How to cook with sherry

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Sherry is quite a multitalent in the kitchen, too - here are my tips on how to use it in cooking!

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Recently I've been taking you on a tour of Andalusian sherry bodegas and with any luck that has planted even just a tiniest seed of interest in this noble and oh, so misunderstood wine. 

Now it's time to have a look at all the things sherry can do in the kitchen!

Biologically aged Fino and Manzanilla are like any other wine - once opened, they don't tend to keep for very long.

You can, however, happily use them to substitute dry white wine in recipes - for instance in risottos or in the recipe for these chorizo meatballs. 

Amontillado and Oloroso on the other hand are aged through oxidation, which means once opened and in contact with air they still keep surprisingly well.

Oloroso is one of firm favourites of mine and has been featured on several of the blog's recipes. 

It is one of the ingredients that add decadence to this wonderfully springy Crème Ninon - the poshest pea soup there is. 

Oloroso can also be found in this recipe for baby octopus, cooked in tomato sauce which gets an extra oomph from fennel and pimentón...

... and in this recipe for mussels, echoing Spain with each spoonful.

PS. For this purpose you could use also Medium Dry Oloroso Blend!

Sherry is equally gracious partner for seafood as it is for meat.

Sweeter Oloroso Blend lends something extra to this glorious (yet surprisingly easy!) rustic country style pork terrine.

I'm telling you - this is guaranteed to impress your guests, so snap the recipe up for Easter (or any of the up and coming festivities)!

The nutty notes of Amontillado (or Oloroso) lend an Andalusian air to these lamb shanks. 

Oh, yes - another recipe to stash away for Easter...!

Medium sweet Oloroso is one of the tweaks that make these oxtails echo all my favourite Andalusian flavours.

Iberico pork is one of the most magnificent animals in the world and their cheeks are one of my favourite Andalusian delicacy. 

I've already shared with two recipes for making most of these cheeky treats: first with sherry and apple marinade...

...and then braised in sweet Pedro Ximénez sherry.

It might come as a bit of a surprise that the sweet sherries such as PX are Andalusians' go-to variety when it comes to braising meat - we've come to think of them as a dessert tipple.

Sure enough -this dark, syrupy nectar with notes of dried fruits is a glorious dessert all in itself. 

But drizzle some on top of good vanilla ice cream and tp it all off with some candied nuts... Dios Mio - now there's a treat!

Does sherry often make an appearance in your kitchen? Or do you prefer it in your glass?

PS. For more ideas on how to pair sherry with food, check out my earlier blog post!

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Carrilleras de cerdo en Pedro Ximénez - Iberico pork sheeks braised in Pedro Ximénez sherry (gluten-free)

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Iberico pork cheeks braised in Pedro Ximénez sherry take a little time but they are a delicacy that will melt in your mouth!

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This recipe is from my new book. 

Sure, it is so very yummydeliciously übergood, too, but it became one of my favourites because it was one of the recipes we tried, tested, styled, shot and devoured together with my beloved Gothenburger.

This gives him a legitimate claim to fame and reason to brag about his contribution to the book - not only has he been giving his opinion on the recipe, he's also been holding the styling props (and listening to the endless stream of profanities sprouting out of the author, frustrated with the ever-changing light and swiftly approaching deadlines...)

Andalusia has traditionally been one of EU's poorest regions, which reflects on its cuinary traditions, too. Every single part of the animal is used; also the not-so-appealing ones.

Iberico pork cheeks aren't much to look at and they do take a little time, but trust me - they're quite possibly the best part of the whole pig.

Perhaps a little surprisingly the sherries most often used for braising meat are the dulces; sweet sherries such as Pedro Ximénez. Firts time I encountered this dish at one of my favourite tapas bars and boy, it was love from the first time.

Such a cheeky treat!

Serves 4-6 as a main, up to 10 as tapas

Carrilleras de cerdo en Pedro Ximénez - Iberico pork cheeks braised in Pedro
Ximénez sherry:

12 (Iberico) pork cheeks (total weight 1,2 - 1,6 kg)

2 celerys, finely diced

1 large carrot (or 2 medium ones), finely diced

1 large onion (or 2 small ones), finely diced

1 whole head of garlic, cut in half

5 dl stock

5 dl Pedro Ximénez sherry (or Cream sherry, like one from Valdespino)

salt, pepper

For frying: oil

Pre-heat the oven to 150°c.

Trim the pork cheeks from excess membranes if needed. Pat them dry and season. Sear in a pot in a couple of tbsp of oil in batches and transfer aside.

Add more oil into the pot and sauté the finely diced celery, carrot and onion until soft. Then add the garlic the cut side down and continue cooking for a couple of more minutes.

