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. 

Willy Moya Returns the Emotion

Today was a special day.  For a promotion, Willy Moya and I did a photo shoot in Cartuja.  This guy has returned with something brilliant; he has prepared a splendid version of fried hake ("Pavía de merluza rebozada. Serie Oro") – like a golden nugget.  I like it a lot.  This is definitely an Andalusian dish, with a modern touch.  Great to admire and afterward, delicious to consume.  What great work. How delicious.  As Sergio Fernández say on the food channel: “ponle peguitas.” 

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.

River Lobster

This project on river lobster was a huge challenge.  The creature is perfectly designed with claws and its threatening aura.  What is certain is that it is not native to the marshes, making it smaller.  Like in its place of origin, it is mouth-watering, especially when eaten with a sauce or touch of spice.  Víctor Gamero joked around with the creepy-crawler before cooking it.  In the pot too, you have to admire its beauty.

Catching Red Tuna

 

I witnessed the unloading of caught red tuna when I did a photo shoot on the shipyard of Herpec.  I had never seen in my life a similar natural phenomenon.  The tuna was like a torpedo, aerodynamic and robust.  We were told that the tuna did not used to be this size.  They were rounding up tuna of 200 kilos, but they used to bring in ones weighing up to 800 kilos.  The trapping is an art that is old-aged and sustainable, which ensures the humane treatment and continuity of the species.

Barbate Market

 

 

The trip to Barbate was low-key.  A walk through the market made me long for the time in Sevilla when markets like this thrived, full of life and flavor.  Today the supermarkets have replaced most of these markets.  Others were reflecting on this change too when admiring the displays of fresh fish.  I invited some friends to dinner that night.