La Buena Mesa: a cookbook review and garlic shrimp

Some weeks ago I received a request from Hippocrene Books to review their recently launched book La Buena Mesa, by Elizabeth Parrish. I eagerly accepted, only too flattered that someone thought I had something to say about Spanish cooking. And flattering is the best way to get people going, don't you agree? Do you know what was my first impulse when I got the book on the mail? Checking the gazpacho recipe. Because I knew in a book on Spanish cooking there had to be one, of course. And for me, that is a rather accurate indicator of the soundness of a book on Spanish cooking. Well, when I read the recipe I could not help but smile; I found it flawless. No fancy ingredients and above all no horrible chilli additions, like I’ve seen too often outside Spain (the idea of a hot gazpacho gives me the creeps… We Spaniards are very particular about our gazpachos).


And… I started browsing through the recipes. I love cookbooks that read like a novel and this is one of them. The recipes are arranged by region and they are interspersed with brief accounts on essential ingredients or aspects of Spanish cooking; I found particularly sweet the story about cazuelas, the ubiquitous earthenware recipient for cooking all kinds of stews and other different dishes. All the recipes start with a brief introduction on some funny or intriguing related aspect. The author totally won me over when I saw her recipe for Galician sourdough rye bread! I say, that is one-daring-food-writer! If there’s one region in Spain that boasts delicious bread, that’s Galicia, so it's worth having bread recipes in such a cookbook, a subject most Spain-published cookbooks overlook.

What else can I say? Mrs. Parrish is an American expat living in Tarragona, region of Catalonia, who has lived and cooked in Spain for more than 20 years already and her book shows the author’s love for the subject. I only wished the book was not that short. So if you intend to set out on a journey into Spanish cooking, La buena mesa is undoubtedly a very good place to start.

Therefore, to illustrate how far you can get with this book, I thought I’d cook one of its recipes. I had been wanting to write a post about gambas al ajillo or garlic shrimp for ages, so I rose to the occasion. Garlic shrimp is a very simple tapa made by stir-frying shelled shrimp in olive oil and garlic. Elizabeth calls for a dash of dry sherry too, which I had never tried before, so I was intrigued by this boozy addition.



Gambas al ajillo
Yields 4 servings

• 1 pound (500g) shelled shrimp
• 4 cloves garlic 
• 4 tbsp virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp dry sherry
• 2 sprigs parsley

1. Thaw the shrimp if frozen. Peel them if they're not peeled.
2. Peel and finely dice the garlic cloves. 
3. Pour the oil in a saucepan (much better in an earthenware cazuela) and add the garlic. Stir-fry just till it starts to brown at the edges, then add the drained shrimp. 
4. Add the sherry, cover with a lid and cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally, till the shrimp are pink and cooked through.
5. Sprinkle with parsley and serve in small earthenware dishes.

This has been truly one of my favourite tapas ever since I was a child. The flavors meld perfectly, with the garlic not overpowering the delicate flavor of the shrimp. For those fearful of the fierceness of garlic, the flavor is largely tamed when fried. As it happens with a lot of Spanish dishes, this will be as good as your shrimp; premium quality ingredients make for a premium quality dish.



Full disclaimer: I have not been paid for this review, at least I haven’t received any payment other than the book itself. Well, I truly liked it.

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School of tapas: Melon soup shots

This is no traditional tapa. But due to the wild popularity tapas enjoy and the endless variations on the same theme found nowadays, sometimes small glasses or shots of cold soups or creams are also seen served as a tapa or appetizer before a copious meal. When summer is already at full speed and you long for cold and fresh drinks and dishes, a shot of chilled soup might be exactly what you need. This simple melon soup is prepared by processing melon, white wine, honey, lemon juice and salt to a pureé. It doesn't call for the use of any heat in the kitchen, which is something I am quite thankful for when temperature rises above 85 degrees.




The recipe is inspired in this Spanish website for Mediterranean cuisine.

Melon soup shots 
Yields 8 servings

• 1 small melon *
• 2/5 cup (100ml) good white wine
• 1 tbsp honey
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 pinches salt
• 1 thin slice good Serrano ham
  

1. Cut the melon in wedges and discard the seeds. Scoop out the flesh and transfer it to a food processor or blender.
2. Add the wine, the honey, the lemon juice and the salt. Process to a fine pureé. Chill thoroughly before serving. 
3. For the jamón serrano garnish, place a slice of jamón on a plate lined with 2 sheets of kitchen paper. Cover with more paper and microwave it briefly, until dry and crispy. Crumble the jamón by hand and sprinkle the "shards" on top of the melon soup shots. 

* Regarding the melon used, Spanish melons are egg shaped and quite large in size. A "small" melon can easily weigh 5 pounds.



For a more "sophisticated" experience, previously chill the serving glasses in the freezer. The contrast between the sweetness of the soup and the saltiness of the jamón is simply superb. Serve with a glass of chilled dry Sherry. And enjoy...

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