Spoon foods

Spoon foods are, strictly speaking, defined as a diet that does not require chewing. Porridge, as you know it, is not typically meant by that in Andalusia. It's not eaten. Besides, you can only buy oat flakes that by no means is a rich variety, and they are not used for anything other than baking here. Rather, thick soups and stews are beloved spoon foods (guisos) in Andalusia, especially during the cold season. They are considered heavy food because of high content of protein requiring more blood to flow into the digestion tracts since they are prepared with lightly fried meat, fish or other food and slow cooked in sauce with dried and soaked legumes, fresh vegetables and potatoes. Meat (take beef, bacon, ribs, cured ham and sausages or blood sausages for example) or fish (e.g. cod) are cooked in oil, boiled in water or stewed with plants (including pods of beans, chickpeas or lentils) in a large stewing pan or casserole dish.

Great variety of Mediterranean legumes

Spoon foods have always been enjoyed by Spanish people at home and are today regular items even on the most select bar and restaurant menus under such names (in Spanish) as guiso, cocido, guisado, puchero, olla, pote, potaje etc. They were already made famous in Cervantes’s Don Quixote, being in his time (1547-1616) considered poor people’s food. So what! One cannot really argue love for traditional flavours!

Potaje de tagarninas

Andalusian spoon foods are usually meaty and fatty, crazy rich, and not exclusively beef and/or pork based, but may also contain kid, lamb, poultry (chicken, turkey, duck) and/or giblets (liver, cheek, tongue, oxtail). Vegetables used are often seasonal, like artichokes (alcachofas) in spring. Rice, corn and peas are not common ingredients in these dishes, but the noodles sure are. And, of course, not a single miracle is to be expected in the kitchen of Andalusia without laurel and fresh herbs. Also, wine can be used while stewing, and beaten egg yolks can be stirred into the broth at the last minute before serving.

Now, a recipe for you to try at home:

Lentils Stew (Potaje de Lentejas)

Ingredients:

- Lentils

- Garlic

- Onion

- Green pepper (the one used for frying)

- Tomato

- Potatoes

- Carrots

- Laurel

- Paprika (i.e. mild powdered seasoning)

- Olive oil

- Water

- Parsley

- Salt

- Chorizos

Preparation:

Soak dry lentils (handful for every person and an extra handful, just in case) overnight (let's say, for 8-10 hours) in tap water. Throw the water away and rinse the lentils after soaking, put the lentils into a pot, chop vegetables (3-4 cloves of garlic, an onion or a half, a pepper, a tomato, 1-2 potatoes, 1-2 carrots) finely (I mean, really finely, like the same size as the little lentils) and add to the lentils together with 1-2 leaves of laurel and a spoonful of paprika, cover them with a glass of olive oil and water. Place the pot onto the stove and bring the water to a boil. Turn the burner on to low and simmer the food until fully cooked, for more than an hour. Take an occasional peek into the pot to make sure it hasn't gone dry. When cooked, add a little salt and parsley to taste. Boil the skinned and cut (into some serving pieces) sausages (use smaller chorizos) in another pot. Take them out of the water and place them onto the ready stew some time before serving to let them flavour it.

And, some possible changes to have a dish I love most:

At my home this stew-like thick soup is almost completely vegetarian as made without meat or fat, except that of low fat stock. So, I don't use any olive oil nor fatty spicy sausages, but some cayenne pepper to season instead.