Los Montañeses

Strictly speaking these “people from the mountains” came from La Montaña or the Sierra Cantabria, but the term soon came to imply people from all over the north of Spain who came to the south when there was little future for them at home but mere subsistence, yet great possibilities in the south. The exodus began after the re-conquest of western Andalucía from the Moors by King Fernando III in the XIII century and the consequent need to repopulate the area, organised by his son Alfonso X “The Wise”. After the expulsion of the Jews in the XV century and the Moriscos (converted Moors) in the next, this was needed all the more.

With the discovery of the Americas, trade and wealth grew rapidly in both Cádiz and Sevilla and there were great opportunities for these incomers from the north in both Andalucía and the Americas. During the XVII to the XIX centuries and peaking in the XVIII large numbers of Montañeses arrived in search of their fortune. Being of an enterprising nature, a great many opened grocery shops, where possible on busy street corners, and once old enough and having saved a little money, their assistants, also montañeses, would start their own business. They sold all kinds of food and dispensed wine on draught from little barrels. The shops normally had two doors so that women could do their shopping without being annoyed by the drinkers in what were becoming taverns.

A typical tienda (shop) montanes about 1900

Important developments took place in these “shops”. Here is almost certainly the origin of the tapa: a bite of dried cod or a slice of cured pork being served on a piece of paper on top of a glass of wine. It was not till the early XX century that little plates began to be used. Here also was the birth of the tabanco and probably even the solera system, as the little barrels were regularly topped up with younger wine for consistency and freshness. This principle would make Manzanilla famous and revolutionise Sherry production.

Tabanco El Pasaje 1920s

The montañeses were hard workers and careful with money, and some invested in vineyards and bodegas, becoming famous. Many of their names are still remembered today: Juan Moreno de Mora, León de Argüeso, Manuel Fernández de Bobadilla, Manuel Misa y Bertemati (now Diez Mérito), Luis Caballero, Iñigo Ruiz de Villegas y Sánchez de Tagle (Ruiz Hermanos), Domingo Pérez Marín (La Guita) and Tomás Abad among others.

Tapas: Queso Frito

Queso frito (fried cheese) is simple but delicious as a tapa or as an accompaniment to a larger dish, it is a useful recipe which is pretty quick to prepare, and one can always use up dog-ends of cheese if necessary.

Ingredients for 4 people: 
1/2 kilo (@1lb) fairly young hard cheese, most kinds would do
Milk
2 eggs
Breadcrumbs
Wheat flour
Virgin olive oil for frying

Method
First, cut the cheese into pieces roughly 3cm long by 1 cm diameter (or whatever shape you fancy). Put milk, flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs into four bowls. Dip the pieces of cheese into first milk, then flour, then the beaten egg and lastly the breadcrumbs, leaving them on a plate. Then once again dip the cheese into egg then breadcrumbs to ensure a leak-proof batter. Once prepared, put the cheese on the plate again and chill for half an hour.

Heat up a frying pan or deep fryer with olive oil, and when good and hot fry the cheese until golden all over. Once cooked, remove carefully from fryer/pan and let cool a little on absorbent paper so it absorbs any excess oil. It should be served hot either by itself or in a tomato or ali oli sauce, perhaps with a little salad.

All you need to do now is enjoy the queso frito with a glass of Fino or a light amontillado Sherry!

Tapas: Berenjenas Fritas con Miel

Fried aubergines with honey

This is absolutely delicious, and dead easy to make. The slightly crisp yet juicy aubergine texture with sweet honey is lovely! All you need is:
1 Large aubergine or two small ones
Salty water
Flour
Olive oil - Extra Virgin
Runny honey

Method:
Slice the aubergine and soak in salted water for 10-15 mins. Next flour the slices and fry in very hot oil. Lay on absorbent paper till excess oil has run off, plate up and pour honey on top.
{The salty water prevents the aubergine absorbing too much oil}

Tapas Recipe: Tortillitas de Camaron

Tortillitas de Camaron (little crisp prawn cakes)

Ingredients for 12 tortillitas:

100 grams camarones (peeled or whole)                                                               100 grams wheat flour

1 large glass of cold water                                                                                         Half teaspoonful salt

1 spring onion                                                                                                              Fresh parsley

50 grams chick pea flour (optional for colour and texture, you can use 150g wheat flour instead)

Mix the two flours in a large bowl, add the finely chopped spring onion and roughly chopped parsley (amount to taste), add salt and finely chopped camarones (best when peeled, really).

Mix thoroughly the contents of the bowl with a fork and slowly add the water, stirring all the time to achieve a yoghurt-like consistency. It is important that the camaron/shrimp/prawn sticks to the mixture.

