- Monday, May 26, 2008, 11:08
- Foods
And that search for emulsion brings us to the undisputed king of sauce on the Iberian peninsula. Unless you hide out in your room and shun the company of humanity entirely, you are going to see mayonnaise every day that you are in Spain. Gobs of it....
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- Monday, May 26, 2008, 11:07
- Foods
The most popular herb in Spain, by far, is perejil (parsley). Spaniards love its subtle earthy taste and palate-cleansing freshness. Other herbs they use very discreetly, if they use them at all. But they use parsley with abandon. Thus, salsa verde (green sauce), made with olive oil, garlic and bunches of minced parsley
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- Sunday, May 25, 2008, 5:01
- General
Wine is so integral to Spanish cookery that to consider it a sauce would be like considering water or salt as sauce. Any Spanish cook will have an open bottle of wine nearby and when inspiration seizes, add it to the dish. Add some to the cook for good measure.
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- Sunday, May 25, 2008, 5:00
- Foods
Marinades are the spiciest of Spanish sauces. They employ strong vinegar, garlic and oregano, bay leaf and sometimes chilli. Their original purpose was not so much gustatory but preservative. Marinades are still popular, especially for cooking game and heavy meats.
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- Sunday, May 25, 2008, 4:59
- Foods
Almonds blanket huge swathes of Spain. Galicia is covered with chestnuts, the Basque country with walnuts, Catalunya with hazelnuts. The sauces made with these nuts have been around for centuries. The nuts arc finely ground with such things as garlic, bread, saloon, wine and, of course, olive oil.
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- Sunday, May 25, 2008, 4:58
- Foods
In this category we find what many say is the queen of' Spanish sauces, the Catalan salsa romesco (see recipe on previous page). These sauces are flavoured with, indeed are vehicles for, red capsicums. Most often this is in the form of paprika. In Spain paprika is sweet but not mild. It asserts itself upon the tongue but does ...
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- Sunday, May 25, 2008, 4:57
- Foods
This is Spanish tomato sauce, very quick and simple. Chopped tomato, onion, green capsicum, a little garlic are cooked in olive oil until the liquid is cooked away (10-15 minutes). It's now ready to be used in cooking or stored for later.
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- Sunday, May 25, 2008, 4:55
- Healthy
These sauces came to Spain with the Romans. Soldiers, peasants, fishermen and farmers combined olive oil with chopped garlic and parsley, maybe a squeeze of lemon juice or dash of vinegar. In this guise it's called aliño. It basically amounts to salad dressing, and of course is used as such. It is also used to baste fish and means, ...
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- Sunday, May 25, 2008, 4:54
- Foods
If you pick up your average European cookery book you'll find a whole section on sauces; sauces with grand sounding names like Grand Veneur, or Chantilly. You might even se Sauce Espagñole. So named because when tomato is added to basic brown sauce it takes on a deeper colour, giving it a swarthy hue. Hmmm. But you won't find ...
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- Sunday, May 25, 2008, 4:52
- Foods
For a people with a sweet tooth the Spanish are short on sweets. Or at least variety in sweets. You won't find much in the way of Bavarian flights of sugary fancy, or French panache in pastry. The Italians surpass the Spanish in confectionery. Even the English are more imaginative with their traditional sweet trolley. You ...
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