One of the greatest values that Andalusia has is its enormous diversity. Such as the province of Malaga with sun, beach … and the many attractions in the interior. One of the most spectacular areas in that province is the Sierra de las Nieves. Not only the beautiful nature, but also the very diverse culinary offer. The locals ensure that the many traditional recipes that the Sierra de las Nieves has to offer are kept alive.
Sierra de las Nieves – Malaga (Andalusia)
In the Natural Park of the Sierra de las Nieves you will not only find a maze of hiking trails between pinsapos (kind of pine) and beautiful white villages. Most of all you can be delicious traditional recipes tastes that do justice to the taste buds. The nature reserve of the Sierra de las Nieves in Andalusia has an enormous natural wealth.
- Ensalada de Bacalao – Salad of Cod
- Ajoblanco – Cold Almond Soup with Garlic
- Sopa Hervida – Boiled Soup
- Conejo al Ajillo – Rabbit with Garlic
- Salmorejo – Cold creamy soup with tomatoes and bread
- Ensalada de Pimientos Asados - Grilled Pepper Salad
- Coles – Coal Meal Soup
- Torrijas – French toast
Ensalada de Bacalao – Salad of Cod
In the south of Spain (Andalusia) it is very common to dry the cod, it is one of the oldest methods of preserving fish. The bacalao is used in many traditional recipes. There are different types of dried cod. The klipfish, or pollock, is salted and dried cod and the stockfish is unsalted and dried cod.
Ingredients for 4 people
- 250 grams bacalao (dried, salted cod)
- 1 onion
- 2 eggs
- half green pepper
- half a red pepper
- half a kilo of potatoes
- 2 oranges
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt to taste
Prepare
- Place the bacalao in a bowl of water the night before so that it can desalt well. Change the water a few times and let the bacalao drain well an hour before preparing the dish.
- Wash the potatoes and put them in a pan of water with the eggs. Cook them together until the potatoes are tender.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, peel them off. Cut them into medium sized pieces and put them in a bowl where you will be serving the salad.
- Cut the eggs, onion and peppers into very fine pieces and add them to the potatoes.
- Halve the olives and these also go with the potatoes.
- Mix the bacalao cut into wedges with the olive oil well with the rest of the ingredients. Season with salt.
- Serve this delicious salad with a slice of orange and a few skinned orange segments. You can also cut a piece of orange peel into very fine pieces to decorate the plate on which the lettuce is served.
Ajoblanco – Cold Almond Soup with Garlic
Ajoblanco is a typical cold soup from Andalusia that most likely has its origins in Al-Andalus cuisine. In Almáchar in Malaga, every year in early September there is a party dedicated to the Ajoblanco (fiesta del Ajoblanco).
Ingredients
- 150 grams of peeled almonds
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 300 grams of stale bread
- extra virgin olive oil
- White wine vinegar
- salt
- 250 grams of moscatel grapes
Prepare
- Wet the bread with water and squeeze it.
- Put the bread in a bowl with the peeled and chopped garlic and chopped almonds.
- Mix everything very finely and then add the olive oil in a thin stream while stirring.
- Season with vinegar and salt.
- The ajoblanco should be creamy, if it is too thick you can make the ajoblanco slightly thinner by adding water.
- Just before serving, add a few moscatel grapes by the glass or bowl.
Sopa Hervida – Boiled Soup
The sopa hervida is usually a very thick meal soup, topped with bread. This soup is a version with a lot of legumes (legumbres), but you can also add chorizo, chicken … to it.
Ingredients
Adjust quantities to the number of guests
- olive oil
- garlic
- Red pepper
- broad beans
- peas
- onions
- tomatoes
- bacalao (dried and salted cod)
- salt
- durum wheat bread or country bread
Prepare
- The night before, put the bacalao in a bowl of water to desalinate and put enough dried legumes in a bowl of water to absorb moisture.
- Cook the legumes in a pressure cooker and keep them separate.
- Take a pan and sauté the garlic cloves, the chopped bell pepper and onion in it. When these are almost done, add enough tomatoes, as it is the tomatoes that will indicate the color of the soup.
- Then add the legumes and the pre-soaked and chopped bacalao.
- When everything is well cooked, mix the sliced bread underneath and add water until the bread is completely saturated.
- Let the soup boil and stir in gently with a wooden spoon.
- When the soup is cooked, put a lid on the pan and keep it aside until serving.
- Grilled sardines are often served with it.
Conejo al Ajillo – Rabbit with Garlic
This is a very popular dish all over Spain and a specialty in the Sierras de las Nieves.
Ingredients for 4 people
- 1 medium sized rabbit
- extra virgin olive oil
- garlic
- freshly ground black pepper
- thyme
- bay leaf
- salt
- White wine
- a soft or spicy pepper
Prepare
- Divide the rabbit into pieces and fry it in the pan with olive oil.
- Mix the garlic with the white wine and add this mixture to the rabbit in the pan.
- Place the chopped pepper around the rabbit and season the rabbit with the thyme, bay leaf and freshly ground black pepper.
- Let it simmer slowly over a low heat until the meat is soft and add hot water if necessary.
