Why Iberian ham deserves a place on the British dining table

How much do you know about Iberian ham? I have to admit I was a little hazy - I knew it from restaurants and deli counters as a wafer thin type of cured ham from Spain but that was about it.

In fact it's the pigs that are Iberian. They have dark skin and look black rather than pink, with long slender hind legs. They live in freedom and graze on acorns in certain parts of Spain, which apparently gives the meat a unique taste.

It's quite interesting reading about the process to produce the ham from salting to washing, then the pieces are left for up to three month for the salt to permeate. The really unique bit is the way the hams are cured - hung up and exposed to the natural climate conditions for 18-24 months and after that aged in a cellar for at least another 12 months (usually 18). The secret of curing is passed down in families from generation to generation.

It's also part of the famed Mediterranean diet - Iberian ham is high in monounsaturated fatty acids, protein, zinc and vitamins B1, B3 and B12, according to the information leaflet I received.

I was sent some Iberian ham by Ibeham, a project promoted by the Denomination of Origin Guijuelo (Spain). There are plenty of recipes on their site suggesting how to enjoy the ham but I wanted something fairly pure and simple, so tried it on a piece of fresh bread with some mozzarella and a little olive oil.

The slices are so wafer thin they are almost transparent, separated in the packet by pieces of plastic so you can peel the ham off. Each slice has a ribbon of fat which dissolved on the tongue and the taste and texture were both top notch. There are a lot of recipes you can use this in but I just want to savour the flavour by itself!

If you can get hold of some proper Iberian ham - and you don't have to go to specialist shops, Waitrose has some - then I highly recommend it as a little bit of luxury if you're just having a sandwich, or a platter for guests if you are entertaining.

Thanks to Ibeham for the ham to review

 

Spanish Roasted Fish with Patatas Bravas

I love fish, but usually find white fish - even cod - too plain and uninteresting. This recipe from Tesco, in one of their recent free magazines, is a great way to enjoy cod with some new flavours, and with the potatoes it makes a really substantial meal - and one that is really easy to cook.

You can find the recipe on the Tesco website. Don't be afraid of using fennel even if like me you don't really like it - it works really well in this dish and once it's roasted with the other ingredients the aniseed flavour is much less pronounced.

I didn't use the cherry tomatoes as I don't like them though I did use the tinned tomatoes in the patatas bravas sauce. I made this on a weekend as it does take quite a while to cook but is pretty easy - you just bung most things into a roasting tin - and it really was delicious.

 

Here's the fish (salmon, cod and prawns) plus potato, chorizo and onion in a foil-lined roasting tin.

It doesn't look much different after it's cooked, does it?!

Here's the patatas bravas - I cheated slightly and used Aunt Bessie's mini roast potatoes but then followed the recipe for the sauce, which worked really nicely.

The finished dish - really tasty!

F1 Foods: Spain roundup and the Monaco challenge

I missed the Spanish Grand Prix as I was away on holiday but I didn't want to miss a race in terms of my Formula 1 Foods challenge, so I made this easy paella before I went: I cheated and used microwave rice which made it a much quicker dish, but it still tasted really nice! I forgot to take a photo of the finished dish though so this one from the pan will have to do:

As always I'd love to see your recipes - sweet or savoury - inspired by the country hosting each Formula 1 Grand Prix. This time Suelle at Mainly Baking shared these Spanish panellets, which are cookies that taste like marzipan, but Suelle added sweet potato and lemon. I haven't come across these before so it was interesting for me to read!

This weekend's Formula 1 Grand Prix takes place in Monte Carlo in Monaco so please send in your recipes inspired by the location! The link up is below and closes at midday on Sunday 31 May.

Easy Spanish Paella

The next Formula 1 Grand Prix is taking place in Spain, and as I'm on holiday I made this Spanish paella in honour of the race a couple of weeks ago. It's really easy and a lot quicker than 'proper' paella as I used microwavable rice. I often don't have the time or patience to cook rice from scratch and am usually only doing it for one or two people anyway, so the microwave pouches are just right. But that's not to say I don't want to add my own twist to it!

I had some leftover red peppers in brine in  jar in the fridge and also some leftover chorizo which were perfect for this recipe. I'd bought a big bag of frozen king prawns from Iceland for - if I recall correctly - £4.99, which seems expensive for Iceland but it's a huge bag that has lasted ages.

I fried some onion and garlic in the base of the pan, added the red pepper and chorizo, then the cooked rice and some vegetable stock - also left over from another recipe in the fridge - and some seasoning plus a spice mix of saffron, paprika, and oregano. Stir it all around, heat through until the prawns are cooked, and serve!

I'm not pretending at all this is the correct recipe for a paella but it is a dish along those lines and I like the fact that it's quick and I can throw in whatever I have in the fridge or store cupboard!

I'm sharing this firstly with the blog challenge I host, Formula 1 Foods; the idea is to cook something inspired by the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix.

I'm also sending this to Kitchen Clearout, hosted by Madhouse Family Rules, as it uses up leftover and storecupboard ingredients.

The theme for this month's Spice Trail challenge, hosted by Vanesther at Bangers and Mash, is spice mix - my own blend of spices for this paella fits in with that.

Spanish Paella

 I was given some Spanish chorizo recently by a relative of my boyfriend's who came over from Gibraltar, and decided to use it in an authentic paella. You can adjust the flavourings however you like, but this is what I used, to serve two:

2 chicken drumsticks

2 chicken thighs

150g chorizo, sliced

150g prawns

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 red pepper, diced

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1/4 tsp dried red chilli flakes

250g rice

1 pint chicken stock

1 tsp paprika

125ml dry white wine

1/4 tsp saffron strands

oil for frying

To begin, fry the chicken drumsticks and thighs in a large frying pan, or if you have one a paella pan - I brought one back from a Spanish holiday a few years ago.

Add the onion, garlic and red pepper and fry.

Here's the chorizo I was given - for a real Spanish flavour

Add the sliced chorizo to the pan and fry. Add the paprika and chilli flakes to the pan and mix.

Spoon the rice into the pan and fry for a minute to allow it to absorb the flavours. Meanwhile mix the saffron strands with a little of the chicken stock and add to the pan. Keep adding the rest of the stock gradually until it has all been absorbed and the rice is tender.

When the paella is almost cooked, add the prawns and fresh thyme

Serve and enjoy