldest days of the year. The light after the darkness.
During the celebrations, cakes were prepared in whose dough a dried bean was hidden. The slave who was lucky enough to find her stopped being a slave to become the "king of the party" for a day.
Juan. H. Sampelayo, in his book 'Gastronomía española', moved the origin of the Roscón de Reyes to the France of Henry III, between 1574 and 1589. He says that the king's pastry chefs used to cook a huge donut hiding, of new !, a fava bean in the dough. The diner who was lucky enough to find her turned into a king and could give "orders to ministers and advice to ambassadors". In this way, the Roscón would arrive directly on the table of the first Bourbon King, Philip V in the eighteenth century and from him to the other Spanish kings. In this sense, el Roscón de Reyes would be a close relative of the French Galette des Rois.
With the passage of time, however, the broad bean she has lost her "magical powers" and has been replaced by one little surprise: a figurine, a tiny toy, a key ring (of what we might find in the chocolate egg).
Those who, when cutting a slice of Roscón, find the surprise, become the "king of the party" and have the right to gird their heads with a cardboard crown that comes as a gift with this dessert. Not to mention that the donut covered with candied fruit is reminiscent of a crown studded with precious stones. Usually, adults give the crown to children, who are the big stars of the last of the Christmas holidays!
Be careful though, the bean continues to play a role, even if it is no longer so positive: whoever finds it now has to pay the Roscón. Or return the money to those who bought it!

All versions of the Roscón de Reyes

As often happens with traditional recipes, there are as many versions of Roscón in Spain as there are pastry chefs with their hands in the dough. The secret of the perfect Roscón is the leavening, preferably double: the dough, once cooked, must be spongy and light. A mission that is far from easy, which explains the endless queues of gourmet patients outside the most renowned pastry shops, such as Moulin Chocolat y el Horno de San Onofre in Madrid. Better to book then and avoid nasty surprises: receiving the Three Kings without a piece of this wonderful dessert would be a crime!

What to visit in Burgos, Spain – Italian Cuisine

From the evocative city cathedral to the prestigious Human Evolution museum. Going through art, design, traditional sausages and starred restaurants

It almost always happens this way: when we leave for the Spain you tend to pack a sweater or sweatshirt in less than you should. It will be because just imagining the yellow and red flag the mind flies unchecked to the Andalusian summers, seasoned with toast made from sangria, on the beach, at all hours. The disconnect between reality and meteorological expectation, however, becomes evident – and a little penalizing – when a detour is organized in that Burgos, principal city of the autonomous community of Castile and León, in the north of the country, counted among the principal ones gastronomic capitals of the Iberian Peninsula. Here the altitude, to be clear, is 856 meters above sea level and winter temperatures can even drop to minus 10.

Moral: not being caught off guard by some insidious breeze cooler than expected can help you enjoy Burgos in all its charm, made of impressive medieval buildings, of interesting museums dedicated to the most disparate subjects and, yes, also of a gastronomic offer really not bad. So we try to find accommodation close to the city center, to be able to fully immerse ourselves in the local atmosphere and reach all the main points of interest in a few minutes on foot:AC Hotel by Marriott Burgos, an elegant structure with a high rate of design and art, can do for us.

Exploring the medieval city

After a hearty breakfast buffet, and after some inevitable ritual photos of the fascinating interior architecture of the hotel (see is believing), we set off towards theArch of Santa María, evocative Renaissance-style door with the appearance of a small castle, adorned with representations of Count Diego Rodríguez Porcelos, Emperor Charles I and the national hero of the Spanish Middle Ages, El Cid: crossing it we will start towards the main historical attraction of the city, the cathedral of Burgos, an imposing building in Gothic style inserted in 1984 among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Resisting the temptation of a souvenir selfie could be difficult. And then let us take it peacefully, before letting ourselves be amazed by the heights, the precious works of art and the rich baggage of stories and legends which is kept inside the cathedral. Choosing a guided tour, even in Italian, can really help you understand the complexity and charm of this sacred building, which for beauty and elegance almost seems to wink at the most famous churches in and around Paris.

