Cherry gazpacho - a perfect summer treat! (vegetarian, gluten-free, kosher)

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Cherries bring an unexpected twist to tapas classic gazpacho. Cherry gazpacho is a quick, easy and refreshing treat - perfect for lazy summer days!

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Cherries have arrived at the shops and I. Can't. Get. Enough. Of.  Them. 

Another thing I can't help is my thoughts drifting back to last summer and to the day, when I'd just schlepped back home. Armed with the first cherries of the summer I started to put together a photo which quickly became one of my all time favourites. 

And boy, am I glad it did, as that very photo turned out to be the first photo of first my book (yes, still only available in Finnish...) 

Full of excitement (and nerves) I sat down and tapped away a blog post in which I shared my big news with you all. 

Luckily there was more excitement than there were nerves as in case I had at this point had any idea just how much work would lie ahead, I would have probably paralyzed on the floor, stuffing my panic-stricken face with every single one of those cherries. 

Good job I didn't, as that day resulted in two cherry recipes for the book: this cherry gazpacho and a cherry and red wine compote I served with my no-churn, no-fuss cream cheese ice cream.

It was no mean feat for the test audience either. Their ungrateful job was to decide, which of my gazpachos would end up in the book: watermelon gazpacho or this cherry gazpacho.

In the end Cat Blogger's vote turned out to be the winning one.

"Cherry gazpacho - without a doubt. They're both delish, but this is just the right amount of... well, weird!"

My cherry gazpacho is inspired by the tapas bar streets of Malaga, where Dani Garcia's, one of the region's most renowed chefs' version has garnered a veritable cult following. 

So, in case you find yourself lost and hungry in Malaga, make sure to head over to his restaurant KGB!

As a tapas this serves 4, as a shot up to 12

Gazpacho de cerezas – cherry gazpacho:

500 g pitted cherries (appr. 700 g unpitted ones)

1 tomato

½ red bell pepper

½ red onion

½ jalapeño

1 dl olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar (or sherry vinegar)

1 tsp salt

To serve: crispy, roasted Serrano ham crisps and/or crumbled Feta cheese

Halve the tomato and remove the hard core.Do the same with the pepper. 

Measure the ingredients into a blender/ food processor and whizz until smooth. For the silkiest, smoothest finish, run the gazpacho through a sieve.

Chill for at least a couple of hours before serving (as this will also let the flavours develop).

Check the taste, add more salt and/ or vinegar if needed and serve. Ahhhhh.

And now over to you! What are your favourite gazpachos? 

The traditional take? Ajo Blanco; the white gazpacho? Cooling cucumber version? My fruity watermelon variety? 

Or hey - would you like to share your own recipe (please do!)

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Berenjenas Fritas, deep-fried Andalusian aubergines - a quick and easy tapas treat (vegan, gluten-free, kosher)

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Berenjenas Fritas, deep-fried aubergines, are a quick and easy treat that will instantly bring Andalusian tapas bars to your own kitchen!

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As the weather in Finland has varied between rain and hale to sleet and sunshine. And it's June. 

Weather this unpredictable transports my thought back to Andalusia, where, without a doubt, a several airplanes will transport many of you, too. And why wouldn't they?

Just imagine it. 

Continuous sunshine, leisurely strolls along the beach side promenades thick with scent of the salty sea and retiring for long lunches in the sheltered alleyways, with their endless tapas bars.

The smell of meat and shellfish being barbecued filling the air, waiters skipping through the packed terraces and plates and plates of delicious treats being flown into your tiny tables. 

One more gesture pointing at your empty glasses and once more it's beig topped u with chilled wine. 

The warmth of the sun keeps your skin glowing well into the night and it's as if some of that glow makes your insides radiate, too. 

That's just what the dark, Northern soul needs!

You'd think that in a heat like that dee-fryng would be the last thing on anyone's mind, but you'd be wrong. So wrong.

Deep-frying is something Andalusians, especially in the Malaga region, are absolutely loco about. 