- Before serving, you can decorate the dish with finely chopped bell pepper and tomato and serve a plate of fried potatoes.
Salmorejo – Cold creamy soup with tomatoes and bread
This Salmorejo is a cold creamy soup like the more famous gazpacho, which originally comes from the area of Cordoba (southern Spain). The following ingredients are used as a basis for this Salmorejo.
- tomatoes
- old bread
- garlic
- olive oil and salt
This soup is served with a finely chopped, hard boiled egg, pieces of jamón (ham) and olive oil. Sometimes with pieces of toasted bread (pan tostada) or hard bread crust (coscurros). This cold soup is eaten in the hot summer months in some regions of southern Spain, including the Sierra de las Nieves.
Ingredients for the Salmorejo
- 1 kilo of ripe tomatoes
- 1/4 kilo of bread
- 1 red pepper
- 1 large clove of garlic
- extra virgin olive oil
- White wine vinegar
- salt
- 1 hard boiled egg
- a few slices of ham
Preparing the Salmoreja
- Break the bread into pieces and let it soak in a glass of water.
- In the meantime, remove the skin from the tomatoes and crush them with a mixer or in a mortar (mortero).
- Add the other ingredients little by little. Start with the garlic, bell pepper, bread, olive oil, vinegar and finally season the cold soup with salt.
- The soup should be creamy, like a sauce.
Serving tip for the Salmorejo
Serve the Salmorejo in deep plates and garnish with finely chopped hard-boiled egg and ham.
Ensalada de Pimientos Asados - Grilled Pepper Salad
How do you roast peppers?
There are many ways to roast bell peppers, but grilling them without getting dry is an art. You can grill the bell pepper in the oven or on the stove, wrapped in aluminum foil. This way, you will need to turn the pepper from time to time so that it is grilled on all sides. This way you can better remove the skin from the pepper afterwards. You can also use the heat of a barbecue to roast the peppers. Grilled peppers are always better!
Ingredients for the Grilled Pepper Salad
- 1 kilo of green and red peppers
- 1/4 kilo of ripe tomatoes
- 1 large onion
- oregano (preferably fresh)
- extra virgin olive oil
- White wine vinegar
- salt
Preparing the Grilled Pepper Salad
- Grill the peppers as described above and remove their skins and seeds.
- Cut the parikas into thin long strips and keep them separate.
- Wash and peel the tomatoes and keep them separate.
- Take a pan and add the olive oil and fry the finely chopped onion, keep a little onion aside to garnish.
- Add the tomatoes and the sliced bell pepper.
- Fry until tender and then put the salad in a bowl.
- Season with white wine vinegar and salt and a little extra oil.
- Divide the finely chopped onion over it.
Serving tip for the Grilled Pepper Salad
This salad can be eaten cold or warm with pieces of bread or breadsticks. It is an ideal dish to serve with tapas and a tasty sherry from Jerez de la Frontera.
Coles – Coal Meal Soup
This soup was traditionally prepared after the hunt, with fresh game shot that day.
Cabbage belongs to the Cruciferae family and is native to Europe. There are many types of coal in this family namely, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, white cabbage, cauliflower … They all contain sulfur which is a powerful antioxidant.
Ingredients for the Coal Meal Soup
- 1/4 kg chickpeas
- 2 medium potatoes
- 150 grams of lean pork
- 150 grams of beef rib
- a good piece of fresh ham bacon
- a piece of bone for the stock
- a piece of black pudding
- 1 white cabbage
Preparing the Coal Meal Soup
- Place the chickpeas from the night before in a bowl of water so that they can soak.
- Take a large saucepan and add the dungeon peas, chopped and peeled potatoes, chopped lean pork, chunks of beef rib, chopped ham bacon, and leg for the stock.
- Add water until everything is covered with water and place the pan on a medium heat.
- In the meantime, you wash the cabbage and divide it into pieces of about 5 cm. The heart of the cabbage is not used because it is too hard.
- Once the chickpeas are cooked, add the chopped black pudding and cabbage.
- Continue to cook over medium heat until the cabbage is soft.
Serving suggestion for the Coal Meal Soup
This is an ideal meal soup for cold winter days. As a tapa, this soup is very good for a filled snack, but it is more likely to be eaten as a main course with freshly baked bread.
Torrijas – French toast
In every country there is a way to prepare French toast. It’s an ideal way to turn stale bread into something tasty. The Torrijas are always prepared in Semana Santa (the holy week before Easter).
Ingredients for the Torrijas or French toast
- 8 slices of dark bread from the day before
- 250 cl of milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 cinnamon stick
- extra virgin olive oil
- sugar or honey
Preparing the Torrijas or French toast
- Cut 8 slices of bread from the bread of the day before about a finger thick.
- Soak the sandwiches one by one in the milk with the cinnamon stick, not too long, otherwise the sandwiches will fall apart.
- Gently squeeze out the excess milk.
- Add the sandwiches to the beaten eggs and fry them in a pan with olive oil until golden brown.
- Once the French toast is cooked, put it in the sugar or drizzle it with a spoonful of honey.
Enjoy the delicious ones traditional Recipes from the Sierra de las Nieves!