Seasonal Pantry: A taste of Spain for the harvest

Spain has been on my mind since the Gravenstein Apple Fair, when a friend showed me a photograph of her son’s lunch at his new job with Google in San Mateo, adding that he sent such photos daily.

“I think it’s called fideo,” he wrote and in no time the aromas, flavors and textures of a favorite Catalunya dish swirled in my imagination.

It’s a remarkably subtle, even esoteric, dish to be served in a corporate kitchen, but these are the kind of perks such jobs offer these days.

In Spain, it is possible to start out an evening going from one tapas bar to another until you finally settle on a restaurant for a full meal sometime around midnight or 1 a.m. And, it’s not uncommon to see people sitting down for a full dinner at 3 a.m. or even later.

Even so, people seem to head to work at much the same time we do, around 8 a.m., cups of strong coffee in their hands. How do they survive on such little sleep? It must be the siestas; nearly everything closes at about 2 p.m., right after lunch, and stays closed until at least 5 p.m. Some shops don’t reopen until 6 p.m. If you try to go to dinner in a restaurant before 9 or even 10 p.m., you will likely be dining alone or with other Americans.

These recipes are my versions of traditional dishes that most enchanted me during my two trips to Barcelona. Enjoy with cava (Spanish sparkling wine), dry sherry, albariño, or Rioja alongside, and don’t forget to raise a glass or two to the people of this wonderful country.

In restaurants all over Spain, it is common to find a plate of tomatoes, garlic, and, sometimes, sliced chorizo, already on the table when you sit down. Once you’ve placed your order, a basket of bread toasted golden brown arrives. It’s bread with tomatoes, a nearly ubiquitous appetizer. Now is the perfect time to enjoy it locally, as tomatoes are at their peak.

Pa amb Tomàquet (Bread with Tomato)

Makes 4 to 6 servings

8-12 thick slices sturdy hearth bread, toasted or grilled until golden brown

6 large garlic cloves, unpeeled and cut in half lengthwise

6 small (2” diameter) ripe tomatoes, cut in half through their equators

- Best-quality extra-virgin olive oil

- Kosher salt, Celtic grey sea salt or Hawaiian alea salt

- Black pepper in a mill

Have the bread hot, in a basket and covered with a tea towel. Place the garlic and tomatoes on a plate, and have the olive oil in a bottle or cruet from which it is easy to pour.

Each person prepares their own toast. Set a piece of bread on a plate and rub one side of it with the cut side of a half piece of garlic, pressing firmly. Next, rub a half tomato into the same side of the bread, pressing firmly so that the pulp of the tomato is deposited on and in the bread. Discard the skins of the garlic and tomatoes. Drizzle a little olive oil over the bread, add a generous sprinkling of sea salt and 1 or 2 turns of black pepper. Eat and repeat.

You can sometimes find fideo - pasta noodles that are just 1-inch long - in Latin markets, in 8-ounce packages. If you cannot find it, the best substitute is coiled capellini broken into pieces. The secret to this recipe is to sauté the pasta long enough before adding liquid that it becomes deep golden brown.

Fideus with Clams, Squid and Allioli

Makes 4 to 6 servings

2 pounds live Manila clams, littleneck clams, or cockles

1 1/2 pounds whole small squid

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound fideo or coiled capellini, broken into 1-inch pieces

8 cups fish fumet, see Note below

- Kosher salt

- Black pepper in a mill

- Scant 1/8 teaspoon saffron threads, optional

1 lemon, cut in wedges

- Allioli, recipe follows

Put the clams in a colander and rinse them under cool water. Discard any that do not close when you tap on them. Cover and set aside.

Clean the squid: Reach into the hood and pull everything out, including the transparent plastic-like quill. Use a sharp knife to cut the tentacles off just below the eyes; set the tentacles aside and discard everything else. Rinse the tentacles and the hoods under cool water. Pull off the thin gray membranes that cover the hoods; cut off and discard the small wings on the outside of the hoods. Cut the hoods into 1/4-inch wide rounds, and set aside with the tentacles.

Set a wide shallow pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and when it is hot, add the pasta and stir continuously with a wooden spoon until it is deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the fish fumet in a small saucepan.

When the pasta is sufficiently brown, add a cup of the fish fumet and stir as it simmers. When the pan is nearly dry, season with salt and pepper and add another cup of fish fumet, stirring all the while. Repeat two more times. When the pasta is nearly but not quite tender, add the squid, stir, and sauté 1 minute. Add the clams, the saffron, and 2 cups of the remaining fish fumet, increase the heat to high, cover, and cook until the clams open and the pasta is just tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover, taste, correct the seasoning, and if the dish seems a little dry, add 1/2 cup of fish fumet and heat through.

Transfer to a platter, garnish with lemon wedges, and enjoy right away, with allioli alongside.

Note: Oliver’s Markets now sell freshly made fish fumet, which is a good substitute for homemade. To make your own, wash about 3 pounds of fish heads, tails, and frames (avoid strongly flavored fish such as mackerel), place in a bowl, sprinkle generously with salt, and cover with water. Let sit for 30 minutes, drain, break into medium pieces, and put into a heavy pot. Add a quartered yellow onion, a stalk of celery, a teaspoon of peppercorns, a few sprigs of Italian parsley, a cup of white wine, and 10 cups of water. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer very gently for 30 minutes. Strain the mixture into a clean pot and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to about 8 cups. Use within 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months.

Allioli is the Spanish version of the classic French sauce, aioli; they are nearly identical. Most recipes in the United States call for just 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, but that is because Americans have a reputation for not caring for garlic. In my experience, that is not the case; rather, it is a myth.

Allioli

Makes about 11/2 cups

8-10 garlic cloves, peeled

- Kosher salt

1 egg or two egg yolks, at room temperature

11/2 cups best-quality olive oil

- Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 11/2 tablespoons)

- White pepper in a mill

- Pinch of pimentón d’Esplette or hot Spanish paprika

Put the garlic and two or three generous pinches of salt into a large mortar and use the pestle to crush the garlic. Grind the garlic and salt until it forms a smooth paste. Mix in the eggs or egg yolks.

Using a whisk, begin to add the olive oil, just a little at a time. As the emulsion forms and grows thick, you can add the oil a little more quickly, whisking all the while. When all of the oil has been added, taste the sauce. Add half the lemon juice and put as much salt as you think the sauce needs into the juice so that it dissolves. Whisk the salty juice into the allioli. Taste, add more lemon juice and salt as needed, and season with several turns of white pepper and a pinch of pimentón d’Esplette or paprika.

Let the mixture rest, covered, in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 2 hours before using. It is best used within a day.

Michele Anna Jordan is the author of 24 books to date. Email her at michele@micheleannajordan.com.