Well, Ian and I are like deflated balloons at the moment.
It transpires that we are not super-ace asparagus pickers after all.
We’ve been picking quite a bit over the last week or so, and have had record hauls. Last year we were lucky to pick enough in one go for a meal, this year we’ve been picking enough for two meals – so well over double. This surely means, we thought, that we have it cracked and we are now part of the asparagus picking elite.
But no. It transpires that this is the best year that anyone remembers. We went out with Adelardo and while Ian and I had what we thought was a healthy haul, Adelardo managed to fill a plastic bag. We think it must be genetic as it does seem that the Spanish can conjure asparagus from pieces of undergrowth that we have just previously explored with a fine tooth comb to no avail.
We have a new recipe for asparagus too. It is Aparagos Guiso. The recie is two garlic cloves cooked in olive oil, when they are soft they are pounded with salt. This is added back to the saucepan with some cumin and the smoked paprika that this area is famous for. Some bread crumbs are then added with some water and then the aspargus goes in to cook for a few minutes. Wild asparagus is quite strong so it doesn’t get overpowered by the seasoning. It worked really well and is now one of our new favorites!
Bread crumbs are used a lot in Spanish cooking. Many cakes and biscuits use a base of breadcrumbs, soups and stews are thickened with breadcrumbs and they are used in many other things. I guess it is a good filler and as bread forms an important part of the diet, it is a good way to use up old bread. The bakers often sell sacks of stale bread and this must keep families going for ages!
I’m currently trying to find out if there is a Spanish equivalent to Mrs Beeton as I’d love to find out more about traditional Spanish cooking. Or even if there is a Spanish ‘Good Housekeeping’ type book. I haven’t had much luck so far – I know that families have their own closely guarded recipes, perhaps there was not much of a need for books…?