Discovering typical cuisine

We count on an abundant hour to visit everything properly, and then let's take a little break in the green city of Paseo del Espolón, charming tree-lined avenue set between the bridges of San Pablo and Santa María, on the banks of the river Arlanzón. After a moment of relaxation, it's time to fully dive into the local gastronomic wonders: we decide to do it at the restaurant tables Casa Ojeda, a real authority in local cuisine.

Let's browse the menu and focus on the great traditional dishes. Starting from Morcilla de Burgos, the typical sausage of the city, prepared with rice and pork blood: a piquant specialty, served for the occasion with a side of baked peppers. We then continue with the main course, the icon of the restaurant, the Cordero Lechal, a tasty roast lamb prepared directly in a wood-fired oven. And we conclude everything with the sweet of the house, the Tarta de Hojaldre, aka a pastry filled with abundant cream.

Between history, science and archeology

After a well-deserved coffee we return to the street, cross the Arlanzón river and head towards the Museum of Human Evolution, absolutely among the most important and internationally recognized museums of the entire autonomous community of Castile and León. Here we can leave for an itinerary to discover the famous ones archaeological finds of the surrounding area, the Sierra de Atapuerca. Original fossils with an inestimable scientific value, such as the remains of Homo antecessor or the skull number 5, for friends more simply Miguelón, belonging to a specimen of Homo heidelbergensis.

Let's go back to the center of Burgos and head to Plaza Mayor. This pretty square with colorful buildings will surely require some souvenir photos and, who knows, maybe even a quick shopping session. But the hands run fast, and so – to break our afternoon sweetly – let's sit down by Juarreño, right on the edge of the square. In this pastry shop we will be able not only to sit and enjoy a good coffee, but also to find a really unique confection of sweets: these are the Bifaces de Altapuerca, a collection of chocolates filled with the characteristic shape of stone that recalls that of the sculpted tools used in the Paleolithic. The best way to gently end our afternoon immersion between history and science.

The time to go back to the hotel and get ready for the evening is almost here, but contemporary art lovers may want to give themselves a quick stop before Centro de Arte Caja de Burgos, museum inaugurated in 2003 that collects a collection of over 600 works by contemporary Spanish and international artists. One last pleasant stop to discover another side of the city's varied cultural offer.

Wagyu Beef Tail Stew with Bed Whey and Sweet Potato Mash – Cobo Vintage, Burgos.

A starry dinner

A shower – more or less – fast at our AC Hotel by Marriott Burgos, and then off to a tasteful evening. A reserved table in the restaurant awaits us Cobo Vintage, where it will be possible to live a very pleasant experience among Nordic style furnishings and small pampering for the palate. In the kitchen we find Miguel Cobo, that after having participated in the Bocuse D’Or 2013, and after arriving among the finalists of the first Spanish edition of the culinary talent show Top Chef, has earned its Michelin star with this sign with a modern, friendly and playful spirit.

So let us be won over by the paper proposals, and we opt for a tasting menu which tries to be as respectful as possible for our portfolio (with prices ranging from 55 to 70 euros, wines not included). Let's start with a typical ham croquette, and continue with a Ajo Blanco, a cold Andalusian soup with almonds and garlic, completed by the chef with a shrimp carpaccio and a fresh tomato tartare. And then we range from creamy rice with chicken de corral, a free-range poultry from the area, allo wagyu beef tail stew with bed serum and mashed sweet potatoes, to arrive at a voluptuous spoon dessert made with lemon cream and white chocolate mousse. A toast with the excellent red wines of Ribera del Duero, or alternatively with a good glass of Rioja, will allow us to conclude our 24 hours in Burgos to perfection. At the top the glasses, then, and cheers.