I am writing to you all from my cozy room in Alicante, having recently returned from a weekend adventure at the end of my second week here in Spain. Before you even have time to worry and fret yourselves about where that adventure took place, I'll simply make it easy for you and tell you all about it. But not today! Instead, I have chosen to make you stew in suspense a bit longer (if you can't guess from the title of this post, that was a pun). Today, I thought I'd discuss Spanish cuisine as I have experienced it thus far. I actually took a free cooking course with my study abroad program this week and so thought that now would be the appropriate time to talk food. Although what is considered not a good time to talk about food? A funeral? Sympathy meals. A wedding? One word: cake. Class time? There's that apple-for-the-teacher thing, right? So we can see that food is always relevant. But I digress. To discuss Spanish food in particular, I learned a little bit about some traditional Spanish favorites. Confusion alert: Spanish cooking is not to be confused with Mexican cooking. The spices, main ingredients and nearly everything else are completely different. That clarified, in my cooking class we made paella, sautéed shrimp, deep-fried calamari, deep-fried tuna, gazpacho, sesame tuna on a cracker, and watermelon sautéed in rum. To make your mouth water, here are some pictures:
The chef showing us how to cut lemon flowers!
This is paella, one of the key traditional Spanish foods and by far my favorite Spanish dish. The main filler ingredient is its rice base, but it is bolstered and enhanced by a colorful medley of vegetables and spices. Traditionally, paella is made with seafood or chicken, though it can be made vegetarian. I learned from the cooking class, however, that the juice of the meat is an extremely important factor to the final flavor of the rice, vegetables, and the overall ensemble. So vegetarian paella is simply not the same. Having sampled both, I would have to agree. Slowly cooking the rice with the meat really marries the two and allows the flavors to sink in and diffuse richly throughout the entire dish. And although they're pretty just to look at, the lemons actually add a wonderful flavor when squeezed over paella! The sweet acidity provides a brisk and complementary contrast with the warm, gentle spice that lulls the taste buds throughout the rest of the dish.
While we also sautéed watermelon in rum (it was delicious, contrary to my disbelief that watermelon could not and should not be cooked!), our instructor also created some art with part of a fresh melon!
Here is a picture of the finished products from the class! The only dish I haven't mentioned that you may be unfamiliar with is gazpacho. There are various types of gazpacho, but the dish we made was a cold soup made from blended tomatoes, peppers, bread, ice, garlic, milk, pepper, and a few other spices. It's an unbelievably refreshing beverage or meal for the hot afternoons! Really, if the ocean cools skin down, gazpacho does the same for your insides. Sadly, I didn't manage to snap a picture of it in class, but here is a picture I found online:
My madre, or house mom, here in Spain has cooked me so many delicious dishes that have also helped me catch a glimpse into the Spanish culinary world. Perhaps the most delicious yet simultaneously simple dish she has prepared me is melón con jamón serrano. If you know any of these Spanish vocabulary words, the dish is exactly what it sounds like: melon with ham.
I know it sounds overly simple, but this little ensemble is just one of those beautiful unions of savory and sweet that cannot be described as anything but ecstasy. Part of the taste comes from the freshness of the fruit here in Spain, but mostly it comes from the amazing, unique flavor of el jamón serrano. It is a type of cured ham, which is prepared and cured using a special process for as long as 18 months! The process originated in the mountains of Spain (sierra=serrano), which favored the dry-curing process. The basic steps are Salting (the ham is covered in salt for about a day), Rest (the salt has time to sink in), Dry-Curing (the meat becomes ham as the increasing temperature changes it), Aging (the last stage before it is sold). This whole process produces a meat that boasts a truly unique, rich, and lingering flavor. It's a carnivore's dream, I'm telling you. The sad thing is, the ham curing process is protected by the European government, so we can't produce it in the U.S. So, go to Spain and try it.
I also love the gelato and ice cream in Spain! The flavors are just so different than we have in the U.S. For example, pictured below is my dark chocolate, red chili pepper, and orange flavored gelato (an intriguing interplay between sweet and spicy) combined with a class and cool coconut gelato. Can you say sweet tooth paradise?
Well, foodie friends, you've just survived my two cents on Spanish cuisine! I trust that your keyboards or screens are not too badly water damaged from drooling. Even if they are, I want to thank you for taking the time to taunt your taste buds with me! Seriously, get out there, find a recipe, and TRY some Spanish cooking! You won't regret it.
Buen suerte with all of your cooking efforts! Check back later this week to hear about my adventure!
Laurel
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