RECIPE: A Spanish Salad Of Sorts

What I find tricky about food and nostalgia is… it can be hard to know whether you actually love something, or just love the memory of it. When I was writing about Rye, I had a moment: do I really love cockles? Or do I just love the way they zip me straight back to a blustery beach in Bognor, slurping vinegar-spiked brine from the bottom of a polystyrene cup? It was just a treat to be out the house for lunch!

I’ve been eating mixed salad in Southern Spain since I was little and I have never lost the enthusiasm for it. For a country that grow amazing fresh produce you’d think fresh peppers, avocado or cucumber would make an appearance. But no.

What you do get is fresh lettuce, tomato, onion, eggs - and then a full supporting cast of things from jars and tins. And honestly, I LOVE it. I love pickled beetroot, pickled carrot, olives, tinned sweetcorn and tinned tuna. It doesn’t come dressed, you do that yourself, dousing in oil and vinegar from the bottles left at the table.

So this is a mash up I guess, of two Spanish salads I love. The jarred/tinned elements of an ensalada mixta, with the potatoes, orange and olives from a Remojón (A salt cod, orange and olive salad from Granada) and a really simple vinegar and olive oil dressing.

Ingredients

Serves 4 as part of lunch

• 750g new potatoes

• 4 eggs

• 5 tbsp olive oil

• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar

• 1 large minced garlic clove

• 1 tsp Aleppo chilli flakes (or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes)

• zest of half a small orange (1/4 tsp)

• 60g Guindilla peppers, 4 reserved whole, the rest chopped finely

• 2 tins of tuna, drained

• 100 - 150g green olives

• 1/4 sweet white onion, sliced thinly on a mandolin

• flat leaf parsley - optional

A couple of notes on ingredients ..

What is sweet/white onion? Can I use a standard brown skinned onion? I like to use a sweet onion or white onion in salads. I snapped a pic this morning from my local greengrocer so you can see the difference in white papery skin to the tougher brown skinned regular onion. You’ll want to use these varieties when a recipe calls for using raw onions, that could be in anything from a guacamole, salsa, or relish for a burger. If you cant find sweet onions, use a red onion or spring onions. If you still find the pungency of a raw onion too much, just slice thinly and leave to soak in cold water for a few minutes to take the edge off.

What is a Guindilla pepper and what olives should I use?

So, you might have seen a Guindilla chilli on your tapas plate or gilda. (See When In Rome logo!) They’re long slender peppers, sometimes labelled Guindilla chillies or chilli peppers. They’re sharp and piquant but mild and wonderfully vinegary. I like the Perelló brand. Onto olives, as you can see I bought a variety and all I came up with was, use your favourite. For this I prefer the Greek ones from my corner sho but they have stones in, as do those distinctly green Nocellara, but if you’re worried about someone cracking a tooth, use pitted.

What I do care about it Tuna. There’s good tuna and there is bad tuna. You want something sustainable and tasty. There is tuna packed in water and tuna packed in olive oil and the latter obvs costs more. I stock up on RIO mare when it is on offer on Ocado (happens quite often). It is pink and firm and delicious. You don’t need to use bonito for a salad like this.

Recipe

There’s not much cooking involved in this recipe. You boil potatoes and eggs, you peel them (promise it’s worth it) and then you just open some jars and.. happy days.

1. Fill a large saucepan with cold water half full and add 1 tablespoon of fine salt. Add potatoes and bring to the boil. Once boiling, set a timer for 15 minutes. You should be able to squeeze a potato and feel some give. Empty into a colander and let sit steaming for 10 minutes.

2. You can boil your eggs in a separate pan or in the potato pan for the last 8 minutes. you want jammy but not runny eggs so 8 minutes is ideal (room temperature eggs slowly added to boiling water) and then plunged into cold water and run under a tap.

3. Slice your potatoes in half or quarters if needed, and peel them. The skins will come off easy with your fingers. Set aside. Peel your eggs and cut in half widthways.

4. Make the dressing by whisking olive oil, vinegar, Aleppo pepper, garlic and orange zest in a bowl or shake in a jar. Add 3 generous pinches of flaky salt and some ground pepper to season.

5. Mix the warm potatoes through the dressing in a large bowl and then when you’re ready to serve, place the eggs amongst the potatoes on a platter and sprinkle over the Guindillas, olives, tuna and onions (and parsley if using). Drizzle with a touch more olive oil and season the eggs.

   If you’re getting ingredients ready ahead of time, keep the potatoes at room temperature before dressing. They don’t taste as good once refrigerated. Crack open a beer and enjoy!

   p.s LISBON newsletter dropping next weekend, quite possibly my favourite yet.