A Sample Recipe from My Tapas Book

Here is a sample recipe from my book of tapas photography, which just earned third place at the international level in the category "Best Local Cuisine" at the 2010 Gourmound Cookbook Awards.

Gusasacaca

Ingredients: 

1 avocado cut into small cubes

1/2 onion cut into small cubes

1 hard-boiled egg

1/2 peeled tomato without seeds

1 bunch of cilantro, stems removed

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Olive Oil

Salt

Accompanying dish:

1 Plantain

250 grams of precooked corn flour

Instructions:

To prepare the Guasacaca, we mix all of the ingredients together carefully and season them.

For the accompanying dish:
We peel the green plantain and cut it into slices of about 3 centimeters each.  To continue, we fry them in abundant olive oil and crush each slice with the help of a knife.  We continue to fry it and reserve it.

For the fritters ("arepitas"), we make dough with the corn flour mixed with lukewarm water and salt, and wait for it to rest.

With wet hands we form balls in the shape of thick coins and fry them in abundant olive oil.   

Hope you enjoy.

Recipe of Restaurant "Terraza Carmona"

The moment has arrived.  Antonio Carmona of Vera is one of the best Andalusian chefs today.  He has worked hard to understand the cuisine and market of Andalusia.  The high cuisine of the products.  This recipe is simple, but in your hands it will become an explosion of natural flavors. It was one of the collaborations of the book, Puro Sabor of 2007, edited by CAAE.  Do not forget to do it with the best ingredients.

REMOJÓN ALMERIENSE CON NARANJAS Y BACALAO

Cod and Orange Salad

Antonio Carmona, Terraza Carmona (Vera, Almeria)

Ingredients

1 kg potatoes

3 dry peppers

2 tomatoes

1 small onion

1 shallot

200 grs. salted cod

1 dl of Olive Oil

2 oranges

125 grs. of black olives

4 tablespoons of sherry vinegar

salt

We cook chunks of potatoes in batches together with sliced onion, the whole piece of cod, the tomatoes, and the dried peppers.  Once the potatoes are cooked, we removed them from the heat and let them sit.  Extract the stock.  Take out the dried peppers and crush them with a mortar.  Continuing, we add the tomatoes and crush them too.  Add the puree to the potatoes.  Crumble the cod, and mix the pieces into the potatoes.  Add slices of onion and the olives.  Finally, drizzle with olive oil and vinegar.  We present it here in a fountain shape where we add pieces of orange, onion, oregano, and black olives for decoration. 

One Shrimp: "Veta de Palma"

One of the most difficult recipes, and for a time the most popular in western Andalusia throughout the summer, is the “Tortillita de Camarones” (Fried Shrimp Chips).  I took photos for a Sevilla-native business and had to cook the various recipes.  The “tortillitas” should remain light and crunchy, as a result of the texture of the dough, the temperature of the oil, and the frying equipment.  In this case, I used the wired slotted spoon to get rid of the excess dough.  They came out wonderfully.  The shrimp should be of the best quality (Veta de Palma), which is raw, and if you have some luck and a little salt you will have the best result.  This called for garbanzo flour and optional sugar, mixed together with a lot of onion, some chopped fresh parsley, and olive oil.  Also best when served with a glass of cold sherry.