Put plenty of olive oil into a frying pan – the widest available – and heat it. It needs to be very hot but not steaming or smoking. Add a small amount of the mixture and spread it a bit, the tortillitas need to be quite thin (it is a bit like pancakes), fry on both sides till golden and see how it is. Any adjustments can be made now, but if all is well fry up the rest. Once fried, remove from pan and let the tortillitas cool on some kitchen towel to absorb excess oil. That’s it! Ready to eat!  Time to pour the Fino or Manzanilla!

Note: Camarones are tiny shrimps found in Cadiz Bay. As an alternative, it is best to use unfrozen prawns, as frozen ones contain a lot of water.                                                                                                                                                       

The Sherry Bar Scene

Sherry bars have exploded in London, on the back of the popularity of tapas, and Sherry is fast becoming the after-work drink of choice. Bar Pepito, established March 2010, was the first to open, with backing from Gonzalez Byass. They are all styled, more or less, like Spanish bars, and mostly – but not always - run by Brits. Due to their popularity, you need to get there early.  The following are the top 10 as selected by the Drinks Business Magazine, although there are even more. So if you find yourself in London – or even live there - it is your duty to pay a visit (if you see what I mean!)

Tramontana, 152-4 Curtain Road EC2A 3AT, 020 7749 9961

Donostia, 10 Seymour Place W1H 7ND, 020 3620 1845

Rosita, 124 Northcote Road SW11 6QU, 020 7998 9093

Morito, 32 Exmouth Market EC1R 4QE, 020 7278 7007

Copita, 27 D’Arblay Street W1F 8EP, 020 7287 7797

Opera Tavern, 23 Catherine Street WC2B 5JS, 020 7836 3680

Barrafina, 54 Frith Street W1D 4SL, 020 7813 8016

Jose, 104 Bermondsey Street SE1 3UB, 020 7490 379

Capote y Toros, 157 Old Brompton Road 020 7244 8970

Bar Pepito, 3 Varnishers Yard N1 9DF, 020 7841 7331

The tapas revolution is sweeping the country - and not just the UK, there are tapas bars in New York and elsewhere - and Sherry is thus being introduced to new consumers all the time. After all, there is no better combination of food and wine.

Viva la revolucion!!

Tapas: Huevos a la Flamenca

This is an old dish and a simple one. There is no set recipe, and it varies from place to place, but it always contains eggs, jamon and/or chorizo and vegetables. In fact it can be a useful way to use up leftovers. The term “a la flamenca” is thought to refer to the dish’s bright colour, and it is tasty, hearty and nutritious.

Ingredients:

Chorizo/morcilla                             Jamon Serrano                           peas/asparagus

Potato (optional)                                  tomato                                         onion

Pimientos red and green                        garlic                 eggs             pimenton, herbs

Method:

Fry the onion, garlic, potato and peppers till nearly ready, add grated tomato, peas/asparagus, pimento (paprika), herbs and any seasoning and fry in for a few minutes. Put a tablespoon of olive oil into a cazuela (a shallow earthenware ovenproof dish – see picture), add the mixture, add 2-3 slices of jamon Serrano and/or a few slices of chorizo/morcilla (morcilla is black pudding) and crack an egg or two over the top. Bake in the oven till the egg is cooked the way you want it – preferably leaving it a bit runny. Enjoy with a glass of dry Amontillado/Oloroso/Palo Cortado.

Picture: laalacenadelaabuela

Sanlucar se "Destapa"!

This is the clever slogan for the annual Sanlucar Ruta de la Manzanilla y de la Tapa, which has been running since 25th January. Some 20 bars and 4 bodegas are offering a glass of Manzanilla and a tapa for a reasonable 2.50 euros. Customers are eligible for a prize draw if they collect at least 8 stamps on their "passport", with prizes such as stays at hotels or a visit to the ducal palace of Medina Sidonia. If you'd like to participate, hurry, as the offer ends on 23rd March.

Tapas: Bolitas de Bacalao

Bolitas de Bacalao (little cod balls) are delicious tapas from Southern Spain and Portugal. They are made from the traditional salt cod, so need pre-preparation, but only take half an hour to prepare. Here's how...!

Ingredients for 5 people:

500 grams salt cod (any other fish would do just as well)                        Olive oil for frying
300 grams potatoes, coarsely chopped                                                  Plenty chopped parsley
1 large onion, finely chopped                                                                 Plain flour
2 large eggs, beaten                                                                               Breadcrumbs
2 teeth garlic, chopped                                                                          Salt and pepper
               
Method:

Soak the cod in water for 24 hours to remove salt, changing the water 3 or 4 times. You can leave it in the fridge overnight. Once ready, fry the cod with the onion and garlic for ten minutes or so, or till the cod flakes and the onion is golden. Remove from the frying pan and allow to cool, then carefully remove any skin and bones from the cod.