Add pork cheeks, sherry and stock. Bring to boil and transfer to the oven. Cook, covered, for 4,5 hours.

Using a slotted spoon lift the pork cheeks out of the pot. Cover with foil to keep them warm. Squeeze the liquid in the pot through a sieve (don't forget to scrape in the mash underneath the sieve!).

Skim off the fat on top.

Kitchen supply stores sell particular separator jugs for this, but another easy way of doing this is freezing it quickly (in the winter you can chill the liquid by placing the container into the snow - provided you live in equally unfortunately Arctic climate as I do...).

As a result of freezing the fat forms a clear layer on top of the stock, making it weasy to spot and skim.

Return the stock into the pot and reduce, over high heat, for about 10 minutes until it's reached a desired thickness. Add pork cheeks into the pot and continue cooking until they are piping hot all the way through.

Check the taste and season as needed.

Cut to pieces and serve as tapas or serve as a main with boiled rice or mashed potatos.

For my favourite mash; one that will make you cry, check the recipe on the blog over here.

How about you guys? Tried and fallen for pork cheeks yet?

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SHARING IS CARING!

Rustic country style pork terrine - as impressive as it is easy (gluten-free)

Don't let the looks fool you - this rustic country style pork terrine is as easy as it is impressive. Made ahead it is a perfect treat for stress-free Christmas!

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This year Christmas came early. I've been working on a photo shoot for a client, creating recipes for a stress-free Christmas. Stress-free? Christmas? Is that even possible? Yes, it is and for the next week I'll be sharing my tips for it. You just wait and see!

Stress-free is something I've been in a dire need of, too. The book project has taken most of my time and outside it I've been a knackered human wreck. Trust me, I could have used a lot more vicious words, such as ones rhyming with the word itch - my state certainly would have warranted that.

Luckily my friends have seen me through this, too. And actually, gathering them over for trying out the recipes has made me rediscover the joy of cooking all over again. 

Having people I love around my kitchen table has reminded me why I do what I do. Cooking is not just sharing food - it's sharing love. 

And what better way to thank my friends for all their support and patience than to have them over for dinner? 

This time I wanted to focus on enjoying the evening (and yes, a glass or twenty of wine), so everything on the menu was either quick and easy or something that could be made in advance.

Not so surprisingly our Christmas season kicked off in rather Mediterranean spirits. The star of the evening was this rustic pork terrine. It's guaranteed to impress just about anybody, but while you're basking in the glory of their praises, you can also take smug pleasure in being the only one who knows just how easy it actually is. I told you - perfect for stress-free Christmas!

I have a feeling this will become a staple at our picnics next summer, too...

Psst- this also makes for a welcome foodie gift!

Check out the rest of the recipes, too:

Fish and roe terrine
Shrimp with Limoncello mayonnaise and tomato and basil mayonnaise
Lemon and rosemary shortbread biscuits

Serves 8-10 people

Rustic country style pork terrine:

400 g pork neck (or shoulder) 

250 g chicken livers

200 g pork belly (without the rind)

1 egg

3/4 dl port wine/ cognac/ brandy

75 g pistachios

75 g dried cranberries

1 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped 

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

Also: 2  pckgs (á 180 g) bacon rashers

Pat the chicken livers dry. Cut the pork neck and belly into cubes, discarding any tough fatty pieces. Measure half of the pork into a food processor with all of the livers and the egg. Whizz until smooth. Transfer into another bowl.

Add rest of the meat into the processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Combine with the liver mixture along with rest of the ingredients. Mix well, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 4 hours (or overnight).

Separate the bacon rashers from each other and, holding onto one end, stretch them.

Line the mold (1 litre) with rashers slighty overlapping each other. Cut two of the rashers into half and use those pieces for the end. 

Spoon the terrine mixture into the tin lined with bacon. Fold the rashers over the mixture and cover with a piece of parchment. Wrap the mold with tin foil.

Heat the oven to 170º (in a fan assisted oven 150 will do). Place the mold into an oven proof dish and pour enough boiling water to reach halfway of the mold. 

Cook for 75 minutes, until the terrine starts to come away from the edges of the mold and a skewer inserted into it comes out clean and piping hot. Remove the mold from the water bath and place a weight (such as a couple of tins) on top of it. 

Leave to cool and then transfer into fridge. Leave to set until next day.

Remove the weights, unwrap the foil and carefullyturn it into a serving platter. Serve with cornichons, pearl onions and/or cranberry or blackcurrant jelly.

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SHARING IS CARING!

