Eggs are a perennial favourite for suppers in Spanish households, and can be used in a huge variety of ways, from the simple frittata to enriching a complex main dish or a delicate custard. Before battery farms became ubiquitous, eggs provided a vital source of income for poorer families, who may have rarely had the chance to eat the eggs themselves as all their produce went straight to market. Thankfully eggs are cheap and plentiful nowadays, even the organic, free-range kind that have the best flavour.Buying eggs in Spain.
Eggs may be from free-range or intensively reared hens or may come from birds that have limited access to the outside. If they are labelled organic, the hens will have been reared in a natural and humane way and the producer will have observed regulations concerning the use of any chemicals and antibiotics. Although there are different grades of egg, most of those on sale in supermarkets are grade A, the lower grades being used commercially. In Spain, eggs are sold at different prices according to their category. There are extra, 1st and 2nd class eggs, and on those sold in boxes there should be the date on which they were laid and the date by which they should be used. The most important thing about an egg is that it should be fresh.
How to choose eggs
In the past, a customer could look at each egg to see the size of the air sac inside the shell, as the bigger the sac, the older the egg. This is not very practical nowadays and it is easier to rely on the use-by date. The colour of the shell is no guide to the quality of the egg: a brown egg is as nutritious as a white one. The colour simply varies according to the breed of hen. A large egg is not necessarily more nutritious than a smaller one because proportionally it contains less yolk.
Tips and tricks
• A new-laid egg is indigestible – wait at least 24 hours before eating it
• Never wash eggs before storing them, as the shell becomes permeable in water
• When storing eggs in the refrigerator do not put them near strong-smelling foods that could give the eggs a flavour, as the shell is porous. Store them in their container or stacked in the egg rack, pointed end down
• Remember to wash your hands after handling eggs as the shells may carry harmful bacteria
• Whenever possible, remove the eggs from the refrigerator at least an hour before they are needed. This ensures that the whites will whisk stiffly, mayonnaise will come out better and so on
• Fresh eggs may be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. An unshelled hard-boiled egg will keep for four days. A leftover egg yolk covered in a little cold water will keep for two days
• Don’t let eggs come into contact with silver containers or cutlery as it turns them black
• When whisking egg whites do not let even a drop of egg yolk fall into them as it will prevent them frothing. Always use a clean, dry bowl, preferably copper or other metal, glass or china. Plastic bowls are less suitable.
• Eggs can be frozen as long as they have been beaten first.
Poached eggs with asparagus
Huevos escalfados con espárragos
18 fresh or canned asparagus spears
10 g/ 2 oz butter
8 eggs
475ml/ 16 fl oz milk
6 slices of bread
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tbsp plain flour
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
Salt
Serves 6
If using fresh asparagus, trim and cook in a saucepan of salted boiling water for 20 mins until tender. If using canned asparagus, drain and heat gently.
Melt half the butter in a frying pan. Lightly beat two of the eggs in a shallow dish and pour the milk into another shallow dish. Dip the slices of bread first in the milk and then in the beaten eggs. Reserve the remaining milk. Add the bread to the frying pan, in batches, and cook until golden brown on both sides. Remove and keep warm.
Melt the remaining butter with the oil in a frying pan. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 6-8 minutes, until thickened. Season with salt, stir in the nutmeg and keep warm.
Poach the remaining eggs, three at a time, with the vinegar, in about two litres of boiling water. Crack each egg into a teacup and tip it into the water from just above the water level to prevent the yolk breaking and the white spreading. When the water comes back to the boil, turn the heat down low and cook for 3 mins in hot but not boiling water.
Transfer the bread to a warm serving dish and put an egg on each slice. Cover with the sauce and place the asparagus on top.
As an alternative you could use truffles or chopped ham instead of asparagus.
Potatoes with Chorizo and bacon
Patatas con chorizo y bacon
These would make an ideal side dish to accompany a frittata, or in a smaller portion as a colourful tapas dish
40g/1.5oz lard
5 tbsp sunflower oil
50g/2oz chorizo, peeled and thinly sliced
100g/3.5oz thickly sliced bacon rashers, cut into 1 cm/0.5 inch wide strips
1.5kg/3.25lb small potatoes, preferably new potatoes
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt
Serves 4
Melt the lard with the oil in a saucepan or large frying pan (it needs to be big enough to hold the potatoes in a single layer). Add the chorizo and bacon and cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, for a few min, then add the potatoes. Season with salt and cook over a low heat, shaking the pan occasionally, for 45–60 min, until the potatoes are evenly browned. Just before serving, sprinkle with the parsley and garlic and stir for a few min more. Transfer to a warm serving dish and serve immediately.