Chop the potatoes and boil them, and when ready, mash them with a little olive oil. Once everything is cool, take a fork and mash the cod, onion and garlic together with the potato, a little salt and pepper and lots of parsley forming a mixture of everything.

Now form 4-5cm diameter balls from the mixture and roll them in the flour, dip them in the egg and finally roll them in the breadcrumbs. (At this stage one could freeze the cod balls for future use). Fry the cod balls in a frying pan with plenty of hot olive oil until golden, keeping them on the move constantly.

Two or three cod balls make a lovely tapa served with a little salad, and /or some alioli (garlic mayonnaise) for dipping.

The ideal accompaniment to this tapa would be a Fino or Manzanilla Sherry.

Tapas: Albondigas

Tapas are the little dishes traditionally served in Spain with a glass of Sherry, and have become a whole cuisine unto themselves. They originated as a tiny morsel served on a saucer on top (tapa) of a glass of Sherry. Most bars offer a large range of them, and there is an element of competition between bars. Enough tapas can constitute a meal, and the best wine is, of course, Sherry! I thought I would post an occasional tapa recipe to accompany all the Sherry in the Blog, so here's number one:

Albondigas are Spanish meatballs, often served as a tapa in sauce. Here is my recipe:

Ingredients:

For the meatballs: 250 grams Pork mince, 100 grams cooking (or almost any) Chorizo, finely chopped

For the sauce: 3 or 4 slices red and green pepper; 2 teeth of garlic; half a small onion, all finely chopped; half a tin of peeled chopped tomatoes; teaspoon pimenton (paprika), oregano and thyme for sprinkling, olive oil for cooking; optional chili sauce.

Put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil into a saucepan. Fry the onion, peppers and garlic, and when done add the tomato and pimenton. Cook a little till well integrated, and leave aside.

Mix chorizo and mince well together and make little balls about 3cm in diameter. Put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil into a frying pan and fry the meatballs till cooked through, keeping them on the move. Once cooked, add the meatballs to the sauce and heat through, adding chili if required and sprinkling the oregano and thyme onto the mix. Serve in a terracotta cazuela (shallow dish) with some chunky bread and a glass of dry Amontillado.

Albondigas en Salsa

Aperitifs and tapas

The recent news that Cava is trying to promote itself as the ideal accompaniment to tapas is worrying. And not a little insulting. The tapa has been an Andaluz tradition forever, as has Sherry, which is without doubt the perfect match for it. No other wine comes near.

Surely Catalunya has the imagination to create a more innovative promotion. They certainly need to; sales of wine in Spain have tumbled over the last 25 years to less than half the 47 litres per capita consumed then, and the golden age of booming Cava sales is over. This applies throughout Spanish wine regions unfortunately, not least Sherry. Perhaps it's time for the CRDO Jerez to retaliate with a campaign such as "Crema Catalana is better with PX Sherry". Or perhaps they could do a promotion at the Boqueria Market in Barcelona "Fideos go better with Sherry".

News from Jerez 10.8.12

The word "Tapa" has always been used to describe small dishes to accompany an aperitif, of which Sherry is the indisputable king. Many competitors have appeared, some very well known, but now the CRDO of Cava has launched a publicity campaign with the aim of muscling in on Sherry's prime position using the slogan "Tapas are better with Cava". As if Jerez didn't have enough problems.

News from Jerez 6.7.12

The Consejo Regulador yesterday held a reception for the honorary Spanish Consul in El Paso (Texas) Maria Angeles Alvarez de Gallardo. Jerez and El Paso have been twinned since 1998. The host, Evaristo Babe, head of the brandy division of the Consejo and also of Fedejerez held a tasting of typical wines and tapas from Jerez.

The Consul declared that "Jerez is a marvellous and charming city, from its buildings to its people. It's very noble. I love the horses and, of course the Sherry". Evaristo Babe replied that the reception demonstrated the good relations which exist between the two cities. "It's more friendly than institutional".

News from Jerez 20.5.12

The owners of 6 central tabancos (traditional bars where Sherry is served from the barrel) in Jerez are getting together to promote their style of bar and thus, Sherry itself. They are organising a route which takes you from bar to bar easily on foot. Leaflets have been printed for distribution in the bars, and also at the Municipal Tourist Office. More leaflets are on the way printed in English. Where possible, the bars will promote the wines of the smaller bodegas.

The bar owners feel that this initiative is long overdue as the number of traditional Jerezano bars is dwindling It is also another string to the bow of tourism  in the area.

The bars in question (so far) are:
Taberna Surena; El Tabanco San Pablo; El Pasaje; La Bodega; Plateros and Guitarron.

Let's all support them whenever we are in Jerez!