Traditional Ingredients
Cheese: Although Spain produces about 200 cheeses, only Manchego enjoys any degree of renown, and is the only one exported in quantity. Manchego may be mild and quite soft, or strong and hard. It is made from sheep's milk, so is quite expensive. If Manchego is not available, use freshly cut Parmesan cheese.
Chillies: These play an important role in Spanish cooking, adding not only heat but also distinct flavour to dishes. Different varieties of chillies impart different flavours and degree of heat. Generally, large chillies are milder than small ones, whilst dried ones are often hotter than fresh. Red chillies are ripened green chillies, and so they have a sweeter, more rounded flavour compared to the fresher, 'green' taste of the immature form. Avoid touching your eyes or any cuts, and always wash hands thoroughly afterwards. If you have sensitive skin, wear rubber gloves when handling chillies.
Chorizo: The best chorizo contains as much as 95% pork. Other ingredients are pork fat, salt, garlic and paprika, which give it the pronounced red colour. The most widely known and available chorizos are fully cured and can be eaten without cooking, for example, as a tapas or in salads. There are two degrees of spiciness, picante (hot) and dulce (mild). The other type of chorizo, whfich has to be cooked, is found in stews and in bean and potato dishes, which will be coloured red by the leeching out of the paprika in the chorizo. These chorizos are short and stubby and come linked together in the same way as English sausages. They sometimes have added flavour from being smoked over oak fires. Oregano is also sometimes added. For the best and truest flavour use good Spanish chorizo, but if unavailable use paprika sausages, which can usually found in Italian delicatessens.
Garlic: This is essential in Spanish cooking. Use the freshest possible -if there is any sign of a green shoot in the centre of a clove, remove it as it imparts a bitter taste to a dish. Buy garlic bulbs that are plump and firm and store them in a cool, dry place. Raw garlic has a pungent flavour, but when it is cooked, the taste mellows to give a subtle background flavour, and whole cloves can be eaten. Chopping garlic- gives a more pronounced flavour than crushing it.
Herbs: Parsley is an important herb in Spanish cooking. The flat-leaved, Continental type is used. Oregano malces have an occasional appearance, while bay leaves and thyme are quite widely used, especially in dishes that require long cooking. The presence of mint, most popularly with broad beans and chicken, is a legacy left by the Moors. Fresh herbs give a better flavour then dried ones. However, if you do have to use dried herbs, reduce the amount in the recipes by a half to two thirds.
Ham: The most well known Spanish ham is jamón serrano. This is a raw, air dried ham and is often eaten in thin, though not wafer thin, slices carved along the grain as a tapa. The best jamón serrano comes from the black Iberian pig, but the supply is limited. Jamón serrano is also used for cooking, when it is more thickly sliced so it can be chopped into chunks. Italian prosciutto is the nearest substitute.
Olive oil: Olive oil lends a characteristic flavour to many dishes. For general cooking, use a pure Spanish olive oil as it has a mild flavour, and keep the more distinctly flavoured, and more expensive, virgin oils for dressings. Keep olive oil in a cool, dark place, but not the refrigerator, and use within a year. Onions: Yellow Spanish onions have a sweet and mild taste.
Paprika: Pimenton dulce, produced from ground, dried red peppers, is an essential element in Spanish cooking, adding a characteristic flavour and colour to many dishes. It is added at the beginning of the cooking and is fried to release its flavour. However, it should not be overheated otherwise it will taste burnt.
Peppers (capsicums): These come in progressive stages of ripening, from green through yellow to red, but red ones, being the ripest, are sweeter and more rounded in flavour. To remove the skin from peppers, (capsicums), either grill halved peppers (capsicums) skinside uppermost, 5 cm (2 in) away from the grill for 8-10 minutes. Or bake them in an oven preheated to 200c (400F/Gas 6) for 20-40 minutes until they are blistered and charred (this also adds a delicious smokey flavour), leave until cool enough to handle, then scrape or peel off the skin. Thin-skinned, small, long and pointed piquillo peppers (capsicums) are the ones that are used for stuffing; they are sold in bottles, which are generally best, or in cans. If unavailable, substitute ordinary canned small red peppers (capsicums). Dark red ñora peppers (capsicums) are sold dried and can be seen in Spain in strings hanging from windows or in markets or grocers. They do not have much flesh, but their flavour and colour is concentrated. To use them, pullout the stalk and shake out as many seeds as possible. Soak them in cold water for 30-60 minutes to soften the skin, then cut in half and scrape out the flesh using a teaspoon. Paprika pepper can be substituted for ñoras.
Rice: Spanish rice is medium-grained, similar to Italian arborio (risotto) rice, but whereas a risotto is stirred to encourage the rice grains to become sticky, the rice for a paella must be left undisturbed during cooking once the liquid has been added.
Saffron: Although expensive only a few threads are needed to give a wonderful flavour and aroma to a dish for four people. For the best flavour, use genuine Spanish saffron threads or strands, and avoid saffron powder as it may have added ingredients that give colour but no flavour. To gain maximum flavour from saffron, crush the threads with a small pestle and mortar or between two teaspoons, then soak in a little hot water.
Sherry vinegar: This is made from Spanish sherry, and is rich and concentrated, so very little is needed to enhance the flavour of a dish.
Tomatoes: Well-flavoured tomatoes are important to the success of many Spanish dishes. For the recipes in this book use irregular-shaped 'marmande' or beefsteak tomatoes, but avoid Dutch ones as they lack the flavour of those grown further south, under a hotter sun. To skin tomatoes, put them in a bowl, pour over boiling water, leave for about 30 seconds, then remove from the water one at a time and slip off the skin. It should come away easily.