Andalucia's gastronomy is finally starting to get the adulation it deserves. Of course, those who are familiar with its outstanding piggy, fishy and veggie dishes will already have their own preferred delicacies. Here we offer a geo-mapped list compiled from your suggestions.
Food, Cooking and recipe books connected to Andalucia: Andalusia, recipes from Seville and beyond, Andaluz: A Food Journey Through Southern Spain, Cooking in Spain by Janet Mendel, Tapas a bite of Spain, The Taste of a Place, Andalucia.
This traditional food market, with stalls run by local tradesmen, is located in the centre of the city, in Calle Doña Blanca. Housed in a beautiful, high-ceilinged, period building, it has a lively, buzzing atmosphere, and offers an excellent selection of fresh fish, meat, and fruit and vegetables.
This is really "pescadito frito", but with the coastal southern accent it ends up sounding like "pescaíto" and is now commonly referred to as such. There isn´t really a proper recipe, you just need to take a trip over to the local produce and meat/fish market one morning.
Cover bottom of a skillet with olive oil and sauté the onion with the bay leaf and peppercorns on high for a few minutes. Add the cuttlefish and then the tomato sauce after a few minutes; cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for an hour or so until the cuttlefish is very tender when pierced with a fork. Salt to taste.
Place the clams in a saucepan with some salt and just enough water to cover; cook on high just until most have opened. Set aside about ¾ cup of the broth and drain off the rest, and remove the clam from the shells, leaving only some shells intact. Discard any clams that have not opened. Rinse the beans well and set aside.
A perfect recipe for a quick and easy starter with a Mediterranean theme. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve straight away.
Plain Cake. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a previously oiled cake pan (crown shape works well). Bake at 180 degrees Centigrade or until golden brown. Serve plain or with fresh fruit or ice cream. This is a favourite with all ages.
Wash and dry the apples. Using a small sharp knife, cut out the tough inner core and the stem, but try not to pierce all the way through to the bottom. Fill the cavity in each apple with a bit of butter and sugar, place in a shallow baking dish and bake for approximately 30 to 45 minutes, or until tender.
Wash the quinces and dry thoroughly with a cloth. Cut into chunks, removing the seeds and centre core, and place in a pot with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and then cook on medium heat, uncovered, until the fruit is quite tender.
Mix the egg, 4 tbsp olive oil, milk, anisette, sugar, and baking powder. Measure out the flour and add most of it, stirring well. Add just enough flour to form a dough that is not sticky. Finish mixing with your hands, and then shape the dough with your hands into round strips about 10 to 15 cm long; form each strip into a circle by sealing the tips with a bit of water.
Clean the fish well, removing the head and the spine, as well as the tails and the insides. (Occasionally you will find the fish already cleaned at the market, just be sure it is fresh.) Once cleaned, place the fish in a dish and cover with vinegar. Leave, covered, in the refrigerator for at least six hours.
Another Spanish favourite for meriendas (teatime) and a healthier alternative for those avoiding butter or magarine. Buy an individual serving size of lemon yogurt (two if you want to double the recipe) and use the container as your measuring cup.
This is an Andalucian favourite. It is normally prepared to order and served in small individual ramekins. Make sure you mop the delicious oil with some bread! Heat the olive oil to gently fry the chopped garlic and the peppers. Add the shrimp and fry for one more minute. Remove from heat and serve sizzling hot.
Hurta a la Gaditana - Sea Bream, Cádiz Style. Hurta is the red-banded sea bream, typical of the Cádiz coasts, but any large sea bream (such as gilthead or red bream) could be used instead.
Cut the fish into chunks. Put the water in a pan with the salt and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes, whole tomato and dried peppers. Cook, covered, until the potatoes are almost tender. In a mortar, blender or processor purée the garlic, oil, cumin, paprika, cayenne and saffron with the cooked and skinned tomato, peppers and a few pieces of the potato.
Baked sea bass with mussels and parsley beurre blanc. Kasper Nielsen will revolutionise the way you see Andalucia's finest ingredients. Baked sea bass with mussels and parsley beurre blanc.
Arroz a la Marinera - Seafood Rice. This paella has no chicken or rabbit, but only fish and shellfish. Put the fish head and trimmings in a pot with the shrimp shells, onion, 1 clove of garlic, sprig of parsley and water. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer for an hour and strain the stock.
In Andalusia, as in the rest of Spain, the feast of Christmas dinner takes place late on the night of Christmas Eve (Nochebuena) and normally goes on into the small hours of Christmas Day. Traditionally, the exchanging of presents is not until the 6th of January, on King's Day (Reyes) and so full attention is given to the cooking of an extravagant meal on the night of the 24th.
Toast the salt cod over a flame or under the grill until it is lightly browned and softened. Put it in a bowl of water while preparing the remaining ingredients. Arrange the orange and onion slices on a plate. Whisk the garlic with the oil, vinegar and red pepper flakes. Drain the cod and remove all skin and bones.
