Spain Day 8 Spanish Food Bainbridge Style

Today’s big adventure involved a trip to the grocery store. We’ve been eating out every night and we thought it would be fun to duplicate some of the food we’ve enjoyed in the tapas bars and put a Spanish spin on some foods from back home.

There’s enough olive oil in this meal to make your hair really shiny.

The Menu:

Starter: Aioli Potatoes

Main: Spanish Style Pork Chops and Serrano Haricots Verts

Wine Pairing: Spanish Cava Rose'

To make the Aioli

Peel and crush two garlic cloves with a mortar and pestle. Add a pinch of salt and pound until you have a garlicky paste. Add two egg yolks and beat with a hand blender (you could also whisk or do this in your blender or food processor). Add about 2/3 cup olive oil in a thin stream beating continually until it looks like yellow mayonnaise. Add lemon juice to taste (about 1 1/2 tablespoons). Taste and add more salt and lemon juice if you want. You can make this in advance and refrigerate. It gets tastier with time.

To make the Potatoes

Cut four small potatoes into similar sizes so they cook evenly. The ones I used were thin skinned so I didn’t peel them. Lightly salt. Pour enough olive oil into a skillet to cover the bottom and place over medium heat. When the oil is hot enough that a test slice sizzles add the rest. Cook without turning for a few minutes to develop a slightly crisp skin then do the other side the same way. They’re done when there is no resistance when pricked with a fork. Serve with toothpicks for picking and dipping.

Not your daddy’s Weber. Starting the grill was the most difficult part of the meal. But look at what it produced:

Pork chops seasoned with smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Grill as usual. (R made the chops and he’s at the beach with E and J so this is all the instruction you’re getting.)

To Make the Haricots Verts

Wash and trim beans then place in a microwave safe pan. (a glass bread pan works well). Pour about 1/3 cup water over the beans cover with plastic wrap then microwave on high for 2-3 minutes until steamed crisp tender. Chop a garlic clove and place it in a skillet, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and an ounce of chopped Serrano jamon. Cook over medium low heat. Don’t fry the garlic, merely warm it up until it smells fragrant . Increase the heat to medium and add the (drained) steamed beans and toss until covered with oil and the ham is evenly dispersed.

Dinner