Pastela

             PASTELA:

                      

                             HISTORY:

The dish would have been one of the favorite dishes of the Sultan of Fes in Morocco. He would have asked a famous Spanish chef if he could make the dish Judhaba more delicious for his guests. Today, the dish Bastilla is the official dish of the city of Fes in Morocco. The name of the Pie comes from the Spanish word 'pastilla' meaning in modern Spanish either pill or "small pastry" after the transformation of the phoneme "p" into "b" that is specific to the Arabic language. It is an elaborate meat pie traditionally made of squab. As squabs are often hard to get, shredded chicken is more often used today; pastilla can also use fish or offal as a filling. Pastilla is generally served as a starter at the beginning of special meals.

                             

                          INGREDIENTS:

For the filling:                                      

-150g butter                                             

- 1 Chicken

-3 onions

-1 cinnamon stick

-150g almonds (toasted and roughly chopped)

 -6 eggs

For the pastry:

- 1 kg warka pastry

-2 teaspoons icing sugar

-1 teaspoon cinnamon

                    PREPARATION:

1. In a wide pan, melt 100g of the butter, then add the chicken , onions and cinnamon stick. Cover with water, season well with salt and cook over a low heat for an hour.

2. Remove chicken and turn up the heat; reduce the mixture while you remove the meat from the bones, shred it and add back into the pan. Add the chopped almonds.

3. Break the eggs into a bowl and gently whisk, pour two thirds into the chicken mixture and stir, cooking over a medium heat until little bits of cooked egg appear. Taste and add salt to get it , savoury and exotic. Preheat oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.

4. Melt the remaining butter in a small pan. Lay three sheets of filo pastry out on small side plates, and butter each sheet lightly with a pastry brush. Repeat to layer it three times, buttering the filo as you go.

5. Using a slotted spoon, put a third of the chicken mixture into each of the filo piles, leaving the excess liquid behind. Then fold over the sides of the pastry to make a sealed, round parcel. Paint each pastilla with any of the remaining butter and the last of the whisked egg to seal them.

5. Transfer to a baking tray and bake for 45 minutes until the filo is crisp and brown. Dust with icing sugar and cinnamon and eat while hot.

Arepas

        AREPA
 

                                       HISTORY

The AREPA has its origins hundreds of years ago; cooked by the various indigenous tribes across the areas that are now Venezuela and Colombia. Arepa represents daily masa bread. It is eaten across various socio-economic groups, at all times of day. The arepa has its name from the word erepa, the indigenous word for this corn ‘pita’.

Until the 1950, when areperas (joints or restaurants serving arepas to the public) were a few, arepas were eaten primarily as a bread or side to food. When arepas started growing in popularity, people became more innovative with their fillings. Initially the filled arepa was referred to as “tostada” but now it is simply called a filled AREPA or AREPA RELLENA. The fillings vary and there are no rules (just like with any sandwich, fillings are endless). Some recipes have now become tradition.
   

Ingredients

• Cornmeal
• Salt to taste
• Warm water
• cheese
• Beef

Preparation

1. First we pour a cup of cornflour, two glasses of water and a pinch of salt in a bowl.
2. Then knead everything and make with the dough the shape of arepa.
3. Later fry them for ten minutes, cut them in halves and add the beef strips and grated cheese.

Gachas

Typical Porridge from Jaén

History

They have been a traditional meal in Northern Europe and Russia since ancient times.

In Spain the porridge appears at the time of Al-Andalus. Nowadays they are typical in Scottish breakfasts but these are salted and in Spain are

made as follows.

Serves 4 people

Ingredients

• 6 tbs flour
• 1 litre milk
• 1 small glass olive oil
• fried bread
• lemon rinds
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• powdered cinnamon
• aniseed (matalahúva)
• dry anisette
• pinch salt
• 5 tbs sugar

Instructions

1. First of all, mix six spoonfuls of flour and half litre milk in a bowl. Whip for some minutes and reserve.

2. Next heat in a saucepan the remaining half litre milk.

3. Meanwhile, fry the lemon rinds in a pan. When they are golden, take them out and put them in the saucepan with the warm milk. In the same oil fry three cinnamon sticks, take them out and place them in the saucepan with the milk and lemon rinds .

4. Next fry the aniseed in the pan, remove it from heat and and mix it with all the previous ingredients of the saucepan, stirring all the time.

5. Then add the six spoonfuls of flour and the remaining half litre of milk in the bowl, little by little stirring constantly.

6. When it begins to thicken, add a pinch of salt and five spoonfuls of sugar. Stir again and add the oil in which we have fried the lemon peels, cinnamon and aniseed.

7. Mix all well and add a drizzle of dry aniset.

8. When it is cooked, pour the porridge in bowls and decorate with pieces of fried bread. You can sprinkle with powdered cinnamon.

Note: In older times porridge was made with water instead of milk and the flour was baked.

Pablo Pérez del Pino

Sources:

Degusta Jaén (Photos and variations on this recipe

Web Jaén sobre Gachas típicas