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Ingredients
500g fresh spinach
3 tbsp raisins, soaked in hot water, then drained
3 tbsp pine nuts
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
Method
Put the spinach in boiling water, cook for three minutes until tender and then
drain, squeezing out excess water. Put to one side. Heat the oil in the pan, add
the garlic and onion and cook gently until soft, taking care not to burn the
garlic. Add the spinach, drained raisins and pine nuts, and toss together while
heating through.Add salt and pepper to taste.
Sarsuela
This wonderful fish casserole is served in most coastal towns, using whatever
fish and shellfish is available.You’ll have to buy what you can, though you
should be aiming for large prawns in their shells, different kinds of white fish
(such as cod or hake), squid, mussels or clams. In Catalunya, crayfish or lobster
are often added, too. The point is to go for a variety of fish: the word
sarsuela
refers to a comic musical variety show.
Ingredients
3–4 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 large tomatoes, skinned, seeded and finely chopped
2 onions, sliced
1 tbsp Spanish brandy
1 tsp paprika
1 bay leaf
1 cup/quarter-pint dry white wine
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 lemons, cut into wedges
Assorted white fish, enough for a couple of fair-sized chunks each
8 large prawns in their shells
4 small squid
16 mussels/32 clams
Ground black pepper
Salt
Method
Clean the fish and cut into chunks; slice the squid into rings; leave the large
prawns as they are. Scrub and clean the mussels or clams. Boil the fishy leftovers
(skin and heads; if you’ve bought fillets, use a couple of chunks and a few small
prawns) in a pot of water, adding salt and pepper, some fresh herbs and a sliced
onion, to give a fish stock – which, when reduced a little, should be strained
and put aside.
Heat the oil in a large pot or casserole, add the garlic, onion and chopped
tomatoes and cook slowly for ten minutes – this is the
sofregit
(see box oppo-
site).Turn up the heat, add the brandy and flame, then turn it back down and
add the paprika, fish stock, white wine and bay leaf. Stir the mixture, put in
the chunks of white fish and simmer for five minutes. Stir, add the squid and
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Catalan cookery