Comfort food from the Baltics - pork, pepper and paprika stew and Undurraga T.H. Carménère

I've totally fallen for Eastern European cuisines of late. They are exactly the kind of hearty, robust, soul-nurturing comfort food that I've been desperately needing recently. One thing that combines those countries with my old love Spain is their love of pork. And what a mighty animal that is!

On this side of the screen I'm already getting ready for the porky orgies that my up and coming trip to Andalusia will inevitably be, but before that, let's go live with this pork and pepper stew that we had for Sunday lunch a couple of weeks ago, inspired by the most recent trip to Latvia. Best comfort foods are usually results of hours of loving stewing and simmering, but this bad boy is in your table in half an hour. Serve it with potatos mashed with browned butter (this is not the time to skimp on that butter!) and hello world - aren't you looking better already!

Just like that puff pastry lattice covered chicken pot pie, this, too, evoked some deep sighs around the table and with them the best compliment food can get: "this tastes just like something my grandmother would make".

Serves four

Pork, pepper and paprika stew:

3 large red peppers

400 g pork strips

1 large onion, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp pimentón

1 tbsp tomato concentrate

1 tub (120 g) sour cream

1 tbsp pickle juice from gherkins

salt, black pepper

3/4 dl gherkins, chopped to 1/2 cm cubes

handful of basil leaves, chopped

a couple of tbsp oil for frying

Cut the peppers in half and grill under the broiler at 275° until the skin is black and blistering. Place them in a plastic bag until cool enough to handle. Remove the skin, purée two of them and cut the third one in strips. 

Heat some oil in a casserole. Sear the pork on all sides and transfer aside. Add a little bit more oil and sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent. Then add pimentón and tomato concentrate. Continue to cook for a couple of more minutes.

Add puréed pepper, pickle juice and sour cream. Simmer, covered for half an hour. Then add the remaining papper strips, gherkin cubes and basil leaves. Check the taste and season. 

The toasty sweetness of roasted peppers is something that Carménère grape compliments. S, for this lunch we opened a bottle of T.H. Carménère by the same Chilean producer that made the Carménère I paired my lamb dhansak with. 

As the name suggests (Terroir Hunter), the grapes have been sourced from the best vineyards and for instance this wine they only made 1050 boxes of. 

Much like the previously seen colleague, in addition to notes of pepper this also boasts berry notes, which make this medium-bodied wine very easy-drinking and easy to pair with a variety of dishes. Anything with (roasted) peppers, stews, pork and BBQ. It's got smooth tannins which make this wine's overall appearance even rounder and as a result I would recommend pairing it with spicier meat dishes, sausages and charcuterie, too.

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Spece të mbushur- Albanian stuffed peppers and Hispano+Suizas Bassus Pinot Noir

Stuffed peppers are a popular dish among the Balkan and Mediterranean countries and one that you're pretty much guaranteed to find in any tavern in Albania.  I've heard they're actually Zlatan Ibrahimović's favourite, too. Each country (and Mum and food blogger...) has their own recipe for these. Zlatan, in case you're reading this, just know you're welcome to try mine any day. I promise I'll behave. And hide all my Manchester United paraphernalia...

Mine get their lovely warmth from all those spices I've come to associate with the region and perkiness from fresh herbs. You can use any meat you want, but I prefer either lamb or a blend of beef and pork as pork gives the mixture some much-needed fat. Fat, you see, means flavour. No getting around that one. 

I love mint, which is widely used in Albania, too. It gives its own unique twist to dishes but I know it's not to everyone's liking. So, feel free to omit it altogether or substitute it with dill, another herb used in Albanian (meat) dishes. 

Serves 4

Spece të mbushur - Albanian stuffed peppers:

4 green peppers

1 large onion

a couple of tbsp oil

3/4 tsp ground coriander

3/4 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground allspice

400 g ground meat

2 large tomatos, blanches, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tsp tomato concentrate

3/4 dl raisins

3/4 dl rice

3/4 dl water

bunch of parsley, finely chopped

2 tsp dried mint (or 4 tbsp finely chopped fresh one)

salt, pepper (to taste)

Pre-heat oven to 200°. 

Sauté onion and spices in oil. When the onion is translucent, add meat. Brown well and add raisins, tomato cubes, tomato concentrate, rice and water. Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes. 

Add herbs, check the taste and season as needed.

Remove the top of the peppers and scoop out the seeds and membranes with a teaspoon. Divide the meat and rice mixture into the peppers, place in an oven-proof dish and pour a little water (about 1 dl should do it) in the bottom of the dish (the steam will finish cooking the peppers and rice).

Cover the dish and cook for 30-40 minutes until peppers are soft and rice is cooked. Remove the lid and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. 

