andalucía, spain

The kitchen is open-

As soon as summer temperatures reach triple digits, rather than complain I make gazpacho. There's nothing more fresh, healthy, and satisfying than what I call vitamins in a bowl. To kick off the season, KT heads to Andalucía - Spain's Costa del Sol - for flamenco,  breezy beach life, and naturally, the food.

Gazpacho Andaluz

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Sangría Roja

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Tortillitas de Camarones

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Huevos a la Flamenca

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Calamares a la Plancha

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​SIDE DISH

At the northern tip of the Sherry Triangle on Andalucía's central coastline sits the town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. It is here where a year-round temperate climate and saline-rich air allow for aging with yeast, or flor, to produce the distinct Manzanilla.

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Ceviche de Bacalao y Vieira

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Recipes

​Gazpacho Andaluz

2 pints cherry tomatoes
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1 red pepper, stemmed, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1 Anaheim pepper, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped
½ yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

Divide all ingredients except olive oil into 2 batches. Add first batch to a large blender. Blend on high speed until smooth and no red pepper bits remain. With blender running, drizzle in half the olive oil. Pour mixture into a large bowl. Repeat with second batch. Strain through a sieve. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. Drizzle additional olive oil over each serving. I prefer gazpacho at room temperature for optimal freshness and flavor.

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​
Sangria Roja KT Favorite

1 bottle Spanish Rioja red wine, chilled
1 cup Cointreau Noir (Cointreau with Cognac)
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lime
1 orange, thinly sliced crosswise and halved
1 lemon, thinly sliced crosswise
1 lime, thinly sliced crosswise
Sparkling water to taste
 
Mix the wine, Cointreau Noir, citrus juices and slices in a large pitcher. Refrigerate for 2 hours or longer. To serve, add a small amount of ice to goblet wine glasses. Fill each about halfway with sangria, add a few citrus slices and top off with a splash of sparkling water, or to taste.
Yields 6 generous servings.

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Tortillitas de Camaron KT Favorite

½ pound peeled and deveined shrimp
¾ cup chickpea flour
½ cup shrimp cooking liquid
4 green onions, white and pale green parts, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
Light olive oil for frying
Salt to taste
 
Boil shrimp just until pink, about 2 minutes. Reserve cooking liquid. In a mixing bowl, combine chickpea flour, green onion, garlic, and parsley. Add cooking liquid and combine to form a batter. The batter should be slightly thicker than pancake batter. Adjust liquid and/or flour to achieve this consistency. Cover and refrigerate for an hour. Finely chop shrimp and stir into batter. Heat 1 inch of olive oil in a heavy pan. Spoon tablespoons of batter into hot oil, a few at a time to avoid crowding. Flatten each spoonful of batter slightly with the back of your spoon. Fry a minute per side. Remove fritters to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with salt and enjoy immediately.

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Huevos a la Flamenca

1 tablespoon olive oil
½ half yellow onion, diced
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
14 ounces tomato purée
2 ounces Spanish chorizo, cut into small pieces
½ half cup frozen peas, thawed
4 eggs
2 slices Jamón Serrano
1 tablespoon flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
 
Heat olive oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add tomato purée, smoked paprika and Spanish chorizo, and simmer for about 10 minutes to allow flavors to infuse. Stir in ¼ cup of the peas. Fry jamón slices in a dry nonstick pan over medium high until crisp. Allow to cool, and then chop finely. Make four wells in tomato mixture and pour a cracked egg into each. Cover and allow the eggs to steam stovetop for about five minutes to help whites set. Transfer pan to a broiler and continue cooking until whites are just set and yolks are still bright and runny. Sprinkle crumbled jamón and remaining peas around eggs. Garnish with parsley and serve family style with toasted bread drizzled with olive oil.
 
Serves 2-4.

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 Ceviche de Baccalao y Viera

½ pound cod, cubed
2 large scallops, cubed
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup thinly sliced red onion
1 generous tablespoon chopped oregano
1 generous tablespoon chopped flatleaf parsley
1 generous tablespoon chopped cilantro
6 green olives, chopped
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
 
Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

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Author

Kitchen Traveler is the creative brainchild of Michele McMurry and husband Doug, who together recreate global flavors from their cozy galley kitchen in San Antonio, Texas.