Note: Some types of chorizo become hard with prolonged cooking. To prevent this, cook the slices with the bacon, then remove and set aside. About 10 min before serving, return the slices of chorizo to the pan.
Green peppers stuffed with meat
Pimientos verdes rellenos de carne
12 green peppers
500ml/18floz sunflower oil
Filling:
300g/11oz mince (half pork and half beef)
100g/3.5oz Serrano ham, minced
1 slice of bread, crusts removed and soaked in hot milk
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp white wine
Salt
Sauce:
1 large onion, chopped
1 large ripe tomato, seeded and quartered
2 carrots, sliced
1 tbsp plain flour
175ml/6floz white wine
salt
Serves 6
Cut out the stalks and deseed the peppers. Make the filling. If you are mincing the meat yourself, mince the ham at the same time. Otherwise, thoroughly mix the meat together in a bowl. Gently squeeze out the bread, if necessary, and add it to the bowl with the garlic, parsley, egg and wine. Season with salt and mix well. Fill the peppers with the meat mixture, using a teaspoon, and secure with wooden cocktail sticks. Heat the oil with 2 tbsp water in a deep frying pan. Add the peppers, three at a time, and cook
over a low heat for 10 min. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked peppers to a clean saucepan, arranging them in a single layer. Drain all but about 5 tbsp of the oil from the frying pan and reheat. Add the onion and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 min, until browned. Add the tomato and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, for a further 5 min. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 min, then stir in the wine and 1 litre/1.5 pints water. Simmer for 15 min. Allow to cool a little, then transfer to a food processor, process until smooth and pour into the saucepan of peppers. Season with salt and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 min. If the sauce is too thick, add a little hot water. Serve in a warm deep dish.
Note: This dish can be made in advance and is quite delicious when it is reheated.
Little spinach tarts with coddled eggs
Tartaletas de espinacas y huevos mollets
6 eggs
Pinch of bicarbonate of soda (optional)
1kg/2.25lb spinach, coarse stalks removed
3 tbsp olive oil
750g/1 lb 10oz tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
0.5 tsp sugar
6 cooked tartlet cases
20g/0.75 oz butter
1 tbsp plain flour
250ml/8 fl oz milk
Salt
Serves 6
Coddle the eggs by bringing to the boil a saucepan of water with two tbsp salt. Pass the eggs under cold running water, put them into a wire basket and plunge into the boiling water. When the water comes back to the boil cook the eggs for exactly 5 min and remove the pan from the heat. Run cold water as quickly as possible into the pan until it is completely cold, to prevent any further cooking. Leave to stand in cold water.
Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil, add a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, then add the spinach, pushing it down into the water with a spoon. Bring back to the boil and cook for 5 min, then drain well, pressing down with the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Chop very finely. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a frying
pan. Add the tomato and cook over a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and breaking it up with the side of the spoon, for 20 min. Transfer to a food processor and process to a thick purée. Scrape into a bowl, season with salt and stir in the sugar. Keep warm.
Place the tartlet cases on a baking sheet and warm through in the oven. Melt the butter with the remaining oil in a saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 min. Gradually stir in the milk, a little at a time. Season with salt and cook, stirring constantly, for 10 min. Stir in the spinach and cook for a few min more, until heated through. Divide the spinach mixture among the tartlets and keep warm. Carefully shell the eggs and put one on top of each
tartlet. Pour a spoonful of hot tomato sauce over each of the eggs and serve immediately.
Custard and syrup dessert
Tocino de cielo
290g/10.5 oz caster sugar
2 strips of thinly pared lemon rind
7 egg yolks
1 egg
Caramel:
2 tbsp caster sugar
Serves 6
Make the caramel. Put the sugar into a saucepan, add 1 tbsp water and stir to dissolve, then cook over a low heat until golden. Pour the caramel into a 14cm/5.5 inch cake tin and tip it back and forth until the tin is completely coated. Leave to cool. Pour 350 ml/12floz water into a saucepan, stir in the sugar and add the lemon rind. Bring to the boil, then cook over a low heat for 20 min. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/ Gas Mark 2. Beat the egg yolks and egg with 2 tbsp water in a bowl, then gradually beat in the cooled syrup, a little at a time. Pour into the cake tin, cover with foil and place a well-fitting lid on top. Put the tin into a roasting tin, pour in hot water to come about halfway up the sides and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 9 min, then transfer the cake tin in the roasting tin to the oven. Bake for 10 min. Remove the tin from the oven and leave to cool. Run a round-bladed knife around the edge and turn the dessert out on to a serving dish.
Note: This dessert can be made in individual dishes. In that case they will not need to bake for quite so long.