One of the most peculiar tapas classics in the area are Berenjenas Fritas, deep-fried aubergine fritters. You cut them in discs or, as in this recipe of mine, into chip-like batons. 

Aubergines, by the way, are one of the many delicacies that we have the Arab conquerors to thanks for - they were the ones wh introduced Iberian peninsula to this glorious veggie. 

Rice flour lends the aubergines extra crispness (and helps keep them gluten-free!), but you could just as well use regular flour.

Serves four as tapas

Berenjenas Fritas - deep-fried Andalusian aubergine fritters

1 large aubergine (400 g)

salt

Better:

2 ¾ dl rice flour

2 ½ dl cold water

For deep-frying:

oil

To serve:

miel de caña -cane sugar honey, dark honey or syrup

Cut the aubergine legntwise into 1 cm-strips and them to similar sized batons, reminiscent of French fries. Scatter with salt, place in a colander and leave to weep for about half an hour. 

Pat them dry. The easiest way to do this is by placing them on a tea towel, covering them with another tea towel and pressing gently.

Combine the ingredients for a thck batter and heat oil in a heavy-based pot until 180ºc. 

Dunk the aubergines in the batter, make sure they're coated all over shake off the excess batter and drop them into the hot oil.

Fry in batches until crunchy and golden. Mix the batter thoroughly before dipping a new batch of aubergines into it. 

Drain the aubergine fritters briefly on kitchen towel, drizzle with honey or syrup and serve. 

Any of you familiar with Berenjas Fritas - deep-fried Andalusian aubergine fritters? Have you guys tried making them at home, too?

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Ajo Blanco- white gazpacho (gluten-free, vegan, kosher)

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White gazpacho is actually the original one. Wonderfully refreshing - perfect for hot summer's days!

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In addition to gazpacho and salmorejo there's yet another chilled soup in Spain: the Malagan regional specialty ajo blanco, also known as the white gazpacho. 

The chilled soups are so wonderfully refreshing and perfect for the late summer as Andalusia is swept over by the hot wind we get from Africa that make the temperature soar to over 40 c. 

Air is so dry and hot and the wind blows with such intensity even at night it's like walking in a hairdryer. 

Having your own pool is therefore not a luxury - it is a human rights issue!

The ingredients for ajo blanco are rather simple: bread, water, garlic and almonds. 

Some recipes, such as mine, also use grapes which make the soup even more refreshing and give it more flavour and acidity than cucumber, which is another often used ingredient. 

Green apple would really give this extra something, but owing to its consistency, you'd then have to add more liquid. 

Traditionally this too is made with that local sherry vinegar, but I prefer white wine vinegar. Cider vinegar would be another good one. 

This white version is actually the original gazpacho - the better known red one didn't see the daylight until the Conquistadors brought tomato in Spain. 

According to some theories this is  the stuff of "already the ancient Romans..." - legends, going back to the Roman way of dunking bread in oil. 

Some theories state this has its roots in the Moorish times and in the bread-based soups  Arab kitchen. 

Who can tell - but one thing I can tell is that I actually prefer this over its red cousin. 

serves 4

Ajo Blanco -white gazpacho

200 g almonds, soaked overnight (don't discard the water!)

3 cloves of garlic

100 g white bread, crust removed (gluten-free if needed)

1 dl olive oil

1/2 dl white wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegarn or sherry vinegar)

225 g green, seedless grapes

5 dl water from aoaking the almonds

1/2 tsp salt

To serve: olive oil, toasted almond flakes, grape slices, chopped chives

Drain the almonds. Reserve the liquid and use it to dilute the soup.

Measure the ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth. 

For a velvety smooth consistency, pass the soup through a sieve. 

Check the taste and add more salt and/or vinegar if needed. Chill for a couple of hours and serve.

PS. If you like this, you might want to check out blog's other gazpacho recipes:

- gazpacho

- watermelon gazpacho

- cucumber gazpacho

Are you already familiar with ajo blanco; white gazpacho? Or do you have another favourite?

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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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