This is my Proust’s Madeleine. It reminds me of my first holidays by myself in Spain. Almost everyday I was nuying them at the supermarket and it was my official meal. Many variations in the marinade (chilli pepper only and /or with other spices), the pinchos are meat skewers that need to be grilled on a charcoal bbq to taste them at their best. Simply wow!

Serves 4

Ready in 10 minutes + time for the marinade

700 grams meat (chicken, beef, Pork, lamb at your choice) diced

1 medium sized onion

half lemon – squeezed

2 garlic cloves finely minced

2 tbs chilli pepper flakes

2 tbs ground cumin

half tsp ground black pepper

1 pinch of saffron

the tip of a tsp on ground cinnamon

half tsp salt

50 ml extra virgin olive oil

optional: 1 tbs fresh cilantro finely chopped

Heat the saffron on a tablespoon heated directly on the fire, until it gets toasted – it should take a few seconds. This step intensifies the taste of saffron (not necessary but nice to do, after all details make a difference!)

Mince (or better grate) the onion and the garlic, put in a container and mix all the ingredients (excluding the meat), or use a mortar and a pestle to have a very smooth sauce.

NOTA: it would be ideal to use a pestle to do this operation.

When the sauce is smooth, add the meat, mix well and put in a plastic bag. Refrigerate 24h or keep at room temperature 4h.

Put the meat onto the skewers and bbq them 2 or 3 minutes per side. The bbq should be open fire and very hot (so the outside gets flamed and the inside is still juicy).

A cold soup is a traditional recipe from the Mediterranean area. The Romans were making it with wine, the Greeks with yogurt. The cold soup we call Gazpacho, is no doubt of Spanish derivation (from the region of Andalusia). Ripe tomatoes, green bell peppers, onions and cucumbers are mashed into a cream with stale bread and diluted with vinegar, cold water and olive oil. A perfect recipe to freshen up your hot summers. It is a great start of a dinner too.

Here you go with my recipe!

Serves 4

Ready in 20 mins + 2h in refrigerator

500 grams ripe red tomatoes

200 grams cucumbers (peeled)

150 gr green bell peppers (better the small italian quality)

1 small red onion

1 garlic clove

1 jalapeno (or more according to taste)

half glass white vinegar

half glass extra-virgin olive oil

1 slice of stale bread

salt

Cut all vegetables into big chunks and put them into a mixer with the bread (drenched with half of the vinegar).

Add the vinegar (if it is too dry also add some water if necessary), until they are all creamy.

When the vegetables creamy, add slowly the olive oil, the colour will turn from red to light red or orange. Season with salt (and more vinegar according to taste).

Sieve through a sieve mixing it with a spoon and make sure that the most of it is sieved.

Put the gazpacho into the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.

1 kg potatoes

1 onion

5 eggs

sale

400 ml frying oil

Heat the frying oil in a casserole.

Dice the potatoes. Deep fry the potatoes for 15 minutes. Drain them on a cloth or on a sieve.

In a pan fry the sliced onion with 2 tbs of oil until translucent.

In a container beat gently the eggs with a pinch of salt

Add the onions and the potatoes and stir.

In a pan (max 22 cm diameter) heat 2 tbs of oil and pour the egg mixture.

Cook at medium-low heat for circa 12/13 minutes.

Turn the tortilla helping yourself with a lid, just turn the pan upside-down quickly and the gently lower the tortilla on the lid, into the pan again. Cook other 7 minutes. Serve.