Serve. For instance with a dollop of Greek yogurt.

It was clear from the start that when trying to find a wine pairing for these Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours I love so much I'd turn my eyes to Pinot Noir, a grape I love equally much.

I want to encourage you readers to join me on this never-ending enologic excursion into the world of wines, try new varieties and along with me, learn what makes certain wines work with certain foods. While I normally keep the budget reasonable, this time I splurged a bit (you know, in case Zlatan would turn up...!)

Hispano+Suizas Bassus Pinot Noir comes from Spain, region west of Valencia and theirs are the only Pinot Noir vines in the region. Their winemaker, Pablo Ossorio was even awarded as the best winemaker in Spain in 2010. Bassus is a very interesting wine full of personality so yes, go ahead and spoil yourself a little bit every now and then!

Even the bouquet is complex: notes of liquorice and even orange blossom. The fuitiness of the wine really matches the sweetness of the filling, courtesy of raisins whereas the spicy notes complimented the warmth of the spices I used. It's got richness that makes for a very versatile wine for a variety of meaty dishes (game, game birds and even liver!) and a great companion for tapas and antipasti platters featuring some of the fattier, spicier sausages.

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Meaty secret from Spain: Secreto de Iberico with pineapple salsa and Villa Maria Cellar Selection Riesling

Whoah. WHOAH. Have I got a secret for you. With an "o". Yep, secret-o. Secreto de Iberico, to be precise. Sounds immediately so enticing, right? That's Spanish for you. You'll get away with just  about anything in it. Just imagine whispering "tengo la sífilis y voy a morir mañana" - the listener would just melt. That is, if they didn't understand Spanish and know you've just told them you have syphilis that will kill you tomorrow, of course. But hey, I can promise this is probably just about the most succulent piece of meat you'll come across. 

Secreto comes from somewhere around the shoulder region, lurking under the belly fat. Juicy and tender beyond belief. It's heavy on the muscular fat (visible on the surface of the slab of meat, creamy and white) which keeps the meat moist, yet giving it a glorious crust.

In case you don't have a bunch of Iberico piggies roaming at the back of your hacienda, source yours frozen or at a good butcher.

Prepping this baby takes no special skills. Heavy on the salt and pepper, off to the hot BBQ or a griddle pan it goes for about 3 minutes per side, followed by a couple of minutes rest. It's next to impossible to mess it up.

In Spain the traditional way to serve it is to cut it into strips and drizzle with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Another equally delish way would be to serve it with romesco (or romesco mayo!). Ooh, and with some roasties!

This time I served mine with pineapple salsa, which, too, comes together in mere minutes. No need to wrap up the BBQ season just yet!

Serves 2

Grilled Iberico's secreto with pineapple salsa

1 slab (about 370 g) Iberico pork's secreto

salt, pepper

Pineapple salsa:

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

1 tlsp fresh ginger, finely chopped

the juice of 1,5 lime

1/2 pineapple (or 2 cans of pineapple slices in its own juice)

1/2 green pepper

1 - 1,5 jalapeño (depending on your taste), finely chopped

1 tomato

1/2 bunch of coriander

1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)

pinch of white pepper

Take the meat into room temperature about half an hour prior to grilling. In the meanwhle make the salsa. 

Combine garlic, red onion, ginger and lime juice in a bowl and leave to marianate (this helps soften the onion). Then prep rest of the ingredients.

Cut pinapple, pepper and tomato into 1 cm cubes. Combine with jalapeño and chopped coriander leaves. Combine with the onion mixture. Check the taste and season. 

Wipe the meat dry and season generously. Grill over hot grill (or griddle pan) for 3 minutes per side and leave to rest for a couple of minutes before serving.

Cut to strips, drizzle with remaining lime juice and serve with pineapple salsa.

Spicy, sweet notes? Richness of the pork? You guessed it - the wine pairing is Riesling. What you might have not guessed it is the fact that this time it comes from New World.

Another wine I've introduced from the same producer is Private Bin Organic Sauvignon Blanc I paired with the Asian-inspired sesame encrusted tuna salad. 

Villa Maria Cellar Selection Riesling is a dry wine with fruitiness so typical for Riesling without excessive sweetness, however. It has floral notes and, after breathing a bit, also hints of petroliness. Dry as an aperitif or with Asian inspired dishes with fish, seafood and white meat.

The recipe has acidic, spicy, fruity and rich elements, so you might also try it with Whole Bunch Grenache Blanc Viognier from Bellingham The Bernard Series that went so well with this chicken and pineapple pasta salad or even Biohof Pratsch Grüner Veltliner, that I paired with this chicken and avocado salad.

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