Hopefully we are in the midst of some glorious summer weather, hence my nod this month to some classic Spanish cookery.
I’m sure some of you will be reading this while sitting in the garden, with the smell of next door’s charcoal wafting over the fence. I’m not surprised that over recent years, the British have become obsessed with barbecues: no matter what the weather, they’ll find an excuse.
As many of you know - through my musings on these very pages - I’m not a fan of outdoor cooking. I think it’s incredibly hard work for the poor cook, who is invariably neglected if not forgotten, and it seems to take an inordinate amount of effort for a meagre return.
These days, I delegate any requests to man the flames to my son-in-laws who are of the generation where they think slaving over hot coals for impatient diners is an honour.
If you’re invited to a barbecue at my house, you can expect to be cooking it yourself.
If I’m in charge, invariably I’ll offer a cold selection of charcuterie, baked cheeses, salads, with a couple of hot dishes; a crab or a goat’s cheese tart, roast chicken pieces or even a summery stew. Something that can be done mid-morning and enable me to sit quietly in the shed with a class of white Rioja.
I’ve found that no pressure makes for a lovely lunch.
The Spanish are the masters of the long, late lunch; not just on a Sunday, but every day. Their working day is often 8am to 2pm, (with a mid-morning pastry break) then a two - maybe three - hour lunch, returning to work before heading home for supper at around 7.30pm.
It’s never a hurried affair, the chat after eating extending the occasion. Indeed there’s a word for it: sobremesa. It doesn’t translate well into English. Literally, it means on the table and it refers to the tradition of lingering near the table long after the last spoon of ice cream has been eaten to put the world to rights, often picking at leftovers long before they make it to the fridge and sustaining discussions and arguments about politics, football or, most likely, food, well into the night!
The passions are intense. Onions...with or without? It’s the greatest spat that has raged in Spain for centuries and as recently as 2018, the Spanish parliament debated the issue.
Do you add onion to a tortilla? Or is it indeed, heresy? I dread to think what the Spanish would think of the UK’s ‘Spanish omelette’, which has long been a vehicle for ‘whatever’s left in the fridge’ and is therefore a regular on staff food menus in hotels across the country.
Probably the only thing that has caused more of a furore over recent years - but did, at least, unite the Spanish nation - was when Jamie Oliver put chorizo into his paella!
Anyway, here’s hoping my summer recipes – including three desserts that we serve together at The Assembly House - are stress free and relaxing for everyone involved, especially the cook!
Richard Hughes is Chef Director at The Assembly House in Norwich and The Richard Hughes Cookery Schoolwww.assemblyhousenorwich.co.uk
Chicken with Pearl Barley, Chorizo and Tomatoes recipe
Serves 4
Pre-heat oven to Gas Mark 4/180c°C/160 fan
Ingredients
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed from the stalk and finely chopped
• 1 chicken, jointed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 100g pearl barley, (bring to the boil, simmer for 20 minutes then strain and refresh)
• 300ml dry white wine
• 200g chorizo
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 400g English vine tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 100g olives
• 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
• 400g mixed Mediterranean vegetables, including courgettes, aubergine, peppers
Method
1. Take a large freezer bag and add the flour, rosemary and seasoning. Place the chicken, a couple of pieces at a time, in the bag and toss well to coat evenly with flour.
2. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole on the hob and fry the chicken on all sides for about 10 minutes until golden. Add the par-boiled pearl barley and toss well in the oil, then pour in the wine and cook rapidly for 2-3 minutes to reduce the liquid slightly.
3. Add the chorizo, garlic, tomatoes, vegetables and olives to the pot and season. Stir everything to combine then cover with foil.
4. Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the foil and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
6. Sprinkle with the pine nuts and serve immediately.
Crema Catalana recipe
Serves 4 to 6
• 500ml whole milk
• pared zest of 1 large lemon, pith removed
• pared zest of ½ orange, pith removed
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
• 6 egg yolks
• 60g caster sugar
• 1 heaped tbsp cornflour
4-6 tbsp light brown sugar to top
Fresh raspberries and mint sprigs, to serve (optional)
1. Put a heavy-based saucepan over a low–medium heat and add the milk, pared zests and cinnamon stick. Gently bring to the boil. As soon as it begins to boil, remove from the heat and set aside for 20 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse.
2. Meanwhile, beat or whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together in a bowl until pale, thick and creamy.
3. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cinnamon stick and pared zests from the infused milk and place the pan back over a very low heat. Slowly add the egg mixture to the warm milk, whisking continuously for 8–10 minutes until the cream begins to thicken.
4. When the liquid is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into six shallow serving dishes or four ramekins.
Cover the dishes and let cool to room temperature, then transfer to the fridge to chill for a couple of hours.
5. To serve, sprinkle a layer of brown sugar on top of each dessert and caramelise using a blowtorch or by placing under a hot grill until the sugar bubbles and turns golden brown. Allow the sugar to harden, then serve immediately, scattered with raspberries and fresh mint, if using.
Torta Santiago recipe
Originating from Galicia in North-Western Spain during the time of medieval pilgrimage, this tart is traditionally decorated with icing sugar with the St James cross. With its wonderfully moist almond and citrus flavours, this torte makes a perfect dessert or partner to an afternoon café con leche.
Serves 8
Ingredients
6 eggs, separated
250g sugar
250g ground almonds
Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
1 tsp orange flower water
• Preheat the oven to 150C fan /170 C/ Gas 3. Grease and lightly flour an 8 inch cake tin.
1. Cream the egg yolks and sugar with an electric whisk, add the ground almonds, zests and flower water and mix gently to combine.
2. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold the egg whites into the almond mixture carefully until the whites are combined into the other ingredients. Scrape this mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 45 minutes until firm to the touch and pale golden brown.
3. While the cake is cooking (if you have the inclination) cut a stencil of a cross out of card.
4.When the torta is cool, place the card on top and sift a heavy layer of icing sugar over. Remove the stencil to disclose a cross.
5. Serve with crème fraiche, cream or ice cream.
Chocolate chilli mousse recipe
· 150g 70% dark chocolate, plus extra to serve
· 6 egg whites
· 2 tbsp golden caster sugar
· ¼ teasponn of chopped fresh red chilli
Contains raw egg
Method
1.Melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of hot water, stirring every 30 seconds until just melted.
2. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, scatter in the sugar and whisk again until the mixture forms stiff peaks when you lift the whisk out (around 30 seconds).
3. Add a third of the egg white to the melted chocolate and mix vigorously, working fast so the chocolate doesn’t cool and harden.
4. Then fold in the remaining egg whites carefully using a spatula or large metal spoon. Spoon into 4 glasses or ramekins and set in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
